Adrian Kempe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Adrian Kempe |
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Adrian Kempe with the Los Angeles Kings in 2022
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| Born | 13 September 1996 Kramfors, Sweden |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Los Angeles Kings Modo Hockey |
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| National team |  Sweden |
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| NHL Draft | 29th overall, 2014 Los Angeles Kings |
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| Playing career | 2013–present | ||
Adrian Kempe, born on September 13, 1996, is a professional ice hockey player from Sweden. He plays as a right wing for the Los Angeles Kings in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Kings chose him in the first round of the 2014 NHL draft.
Contents
Early Life and Hockey Start
Adrian Kempe was born in Kramfors, Sweden, on September 13, 1996. He began his professional hockey journey in Sweden.
Playing Career Highlights
Playing for Modo Hockey
Kempe started playing in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) with Modo Hockey during the 2013–14 season. After that season, the Los Angeles Kings picked him in the first round of the 2014 NHL entry draft. He then went back to play for Modo for the 2014–15 season.
Joining the Los Angeles Kings
Early Years (2014–2018)
After his season with Modo, Kempe joined the Manchester Monarchs, a team linked to the Kings. He signed a three-year contract with the Kings for the 2015–16 season.
Kempe played his first game in the American Hockey League (AHL) on April 17, 2015. He quickly became an important player for the Monarchs. He scored his first AHL playoff goal in the first round. Later, he helped the Monarchs win their first Calder Cup in Game 5 of the finals. This was the Monarchs' last season in Manchester before moving to Ontario, California. Kempe finished the playoffs with eight goals and one assist in 17 games.
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After attending the Kings' training camp in 2015, Kempe was sent to the Ontario Reign, the Kings' new AHL team. He played most of the 2015–16 season as a center, even though he usually played as a winger. He scored his first AHL hat-trick on November 5, 2015. Kempe also played for Team Sweden in the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He ended his first season with the Reign with 11 goals and 17 assists in 55 games.
Kempe started the 2016–17 season with the Reign. He was called up to the NHL for the first time on February 15, 2017. He made his NHL debut the next day against the Arizona Coyotes. He got his first NHL point on February 21 and scored his first goal on March 11. Kempe played 25 games for the Kings, scoring two goals and four assists. He then returned to the AHL.
In the 2017–18 season, Kempe made the Kings' opening night roster. He changed his jersey number to 9, which he wore when playing soccer as a child. On October 18, he scored his first NHL hat-trick against the Montreal Canadiens. He scored 14 goals in his first 44 games. Kempe became the first Kings rookie since 2009 to get 20 assists in a season. He finished his rookie NHL season with 16 goals and 37 points in 81 games.
Later Years (2018–Present)
Kempe returned for the 2018–19 season. He played alongside new players due to team injuries. After scoring three goals and four assists in 26 games, he had a lower-body injury. He then went through a period without scoring for 19 games. In February, he started scoring again, getting four goals and four assists in three games. He finished the season with 12 goals and 16 assists in 81 games. After the season, Kempe played for Team Sweden in the 2019 IIHF World Championship. In September 2019, the Kings signed Kempe to a new three-year contract.
Kempe had a slow start to the 2019–20 season. He was even benched for one game. He later returned to play as a left winger. On February 29, 2020, he broke an 18-game scoring drought and also reached 100 NHL points. When the NHL season paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kempe was leading his team in shorthanded points.
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The 2020–21 season was shorter because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this season, Kempe was on track to set new personal bests for goals and assists. His coach praised him for being able to play different positions. On March 9, 2021, Kempe scored his second career hat-trick. He finished the season with 14 goals and 15 assists. He was also chosen to play for Team Sweden in the 2021 IIHF World Championship.
The 2021–22 season was a big year for Kempe. He scored a career-high 35 goals and 54 points. He also played in his first NHL All-Star Game in Las Vegas. He was the only Kings player chosen for the All-Star team that season.
On July 10, 2022, Kempe signed a four-year contract extension with the Kings. In the 2022–23 season, Kempe led the Kings in goals again, scoring 41 goals. He was the first Kings player since Luc Robitaille to score 40 goals in a season.
International Play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Sweden |
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| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2018 Denmark | |
| Bronze | 2024 Czechia | |
Kempe has played for Sweden in international hockey tournaments at both junior and senior levels. He helped Sweden win a gold medal at the 2018 IIHF World Championship. He also won a bronze medal at the 2024 IIHF World Championship.
Personal Life
Adrian Kempe's older brother, Mario, also played professional ice hockey. Mario played 52 games for the Arizona Coyotes.
Adrian's nickname, "Juice," started during the Monarchs' playoff run in 2015. He scored eight goals, and his teammates said he "had the juice" because of his great performance.
In May 2024, Kempe became a part-owner of a Swedish esports organization called EYEBALLERS.
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 | 25 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Djurgårdens IF | J18 | 18 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Djurgårdens IF | J18 Allsv | 16 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Modo Hockey | J18 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Modo Hockey | J18 Allsv | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Modo Hockey | J20 | 39 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 36 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2013–14 | Modo Hockey | J20 | 20 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2013–14 | Modo Hockey | J18 Allsv | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 6 | ||
| 2013–14 | Modo Hockey | SHL | 45 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Modo Hockey | SHL | 50 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Modo Hockey | J20 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15 | Manchester Monarchs | AHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 55 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 27 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 46 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 44 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 25 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 81 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 49 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 81 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 69 | 11 | 21 | 32 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 56 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 78 | 35 | 19 | 54 | 46 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 82 | 41 | 26 | 67 | 55 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 77 | 28 | 47 | 75 | 72 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2024–25 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 81 | 35 | 38 | 73 | 36 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 4 | ||
| SHL totals | 95 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 54 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| NHL totals | 630 | 194 | 207 | 401 | 371 | 28 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 12 | ||||
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 | |
| Junior totals | 29 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 40 | ||||
| Senior totals | 35 | 6 | 19 | 25 | 16 | ||||
Awards and Honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| NHL | ||
| NHL All-Star Game | 2022 | |
Fun Facts About Adrian
- Adrian's older brother, Mario, also played professional ice hockey.
- Adrian's nickname is "Juice." His teammates gave him this nickname during the 2015 Calder Cup playoffs. They said he "had the juice" because he played so well!
- In May 2024, Kempe became a part-owner of a Swedish esports (video game competitions) team called EYEBALLERS.
