The Anaheim Ducks have been rebuilding their roster for several years now. A frequent participant in the yearly draft lottery, the Ducks have missed the playoffs for six straight seasons, including a 30th-ranked 27-50-5 record in 2023-24. While results have been disappointing on the ice, the Ducks have one of the brightest futures in the NHL. They’ve amassed loads of promising young talent with their lottery picks and have hit on some later-round selections to build what is commonly considered one of the best prospect pools in the league. As we did last year, let’s look at the 10 best prospects from this loaded group.
Related: Anaheim Ducks’ State of the Rebuild: 2024 Offseason
To simplify things, I’m using Calder Trophy eligibility as my definition of “prospect.” To be Calder-eligible, a player has fewer than 25 NHL games played in a season and no more than six games per year for any previous two years in a major league. This excludes a lot of Anaheim’s future core, including 19-year-old Leo Carlsson, who appeared in 55 games last season. In fact, five players from last year’s top prospect list have graduated, and a sixth player, Jacob Perreault, has since been traded away.
10. Yegor Sidorov
Yegor Sidorov is a difficult prospect to rank. On one hand, he’s a creative and gifted goal-scorer, lighting the lamp 65 times in 82 games for the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL) last season. However, this production came as a 19-year-old in a league where his opponents can be up to four years younger than him. He signed an entry-level contract (ELC) in April and will likely play for the San Diego Gulls, Anaheim’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, this season.
Sidorov can be a potential game-breaker at the NHL level, but he needs a more complete game before coaches will be comfortable skating him at the highest level. The more age-appropriate competition of the AHL will force him to rely on teammates more frequently, and it will be a great test of how well his high-end production carries into the professional level.
9. Sasha Pastujov
One of three prospects returning from last year’s list, Sasha Pastujov completed his first full professional season with the Gulls. The 20-year-old right wing had a significant chunk of the season taken from him due to a lower-body injury and finished with 23 points in 46 games. As an immensely talented playmaker with a bit of a skating hitch, he is one of the organization’s more boom-or-bust prospects. He’ll need more time in the AHL, but his highlight reel would be a welcome addition to Anaheim’s top-six.
8. Rodwin Dionicio
The Duck’s defensive prospect pool has been discussed ad nauseam, but Rodwin Dionicio is another promising addition to the group. A fifth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, Dionicio had a remarkably productive 2023-24 season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He was one of nine defensemen in the last decade to reach 25 goals in an OHL season and totaled 90 points in 77 total games split between the Windsor Spitfires and Saginaw Spirit.
Dionicio’s biggest hurdle to the NHL will be the logjam of left-handed defensemen the Ducks are developing. Olen Zellweger, Pavel Mintyukov, and Jackson LaCombe are graduates of last year’s top prospect list, and Tyson Hinds completed his first professional season in San Diego. He’s turning pro this season as well, but he’ll be doing so in Switzerland as a member of EHC Biel. While the three-year deal raises questions about when, or if, he’ll return to North America, he more recently signed an ELC with Anaheim. Out clauses are no longer needed for a player to move between the Swiss League and the NHL, but it’s unlikely he’d return to the States to play for the Gulls unless something changes to the logjam ahead of him on the depth chart.
7. Damian Clara
The first Italian-born player drafted in NHL history, 19-year-old Damian Clara has been one of the best goaltenders in Sweden’s second league. His .913 save percentage (SV%) helped Brynas to a 25-8-0 record with him between the pipes. He was even more dominant in the postseason, upping his SV% to .931 and posting a 10-1 record, leading the team to a promotion from HockeyAllsvenkan to the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He is the youngest goaltender ever to lead their team to Sweden’s top league.
In June, Clara signed a three-year ELC with the Ducks, but he’s likely staying in Sweden for the time being. Goaltending is a difficult position to evaluate, but Anaheim does have a few promising netminders in the system. Lukas Dostal is a graduate from last year’s list, while Calle Clang, Tomas Suchanek, and Vyacheslav Buteyets are all older and further in their development. However, the towering 6-foot-6 Clara has the talent to leap up the depth chart in the coming years. The Ducks may settle on a Dostal and Clara tandem after the John Gibson era runs its course.
6. Lucas Pettersson
Lucas Pettersson, a second-round pick in last month’s NHL Draft, is a solid two-way center prospect. Offensively, he has more of a knack for goal-scoring, but he’s a solid skater with good hockey sense, encouraging his development as a playmaker. He recorded 57 points in 44 games in the J20 Nationell, Sweden’s top junior league. Days after being drafted by the Ducks, Pettersson was selected by the Saginaw Spirit in the 2024 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft.
Pettersson’s an exciting prospect because of his versatility. He isn’t elite at any one thing, but he plays a complete game for such a young player. He even describes himself as a “mature two-way center,” which will make his path to the NHL easier. It’s not likely that he will crack Anaheim’s top-six with its future core as loaded as it currently is. But if he continues to develop a responsible 200-foot game, he can become a reliable third-line option with penalty-killing duties.
5. Stian Solberg
The Ducks traded up last month to select defenseman Stian Solberg 23rd overall. The 6-foot-2 Norweigan blueliner is a throwback defender and gives Anaheim’s prospect pool an element of nastiness it lacked prior. Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek even described him as “Radko Gudas but three inches taller.” Gudas made a huge impact in his first season in Anaheim, so a younger, taller version of him is an exciting thought.
Solberg isn’t much of an offensive driver, but the Ducks’ roster organization allows that to be a non-issue. They have several puck-moving defensemen to spread through the pairings. As a left-handed defenseman, he could make a thunder-and-lighting pairing with Tristan Luneau. Solberg signed his ELC with the Ducks but will play for Färjestad BK in the SHL this upcoming season.
4. Nathan Gaucher
The second of three players returning on the list, Nathan Gaucher is one of the organization’s more NHL-ready prospects. The 6-foot-3 center completed his first professional season with the Gulls, recording 25 points in 72 games. Adapting to the professional level can be a challenge for power forwards, as they are more likely to be successful using size to their advantage at the lower levels. Gaucher was roughly a point-per-game player in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League in his last three years (134 points in 140 games), but the challenges of playing in a league of full-grown adults saw his production take a dip.
Gaucher’s path to the NHL doesn’t lie in his production, but in what he can bring to the roster’s depth. His size is rare among Anaheim’s depth pieces, and his ability to play center and wing should put him on the shortlist for injury call-ups this season. If he sticks in the NHL, it’ll likely be in the bottom-six with penalty-killing duties.
3. Tristan Luneau
The final returning entrant to this year’s list, Tristan Luneau is suddenly the organization’s top right-handed defensive prospect. The offensive-minded defender was a bit of a surprise to make the Ducks’ roster out of camp last season, but he was making significant strides in each game he appeared in. Ultimately, he was limited to seven games for Anaheim last season before a knee infection cost him the rest of the season.
Anaheim’s front office and coaching staff had to have liked what they saw in his limited sample size, because the Ducks traded their most developed right-hand defensive prospect, Jamie Drysdale, while it was known Luneau would be out for the year. As a result, Luneau will take on a much bigger role this season.
2. Beckett Sennecke
Anaheim’s yearly tradition of surprising first-round picks didn’t disappoint this year, as even Beckett Sennecke didn’t know he would hear his name announced third overall. The Toronto native is a fascinating prospect and could suit the Ducks’ needs as they become more competitive. Right wing is Anaheim’s weakest forward group, and the hope is that Sennecke is the top option in the coming years.
Sennecke is 6-foot-4 but had a five-inch growth spurt since entering the OHL. This means he developed the puck skills of a sub-6-foot playmaker, and they’ve managed to translate to his more imposing frame. Last season, he recorded 68 points in 63 regular season games for the Oshawa Generals and continued to turn up the heat during the postseason, notching an additional 22 points in 16 games.
Sennecke was a boom-or-bust selection for the Ducks. His upside is enough to warrant the number two spot on this list, but he’ll need to continue to fill in his frame and round out his game to reach his potential. His upcoming season in Oshawa will be worth paying attention to.
1. Cutter Gauthier
The new top prospect in Anaheim arrived in the previously mentioned Jamie Drysdale trade. Cutter Gauthier was the fifth overall pick in 2022 by the Philadelphia Flyers but was unwilling to sign with the club which prompted the trade. Gauthier is set to skate in his first full season in the NHL after making his debut in Anaheim’s 2023-24 season finale against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Gauthier’s best attribute is his shot, and he’ll likely get the chance to show it off as a feature part of Anaheim’s top-six. He led the NCAA with 38 goals in 41 games for Boston College last season and was a runner-up for the Hobey Baker Award. His ability to be a sniper should provide immediate support to a Ducks team that ranked 30th in the league last season in goals scored. Despite the offensive prowess, he’s no slouch on the other end. At 6-foot-3 he can use his body to create turnovers and apply pressure on the forecheck.
Statistics courtesy of Hockey-DB and Elite Prospects.
