LOS ANGELES — On Sunday, Los Angeles Kings President & General Manager Dean Lombardi announced that the team has signed prospect Michael Amadio to a three-year entry-level contract.
In 260 career regular-season games for the OHL‘s Brampton/North Bay Battalion, the 19-year-old center has amassed 222 points (90 goals, 132 assists) while making quite the name for himself in this his final year of junior hockey.
Appearing in all 65 games for the Battalion this season, Amadio, a native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, leads the team with 48 goals — good enough for fourth in the OHL — and 94 points — good enough for ninth-overall. In addition, the North Bay captain leads his team with a plus-25 rating, nine power play goals and seven shorthanded goals — the latter ranking him third in the league. Amadio is also tied for first on the Battalion with 46 assists.
This writer, in particular, was very impressed with Amadio’s play when scouting the youngster. With that said, it should not be a stretch to refer to as the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder as a can’t-miss prospect within the Kings organization.
Despite his offensive numbers, Amadio shows great strength being a defensive specialist and a shutdown center. This is supported with solid skating and great puck possession — all assets that should make him quite the fit in Los Angeles in the near future. In addition, Amadio possesses great front-of-the-net presence — which is always something the Kings could benefit from — as well as uncanny puckhandling skills.
Amadio is also a hard worker on the ice as he lunged for many passes when this writer saw him in action. While Amadio did miss a fair amount of said passes, he gets an A for effort nonetheless.
Also as an added bonus, Amadio possesses a calm demeanor, keeping his composure during scuffles with the opposing team.
A third-round selection (90th overall) by the Kings in 2014, Michael Amadio has earned this contract and fans in both Los Angeles and nearby Ontario should be very excited to see this kid hit the ice in the very near future.