Kings sign defenseman Angus Booth to 3-year, entry-level deal

The Kings signed defenseman Angus Booth to a three-year, entry-level contract Friday, the team announced in a news release.

Booth’s deal carries an annual average value of $852,500 at the NHL level (like all ELCs, it’s a two-way deal) for the 2022 fourth-round pick, who is currently playing Major Junior hockey in Quebec.

At just 19, he’s in his second season as captain of the Shawinigan Cataractes. While there’s little that catapults off the page in terms of his physique (6’1” and around 180 pounds) or his statistical profile (he averages less than half a point per game in a high-scoring league), Booth is very much in the mold of some of the Kings’ current core-four defensemen.

Like Matt Roy and Mikey Anderson, whose size Booth projects to fill out to and whose offense was respectable but somewhat limited at the NCAA level, Booth thrives in the subtle constants of his position.

Kings scouting guru Mark Yannetti has compared him directly to top-pairing mainstay Anderson, suggesting his skating is more advanced than Anderson’s at the same age with a similar competitiveness. Similar to Roy, Booth plays a reliable, limited-risk game but also possesses solid instincts, allowing him to join the play in a mature if unspectacular manner.

Booth even bears some resemblance to former Kings rearguard Sean Walker, in that he took on a leadership role at a young age and is strong getting up ice, controlling gaps and surfing to control rush chances.

For the time being, he’ll continue his development in the weight room and on the ice for Shawinigan. In his draft year, he was part of a Cinderella run that saw the Cataractes go from the No. 7 seed to President’s Cup champions.

Booth is a left-handed-shooting defenseman, adding to a mix of prospects that included the Kings’ top pick in 2023 second-rounder Jakub Dvorak. Jacob Moverare and Tobias Bjornfot are also in their mix as players with NHL experience who haven’t yet stuck on an ongoing basis.