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Kevin Bieksa (#2)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | FF% | |
| Regular Season | 71 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 99 | 51.7 |
| Playoffs | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Trending: Down
Reasoning: Kevin Bieksa struggled immensely at the start of last season. (But then again, I think all the Ducks did.) He did finally find a groove skating with Cam Fowler. That being said, in terms of stats, he's been pretty terrible--struggling to control possession as well as struggling to shut down the offensive push. Unfortunately, it really didn't help that he also saw heavy minutes against tough competition. It should be interesting to see if Randy Carlyle keeps the same pairings as last season, especially considering the fact that Cam Fowler (if he stays in Anaheim) sees top minutes and critical situations--thereby meaning that Bieksa, if paired with him again, would most likely be put in the same position. Yikes. Not to mention this guy's contract is one of the contributing factors making Hampus Lindholm's contract a problem. How ironic.
Clayton Stoner (#3)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | FF% | |
| Regular Season | 50 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 67 | 51.2 |
| Playoffs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Trending: Down (BYEEEEE)
Reasoning: With many rumors and talk surrounding unsigned Rickard Rakell and Hampus Lindholm, Bob Murray decidedly made a move to make room by waiving Clayton Stoner. With the pipeline filled with defensive prospects in the likes of Shea Theodore and Brandon Montour, Anaheim hopes another hockey club will pick Stoner and his contract up. Consider this...if Stoner is claimed, this will give Anaheim enough cap space (close to $11-million) to sign both Rickard Rakell and Hampus Lindholm. As for now, all they can do is wait and assign him to the Gulls.
Cam Fowler (#4)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | FF% | |
| Regular Season | 69 | 5 | 23 | 28 | 27 | 49.7 |
| Playoffs | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
4 |
Trending: Even
Reasoning: Drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2010, it's a bit sad to hear that Cam may very well be traded to make room for Rickard Rakell and Hampus Lindholm. Unfortunately for Fowler, he had a tough season last season. With Simon Depres sitting out most of the season with an injury, Fowler was paired with Bieksa. While they finally found a way to make the pairing work, Bieksa as his partner was not conducive to good stats. While being matched up against top competition, he lacked the support to keep possession of the puck. While no one wants to see Fowler traded, it may very well be necessary to ink Hampus Lindholm. Most recently, trade rumors have been flying about the possibility of trading Fowler for Jacob Trouba of the Winnipeg Jets. Keep your eyes and ears open as something's gotta give in the next few weeks.
Korbinian Holzer (#5)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | FF% | |
| Regular Season | 29 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 51.2 |
| Regular Season (San Diego Gulls AHL) | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
Trending: Up
Reasoning: Korbinian Holzer was acquired from Toronto during the 2014-15 deadline. The majority of his career was played in Germany and in the AHL. But last season, he finally got his real chance at the NHL by seeing minutes with the Anaheim hockey club. The big body added physical presence to the blue line. Not flashy in any way, Holzer is a solid defenseman with good positioning and smooth transitioning skills. The Anaheim Ducks resigned Holzer this summer for a one-year one-way deal.
Simon Despres (#6)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | FF% | |
| Regular Season | 32 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 51.9 |
| Playoffs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Trending: Up
Reasoning: Last season, Simon Despres missed quite a few games with a concussion. Despite his absence, the Ducks somehow found a way to transform into a shutdown defensive team. When Despres was finally cleared to play, his return may have been a contributing factor to the decrease in defensive success as the latter season went on. To be frankly honest, it was a bit painful to see him at times during the post-season. We all hope he was able to work on getting back to hockey shape so that he can resume where he left off before being concussed. (Yeah Gabe--we remember that hit.)
Josh Manson (#42)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | FF% | |
| Regular Season | 71 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 74 | 57.7 |
| Playoffs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Trending: Up
Reasoning: After seeing minutes with the big boys club two seasons ago, Josh Manson definitely grew into his own after playing in 71 games last season.the NHL. With the blue line being depleted by injuries last season, Manson was relied upon heavily to fill in. His hockey sense has only been improving so expect him to take even a larger role this coming year.
Sami Vatanen (#45)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | FF% | |
| Regular Season | 71 | 9 | 29 | 38 | 20 | 50.8 |
| Playoffs | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
Trending: Up
Reasoning: I was frankly a little surprised that the Ducks resigned Sami Vatanen for four-years before resigning Hampus Lindholm. Despite his smaller size, his aggressive and offensive play led to noticeable contribution on the blue line. This summer, Sami made a World Cup of Hockey appearance on Team Finland. With a newly inked contract, you can expect this puck-moving defenseman to be back on his game from his first game.
Hampus Lindholm (#47)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | FF% | |
| Regular Season | 80 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 7 | 58.3 |
| Playoffs | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
|
Trending: Up
Reasoning: Hampus Lindholm is holding out, still training in Sweden as he awaits his contract. He has not attended any of the training camps or the preseason games. According to Eric Stephens of the OC Register, Lindholm expects about $6-million a year. I think we can all agree that we want this kid signed. Despite improving year upon year, you sometimes just get the sense that there appears to be no ceiling to his development. The Ducks really don't have that #1 defenseman--but if they are able to find a way to sign him, then perhaps we don't have to worry too much about that considering all the defensive prospects waiting to get a chance in the big league.
Nate Guenin (#34)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | |
| Regular Season (Colorado Avalanche) | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Regular Season (San Antonio Rampage-AHL) | 24 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 14 |
Trending: Down
Reasoning: Nate Guenin agreed to a one-year deal during the uneventful Free Agency Day this summer. He has spent most of his career between the AHL and NHL. He will most likely just be a depth defenseman, spending most of his time with the Gulls.
Jacob Larsson (#51)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | |
| Regular Season (Frolunda Swe) | 47 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 10 |
| Playoffs (Frolunda Swe) | 16 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Playoffs (San Diego Gulls AHL) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Trending: Up
Reasoning: The Anaheim Ducks' 1st round 27th overall pick in last summer's 2015 NHL draft, Larsson has outlasted the likes of Shea Theodore and Brandon Montour during this year's training camp. Larsson was ranked third among international skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings. Touted as an explosive puck-moving defenseman with impressive skating skills, he has furthered his game while playing in Sweden. It should be interesting to see if he can secure a spot at some point this season.
Jeff Schultz (#55)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | |
| Regular Season (Los Angeles Kings) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Regular Season (Ontario Reign-AHL) | 66 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 24 |
| Playoffs (Ontario Reign-AHL) | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
Trending: Down
Reasoning: While Schultz's best days are over, he will most likely stay with the San Diego Gulls club and lead the young blue liners there.
Keaton Thompson (#66)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | |
| Regular Season (U of North Dakota) | 43 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 36 |
Trending: Up
Reasoning: Not a flashy player, Thompson has the potential to develop into a very reliable two-way defenseman. He enters his junior season and may see more ice time as one of the veteran players. He has been much more assertive and has improved in his physical play this past year.
Marcus Petterson (#69)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | |
| Regular Season (Skelleftea AIK Jr-Swe Jr) | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Regular Season (Skelleftea AIK-Swe) | 46 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| Playoffs (Skelleftea AIK Jr-Swe Jr) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Playoffs (Skelleftea AIK-Swe) | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Trending: Even
Reasoning: Pettersson does show the potential to develop into a solid two-way defender but he still has much room for improvement in strength and speed. He lacks physicality, which should be made up for in quickness, which he does not have at the moment. He needs to see more consistent playing time in Sweden if he wants to claim a spot in San Diego.
Steven Ruggiero (#70)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | |
| Regular Season (Providence College) | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 |
Trending: Even
Reasoning: Ruggiero played his first year at Providence College but unfortunately saw extremely limited minutes considering the Providence roster. He should definitely aim to snag more minutes before thinking about anything else.
Brandon Montour (#71)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | |
| Regular Season (San Diego-AHL) | 68 | 12 | 45 | 57 | 42 |
| Playoffs (San Diego-AHL) | 9 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 |
Trending: Up
Reasoning: Montour is the high risk/high reward defenseman with his offensively inclined skills. A good skater and passer, he was recognized last season on the Gulls by being selected for the AHL All-Rookie Team, AHL All-Star Game, AHL First All-Star Team, and the AHL Rookie of the Month in November. H still has much to improve on his end defensively, but has a chance of making his NHL debut this season.
Andy Welinski (#73)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | |
| Regular Season (U of Minnesota-Duluth) | 40 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 45 |
Trending: Up
Reasoning: Welinski is signed to a two-year entry level contract and made the San Diego team on a tryout contract. While his upside is not nearly as high as the likes of Montour, his consistency makes him extremely reliable on the blueline. Well-positioned, he is a good skater will a solid hockey IQ.
Jaycob Megna (#75)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | |
| Regular Season (San Diego Gulls-AHL) | 67 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 14 |
| Playoffs (San Diego Gulls-AHL) | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Trending: Even
Reasoning: Megna is your big-bodied shutdown defenseman. He is relied upon for his positional play. There is still room for improvement with his skating and his offensive skills are limited. But his big frame can be utilized as a bottom-pair stay-at-home defenseman.
Josh Mahura (#76)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | |
| Regular Season (Red Deer Rebels-WHL) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Playoffs (Red Deer Rebels-WHL) | 17 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
Trending: Up
Reasoning: Mahura may be big, but he's a good skater. He moves the puck well and shoots well from the point. He should stand to mature and mature while playing in the WHL.
Matthew Berkovitz (#81)
2015-16 Stats:
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | |
| Regular Season (Green Bay Gamblers-USHL) | 52 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| Playoffs (Green Bay Gamblers-USHL) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Trending: Up
Reasoning: Berkovitz will transition to begin his college career at University of Wisconsin. From reports, he has the potential to become a steady and reliable two-way defenseman with his solid hockey IO and physicality.