Ahl Playoffs: Kings Recall Pheonix Copley for Roster Depth
The ahl playoffs roster picture shifted on Saturday morning, April 18, when the Los Angeles Kings recalled goalie Pheonix Copley from the AHL affiliate Ontario Reign. The move gives the Kings more veteran depth as they prepare for Game 1 this upcoming weekend in the West. It also places Copley into the active roster mix for the postseason.
Roster move comes before Game 1
The Kings made the recall as interim head coach DJ Smith and the club get ready for the opening game of their postseason schedule. The timing is direct: Saturday morning’s move adds another goaltender to the active roster before the series begins. In the team’s current setup, Copley is expected to serve behind Anton Forsberg and Darcy Kuemper.
General manager Ken Holland and the Kings have room to make the addition, and the move lines up with the league requirement for teams to remain compliant with having three goaltenders on the active roster. In this case, the ahl playoffs context is not about a surprise shakeup so much as a practical roster step taken with the postseason about to start.
What Copley brings to the Kings
Copley, 34, is a veteran goalie with recent NHL experience for Los Angeles. He started a game for the Kings on Dec. 23 against the Seattle Kraken and also appeared in a road game against the Toronto Maple Leafs in October 2024. That background is part of why the Kings can lean on him now for insurance and depth.
The recall keeps the Kings covered if the coaching staff needs another option during the opening stretch of the playoffs. For a team entering the ahl playoffs stage with its goaltending plan already defined at the top, Copley’s value is in stability and familiarity rather than a wholesale change.
Official team announcement and immediate context
The Kings’ public relations account on X announced the move on Saturday morning, confirming that Copley was recalled from the Reign in Ontario. That formal update followed the team’s decision to bring him into the active roster for the coming weekend.
On the season’s most urgent stage, the Kings are turning to experience they already know. The recall also fits the broader structure of the roster under the current league rules, which require three goaltenders to be in place.
What happens next
All eyes now shift to Game 1 this upcoming weekend, when the Kings begin their postseason in the West. The goaltending order appears set for now, but the presence of Copley gives Los Angeles an added layer of security as the series opens. If the Kings need another steady hand, the ahl playoffs recall has already put one in position.
