It's been an eventful year for the Los Angeles Kings' 2023 fourth-round pick, goaltender Hampton Slukynsky.
In his first full season in the USHL with the Fargo Force, Slukynsky led the league in goals-against-average and save percentage earning him the USHL goaltender of the year award.
He also helped lead the Force to the Clark Cup, the USHL's championship.
It was as good a rookie season as you could have realistically hoped for from Slukynsky.
After such a stellar season, there's more change coming for Slukynsky who, according to reports, recently de-committed from the Northern Michigan University and is entering the transfer portal.
He follows his brother Grant into the transfer portal as they both look for where they'll play hockey next season.
I'd imagine both brothers intend to stay together next season and will be looking for a school to accommodate them as a package.
Of course, Hampton will be the big ticket item for most schools after the season he just had.
For the Kings, this doesn't have an immediate impact and doesn't really impact their plans for Slukynsky.
Northern Michigan was near the bottom of their conference last season and their coach left to pursue an opportunity at the professional level, so the possibility of moving to a better program could be a benefit to Slukynsky.
It's hard to know the full impact of this move without knowing his next team.
It's also worth noting that Slukynsky is a long way away from making an impact with the Kings.
While he's a shining light in a fairly barren goalie pipeline, joining Erik Portillo as the only goalie who looks like a legitimate NHL prospect, he's still far from a guaranteed future NHL goalie.
This next decision from him could be crucial for himself and the Kings.