Adrian Kempe

Adrian Kempe (born 13 September 1996) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Kempe made his Swedish Hockey League (SHL) debut playing with Modo Hockey during the 2013–14 season.

Kempe was selected by the Kings in the first round (29th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

At the end of the season, Kempe was selected in the first round (29th overall) by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

He returned to Modo for the 2014–15 season.

On 15 April 2015, the Kings signed Adrian Kempe to a three-year, entry-level contract.

He was then immediately assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs for the postseason.

The Monarchs defeated the Utica Comets in five games to win the Calder Cup.

In 17 games, Kempe recorded nine points.

Kempe spent the entirety of the 2015–16 season in the American League with the Kings' new affiliate, the Ontario Reign.

He recorded 28 points in 55 games.

The name originated during the Monarch's playoff run to the 2015 Calder Cup, in which the 18-year-old Kempe scored eight goals.

His teammates and coaches described him as "having the juice" due to his impressive performance.

Kempe began the 2016–17 season with the Reign, but was recalled by the Kings on 15 February 2017.

He made his NHL debut the following day against the Arizona Coyotes.

He recorded his first NHL point on 21 February by assisting on Tyler Toffoli's goal against the Colorado Avalanche and scored his first goal on 11 March against the Washington Capitals.

Prior to Kempe's first full season with the Kings, he switched from No. 39 to No. 9. He recorded his first NHL hat-trick in a 5–1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on 19 October.

On 4 September 2019, the Kings re-signed Kempe to a three-year, $6 million contract extension.

Entering his sixth season with the Kings, 2021–22 would be a breakout year for Kempe, who posted new career highs scoring 35 goals and 54 points.

He would also participate in his first NHL All-Star Game, held in Las Vegas; he is the only player from the Kings named to the All Stars this season.

On 8 July 2022, Kempe signed a four-year, $22 million extension with the Kings.

Kempe would once again lead the Kings in goals scored, adding 41 goals to his total, and becoming the first Kings player since Luc Robitaille to score 40 goals in a season.

Kempe was born in Kramfors, Sweden, where he also grew up.

His older brother, Mario, is also a professional ice hockey player who played 52 NHL games with the Arizona Coyotes.

Kempe and Mario briefly overlapped in the Kings organization when Mario signed a one-year two-way contract with the Kings on 5 July 2019.

The brothers never played a game together as Kings, and after scoring 3 goals and 11 points through 16 games with the Ontario Reign, Mario was placed on unconditional waivers by the Kings in order for a mutual termination of his contract on 19 November 2019.

Kempe's nickname is "Juice."