Anaheim’s Top 10 Rookies

By Thomas Harrington

It’s time for one of my favorite things to write for DucksNPucks: Anaheim’s top 10 rookies. As has been the case in many years, this was a difficult list to finalize. The first few spots were pretty easy, but it got harder after that. This year’s list proved particularly difficult because of how much turnover there’s been in Anaheim’s prospect system over the past two years. I had the most trouble with the players I ranked fourth through eighth. As I’ve done previously, I will only be including players who are eligible to win the Calder Memorial Trophy this season. To be eligible to win this award, a player has to have played less than 25 games in the NHL in any single season. Additionally, they cannot have played more than six games in each of the two preceding seasons. They also have to be 25 or younger on September 15th.

I used three sets of criteria to create this list. The first is: what is the player’s ceiling? Are they a top six scorer or a grinder? Can they play 30 minutes a night and shut down the opposition, or are they destined to be a seventh defenseman? The second question I ask is: how likely are they to reach that potential? A player may have the potential to be a top six forward, but will they actually make it that far, or be relegated to the AHL or European leagues for most of their career? Players with bad injury histories most often fall into this category, as injuries can really hamper a young player’s career. Nicolas Kerdiles is an unfortunate example of this. He was a second round pick with promise, but injuries essentially ended his career. Finally, I look at how close I think they are to making it to the NHL soon. As an example, I once had Chris Wagner in the top 10 because even though he projected as a bottom six player, he looked like he was pretty much NHL ready, so he was placed ahead of some other prospects who had a higher ceiling. He was so close to being an NHL player, I felt safe putting him in the top 10.

Also, just because a player doesn’t appear on this list doesn’t mean they won’t have a successful career in Anaheim or the NHL, or that they won’t appear in the NHL this season. I didn’t have Drew Helleson on this list last summer, and he played over 50 NHL games this past season. Years ago, I didn’t have Josh Manson or Kiefer Sherwood on this list either. Manson has become a top four defenseman, and Sherwood played in 50 NHL games in his rookie season. He also played in 78 games this past season and set an NHL record with 462 hits.

Before I get to the top 10 rookies, here are the players who just missed the cut: Tomas Suchanek, Tarin Smith, Herman Traff, and Yegor Sidorov. Suchanek was the 10th player on this list a year ago, but missing an entire year to injury knocked him off. If he can have a rebound year, expect him to get back on it next summer. Smith is a well-rounded defenseman. A great season in the WHL could propel him onto this list a year from now. Traff doesn’t have as high an offensive ceiling as many of the players listed below, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the NHL someday. Finally, Sidorov was one of the most explosive and exciting players for San Diego this past season. If he can be even better in his second AHL season, he could be on this list a year from now. This is the second year in a row where Sidorov was among the final players cut from this list.

Cutter Gauthier (graduated), Sam Colangelo (graduated), Nikita Nesterenko (graduated), Pavol Regenda (traded), Tristan Luneau (too many NHL games played), and Suchanek (missed all of last season with an injury) are the six players from last year’s top 10 list who do not appear on this year’s. This is the second biggest turnover in this list since I’ve been doing it. The only year with more was last year, when seven players did not return. If Luneau had played in fewer NHL games, he would absolutely be on this list, probably ranked fourth overall. Previous year’s rankings will be shown in parentheses, and NR means not ranked the previous year. Now, on to the top 10!

10. (4) Nathan Gaucher – Anaheim’s second first round pick from the NHL 2022 Draft sees the biggest fall on this list. I still think Gaucher has a future as a bottom six center, but he needs to stay healthy and have a bigger offensive impact with the Gulls this season to move back up this list. He doesn’t have as high an offensive ceiling as many of the players ahead of him, but he has all the tools to be an effective NHL player.

9. (5) Damian Clara – The other prospect to see his ranking fall, Clara struggled across four different leagues this past season. Hopefully he can spend all of next season in the SHL and reestablish his game as a solid goaltending prospect. I’m still confident he’ll make the NHL some day, but I’m less confident he’ll turn into a long-term starter. A strong season in the SHL could see him rising back up this list.

8. (NR) Sasha Pastujov – After missing this list a year ago, Pastujov returns to it after being San Diego’s best forward last year. He had a rough start to the season with a demotion to the ECHL, but played well enough to make his way back to San Diego and led the team in points per game among players who appeared in at least 40 games. To stay on this list, he needs to stay in the AHL for the entire season and be one of their top point producers again.

7. (NR) Eric Nilson – A second round pick from the most recent draft, Nilson is a two-way center with a strong all around game. He’s leaving Europe for the NCAA this year, and a strong showing in his first college season could lead to him moving up this list a year from now.

6. (NR) Ian Moore – After finishing his college career, Moore made his AHL debut and then his NHL debut this past season. While he won’t be a top pairing player, he could become a very good fourth or fifth defenseman. He debuts so high on this list because of already having NHL experience. He’s not guaranteed to get 82 games with the Ducks this year, but expect to see him in an Anaheim uniform at some point this season. Depending on how things go for him, he could be moving up this list a year from now, or be among the graduates next summer.

5. (NR) Lucas Pettersson – A second round pick from 2024, Pettersson and Nilson play similar styles of hockey. However, Pettersson appears to have a higher offensive ceiling, leading to this placement. He’ll be in the SHL and will hopefully get more of a chance than he did the previous season. He just missed this list last summer.

4. (NR) Tim Washe – After a strong finish to his college career, Anaheim signed Washe as a free agent, and he made his NHL debut at the end of last season. Similar to Moore, a spot with the Ducks isn’t guaranteed for the entire year, but we should see him in an Anaheim uniform at some point during the season. Washe is a player who doesn’t have as high a ceiling as some of Anaheim’s other prospects, but he does have a very high floor, and that should help keep him in the NHL.

3. (3) Stian Solberg – Anaheim’s second first round pick from the 2024 Draft retains the third spot in the top 10. He played well in the SHL and AHL, but it was at the World Championships where Solberg turned a lot of heads, scoring four goals and six points in seven games. Not bad for a player more known for his physical play than his offensive prowess. A strong year with the Gulls could see him possibly moving into the top two spots on this list.

2. (NR) Roger McQueen – Anaheim’s top pick in the most recent draft, McQueen has all the tools to be Anaheim’s next great power forward, as long as he can stay healthy. A back injury scared teams off, allowing McQueen to fall to Anaheim at 10th overall. If he is fully recovered, the Ducks could have a special prospect on their hands. If he has a great first year in the NCAA, he’ll challenge for the top spot on this list a year from now.

1. (2) Beckett Sennecke – Anaheim’s top pick from the 2024 Draft moves up to the top spot in this ranking. While not a guarantee, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Sennecke make his NHL debut this season. He’s got a high degree of offense and when his offensive game gets going, there are few more dangerous players on the ice. Regardless of NHL or OHL, he’s going to need a strong season to keep this number one ranking.

Up next will be the final offseason prospect article: the prospects most likely to see time in Anaheim this season. Spoiler alert, you can expect some of the prospects from the above list to make an appearance, though not as many as the previous couple of summers.

Related Article:

Ranking Anaheim’s Prospects Positions

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September 17th, 2025