Kings re-sign top goalkeeping prospect Erik Portillo

The Kings have re-signed their top goaltending prospect, Erik Portillo, to a three-year contract extension, the team confirmed on Sunday.

Portillo’s new pact spans three seasons, through 2027, with an annual average value of $783,333. It is a two-way contract in Year 1, becoming a one-way deal for the remaining two campaigns.

That sets Portillo up to either compete for the backup job this season or, as General Manager Rob Blake alluded to earlier this offseason, to spend another year in the minors. Once Portillo makes his ascent to the top level, Blake and his staff view him as a potential No. 1 netminder.

This contract’s slide from two-way to one-way reflected that development path, and was similar to the two-year arrangement the Ducks made with goalie Lukáš Dostál last season.

Portillo was born in Gothenburg (Göteborg), Sweden, the same town as the legendary New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. But Portillo made his name a world away in Ann Arbor, Mich. with the University of Michigan Wolverines.

After his final junior season in Sweden, he was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 2019’s third round. He then spent a year in the United States Hockey League and three more at Michigan, including two as a starter for one of the top programs in the nation, where he also excelled academically.

At one point, a teenaged Portillo considered abandoning hockey and later he faced some trepidation as he made the transition across the Atlantic Ocean. Yet he excelled in North America, winning the USHL’s award for its top goalie and then two Big 10 titles at Michigan.

Portillo was unable to come to terms with Buffalo, which opened a window of opportunity last year for Blake and the Kings to acquire him in exchange for a third-round pick, which the Sabres used on defenseman and Upstate New York native Gavin McCarthy.

Though his career at Michigan, which boasted multiple first-rounders during his tenure, ended ignominiously –– two pucks banked off Portillo’s skates and into the net in a loss to Yaniv Perets and eventual champion Quinnipiac University –– his pro career began auspiciously.

Last season, Portillo made his professional debut with the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League. He earned a decision in every appearance, garnering 25 wins in 38 opportunities with a 2.50 goals-against average, a .918 save percentage and two shutouts. He’d add five more wins and another shutout in the American Hockey League postseason.

At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, he has the prototypical size for a modern netminder similar to that of Vezina Trophy winners Pekka Rinne and Andrei Vasilevskiy.  Scouts have remarked on his considerable poise, formidable puck-handling and ability to recover after making even a highly challenging save.