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Kings call up Adrian Kempe from AHL in effort to jump-start struggling offense

Kings prospect Adrian Kempe tries to split the pressure of Ducks left wing Nick Ritchie, left, and defenseman Kevin Bieksa during a preseason game Oct. 2, 2016.
(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
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In an effort to jump-start their struggling offense, the Kings summoned forward Adrian Kempe from the Ontario (Calif.) Reign of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.

Kempe, 20, a first-round pick in the 2014 draft, could make his NHL debut Thursday when the Kings return from their bye week to meet the Arizona Coyotes at Staples Center. He will take the roster spot vacated by Devin Setoguchi, who was reassigned to Ontario.

The Kings will be looking for Kempe, who had 11 goals and 19 points in 43 games with Ontario, to help spark an offense that ranks 24th in the NHL, averaging less than 2.5 goals per game. The Kings did not score in regulation on the first three games of their recent four-game East Coast road trip.

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Setoguchi had four goals and eight assists in 45 games for the Kings this season.

The Kings also traded defenseman Tom Gilbert to Washington on Wednesday in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. Gilbert, 34, appeared in 18 games for the Kings this season but played just 13 minutes since Dec. 22.

KINGS NEXT UP

VS. ARIZONA

When: 7:30 p.m. PST Thursday

On the air: TV: FSW; radio: 790

Update: The Kings (28-23-4) returned to the practice ice Wednesday a point ahead of Calgary in the race for the Western Conference’s final wild-card playoff berth, the same spot they occupied when they began their five-day vacation last week. On Thursday, they’ll face off against Arizona (19-29-7), which entered Wednesday last in the Pacific Division despite having the division’s best record (6-3-1) over the last 10 games. Only Colorado has scored fewer goals than Arizona’s 126, and just three teams have allowed more than the Coyotes’ 173.

kevin.baxter@latimes.com

Twitter: kbaxter11

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