Adrian Kempe

Michael Adrian Kempe (born 13 September 1996) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player who is a right winger and alternate captain for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Kempe was selected by the Kings in the first round (29th overall) of the 2014 NHL entry draft.

Early life Kempe was born on 13 September 1996 in Kramfors, Sweden.

Playing career

Modo Hockey Kempe made his Swedish Hockey League (SHL) debut playing with Modo Hockey during the 2013–14 season. At the end of the season, Kempe was selected in the first round (29th overall) by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2014 NHL entry draft. He returned to Modo for the 2014–15 season.

Los Angeles Kings Early years (2014–2018) Following the conclusion of his season with Modo, Kempe signed an amateur try-out agreement with the Kings American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs for the remainder of their regular season and the 2015 Calder Cup playoffs. He also signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Kings for the 2015–16 season. Kempe made his AHL debut on 17 April against the Portland Pirates playing on the second line, but impressed head coach Mike Stothers enough that he was expected to move to the first line in his second game. Over his next two games, Kempe played on the Monarchs top line alongside Brian O'Neill and Jordan Weal. Once the Monarchs qualified for the Calder Cup playoffs, Kempe developed into an integral role with the team. He scored his first AHL playoff goal in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Pirates to help the Monarchs advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Kempe then scored goals in Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference finals to help the Monarchs sweep the Hartford Wolf Pack. In Game 5 of the Calder Cup Finals, Kempe and Vincent LoVerde scored within four minutes of each other to help the Monarchs clinch their first Calder Cup. This would also be the Monarchs final season in the AHL as Kings announced that they would be moving their AHL affiliate to Ontario, California and renaming them the Ontario Reign. Kempe finished the playoffs with eight goals and one assist for nine points over 17 games. As he was coming to the NHL from Europe, he was eligible to spend the full 2015–16 season in the AHL if he failed to qualify for the NHL team. Due to injuries throughout the lineup, Kempe spent the majority of the season playing centre as opposed to his typical winger position. Kempe began the season scoring one goal over eight games before recording his first AHL hat-trick on 5 November to lead the team 4–1 over the San Diego Gulls. He missed some time in December to compete with Team Sweden at the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He finished his rookie season with the Reign with 11 goals and 17 assists over 55 games. As a centreman, Kempe struggled at the start of the season, scoring three goals and two assists over 16 games. He was switched back to left wing on 3 December to improve his offensive play. He slowly improved through the next few months and added 14 points by mid-February. Kempe earned his first NHL recall on 15 February 2017, and he made his NHL debut the following day against the Arizona Coyotes. and scored his first goal on 11 March against the Washington Capitals. Kempe played in 25 games for the Kings, recording two goals and four assists for six points, before being re-assigned to the AHL on 10 April. After qualifying for the Kings 2017–18 opening night roster, Kempe switched from No. 39 to No. 9. He had worn the No. 9 growing up when playing soccer, in honour of Fernando Torres, and 10 when playing hockey. Kempe began the season on a line with Michael Cammalleri and Trevor Lewis but struggled to score through his first five games. After tallying his first NHL hat-trick on 18 October in a 5–1 win over the Montreal Canadiens, he added three more over the next four games. An injury to Jeff Carter in late October resulted in Kempe moving onto the Kings second line with Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson. Through his first 21 games, Kempe tallied 13 points and was tied for third in goals among rookies with seven. While playing with Toffoli and Pearson, Kempe scored 14 goals through his first 44 games but was bumped back to the third-line once Carter recovered from his injury. He struggled to keep up his scoring pace on the third line and was reunited with Toffoli and Pearson after a 17-game scoring drought. Although he struggled to score, Kempe became the first Kings rookie since 2009 to record 20 assists in a season. Despite not scoring in the final 33 games of the regular season and playoffs, Kempe finished his rookie season with 16 goals and 37 points through 81 games.

Later years (2018–present) Kempe returned to the Kings lineup for the 2018–19 season, where he was expected to play as a winger on their second line with Ilya Kovalchuk and Jeff Carter. Due to injuries throughout the lineup, Kempe began playing alongside rookies Matt Luff and Austin Wagner on the Kings third line. After scoring three goals and four assists through 26 games, Kempe suffered a lower-body injury near the end of November. He missed one game before returning on 4 December for a game against his brother and the Arizona Coyotes. Kempe then experienced a 19-game scoring drought from 13 December until the start of February. Through February, Kempe returned to his scoring form and quickly tallied four goals and four assists in three games for eight points. As he began scoring more, Kempe also earned more ice time and typically averaged more than 14 minutes per game. From 2 February to 13 March, Kempe tallied six goals and 12 points over 18 games. Once the season had concluded, Kempe joined Team Sweden to compete at the 2019 IIHF World Championship. On 4 September 2019, the Kings signed Kempe to a three-year, $6 million contract extension. Through the first 17 games of the season, Kempe scored one goal and three assists. He was made a healthy scratch for a November game against the Minnesota Wild before returning to the lineup as a left winger instead of center. When the NHL paused play due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kempe led the team with four shorthanded points while averaging 16:01 of ice time per game.

Kempe (left) talking to teammate Matt Roy during the 2022–23 season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–21 season was reduced to 56 games and began on 13 January 2021. During the shortened season, Kempe was on pace to set new career highs in goals and assists. He earned praise from head coach Todd McLellan for being a versatile player who was able to play different positions whenever needed. On 9 March 2021, Kempe recorded his second career hat-trick and the first by a Kings player against the Anaheim Ducks. He finished the season with 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points and was named to Team Sweden for the 2021 IIHF World Championship.

Entering his sixth season with the Kings, 2021–22 would be a breakout year for Kempe, who posted new career highs scoring 35 goals and 54 points. He would also participate in his first NHL All-Star Game, held in Las Vegas; he was the only player from the Kings named to the All Stars that season.

On 10 July 2022, Kempe signed a four-year, $22 million extension with the Kings. Kempe would once again lead the Kings in goals scored, adding 41 goals to his total, and becoming the first Kings player since Luc Robitaille to score 40 goals in a season.

On 17 November 2025, coming into the final year of his most recent contract, Kempe signed an eight-year, $85 million extension to remain with the Kings through to the 2033–34 season.

International play

Kempe has represented Sweden at the junior and senior levels in international competitions. He represented Sweden at the 2018 IIHF World Championship, where they won a gold medal, and at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, where they won a bronze medal.

Personal life Kempe's older brother Mario also played professional ice hockey, including 52 games with the Arizona Coyotes.

Kempe's nickname "Juice" originated during the Monarchs' playoff run to the 2015 Calder Cup, in which the 18-year-old Kempe scored eight goals. His teammates and coaches described him as "having the juice" due to his impressive performance.

In terms of investments, Kempe became part-owner of Swedish esports organization EYEBALLERS in May 2024.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2010–11 Kramfors–Alliansen J18 2517810 31010 2011–12 Djurgårdens IF J18 1897168 ————— 2011–12 Djurgårdens IF J18 Allsv 1613416 40220 2012–13 Modo Hockey J18 11120 ————— 2012–13 Modo Hockey J18 Allsv 20002 20220 2012–13 Modo Hockey J20 39671336 71014 2013–14 Modo Hockey J20 203161932 51126 2013–14 Modo Hockey J18 Allsv ————— 45386 2013–14 Modo Hockey SHL 45561112 20110 2014–15 Modo Hockey SHL 505121742 ————— 2014–15 Modo Hockey J20 ————— 2 1342 2014–15 Manchester Monarchs AHL 30002 178192 2015–16 Ontario Reign AHL 5511172827 134152 2016–17 Ontario Reign AHL 461282044 50222 2016–17 Los Angeles Kings NHL 252466 ————— 2017–18 Los Angeles Kings NHL 8116213749 40002 2018–19 Los Angeles Kings NHL 8112162850 ————— 2019–20 Los Angeles Kings NHL 6911213229 ————— 2020–21 Los Angeles Kings NHL 5614152928 ————— 2021–22 Los Angeles Kings NHL 7835195446 72460 2022–23 Los Angeles Kings NHL 8241266755 65382 2023–24 Los Angeles Kings NHL 7728477572 54154 2024–25 Los Angeles Kings NHL 8135387336 646104 2025–26 Los Angeles Kings NHL 8136377358 41124 SHL totals 95 10 18 28 54 2 0 1 1 0 NHL totals 711 230 244 474 429 32 16 15 31 16

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2013 Sweden WHC17 5 5 0 5 2 2013 Sweden IH18 7th 4 2 1 3 12 2014 Sweden U18 4th 7 1 6 7 16 2015 Sweden WJC 4th 6 4 4 8 2 2016 Sweden WJC 4th 7 3 5 8 8 2018 Sweden WC 10 2 6 8 8 2019 Sweden WC 5th 8 3 3 6 2 2021 Sweden WC 9th 7 1 4 5 2 2024 Sweden WC 10 0 6 6 4 2025 Sweden 4NF 3rd 3 1 0 1 0 2026 Sweden OG 3rd 5 2 2 4 4 Junior totals 29 15 16 31 40 Senior totals 43 9 21 30 20

Awards and honours Award YearNHL NHL All-Star Game 2022