The LA Kings signed defenseman Caleb Jones to a one-year, two-way contract with an average annual salary (AAV) of $775,000 through the 2024-25 season.
Jones, 27, will spend the 2023-24 season playing for the Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League (AHL), recording five assists (0-5=5) in 25 games with the Avalanche and six assists (0-6=6) in 12 games with the Eagles. The 6-foot-1, 194-pound defenseman also appeared in three Stanley Cup playoff appearances with the Avalanche.
Jones, who was selected in the fourth round (117th overall) by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL Draft, has appeared in 242 NHL games, scoring 14 goals and 55 points (14-41=55) over six seasons spent with Colorado (2023-24), Chicago (2021-23) and Edmonton (2018-21). He has also appeared in five Stanley Cup Playoffs. Jones has appeared in 137 AHL games, recording 63 points (11-52=63) over five seasons spent with Colorado and Bakersfield. His most productive season as a pro was the 2018-19 season, when he recorded a career-high six goals and 29 points (6-23=29) in 50 games, along with three assists in 10 Calder Cup Playoff games.
Prior to his professional debut, Jones spent two seasons with the United States National Team Development Program (NTDP) from 2013 to 2015, appearing in 117 games and recording 40 points (7-33=40) for the U-17 and U-18 teams. After the NTDP, Jones joined the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and played in 135 games over two seasons. In his rookie season with Portland in 2015-16, Jones' 45 assists were the most by a WHL rookie. The following year, Jones recorded his best season, totaling nine goals and 62 points (9-53=62) to be the team's defenseman scoring leader and sixth among WHL bluelines.
A native of Arlington, Texas, Jones has led Team USA to gold medals in all three International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) tournaments he has competed in, including the U-17 World Hockey Challenge (2014), U-18 Men's World Championship (2015) and World Junior Championship (2017). Jones' older brother, Seth, currently plays in the NHL and is a veteran of 797 games over 12 seasons with Chicago, Columbus and Nashville.
