Carter George & Hampton Slukynsky Gearing Up For Season Ahead

Goaltending is a unique position.

Well, obviously it is.

But here’s why, in this context.

Take two forward prospects. The top two forward prospects in an organization, for example. As those players develop and progress towards playing professionally, there is room for both to be everyday impact players in the same lineup. Each team dresses six forwards in the top six and 12 forwards overall. There are a ton of options of how you can deploy your top end forwards together in the same lineup.

In net, it’s a different story.

For the Kings, two of the organization’s top prospects are preparing to begin their first full professional seasons. Unlike the forwards, though, both players are goaltenders. And there’s only one net.

For Carter George and Hampton Slukynsky, ultimately, both players have the same end goal. Both have ambitions of being the long-term starting goaltender in Los Angeles. Both have that potential, too. As the NHL has evolved, so has the notion of goaltending tandems in the regular season, but come the playoffs, most teams still hope to deploy one starter.

For George and Slukynsky, in the moment, it’s not about any sort of a competition. At the same time, though, both see and understand the situation, a situation that could hopefully allow both to improve along the way.

As things stand, there’s a good chance that both of the organization’s highly-touted goaltending prospects could begin the season playing in the AHL, with the Ontario Reign. They can’t both play at the same time but the way they play can certainly influence and impact the other.

Both goaltenders seem to looking at the situation the same way.

If one plays well, it can only help the other.

“Yeah, I think you know any time you know you’re competing with other guys and playing at high levels, you always want to be your best,” Slukynsky said. “Obviously having competition brings out the best in you too, for sure. We push each other, we support each other and help each other get better, but obviously we both want to play. Everybody wants to play and compete, so it’s been good.”

These are two, talented young goaltenders who are definitely capable of pushing each other. That’s what the Kings need, is for both to improve as first-year professionals.

This isn’t a situation we’ve seen in Los Angeles for awhile but it’s not unfamiliar either. Jonathan Quick emerged from a crowded pipeline that also produced Jonathan Bernier and Martin Jones as capable NHL goaltenders. When you have multiple top prospects playing the same position, they’re able to push each other and, ideally, bring out the best in each other.

“I definitely think it’s good, I think it’s kind of like a hidden motivation, I guess you could say,” George said. “You’re always looking over your shoulder, trying to do one more rep at the end or trying to just get a slight edge. So, I definitely think if you’re both just kind of pushing each other, looking at each other and seeing the work ethic, both of us kind of want to work for each other. It’s a really healthy relationship.”

Both goaltenders were complimentary of each other when asked. George pointed to a relationship that’s already growing and forming, while Slukynsky admitted he’s been impressed with George’s professionalism as a young player.

This summer, George and Slukynsky have both spent time in Southern California, training together and ramping up for the season.

Slukynsky got to the area at the start of August while George arrived a couple of weeks later. They’ve both been involved in summer skates with professional players, working on their game as they adjust to facing professional shots on a consistent basis.

That’s a change for guys who are used to playing in Ontario or Michigan, preparing to play in the OHL or the NCAA.

Now, they’ve been around the Kings’ facilities. They’ve been around the professional staff. They’ve been around some of their prospective teammates for a while now. As such, they’ve gotten more comfortable.

George is entering his third Rookie Faceoff, so this weekend is less new for him. For Slukynsky, though, this is the first time he’s been able to play, as collegiate players are not permitted to attend with classes already in session.

“It’s been great, I’ve been to four development camps, but never been a rookie camp, so just excited to get the Kings jersey on in a real game here tomorrow,” Slukynsky said. “Excited to get playing this weekend.”

Slukynsky, though, made his AHL debut last spring and was quite impressive with the Reign. He won both of the games he started, posting a .957 save percentage in the process Very similar to what we were saying about George the year prior, when he posted a shutout in his own professional debut in 2025, winning both of his own starts in the AHL.

Now, for Slukynsky, having that experience helps. He has his feet wet at that level and feels more comfortable being here. Goes a long way for a young player.

“Coming over here last spring, getting to know everyone, the staff, getting familiar with the area, playing a really high level of hockey was huge coming into this year,” he added. “I’m leaning on that experience going into the season for sure.”

For George, who was a standout performer at each of the last two rookie tournaments, the difference is really the destination.

He was here in camp but he always knew the road led back to the OHL. Goaltenders rarely play in the NHL at 20-years-old and as a CHL prospect, he was not eligible to play in the AHL, even if his game showed he was maybe ready for the step. Now, he know he’s going to be playing professional hockey this fall and with that comes perhaps a bit of a different mindset.

“I wanted to have a really good summer this year, I mean that’s always [the goal] going into a season, but I know that this year had to be a little bit more, just because of the full year of pro hockey,” George said. “It’s a little bit more demand on the body and I had to mature a little bit. So, I think for me, I wanted to have a big summer, and I feel like I did just that.”

Either way, for both young goaltenders, the journey begins here at the Rookie Faceoff.

Last season, George started an NHL preseason game, as the Kings played seven games in total. All five goaltenders under NHL contracts got to start a game and it didn’t take away from the preparation that the veterans needed to get ready. Now, the schedule is four games long, not seven. Games aren’t guaranteed. With that in mind, these games in San Jose carry more meaning, more value. It’s a chance for players like George and Slukynsky to prove themselves, in a time when additional looks might be harder to come by.

“There’s only so much opportunity, especially with the vet rule, only get so many spots over there to get preseason games, so you really want to prove yourself here,” George said. “You want to prove to all the guys up top that you’re good enough to get into one of those games and you want to prove that you you can play at that level. I definitely think these are pretty big games for us to start the season.”

It’s unclear which goaltender will get the start tomorrow evening versus San Jose, between George, Slukynsky and 2026 third-round selection Yegor Rybkin. Ontario Reign Head Coach Andrew Lord, who will be behind the bench for the Kings this weekend, said he thinks we’ll see all three at some point, though with George and Slukynsky playing professionally, they are probably the priority, with Rybkin’s runway coming further down the road. Ultimately, that’s a decision from Ken Holland and his staff, primarily led by Director of Goaltending Bill Ranford. We’ll see tomorrow how the Game 1 rotation lands.

For George, it’ll be another chance to show what he can do in a Kings jersey. For Slukynsky, it’ll be his first chance. These games aren’t the end all, be all. But they are important, especially for the netminders. Both are eager to show what they can do, when the net is theirs.