Kings sign Joe Hicketts to two-year, two-way contract extension

The Los Angeles Kings announced Thursday that they have signed Joe Hicketts to a two-year, two-way contract extension.

The contract has an average annual value (AAV) of $775,000 through the 2026-27 season.

Hicketts has spent the 2024-25 season with the Kings’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate the Ontario Reign where he has served as captain. Hicketts has tallied three goals and 24 assists for 27 points in 51 games this season with the Reign.

The Kamloops, British Columbia native is in his second season with the Reign where he has racked up four goals and 43 assists for 47 points in 82 games since joining.

The Detroit Red Wings originally signed Hicketts after going undrafted and having a successful major-junior campaign with the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 2012-2016. Hicketts captained the Royals for two seasons and was named to the WHL First All-Star Team two years straight. He represented Canada internationally at the IIHF World Juniors, winning a gold medal in 2014-15. He notched three assists in seven games. In 224 WHL games with the Royals, he collected 32 goals and 141 assists for 173 points. Hicketts ranks first in the Royals’ all-time leaders list for points registered by a defenseman; among skaters, he ranks seventh.

The 5-foot-8, 176-pound defenseman made his AHL debut in 2016-17 with the Red Wings AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. Hicketts notched seven goals and 27 assists for 34 points in 74 games; he added eight points in 19 AHL Playoff games as the Griffins captured the Calder Cup. Hicketts made his NHL debut in 2017-18, registering three assists in his first five games.

Throughout his AHL career, Hicketts has earned 244 points in 501 career AHL games split between Ontario, Grand Rapids and the Iowa Wild.