The Ontario Reign, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, saw their season come to an end April 26, after they got eliminated from playoffs facing the San Jose Barracuda. The Reign ended the regular season in third place in the Pacific Division. Because of a scheduling conflict with Toyota Arena, Reign’s home ice, the playoff games were relocated to Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Fewer fans were able to attend the game in downtown Los Angeles, affecting the game’s atmosphere that was less uplifting compared to the playoffs in years past. They lost game one 2-0 and tried to make a comeback in game two, but ultimately fell short with a score of 2-1.
Cal Poly Pomona hospitality management student James Nunez, who has been going to games since the Reign joined the AHL said he felt this year’s team was better than years past, but noticed they struggled a little bit defensively.
“I would say defense, especially, that was pretty apparent during the first playoff game,” Nunez said about the weakest element of the team’s games. “They just couldn’t lock them up.”
The Reign players, especially the defense ones, suffered several injuries during the regular season. The most impactful loss for the team was goaltender Erik Portillo, who was a starting goalie for the first half of the season but went down with an injury in February and was unable to return for the remainder of the season. Goaltender Pheonix Copley, who was the team’s backup goalie, filled Portillo’s role as the starter. Copley’s NHL experience gave the team a sense of comfort with him in between the pipes.
Throughout the year, the Reign faced teams they hadn’t played in years, such as the Texas Stars and Iowa Wild, which contributed to the team’s regular season success. This gave the team a chance to travel to new rinks in the middle of the season and get to compete against players they weren’t used to.
The team’s roster, which consisted of both veterans and prospects, created more opportunities for the team to bounce back from losses and put up several winning streaks throughout the year.
Going head-to-head with the San Jose Barracuda, the Reign won five of eight matchups during the regular season. | Megan Sanders
Forward Samuel Fagemo is the team’s leading goal scorer for the second year in a row and also holds the fourth place for scoring most points on the team. Fagemo scored 29 goals and tallied 46 points in the regular season. | Megan Sanders
During the final stretch of the season, defenseman Jack Millar (on the left) highlighted this year’s locker room and mentioned that everyone on the team knew their role and stepped up when needed. “It’s a great locker room, we’ve got a lot of great relationships and everybody likes each other, and everyone gets along so it’s just been a great group of guys to be with this year,” Millar said. | Megan Sanders
Veteran defenseman Joe Hicketts became the team’s new captain at the start of the season. Hicketts, who just finished his second season on the Reign, recorded three goals and 24 assists. He recently signed a one-year contract to return to the team next year. | Megan Sanders
Goaltender Pheonix Copley, who got ACL surgery last year while playing for the Kings, had a big comeback season and played 42 games for the Reign. | Megan Sanders
Members of the team played sewer ball before every game. This time was not only used for warming up, but also gave players a good chance to build relationships and connect before hitting the ice. | Megan Sanders
According to Madison Bishop (on the left), an eight-year Ontario Reign fan, the team meshed this year and played together which brought a different energy than past years. “I think Ontario, this season especially, has created such a great community because there are so many great players that the fans get so excited about,” Bishop said. “In the arena, it’s like everyone is a family because everyone loves all our players.” | Megan Sanders
Forward Martin Chromiak scored Reign’s only goal of the playoffs and tied with forward Charles Hudon in goals scored against San Jose during the regular season. Chromiak also recorded a career high in points with 39 and a career high in goals with 18. | Megan Sanders
Right before the NHL trade deadline, the Reign acquired defenseman Joseph Cecconi from the Iowa Wild in exchange for forward Tyler Madden. Cecconi recorded four points while on the Reign and also set a career high during the season for games played held at 74. | Megan Sanders
Reign’s coaching staff this past season consisted of head coach Marco Sturm, assistant coaches Chris Hajt (on the right) and Brad Schuler and goaltender coach Adam Brown. | Megan Sanders
Several Ontario players were called up to the NHL during the regular season. Most recently, forward Taylor Ward made his NHL debut on April 17 and scored his first NHL goal during that game before returning to the Reign. | Megan Sanders
Looking forward into the next season, Ontario will have several Kings prospects returning on its roster after making significant leaps in their careers during this past season. | Megan Sanders
