Taylor Ward
Los Angeles Kings Right Wing
An undrafted winger who reached the NHL at twenty-seven and spent last season proving he can hold a fourth-line job.
| Season | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | PP | SH | GW | S | S% | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 36 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 7.9 | 9:28 |
| Career | 37 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 9.5 | 9:37 |
Last Season
Three goals and seven points in 36 games on nine and a half minutes a night, even on the plus-minus. That is a fourth-liner’s line in a fourth-liner’s role, and for a player with 37 career games it is a foothold.
The Finesse Game
Modest and unpretentious. Thirty-eight shots in 36 games, most of them from close range, and the hands are functional around the net rather than dangerous. He is not going to create offence and is not being asked to.
The Physical Game
Six-two and 215, and he plays a simple, physical forechecking game — get in on the defenceman, finish the check, change. That is the entirety of the job description and he does it without error.
The Intangibles
Undrafted, a long route through college and the minors, and an NHL debut at an age when most players have either arrived or gone. Nothing about his game depends on speed or skill that will decline soon.
There is not much projection here beyond the obvious: he is a thirteenth forward who does not hurt his team, which on a deep roster is a job worth having.