2024-25: 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. While this wasn’t as difficult to figure out as last year, I definitely went back and forth on the last couple of spots on this list. 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 reaching their potential and 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 Josh Manson and Kiefer Sherwood on this list. Manson has become a top four defenseman, and Sherwood played in 50 NHL games in his rookie season. If I had known that Sherwood would play that many games, there’s no question he would have been on this list.

Before I get to the top 10 rookies, here are the players who just missed the cut: Tyson Hinds, Sasha Pastujov, Yegor Sidorov, Coulson Pitre, Lucas Pettersson, and Rodwin Dionicio. Pettersson was the final player cut from this list. As a high second round pick, a lot is expected out of him, but I heavily weigh how close someone is to the NHL when making this ranking.  He’s years away, so he just misses the cut. A strong season will almost certainly put him on next year’s list. Hinds had a solid but unspectacular rookie season in San Diego. He’ll need to be even better if he wants to make his way onto this list. Pastujov had an up-and-down season with the Gulls. He was on this list a year ago. If he had played like he did to end the season, he’d still be on it. If he can play in most of San Diego’s games and be a much more consistent player, he should be back on it a year from now.

Sidorov’s 50 goal season almost pushed him onto this list, but I want to see how he adjusts to the pro game this year. If he can have a good rookie season for the Gulls, he could be on this list a year from now. Pitre doesn’t have as high an offensive ceiling as some of these other players, but he’s turning pro this year and I think the way he plays will translate well to the pro game. A great AHL rookie season could put him on this list a year from now. Dionicio put up some great numbers in the OHL last year. If he can continue to have a strong offensive game in the OHL while continuing to improve defensively, he could be on this list a year from now.

Leo Carlsson (graduated), Olen Zellweger (graduated), Pavel Mintyukov (graduated), Lukas Dostal (graduated), Jackson LaCombe (graduated), Benoit-Olivier Groulx (graduated then left as a free agent), and Pastujov (fell out) were the seven players from last year’s top 10 list who do not appear on this year’s. This represents the biggest turnover in this list since I started doing it. Previous year’s rankings will be shown in parentheses, and NR means not ranked the previous year. Now, on to the top 10!

10. (NR) Tomas Suchanek – Suchanek was far and away San Diego’s best player last season. Without him, they probably finish last in the AHL. Unfortunately, he suffered a long term injury and will miss much of the upcoming season. Hopefully he can return towards the end of the season and finish the year off on a strong note. 

9. (9) Pavol Regenda – Regenda keeps his spot after being one of the Gulls’ top forwards and getting five games of action with the Ducks. He has little to prove at the AHL level but needs to show that he’s an everyday NHL player at some point.

8. (NR) Nikita Nesterenko – The final cut from last year’s list, Nesterenko makes his way onto the list after being one of San Diego’s better players this past season and scoring a goal in three NHL games. I went back and forth between Nesterenko and Regenda and who should be higher, and I went with the player who scored for the Ducks.

7. (NR) Sam Colangelo – Colangelo makes his way to the top 10 for the first time after being among the final cuts a number of times since being drafted. He made his NHL debut at the end of this past season. Combined with a very good senior year, this puts him among Anaheim’s top 10 rookies. While a permanent spot in Anaheim isn’t assured for him this year, I expect him to play some games with the Ducks.

6. (7) Tristan Luneau – Luneau jumps up one spot from last year. If he had remained healthy, he likely would have made the top five. Given how much time he missed, Luneau was the hardest player on this list to place. But, as long as he has fully recovered from his infection, I’m confident we’ll see him play some games for the Ducks this year, possibly most of the season.

5. (NR) Damian Clara – After an outstanding season in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Clara makes his debut not just as one of Anaheim’s top 10 rookies, but as one of their top five rookies. He’s the best goaltender prospect the Ducks currently have, and while he’s not guaranteed to be a starter someday, I’m confident he’ll play NHL games at some point down the road.

4. (5) Nathan Gaucher – Anaheim’s second first round pick from the 2022 NHL draft, Gaucher jumps up one spot from last year. He will be entering his second professional season and will likely spend most of it with the Gulls, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see Gaucher make his NHL debut at some point this year. His offensive ceiling isn’t as high as some of Anaheim’s other forward prospects, but he has all the tools to make it to the NHL and be an effective player.

3. (NR) Stian Solberg – Anaheim’s second first round pick from the 2024 draft, Solberg doesn’t have the offensive upside of some of Anaheim’s other blueliners, but is one of the more physical defensemen the Ducks have. There’s an edge to his game that most of Anaheim’s other defensive prospects lack. He also has good mobility for his size and projects to be a very difficult defenseman to play against in the years to come.

2. (NR) Beckett Sennecke – Anaheim’s top pick in the 2024 draft, Sennecke is a fantastic playmaker and puck handler. He’s recently had a significant growth spurt, and describes himself as having a smaller player’s game in a larger player’s body. He had a fantastic run in the playoffs and hopes to be even better this year.

1. (NR) Cutter Gauthier – Acquired from Philadelphia last season and making his NHL debut in the final game of the regular season, Gauthier is Anaheim’s top rookie. He’s most likely going to spend the entire year in the NHL, and depending on how the lines shake out, could see time on the Ducks’ top line. Gauthier can play both center and wing, and the thought of him playing next to the likes of Carlsson, Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, and/or Troy Terry has me very excited for this season.

Up next will be the final offseason prospect article: the prospects most likely to see time in Anaheim this season. You can expect a number of prospects from the above list to make an appearance.

Related Articles:

Ranking Anaheim’s Prospect Positions

Anaheim Prospects We Could See In NHL

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September 26th, 2024