Graduated Prospect: Drew Helleson

By Thomas Harrington

The Anaheim Ducks acquired defenseman Drew Helleson from the Colorado Avalanche as part of the Josh Manson trade. He had originally been drafted by Colorado in the second round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. When this season started, I thought that Helleson might play in a few NHL games, and certainly wouldn’t be among the team’s graduated prospects. There’s no question that Helleson was the biggest surprise out of all of Anaheim’s prospects this past season.

Helleson started the season playing for the San Diego Gulls but was called up in November to Anaheim when Anaheim’s blueline was dealing with injuries, and he never looked back. With San Diego, he played in 12 games and was scoreless. He was primarily used on the second and third pairings.

When Helleson was first recalled to Anaheim, I thought it would be for a few games and then he would head back to the Gulls. Instead, he stuck around for the rest of the season, playing in 56 games and scoring four goals and 13 points. He ended up playing the sixth-most games among Anaheim’s defensive core. Among rookie blueliners, Helleson finished tied for second in goals, assists, and points. He also received one fifth place vote for the Calder Trophy, given to the NHL’s top rookie.

Helleson blew my expectations out of the water from last summer. I thought he’d be one of the more likely callups to the Ducks. However, I never once thought he’d be among Anaheim’s graduated prospects. My first expectation was for him to set a career high in games played with the Gulls, if he spent enough time in the AHL. Given he spent so much time in the NHL, this expectation became moot. My second expectation was for him to just make it back to the NHL. He had made his NHL debut in the 2022-2023 season, playing in three games with the Ducks, but spent all of the following season in the AHL. There was some concern that he’d taken a step back or been passed over by other prospects. While either of those things could still happen, there’s no question that he more than earned his place in the NHL this past season and more than surpassed my expectations from a year ago.

Despite a solid rookie season, there’s no guarantee that Helleson will have a permanent spot on Anaheim’s blueline. The Ducks are looking deep on defense, with Jacob Trouba, Radko Gudas, Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov, and Olen Zellweger currently on the roster. There’s also prospects like Ian Moore, Tristan Luneau, Tyson Hinds, and Stian Solberg who could push for NHL time. The Ducks could also make a trade to bring in another defenseman or sign someone in free agency. Assuming the Ducks make no major moves on the backend, I expect Helleson is the favorite to play on Anaheim’s bottom pair to start next season, but he’ll need to play at a high level to make sure no other Anaheim prospect overtakes him.

Helleson is a restricted free agent this summer. Similar to Sam Colangelo, I expect him to be qualified and re-signed. It won’t be a long-term deal; I think he’s more likely to get a one or two-year deal from the Ducks. However, if they really believe in him, I could see Helleson getting a three-year deal this summer, but it would surprise me.

The next graduated prospect will be Cutter Gauthier.

Related Articles:

Prospect Profile: Tim Washe

Prospect Profile: Jeremie Biakabutuka

Prospect Profile: Herman Traff

Graduated Prospect: Sam Colangelo

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June 24th, 2025