Kings sign puck-moving defenseman Scott Perunovich to one-year deal

The Los Angeles Kings added Scott Perunovich on July 1, giving the puck-moving defenseman a one-year, two-way contract worth an average annual value of $850,000 through the 2026-27 season. It was the kind of low-risk depth move that keeps Los Angeles searching for answers on the blue line while giving a 27-year-old defender another NHL lane to push through.

Perunovich arrived from Tucson after one of the most productive offensive seasons by an AHL defenseman. He played 64 games for the Roadrunners in 2025-26 and finished with nine goals, 40 assists and 49 points, while leading Tucson’s blue line and ranking third among AHL defensemen in scoring. Those totals also marked career highs in games played, goals, assists and points, the profile of a player who still makes a case with the puck on his stick.

His route to that point began in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where USA Hockey’s Team USA bio lists him with 21 points in 56 USHL games for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in 2016-17. That junior season helped push him into the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he became part of consecutive NCAA national championship teams in 2018 and 2019 before closing his college career by winning the 2020 Hobey Baker Award. The Hobey Baker Memorial Award Committee named him the winner, and USA Hockey notes he was the sixth Hobey Baker recipient in Minnesota Duluth history.

The pro resume has followed the same offensive thread. Drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the second round, 45th overall, in the 2018 NHL Draft, Perunovich has played 108 regular-season NHL games between St. Louis and the New York Islanders and has 32 points. He has added four assists in seven Stanley Cup Playoff appearances, and his international work includes the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship and bronze with the United States at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo.

For junior hockey readers, Perunovich’s contract is another reminder of how thin the line can be for former USHL stars who reach the pros with skill but still have to prove they belong every season. His path from Cedar Rapids to Duluth to NHL opportunities in multiple markets shows how one strong junior foundation can keep a player in the league conversation long after the first draft-day buzz fades.