Photo: USA Today
By Thomas Harrington
When Anaheim made the San Diego Gulls their AHL affiliate, it became easier than ever for the Ducks to call up players when needed. It could be for an injury fill-in, for a sick player, or because they are producing at such a rate in the AHL that they deserve the call-up. Regardless of reason, you can expect to continue to see a number of San Diego players make their way to Anaheim at some point this season. Dozens of players have gone back and forth between Anaheim and San Diego ever since this affiliation started. Overall, 12 players played for both San Diego and Anaheim last season, which is less than in previous seasons. Five of them were Anaheim prospects: Pavol Regenda, Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Drew Helleson, Lukas Dostal, and Olle Eriksson Ek. Eriksson Ek is the only one from that group who is no longer with Anaheim.
I will only be including players signed to NHL contracts. College players will not be included, except for the few who may make their NHL debut when their season is over, similar to what Jackson LaCombe did last year and Troy Terry several years ago. So don’t expect to see Kyle Kukkonen or Michael Callow below. Most players from the 2022 and 2023 drafts will also not be included because Anaheim rarely has prospects head to the NHL so soon after being drafted. So players like Nico Myatovic, Carey Terrance, and Noah Warren won’t be included either. I’ll start by naming the prospects among the goaltenders, defensemen, and forwards that I think are most likely to be called up from San Diego. I’ll then go over the dark horse candidates from the Gulls, junior players who may get a few games at the start of the season, and wrap it up by looking at players who could make their NHL debut after their college seasons are over.
As of right now, John Gibson is Anaheim’s starter. While that may not be the case when the season begins or ends, as of right now he will get the majority of Anaheim’s starts. The question is who his backup will be. The Ducks signed Alex Stalock to give them some veteran insurance in net, and he very well could see some time in Anaheim this season. However, prospect Lukas Dostal has played great in the AHL the last few years and looks NHL ready. It will probably come down to a battle between Dostal and Stalock for the backup position, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Gibson, Stalock, and Dostal all see time in the Ducks’ net this season.
Anaheim’s defense is in a period of transition. Currently, the defense is made up of Cam Fowler, Radko Gudas, Robert Hagg, Colton White, Urho Vaakanainen, and Jamie Drysdale. Given that lineup of defensemen, there’s definitely room for at least a prospect or two to see some serious time in the NHL this season. Based on how last season went, LaCombe and Helleson are the two favorites to see serious time in the NHL; LaCombe played in two NHL games at the end of the year and Helleson played in three. Anaheim’s two top defensive prospects are both turning pro this year: Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov. Based on comments that Pat Verbeek made earlier this summer, he’s not going to rush either one to the NHL. I’m expecting both to start the year in the AHL, but if they play well enough for the Gulls or the Ducks run into injury issues, it wouldn’t surprise me to see either make their NHL debut later in the season.
The Ducks look a little stronger at forward than at defense, but there’s still probably room for a prospect or two. Troy Terry, Adam Henrique, Jakob Silfverberg, Ryan Strome, Frank Vatrano, Brock McGinn, Max Jones, Mason McTavish, Isac Lundestrom, Sam Carrick, Trevor Zegras and Brett Leason were all on Anaheim’s roster last season, while Alex Killorn was signed to a four-year deal over the summer. Lundestrom will be injured to start the season, opening up another potential spot for one of Anaheim’s prospects.
Based on how last season went, Nikita Nesterenko, Regenda, and Groulx have the best chance to grab a spot on Anaheim’s roster. All three saw time in the NHL last season, with Regenda seeing the most NHL action, but none after December. However, there’s also Anaheim’s top prospect to consider, Leo Carlsson. He’s by no means a lock to make the opening night roster or even make his NHL debut this season, but I think we’ll see him in Anaheim at some point this season. He could be given a nine-game tryout to start the season and then sent to the AHL if he’s not quite ready. The only problem with that approach is he will be unavailable the rest of the season unless the Ducks are comfortable burning the first year of his contract. Or he could start the year in the AHL, and if he’s playing well enough for the Gulls, earn a call-up in the middle of the season.
Other Gulls players who could get called up include Nathan Gaucher, Jacob Perreault, and Brayden Tracey. This will be Gaucher’s first professional season so he’s a bit of a longshot, but I could see him making his NHL debut, especially given Lundestrom’s injury. Perreault and Tracey are two of Anaheim’s older prospects, both made their NHL debuts in the 2021-2022 season, and both are looking to see significantly more time in the NHL this season. It wouldn’t surprise me if one of them is able to do that.
With the more obvious candidates out of the way, here are my dark horse picks to possibly make their NHL debut this season. While everyone is rightfully excited about the future of Anaheim’s defense with Zellwger, Mintyukov, and LaCombe possibly all seeing NHL time, Tyson Hinds is flying under the radar. He just finished his junior career with a great season, and if his game translates better to the professional game, we could see him make his Anaheim debut this year. At forward, Sasha Pastujov is turning pro this season. He’s a dynamic winger, and if he starts lighting it up with the Gulls, he has a chance to make his Ducks debut this year. Finally, in net, if Calle Clang can have a great season with the Gulls, we could see him make his NHL debut. Of these three I think he’s the least likely, but if Gibson is traded, and then Stalock and/or Dostal struggle or get injured, Clang could make his way to Anaheim.
Currently, I don’t believe there are any junior players who could be given a few games of NHL action before going back to the junior ranks. The only one who has a chance is Tristain Luneau, who recently signed his entry-level deal. However, given the strength of Anaheim’s defensive prospects, he would have to have a truly outstanding training camp for this to even be a consideration.
Anaheim has two NCAA prospects who have an outside chance to make their NHL debut when their season ends, though if either do sign I think they are more likely headed to San Diego. Sam Colangelo will be entering his fourth year of NCAA hockey but this time with a new team, Western Michigan University. He had a very good sophomore year but wasn’t able to build on it as a junior. If he can have a great senior campaign we could see him sign with Anaheim. Ian Moore is entering his junior year at Harvard, so there’s no rush to get him signed, but if he can build off of his first two years and put together a great junior season, we could see him with the Ducks as well.
Anaheim has missed the playoffs for a franchise-record five straight seasons. This has led to them drafting several high-level prospects, some who we’ve already seen making waves in the NHL like Zegras, Drysdale, and McTavish. This year, we’ll hopefully see a few more make the leap to the NHL. While they probably won’t lead the Ducks back to the playoffs this year, hopefully they will in the seasons to come.
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Ranking Anaheim’s Prospect Positions
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September 22nd, 2023
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