Ducks Rookie Tournament Recap

By Thomas Harrington

The Anaheim Ducks played two games at the Rookie Faceoff and lost both of them. In the first game, Anaheim’s rookies faced off against Colorado’s, with the Avalanche skating off with a 7-2 win. In the second game, Los Angeles came out on top with a 4-1 win. The record in these kinds of tournaments doesn’t matter to me; what does matter is how the players looked on the ice. Also, even if a player has a poor tournament, they can still have a successful season ahead of them. Last year, Beckett Sennecke didn’t have a strong tournament, but went on to have a great rookie season and was nominated for the Calder Trophy. 

Game 1: Colorado Wins 7-2

Damian Clara got the start in the game against Colorado. He didn’t have a strong game, as he let in all seven goals. A number of the goals were high danger chances, but the third goal does stand out as one he’d like back. It also would have been nice to see him make a great save or two on a couple of those goals against. Anaheim actually played very well in their opening period against Colorado, it was their strongest 20 minutes in these two games. While they did find themselves in a 3-1 hole, the Ducks controlled the pace of play and had several high quality chances. Only some great goaltending from Colorado goalie Ilya Nabokov kept the Ducks from putting in several goals. The Ducks fired nine shots on net, but Cruz Lucius was the only player to beat Nabokov, and he cut the lead to 2-1.

In the second, Anaheim started out well, but the Avalanche scored a few minutes into the period. Noah Kosick, who had a strong game on the fourth line, scored an unassisted goal to make it a two-goal game again. Unfortunately, things fell apart for the Ducks after that, and Colorado scored two goals late in the second, plus one more in the third.

While this wasn’t a great game by the Ducks, it certainly wasn’t as bad as the score indicated. Anaheim was the better team early on, but the Avalanche capitalized on their chances and the Ducks simply weren’t able to keep up by the time the game was over. Lucius, Anaheim’s newest prospect, really stood out in this game and was one of the Ducks’ better forwards on the ice. Anaheim had a top line of Roger McQueen, Nikita Klepov, and Marcus Nordmark, and they had their chances, especially in the first period. Klepov was the player that stood out to me the most out of these three, though there were times when McQueen was able to control the game when he had the puck on his stick.

It was on defense where the Ducks struggled in this game, which ultimately wasn’t a surprise. None of Anaheim’s top defensive prospects were in this game. Any of Stian Solberg, Tyson Hinds, or Tristan Luneau would have had a significant impact if they’d played. That being said, this was my first time seeing Jayden Kurtz playing, and I liked what I saw from him overall.

Game 2: Los Angeles Wins 4-1

Anaheim made a few lineup changes for game two. Noah Read and Alexis Mathieu both came out and were replaced by Kyle Kukkonen and Jackson Niedermayer. The Ducks also changed up their lines, as Lucas Pettersson joined McQueen and Klepov on the top line and Kosick was elevated to the third line. Tomas Suchanek got the start in net, and was arguably the Ducks’ best player in these two games. He faced 49 shots and stopped 45 of them. The second game played like an inverse of the first game. After starting the game against Colorado incredibly well, Anaheim had a poor start against Los Angeles.

Through two periods, the Ducks had only mustered 10 shots on goal and had little zone time to show for it. The Kings scored a goal in each of the first two periods to take a 2-0 lead. In the third, Niedermayer had a fantastic chance, but Kings goaltender Hampton Sluknynsky made a great save on him. However, Anaheim recovered the puck and Klepov fed Pettersson for the goal. With the Ducks pressuring for the tying goal, Los Angeles was able to score two late goals to wrap the game up.

Despite the closer score, I actually think Anaheim played a better game against Colorado, though their third period against Los Angeles was definitely their second best period of hockey in these two games. Pettersson played very well on the top line and was rewarded with Anaheim’s only goal of the game. Klepov looked dangerous throughout and picked up his first assist of the tournament. Despite being held off the scoresheet, I liked most of what I saw from McQueen, especially when he had the puck. Kurtz had another strong game as well. But the biggest surprise of the game was the play of Niedermayer. He’s currently on an AHL-only deal, but if he can keep up this level of play when the season starts, Anaheim may think about signing him to an entry-level deal at some point.

While losing both games is disappointing, ultimately, these two games don’t mean much. The important thing is that Anaheim got out of the tournament without any major injuries, and the Ducks’ prospects got a taste of what their future could be in the NHL. For now, training camp is about to start and all of these players should be participants in it. However, with only four preseason games to play, not all of them will see game action. Many of these players will be heading back to their respective junior teams, while a fair number will also find themselves in the AHL playing for the Gulls. And there’s one or two who I think we’re going to see in an Anaheim uniform this season.

Related Articles:

Ducks Rookie Faceoff Preview

Anaheim Prospects We Could See In The NHL

Anaheim Top 10 Rookies

Ranking Anaheim’s Prospect Positions

Prospect Update: Roger McQueen

Listen to our hockey podcast by clicking below or visiting us at Apple Podcasts, Rumble, Spreaker, or YouTube.

Support us by becoming a DucksNPucks patron! Members can win game tickets, Ducks gear, and more!

Want to start your sports media career? Then Join The Puck Network!

DucksNPucks is part of The Puck Network, which covers the entire NHL. There are openings to cover your favorite team(s) and earn school credits! If you are interested, then apply by filling out the form here: Join Our Team. What are you waiting for? Start your sports media career TODAY!

September 14th, 2026