Prospect Update: Tristan Luneau

By Thomas Harrington

The Anaheim Ducks drafted defenseman Tristan Luneau in the second round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, 53rd overall. Luneau spent most of this season playing in the AHL for San Diego, but did get a game in Anaheim at the end of the season.

In his second full AHL season, Luneau played in a career high 70 games and scored 10 goals and 41 points. He was scoreless in two playoff games. He was second among San Diego’s defensemen in goals, and led the blueline in assists and points. On the entire team, Luneau finished tied for third in assists and fifth in points. His 10 goals were a career high, bettering the nine he had in his rookie year. He played primarily on the second pairing, often next to Tyson Hinds. Luneau also saw time on the powerplay and penalty kill units.

Luneau was called up to Anaheim in mid-April and played one game against Nashville. He played over 11 minutes, scored a goal, and took two shots. He played on the third defensive pair, next to his Gulls partner Hinds. Lunea did not play on either the powerplay or penalty kill with the Ducks.

I had two expectations for Luneau last summer and he met one of them. First, I wanted him to set a career high in NHL games played, which he set during the 2023-2024 season with seven. Instead, he only suited up for one game. He missed this for two reasons. First, Anaheim was pretty set on the right side of their defense with Jacob Trouba, Radko Gudas, and Drew Helleson. Second, instead of Luneau being the first callup from San Diego, that honor went to Ian Moore, and he quickly became a regular part of Anaheim’s rotation. My second expectation for Luneau was for him to continue to be one of San Diego’s top defensemen, which he was all season long.

While Luneau didn’t play in the NHL as much as I expected him to last season, it looks like this season he’s going to be given every opportunity to play in Anaheim. The right side of Anaheim’s defense will look massively different this coming season. Gone are Trouba, Gudas, and John Carlson. The only right-shooting defensemen currently under contract for the Ducks are Nick Jensen, Moore, and Helleson. While it remains to be seen exactly how Anaheim’s defense will shake out, it’s almost a certainty that Luneau will be a part of it.

With Luneau likely getting significant time in the NHL this season, I have a few expectations for him. First, to play in more NHL games than AHL ones. While he may get some time with the Gulls, I want Luneau to play as much as possible with the Ducks. Second, when he’s in Anaheim, for Luneau to get some time on the powerplay. He won’t get a ton, but he’s shown in the AHL that he can play the point on the powerplay, and I’d like to see him get some chances in the NHL. Finally, when Luneau is in the AHL, for him to continue to be one of their top defensemen.

Luneau has already made his NHL debut and played in at least one NHL game for each of the past three seasons. While this isn’t necessarily the season for him to play a full year with Anaheim, it feels like he likely will. If not now, then he needs to become a full time member of the Ducks by the 2027-2028 season. If he doesn’t, it means his development has either stagnated or he’s having difficulty adjusting to the pace of the NHL.

Luneau has one year left on his entry-level deal and he’ll be a restricted free agent next summer. Unless his game completely craters, the Ducks will absolutely extend Luneau a year from now. How this season goes will influence what kind of contract he gets. Personally, I think he’ll get a similar deal to what Tim Washe got last summer, where he got a two-year deal; the first year was two-way and the second year was one-way.

The next prospect update will be on defenseman Stian Solberg.

Related Articles:

Prospect Update: Emile Guite

Prospect Update: Tarin Smith

Prospect Update: Damian Clara

Prospect Update: Tyson Hinds

Prospect Update: Brady Turko

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September 8th, 2026