Anaheim’s First Round of Roster Cuts

Photo: USA Today

By Thomas Harrington

On Saturday night, Anaheim announced their first round of roster cuts. Overall, there were no real surprises, as none of the players released from camp were expected in the NHL this season. 14 players were cut: Terrance Amorosa, Alex Dostie, Chris Forney, Scott Moldenhauer, Julius Nattinen, Tyler Soy, and Ben Thompson were assigned to the AHL; Hunter Drew, Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Antoine Morand, and Kyle Olson were assigned to the Canadian Junior teams; Olle Eriksson Ek went back to Sweden; Lukas Dostal returned to the Czech League; and Justin Ducharme was released from his junior invite.

None of Amorosa, Forney, Moldenhauer, Soy, and Thompson are signed to NHL deals. All of them are on AHL-only deals and will hopefully help the Gulls get back to the playoffs this year. Similarly, it was unsurprising to see Ducharme released from his junior invite and see him return to his junior team in the QMJHL.

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Dostie and Nattinen are entering their second professional seasons and they will both hopefully have a much better sophomore season than their rookie season. Both struggled through much of their time in San Diego, and more will be expected from each of them this season. Neither played in any of Anaheim’s preseason games. With San Diego’s training camp opening soon, their roster needs to start coming together. Expect more players to be assigned to the Gulls in the coming days.

Drew and Groulx were both just drafted this past June, so it was expected that they would be assigned to their junior teams. Neither of them appeared in any preseason games. Both played well at the rookie tournament, as Groulx scored once and Drew led the defense with five points. Olson and Morand were 2017 draft picks who were not expected to make Anaheim’s roster this year. Morand got into one preseason game and went scoreless, while Olson did not play in any.

Neither Eriksson Ek nor Dostal played in any preseason games. Both will spend the year playing for their respective European teams and continue to develop overseas.

Who Will Step Up For Anaheim This Season?

While none of these cuts were surprising, the bigger story is who is still on Anaheim’s roster. There are still 50 players left in camp, including Sam Steel, Isac Lundestrom, Maxime Comtois, Kevin Roy, Jacob Larsson, Marcus Pettersson, Troy Terry, and Giovanni Fiore, all of whom are fighting for playing time in the NHL this season. While other players like Roman Durny, Josh Mahura, and Mitch Hults are not expected to make Anaheim’s roster but have survived past the first round of roster cuts. There’s clearly a lot of competition and that’s a good way to help Anaheim’s younger players develop.

Last year, after the first round of roster cuts, every player from the previous summer’s draft had been released. This year, things are a little different, as both Lundestrom and Durny are still at camp. It’s a great sign of how well they are playing that the Ducks want to see them for a little longer. Lundestrom is my darkhorse candidate to get some NHL games this year, but I’d be shocked if Durny did. Also, players who were cut first last year but made it beyond that point this year include Comtois, Roy, Keaton Thompson, and Angus Redmond. Depending on what happens with Nick Ritchie’s contract situation, there could be an extra opening at left wing to start the season, and Comtois might grab it. Roy is also fighting for one of those left wing spots, but I’d expect Thompson to end up back in the AHL sooner rather than later. Last year, Redmond spent the season in the ECHL. With no ECHL affiliate, the Ducks may be searching for a home for him, or they might like how he’s playing and want to give him some more time at camp. Regardless, it’s great to see these players last longer in camp this year than they did last year.

With the preseason and training camp about halfway over, Anaheim still has a long way to go before they finalize their roster for opening night. There are only 23 spots available, so another 27 players need to be cut over the next week and a half. It should be an interesting and exciting battle to watch Anaheim’s roster take shape.

Related:

Who Will Step Up For Anaheim This Season?

Rookies We Could See In Anaheim This Season

Ducks Training Camp: Day One

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September 22nd, 2018