The LA Kings have signed forward Francesco Pinelli to a one-year, two-way contract worth an average annual value (AAV) of $850,000 through the 2026-27 season.
Pinelli, 23, recently completed his third season with the Ontario Reign, the Kings’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, where he collected 14 goals and 21 assists for a professional-best 35 points (14-21=35) in 65 games with a +16 rating. Pinelli added a pair of points (1-1=2), including a shorthanded goal, in five Calder Cup Playoff games.
Selected in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft, Pinelli has skated in 202 career regular-season AHL games across three seasons with Ontario, accumulating 42 goals and 84 points (42-42=84) with five game-winning goals, two shorthanded goals and 120 penalty minutes (PIM). Pinelli has two points (1-1=2) in eight career Calder Cup Playoff outings.
Prior to joining the Reign, the 6-0, 190-pound forward spent three seasons with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 2019-23 where he registered 81 goals and 191 points (81-110=191) in 174 regular-season games. Serving as captain in his final campaign with Kitchener in 2022-23, Pinelli registered a career-high 90-point season (41-49=90) in 60 games. Pinelli played one season (2020-21) with HDD Jesenice of the Alps Hockey League in Slovenia, posting 11 points (5-6=11) and a +4 in 13 games before winning the Slovenian Championship with the club.
Internationally, the Stoney Creek, Ontario native represented Team Canada at the 2021 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Under-18 Men’s World Championship, posting four goals, 11 points (4-7=11) and a +8 rating in seven tournament games to capture gold.
