Prospect Update: Pavol Regenda

By Thomas Harrington

The Ducks signed forward Pavol Regenda, an undrafted European player, to a two-year entry-level contract last summer. He played in both the NHL and AHL this past season.

Regenda started the year playing for Anaheim before being assigned to the Gulls at the end of October. He was called back up in November, but then assigned to San Diego in December and stayed in the AHL for the rest of the season. With the Ducks, Regenda played in 14 games and scored a goal and three points. He was usually utilized on the third and fourth lines. He averaged 10:33 of ice time per game, while also seeing some time on the powerplay.

With the Gulls, Regenda played in 50 games and scored 13 goals and 25 points. Despite spending so much time in the NHL, Regenda still finished seventh on the Gulls in points and fourth in goals. He also played for Slovakia at the World Champions and scored two goals and four points in seven games, finishing tied for second on the team in goals and tied for third in points. Slovakia finished fifth in Group B and just missed qualifying for the medal round but did automatically qualify for the 2024 World Championships.

I had two expectations for Regenda last season. First, when he was in San Diego, to score some goals. While 13 goals isn’t a significant number, it was enough to finish fourth on the team in goals so he passed this expectation. Second, I wanted him to get better as the season went on. This one he unfortunately missed on. He started his AHL career with points in four straight games but only had one point in the final 13 games of the season. However, despite his offense drying up, he was still one of San Diego’s more dangerous forwards, putting up a lot of shots to end the season, including 15 in his final six games.

I think Regenda will likely split time between the NHL and AHL again this coming season. There are clearly open roster spots in Anaheim, and as an older prospect with a decent amount of NHL experience, he should be one of the favorites to see significant time with the Ducks. If he has a good enough training camp, it could end up being the entire season.

I have a couple of expectations for Regenda this coming season. First, when he’s in San Diego for him to be one of their top offensive players. Depending how many games he gets in the AHL, he very well could finish with fewer goals and points than last year, but as long as he’s scoring at a high rate when he’s in San Diego, I’ll be satisfied. Second, when he’s in Anaheim, to set new career highs in goals and points. He didn’t get a ton of time with the Ducks, but he had some good looks. He doesn’t need to become a 20 goal scorer, but he does need to do more in Anaheim when given the chance.

Regenda has one year left on his entry-level deal and he’ll be a restricted free agent when it’s over. If this season goes well and he establishes himself as a full time NHL player, I’m confident he’ll get an extension next summer. However, if he plays primarily in the AHL this year, I could see him choosing to go back to Europe next summer rather than stay in the minor leagues of North America.

The next prospect update will be on Nathan Gaucher.

Related Articles:

Prospect Update: Drew Helleson

Prospect Update: Trevor Janicke

Prospect Update: Calle Clang

Prospect Update: Jacob Perreault

Prospect Update: Tristan Luneau

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September 16th, 2023