Prospect Update: Troy Terry

By Thomas Harrington

In terms of team success, no player in the entire Anaheim organization had a better 2016-2017 season than Troy Terry. He was an integral part of two championship teams last season and probably could have turned pro as early as this season if he wanted to.

Terry was a sophomore at the University of Denver last year, and his offensive game took a big step up. After scoring nine goals and 22 points as a freshman, he scored 22 goals and 45 points in his second season in the NCAA. That kind of offensive jump is great, but even more impressive is the fact that he missed time because he participated in the World Junior Championships and because of injury. He led Denver in points, was tied for first in goals, and was second on the team with a +31 rating, while also scoring one of the team’s few shorthanded goals last season. In fact, the only two statistical categories he wasn’t on top of for Denver were powerplay points and faceoffs. He still had 10 powerplay points, good for fifth on the team, but that can partially be explained away by the number of games he missed. It also means he did his best offensive work at even strength. Since most of the hockey is played at five on five, the ability to put up offensive numbers in that situation is a good sign.

Terry’s season was interrupted by the World Junior Championships. A year ago, when he was named to the preliminary roster, I was surprised. He had a solid, but not spectacular freshman season. Still, he played well enough to get noticed and his strong start to his sophomore campaign got him on the team. Overall, he played in seven games for Team USA and scored four goals and seven points, finishing second in goals and fourth in points. However, it was his display in the shootout in the final two games of the tournament that led the US to victory. Against Russia in the semi-finals, Terry went three for three in the shootout and drew comparisons to TJ Oshie. In the final against Canada, Terry was once again called on for the shootout, scored the gold medal-winning shootout goal, and went four for four in the shootout in those final two games. While he wasn’t Team USA’s best player, it’s highly unlikely that the US would have won without Terry’s timely scoring and amazing display in the shootout.

Terry returned to the NCAA with a bang, scoring two goals and five points in his first game back with Denver following the World Juniors. Unfortunately, in his second game after coming back, Terry suffered a major injury and was out for almost a month.  After getting healthy, Terry continued to score a high pace and had his second career five-point night in late March. That five-point game came during the NCAA tournament, and Terry led Denver to victory in the quarterfinals with that performance. He followed that up with two assists in the semifinals, and then two more assists in the championship game, helping Denver to a 3-2 win over Minnesota-Duluth. That game capped off an incredibly successful season for Terry, as he became the third American ever to win a World Junior Championship and a NCAA Championship in the same season. He was also named his team’s best offensive forward at the conclusion of the season.

A year ago, I said that I wanted Terry to build off a solid freshman season and was hoping for something in the 10 goal and 30 point range. I even went so far as to say that I hoped Terry would help Denver win the championship, but I thought that was a longshot at best. Well, I was completely off in my expectations, but in the best way possible. He easily beat all my offensive expectations, became his team’s best offensive forward, and was the surprise star at the World Junior Championships. With the exception of Sam Steel, it could be argued that Terry had the best season of any Anaheim prospect last year. Pretty good for a fifth-round pick from 2015.

Given how great his sophomore season was, it’s hard to set expectations for Terry’s junior year. I want to see him keep getting better, but not set unreachable expectations. He’s no longer eligible for the World Juniors, so that’s out for this season. Instead, his entire focus will be on what he does at Denver. The first thing I’d like to see him do is to stay healthy. While his injury last year didn’t derail his season, it’s always scary seeing young players get injured and miss time. Second, remain one of his team’s most dangerous offensive players. Finally, continue to grow his two-way game. He’s a good defensive player, but by no means elite. He’s clearly got offensive talent. If he can develop his defensive game, he’ll have that much better of a chance of making it to the NHL. If he can help Denver repeat, that would be even better, but again, not something that I’ll expect out of next season.

The Ducks will hold Terry’s rights through his college career. He likely could have turned pro this summer, but the prospect of repeating as champs in the NCAA was too great for him and he decided to return to college for his junior year. Personally, I think he signs by next summer, if not when his NCAA season ends in the spring. He could decide to return for his senior year, but given how much he grew this past season, I think the Ducks are eager to get him under contract and playing in their system. As long as he doesn’t seriously regress this year, I expect him to be in San Diego, if not Anaheim, to start the 2018-2019 season.

My next prospect update will be on Nicolas Kerdiles.

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September 17th, 2017

Filed under: Ducks News Tagged: Anaheim Ducks, Ducks, ducksnpucks, Prospect update, troy terry