As the calendars turn to August, the new NHL season draws closer. The Anaheim Ducks are looking to turn the page on an abysmal 23-47-12 record the previous season, and they still have a few more roster spots to fill. Some of these spots will go to veteran free-agent signings like Alex Killorn and Radko Gudas. Others, particularly towards the bottom of the roster, are available for some of Anaheim’s loaded prospect pool.
Related: Ducks Top 10 Prospects for the 2023-24 Season
Whether they make the team out of camp or get called up during the season, there will be opportunities for some of these young players to step up. Here are a few prospects that could see some playing time in Anaheim this year. Like with my rankings last week, we’ll define “prospect” as a Calder-eligible rookie.
Jacob Perreault
Jacob Perreault has been trending down for the last few seasons, but I’m cautiously optimistic. He’s been in the American Hockey League for the last three seasons, so it’s easy to forget he’s only 21 years old. In addition to being one of the youngest players in the AHL, he battled an upper-body injury down the stretch that contributed to his dismal 19 points in 48 games.
Perreault needs to become more consistent before cracking the Ducks’ lineup, but a good camp can go a long way toward this goal. One thing working in his favor is Anaheim’s lack of wing depth. Beyond Troy Terry, the right-wing group is pretty uninspiring. Even with the recent struggles, it’s not difficult to see a scenario where Perreault outperforms Jakob Silfverberg in camp. At this stage in the rebuild, the Ducks shouldn’t hesitate to go with Perreault in this situation.
Pavol Regenda
Pavol Regenda made the Ducks out of camp last season but was sent back down to San Diego after 14 games. He brought good energy to any line he was placed on, but his sporadic placement in the lineup made it difficult to develop any sort of consistency. The 6-foot-4 Regenda signed a two-year deal with Anaheim in 2022 after scoring four points in seven games for his home country of Slovakia in the Olympics. After a promising first year in the States, the next step in his progression will be finding a home in the big club’s lineup.
Olen Zellweger
Besides Leo Carlsson, I can’t think of an Anaheim prospect with a more highly-anticipated debut than Olen Zellweger’s. While we’ll probably have to wait at least another year for Carlsson’s, Zellweger’s could be coming very soon. Originally a second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, he was a surprisingly late cut during his first training camp with the Ducks.
After returning to the Western Hockey League, he was named the league’s best defenseman for the 2021-22 season. He then went on to help Team Canada win the 2022 World Junior Championships, and I made the argument that he was already NHL-ready. Instead, he went back to the WHL and not only repeated as the league’s top defenseman, but he also earned top defenseman honors for the entire Canadian Hockey League.
The plan for most prospects during Anaheim’s rebuild has been to take development slowly. I’m sure the organization anticipates Zellweger to play for a season in San Diego, but it’s hard to imagine someone as talented as him not pushing for a spot in the opening night lineup. Beyond Cam Fowler and Robert Hagg, options on the left side include Jackson LaCombe, Colton White, and Trevor Carrick. Unless the Ducks make a late offseason addition, Zellweger has a great chance to crack the lineup.
Entry-Level Slide Candidates
Occasionally, a rookie will make the opening night roster and play a handful of games before getting sent back to the AHL or major junior. This is usually a result of an entry-level slide. If a teenage player on an entry-level contract plays fewer than ten games, their contract will “slide” by a year. This effectively keeps the player under a cost-controlled contract for an additional year while also giving them a sample of NHL action. The Ducks did this most recently with Mason McTavish, who played in nine games with the Ducks to start the 2021-22 season before being sent back to the OHL.
Nathan Gaucher
Despite only being 19 years old, Nathan Gaucher might be one of the more NHL-ready prospects in the organization. Not only does he have NHL size at 6-foot-3 and 207 pounds, but he plays a responsible two-way game that should translate well to the next level. Last season, he was named the best defensive forward in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Gaucher is a center, but he’ll likely begin out on the wing. McTavish and Trevor Zegras had a similar path by learning the pace of play from the less-demanding wing position and then transitioning to the more difficult center position. With reports that Isac Lundestrom suffered an Achilles injury while training in Sweden, a center spot could be available, but it’d be more likely that Ryan Strome moves back to center.
Tristan Luneau
This is a little bit presumptuous because Tristan Luneau actually isn’t under contract with the Ducks, so we’d need to see pen to paper before this can happen. He’s going to be playing for at least another year in the QMJHL, so his availability to be in the Ducks lineup will be limited to either straight out of training camp or after his major junior season ends.
Even with the limited window, I can see a scenario where Luneau makes the lineup out of camp. With limited options on the right side beyond Jamie Drysdale and Radko Gudas, the Ducks may want to see what they have in Luneau before he returns to Quebec for upwards of seven months. The 6-foot-2 blueliner was named the QMJHL’s top defenseman in 2022-23, leading his position group in points.
Our offseason coverage of the Anaheim Ducks will continue with roster previews and more.