ONTARIO — Peter Budaj did not handle demotion well a year ago, by his own admission.

This season, in contrast, the American Hockey League might as well be paradise.

The Ontario Reign goalie is leading the AHL in goals-against average, and he reduced that figure a few decimal points further Sunday afternoon, in the Reign’s 2-1 overtime victory over the San Jose Barracuda.

Budaj gave up a deflection goal in the first period, by San Jose’s Trevor Parkes with 30.7 seconds to play in the period. He gave up nothing thereafter, facing 20 shots total, including a first period breakaway by San Jose’s Daniel Doremus that he turned away.

He was the beneficiary when Justin Auger redirected Sean Backman’s shot for an empty net goal at 18:51 of the third period to tie the game, and then when Kevin Gravel snuck one through the five-hole of San Jose’s Aaron Dell at 1:26 of overtime to end it.

Budaj’s goals-against is now 1.50, his save percentage is .938, and he’s 14-3-1-0 for the Pacific Division leaders. It’s a long way from last year and St. John’s, Newfoundland, where Budaj was 0-9-6 with a 3.55 goals-against, an .888 save percentage and a desperation to get back to the NHL that became an anchor.

Budaj, now 33, had played nine seasons in the NHL, six with Colorado and three with Montreal. The Canadiens traded him to Winnipeg last October, and when the Jets sent him to the minors last fall … well, let him tell it.

“I got ahead of myself mentally,” he said. “I was always trying to look at what other guys (were) doing and not looking at what I’m doing, what my task is.

“I don’t think I was ready for it. I put too much pressure on myself to get back as soon as I can, but that never really helps. I just put more pressure on myself.”

He has made the mental correction, coming to the Kings’ camp on a tryout contract this fall and earning a one-year, two-way contract.

He wound up in the right place, because the Kings’ goaltending situation behind Jonathan Quick has become dicey. The organization that produced prospects like Jonathan Bernier, Martin Jones, Jeff Zatkoff and J.F. Berube is now wafer-thin between the pipes.

The first domino fell when Jones was included in the trade for Milan Lucic last June. The second domino was Berube, who was claimed on waivers by the New York Islanders shortly before this season began.

And the third, and hardest, domino was Patrik Bartosak’s arrest on domestic violence charges. Bartosak, who was in Manchester on a conditioning assignment, had been scheduled to join Ontario and was considered the Kings’ next prime goaltending prospect. But Bartosak is now suspended and his time in the Kings organization may be over, especially given the team’s handling of Slava Voynov’s domestic violence issues a season ago.

So the Kings instead have Quick and Jhonas Enroth in L.A., Budaj and Michael Houser (a callup from Manchester when Ray Emery was released) in Ontario, and 19-year-old Alec Dillon, their fifth round draft choice in 2014, who is currently the third goalie on the Western Hockey League’s Edmonton Oil Kings. The odds are good they’ll be drafting a goalie in 2016, too.

Meanwhile, Budaj has obviously re-learned the art of not worrying about anything except what’s in front of him. In fact, he has exuded kind of a serenity that serves his team well.

“He just has a calming influence from the net out,” Reign coach Mike Stothers said. “Even when it looks like chaos in our zone at times, he has a unique way of staying cool and calm under pressure, and making big saves when he needs them.

“… When a shot gets away in practice and hits him up high, usually goalies don’t react real well. He just kind of shakes it off and moves on. His demeanor is real good for our team right now.”

Being in the AHL, instead of the NHL, is no longer a sentence or a punishment.

“This year I’m trying to keep my mind on the game, keep my mind on the moment I’m in,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, what’s going to happen two days from now or (further). I don’t have to worry about that. I come to work every day here, work hard, have fun with the boys, enjoy the moment.

“It’s a privilege to be here.”

Being in the NHL would be even more of a privilege. But it’s no longer an obsession.

CONTACT THE WRITER: jalexander@pe.com

On Twitter: twitter.com/Jim_Alexander