We’re now 15-20 games in the season for most of the Ducks prospects and with Thanksgiving here, what better time to sit back and take a look at some of the top performers thus far. You’ll notice some names are missing here and we’re excluding them from this update for one reason and one reason only, they’ve been boring.. Well no.. In all seriousness we’re taking a look at those that have started hot and those that have struggled but we have hope for as the season goes on. Those that have missed the cut this time around: Tyson Hinds, Noah Warren, Ian Moore, Konnor Smith, Vojtech Port, Calle Clang and Damian Clara. Don’t worry, we’ll touch base on their progress as the season goes on.

The Good

Leo Carlsson, C

It’s been an impressive start to the season for Carlsson, capped off two weeks ago by his first career NHL hat trick in a 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. He ranks second among rookies in goals with six and is tied for 10th in points with eight. The Ducks have stuck with his load management plan through the first 18 games of the season with Carlsson playing in only 12. When he’s been available he’s centered the Ducks top line and hasn’t looked out of place.  

Carey Terrance, C/LW

What a start to the season it’s been for Terrance. He leads the Erie Otters in goals (16), points (26) and shots on goal (76). He ranks 12th in league scoring and 4th in goal scoring. His three shorthanded goals are tied for the league lead. 

He’s been as consistent as they come this season, recording a point in all but four games. His 7 multi-point games rank first among his teammates. He’s been centering the first line and developed some chemistry with 2025 draft eligible prospect Malcom Spence. 

Yegor Sidorov, RW

Sidorov likes to do two things; shoot the puck and score goals. That was how we led off our prospect preview last month and he’s certainly lived up to those claims. Sidorov has 20 goals and nine assists through 20 games this season. He leads the Saskatoon Blades in goals (20), power play goals (9) and shots on goal (112).

He ranks second on the WHL in both goals and power play goals and is tied for the league lead in shots with Jagger Firkus. He’s currently on pace for 68 goals and 99 points, both of which would easily eclipse his previous career highs. 

Pavel Mintyukov, LD

It’s now 16 games later and Mityukov has looked every bit as impressive since our last update. He’s been the Ducks best defenseman since the start of the season and is tied for third in rookie scoring with Marco Rossi and Luke Hughes with ten points in 18 games. Only Connor Bedard and Logan Cooley have more. He’s averaging 19 minutes of ice time per game to go along with 23 shifts. It now looks a foregone conclusion he’ll be with the Ducks for the entire season and will firmly be in the Calder conversation as long as he continues to impress. 

Olen Zellweger, LD

Zellweger has been one of the few bright spots for the Gulls who are mired in a 12-game losing streak right now. He has two goals and ten points in 13 games which ranks fourth on the team. His 36 shots on goal are second behind Pavol Ragenda (44). He trails only Brandt Clarke among rookie defenseman in the AHL, who has 15 points in 15 games played. If there are any injuries to the Ducks blueline as the season goes on, I expect him to be one of the first names called up to be given a shot. 

Coulson Pitre, RW

Pitre has certainly rebounded since his tough start to the season that saw him limited to one assist in their first 4 games. Since then he’s recorded 12 goals and 19 points in 15 games. He’s back on the pace we hope for this season, aiming to be a 35-40 goalscorer. He’s fourth in team scoring on the Flint Firebirds, with the top scorers all making up the first line for the team. He’s four points behind the leader, Gavin Hayes, despite being part of the second line for much of the season.

He recorded his first career OHL hat trick on Nov. 17th against the London Knights and has stayed hot with six goals and two assists over his last five games. 

Rodwin Dionicio, LD

Dionicio had five goals and 20 points in 15 games for the Windsor Spitfires before being traded to the Saginaw Spirit last week. He’s recorded a goal and two assists in two games since joining the team. His 23 points are good enough to be ranked third among OHL defenseman. Saginaw is a much better team so it will be interesting to see where he fits in and if he can improve his game even more.

The Bad

Nathan Gaucher, C

Gaucher is still centering the Gulls’ third line, most recently with Blake McLaughlin and Judd Caufield. It hasn’t been a great start offensively for the Quebec native who has two goals and one assist through 14 games. However, the adjustment to the pro game was always going to be difficult and the Gulls have lost 12-straight games which doesn’t help anyone on the team. I expect things to get better for him as the season goes on and he continues to adjust to the next level.

Sasha Pastujov, RW

Another victim of the tough adjustment from junior to the pro level. Pastujov has struggled with just three assists in ten games to start the season. In Tuesday’s game against the San Jose Barracuda he was on the fourth line with Perreault as the Gulls opted to run 11 forwards and 7 defenseman. He only has 14 shots through 10 games as well. It’s less concerning than Perreault as this is his first season in the AHL, but the hope is he continues to improve as the season goes on.  

Michael Callow, RW

Minor update for Callow, who has started his freshman season in the NCAA with one assist in five games for Harvard. He’s currently playing third line LW and will need to impress to move up the lineup. The good news is there are no standout options in front of him, so the doors still open to finish the season as a top six forward. 

The Mediocre

Jacob Perreault, RW

Immediately after the prospect preview was written, Perreault went pointless in his next four games and my optimism diminished. He has four goals and three assists in 11 games so far this season, which isn’t awful. However, what’s concerning is he still isn’t shooting the puck at a rate that he should be for someone with his shooting ability. He currently has 18 shots across those 11 games, which ranks him 8th on the team. This is a make or break year for Perreault who is already going into his fourth AHL season and has made just one appearance at the NHL level.   

Nico Myatovic, LW

Myatovic had gotten off to a hot start with the Seattle Thunderbirds recording two goals and three assists in four games. However, he has been out injured since their game on Oct. 17th and has missed the team’s last 14-games. He’s currently week-to-week with a lower body injury.

Connor Hvidston, C/RW

As we noted in the prospect preview, Hvidston had started the season strong with 6 goals and 11 points in his first 7 games. Unfortunately, he was injured in that final game and just returned to action on Nov. 17th. He’s scoreless in his first two games back from an upper body injury. He’s still centering the Broncos top line and power play and his production should return as he eases back from injury.

Tristan Luneau, RD

I fully expected Luneau to be back in the QMJHL by now, but he’s slated to join back up with the Ducks tonight for their matchup against the Montreal Canadiens. He’s played two games for Anaheim and six games for the San Diego Gulls after he was sent down on a conditioning loan. He recorded two assists while with the Gulls. We’ll see how he does tonight, but I still expect him back in the QMJHL by the end of November.