Los Angeles Kings right winger Joel Armia's performance for Finland at the Olympics should show the Kings they have more than a bottom-six role player. Armia can be a difference-maker in several different game situations.
Five members of the Los Angeles Kings represented their nations at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Of those five players, Joel Armia was by far the most impactful for his country and the most impressive Kings player in the tournament.
His performances for Finland proved that Armia is more than the bottom-six checking forward role that he holds with his club. In fact, he should be seen more as a difference-maker who is adequate on both sides of the puck and in all situations, especially on the penalty kill.
On a star-studded lineup like Finland's at the Olympics, which had the likes of Mikko Rantanen, Sebastian Aho and Miro Heiskanen, Armia led the way.
The Kings' right winger finished the competition averaging over a point per game and topped Finland's team in points. Armia recorded three goals and eight points in six contests, bringing home the bronze medal at the end of it.
In that bronze medal game against Slovakia, Armia put up one goal and two assists for a three-point outing. He concluded his 2026 Olympic campaign with more points than any player on Team USA, the gold medallists.
Additionally, Armia was the second-best forward in the plus-minus category with a plus-seven rating. Only USA's Jack Hughes had a better rating among forwards with a plus-eight.
Joel Armia (Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images)With Los Angeles, Armia has been having a solid season and is on track to come close to some of his career-highs. He has 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points in 51 contests, and is on pace to reach the 30-point mark, which would equal his best year in 2019-20 with the Montreal Canadiens.
Armia has been slotted in all sorts of areas on Los Angeles' roster. From the first line to the fourth line, he's seen many different line combinations and has remained consistent through it all.
Along with his defensive and penalty-killing expertise, consistency is a main attribute of Armia's game. He's averaging 14:35 of ice time this season, which is the exact average for his entire 12-year career.
The 32-year-old has spent most of this season on the right flank of Quinton Byfield and Kevin Fiala, playing a total of 122 minutes with them, according to moneypuck.com.
It's in the Kings' best interest to keep him in the top half of the team's forward group, given how consistent and effective he's been in the NHL and at the passing Olympics.
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