The country’s apex hockey governing body used hundreds of cameras and the latest technological innovations to bring the 2025 NHL Draft to over 3,000 fans in attendance and those in front of their television screens. The decentralized format of this year’s draft has been highly debated to be one that would take away from the whole “feel” of things. However, the LA Kings had something extra special to give their loyal followers an intimate experience of the event like no other.

The LA Kings didn’t have a lot to go ga-ga over at the 2025 NHL Draft. After picking Henry Brzustewicz (31st overall) on Day 1, the Kings only got to select names lower in the list on the final day of the event. However, even then, they had something to give back to the fans to make them smile.

In an X post by the official X account of the LA Kings, the team’s unique act of acknowledging a fan’s special request was shared. Captioned, “Always shoot your shot,” the post shows how the hockey franchise unexpectedly granted a fan’s wish for the 2025 NHL Draft. The accompanying screenshot of a conversation shared how the 17-year-old Kings fan, Jeremy Roth, made a passing comment that he could cheer the crowd better than Dan Marr, the NHL Central Scouting president, and grabbed the attention of the folks over at the Los Angeles camp.

The post further shared a brief moment from the 2025 NHL Draft upper deck, where Roth can be seen joining NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly on stage to announce the Kings’ 216th pick. After getting the crowd to chant “Go Kings Go!” the teenage hockey fan finally made the important announcement. “With the 24th pick of the 7th round of the 2025 NHL Draft, the Los Angeles Kings select defenseman Will Sharpe from the Kelowna Rockets in the Western Hockey League!”

“I think Jeremy has been here the whole day and a big Kings fan. So, I would invite Jeremy up to the stage to help me make this pick,” Daly later said about how the young LA loyalist made an impression with him, prompting the former to deviate from the tradition and got Roth on the stage to announce his team’s final pick at the 2025 NHL Draft.

The young fan was also justifiably over the moon after the whole experience. “The L.A. Kings posted me on (social media). My dad filmed it live on NHL Network. … This is fun,” he told NHL.com with a beaming smile. And his elation can be comprehended even better when you realize that in Will Sharpe, a potential future Kings superstar might be subtly identifiable.

The 18-year-old defenseman recorded 44 points in 66 regular-season games in his second season at the WHL. Despite being only a teenager, Sharpe has already significant experience playing for the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Kelowna Rockets. But he wasn’t the only one who could become the centerpiece for the Kings’ return to their glory days.

The 2025 NHL Draft could be the turning point for the Kings’ future

With 105 points, the LA Kings qualified for the postseason as the second seed from the Pacific Division. And as fate would have it, the team was once again to face the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs. A chance to settle the score: In all the past three seasons, the Kings were eliminated from the Stanley Cup chase by the Canadian squad in Round 1. With the first two matches in the bag, it seemed the hockey gods were finally in favor of Los Angeles. But alas, hope died soon enough.

The Oilers bounced back. With Connor McDavid leading the charge, Edmonton won the next four games and extended its prolific playoff record against the Kings for another year. Despite LA doing its best to rally both the fans and the team behind the Stanley Cup dream, Kris Knoblauch’s boys proved to be too big a challenge for the Kings to overcome. With that heartbreak still on their mind, the 2025 NHL Draft saw the Pacific Division powerhouse do its best with the ultimate goal being an overhaul of the roster in the coming years.

Along with Sharpe, eight more players were picked by the LA Kings on the second day of the 2025 NHL Draft. Vojtech Cihar (59th overall), Kristian Epperson (88th overall), Jimmy Lombardi (125th overall), Jan Chovan (184th overall), and Brendan McMorrow (196th overall) will be adding depth to the team’s offensive prowess when they finally step into the Kings’ locker room, while defenseman Caeden Harrington (120th overall) and goaltender Petteri Rimpinen (152nd overall) will help to beef up the blue line.

Which of these latest Kings joinees do you think will have the most impact when they lace up against the big boys in the NHL? Share your take on these LA stars in the making below!