The Los Angeles Kings have agreed to a two-year contract extension with forward Jared Wright, NHL.com reported. The deal carries an average annual value of $925,000 and keeps him under contract through the 2028-29 season.
Wright, 23, started this season with the Ontario Reign, the Kings' AHL affiliate. He had two goals and an assist in two games, and one of those goals won Ontario's season opener against Coachella Valley. The Kings recalled him on October 9.
The Kings picked Wright in the sixth round of the 2022 NHL Draft, 169th overall. He made his NHL debut with Los Angeles on March 2 last season and had four assists in 23 games. His first career point came March 7 against Montreal. He also played in four playoff games, his first postseason action in the NHL. With the Reign last season, he scored 17 goals and had 30 points in 54 games. Five of those goals were game-winners, the second-highest total on the team.
Across parts of three seasons with Ontario, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound forward has 19 goals and 34 points in 59 AHL regular-season games. That includes six game-winning goals and two shorthanded goals. He also has one assist in seven Calder Cup Playoff games.
Before turning pro, Wright played three college seasons at the University of Denver and scored 32 goals with 54 points in 122 games. In his sophomore season, 2023-24, he had 25 points. On April 13, 2024, he scored the game-winning goal against Boston College in the NCAA Championship Game, which gave Denver its 10th national title.
Wright also earned academic and sportsmanship honors at Denver, according to NHL.com. He made the NCHC Academic All-Conference Team twice, was twice named an NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete, and won the school's Dr. Ken Bredesen Most Sportsmanlike Player award in both 2022-23 and 2023-24.