When the LA Kings traded up to pick number 50 in the 2019 NHL entry draft, their minds were set on Swedish winger Samuel Fagemo. Coming off of a 25-point SHL season as an over-ager, the LA Kings were positive that the Gothenburg native would continue to grow at the pace he did in the Swedish hockey league.
As quickly as the following year, Fagemo began to turn some heads. As his exceptional numbers were finally beginning to stand out. Having 22 points in 42 SHL games and 13 points in only seven U20 games with team Sweden, the hype for one of the newest Kings was becoming apparent.
Spending the 2020-21 pro hockey season, Fagemo played in two different leagues. He started the 2020-21 campaign on loan with Södertälje SK of the HockeyAllsvenskan where he tallied 11 points in 18 games. As impressive as that sounds, unfortunately, the HockeyAllsvenskan is a step below the SHL, where he was playing the year before.
In the second portion of the 2020-21 season, Fagemo finally got a taste of North American hockey as he appeared in 32 AHL games with the Ontario Reign and tallied 18 points. Obviously, it wasn’t anything special for an over-aging second-round pick, but the hopes were still high.
As the 2021-22 season rolled around, Fagemo played the vast majority of the year in the AHL once again. This time, he scored an impressive 27 goals and 44 points in 63 games. He even got a very short stint in the NHL with the Kings. He played in 4 games, but was held scoreless.
Now as the 2022-23 NHL season peeks around the corner, Samuel Fagemo (along with every other prospect in the LA Kings system) will look to finally make the NHL team and participate in professional games every single night. While the Kings do have what feels like endless depth, we can possibly see a few surprises with some prospects who’ll make a sudden push for a regular roster spot. One of those names that can make that push happens to be Samuel Fagemo.
As we know, Fagemo got a chance to prove himself in the NHL. Out of the 4 games that he played in, two of those teams ended up going to the Stanley Cup final, and obviously, one of them won the holy grail. Those four games that Fagemo has under his belt are frankly huge aspects as to what may put him ahead of all the others.
Unlike most prospects in the system, Fagemo knows the pace of the NHL because he’s experienced it firsthand. He understands what makes good players good, and he knows what he can improve on. Going from playing on a line with Alex Iafallo and Anze Kopitar to playing in the minors in a matter of a week should have really been a momentum changer for Fagemo. The pace of the game slows down and obviously, things seem easier.
Now that Fagemo has played in those games and he has that experience locked in his head, he wouldn’t be that much of a stranger to playing top-notch hockey. And even if those four games don’t really seem like that much of a difference, what does move the needle is how Fagemo didn’t look out of place in any of those four games.
Going back and watching every single game that Fagemo appeared in with the LA Kings, it was made obvious that he had that speed and he had that tenacity to be a full-time NHL player. He was able to compete against some of the best talents in the NHL and it didn’t look rough whatsoever. He was more than capable of playing an action-packed game without missing a beat and it does make me wonder how he would’ve done had he played a few more games.
One of the biggest, if not the biggest, attributes to Fagemo’s gameplay that could make him a potential regular roster player for next year is his ability to play a super active 200-foot game. He can go from actively disrupting passing attempts and other plays in the defensive zone to exploding into an offensive juggernaut within seconds.
Fagemo has done a fantastic job throughout his time in the AHL, generating offensive opportunities while still being defensively responsible, He plays every shift like it’s his last in the way that he will always leave it all out on the ice. Fairly, every NHLer is expected to play on an edge the entire game, but what makes Fagemo stand out is his effectiveness in every situation. Having that constant want to find open space or dig the puck out and regain possession is such a huge part of being a valuable forward in today’s hockey and Samuel Fagemo possesses those traits.
Another plus to Fagemo’s toolbox is his speed and his stick work. He does have an unusually crunched-over style of skating, which makes him look a little bit weird in stride, but his footwork really saves it. He’s got quick feet and they let him accelerate and explode past opponents.
While his edge work does seem a little sloppy, and it doesn’t help him out in tight area situations, his foot speed helps him transition out endlessly. That ability to help out in transition to enter and exit zones has led to multiple goals for and even a few prevented goals against in Ontario. As we saw in the first clip, Fagemo managed to catch up to Sidney Crosby, and was even able to join the offensive rush in an attempt to score.
As for his stick checking, it helps him out both defensively and offensively. Although he doesn’t really get as much defensive responsibility, he definitely has a few serviceable moments. Including this stick check:
Most notably, that active stick work that serves as an extra pressure handle, is an offensive trait of his. Assisting Samuel in moments where he chases the puck or attempts to disturb passing plays or zone exits, his ability to move his stick around and strip pucks off of opponents helps him in retrievals.
His stick serves as some sort of sneak attack on opponents. The enemy would usually shield his body away from Fagemo in hopes of having the puck remain in possession, and that’s where he would use his stick to either poke the puck free or simply lift the opponent’s stick off the ice and quickly grab the puck away.
Finally, let’s talk about Samuel Fagemo’s shooting and goal-scoring ability. By far, this is his best aspect and if anything pushes Fagemo into the LA Kings lineup as a full-time player, his shooting and finishing would be the tool that puts him into that role.
Ever since his draft year, Fagemo has been known to be a goal scorer. He knows how to find the back of the net using dekes, shots, and basic rebounding and tipping has been his best attribute. In Ontario, we saw him take a massive step up and we saw him truly master his shot.
Being able to score from anywhere on and off the powerplay has been so much fun to watch. He has an NHL-level shot and he’s using it almost every single night in the AHL. He’s bound to come up to the NHL and use his deadly one-timer and his lethal wrist shot sometime soon.
As we can recall to the 2021-22 NHL season, the LA Kings had the worst finishing in the NHL, and it wasn’t even close. Whatever they did, they couldn’t find the back of the net. That’s why they traded for Kevin Fiala. One of the best 5-on-5 players in the NHL, who scored 33 goals last season.
But that acquisition doesn’t fix the lack of scoring on the powerplay, though.
Samuel Fagemo would be the answer to that complication. Fagemo is able to score goals from anywhere on the powerplay, including the bumper spot. That part was notably the most agitating part of the LA Kings last season. There was a lack of usage on that spot, and it made the Kings miss out on so many goals. Now with a new power play coach, that man advantage will inevitably be better.
While the LA Kings have a stockpile of depth and prospects, which makes it harder to see players like Samuel Fagemo earn a full-time roster spot by the start of the regular season, it’s difficult not to imagine how Fagemo would do playing on the team as a full-time player.
Fagemo’s shooting, tenacity, and overall energy make him a legitimate candidate to make the team out of training camp and serve as a goal-scoring and power play specialist. The 22-year-old has much more of a chance to make the team out of almost any other prospect, and he will definitely be a player to watch once camp rolls around.
All Videos via InStat Hockey
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