The season has finally kicked off and another year of Ducks hockey has begun. With that new beginning also begins a new season for the plethora of talent in the Ducks prospect pool. In the last post we took a look at the forward group of the Top 21 Ducks prospects under 21. This time we’re rounding out the rest of the list with the defensemen and goalies. As a reminder, some key names have “aged out” of this category including; Jamie Drysdale, Drew Helleson, Nikita Nesterenko, Jackson LaCombe, Lukas Dostal and Brayden Tracey. I’ve chosen to exclude any established NHL players under 21, which really only knocks off Mason McTavish. Jacob Perreault, Ian Moore and Calle Clang have all been included despite being 21 as they are key members of the Ducks system… and selfishly Top 18 under 21 doesn’t sound as nice.
All stats courtesy of CapFriendly.com, EliteProspects.com, and CHL.ca
Pavel Mintyukov, LD
6’1” 195lbs
19 years old – Nov. 25th, 2003
Moscow, RUS
Season Outlook: Mintyukov is coming off an exceptional season that saw him win OHL Defenseman of the Year after leading all defensemen with 88 points in 69 games played. His production dipped after the trade to the Ottawa 67’s, but their system was drastically different than Saginaw and he wasn’t asked or relied upon to carry the offense as much as he had to with the Saginaw Spirit. He was eligible for the AHL hockey league this season, and honestly that’s where I expected him to start the season. However, after an impressive rookie camp and preseason he made the Ducks opening night roster where he’s looked like their best defender through the first two games. He’s fresh off scoring his first career NHL goal in last night’s 6-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. It’s now looking possible he could spend the entire season with the Ducks, especially if he continues to play this well.
Potential: I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, Mityukov has the potential to be the best defenseman on this Ducks team. That means beating out the likes of Jamie Drysdale, Olen Zellweger and Tristan Luneau. He’s an excellent puck mover and uses his size and reach to his advantage while defending. His defensive game has come a long way since his draft year and he hasn’t looked out of place in his first two NHL games. At the very least he’ll be a Top 4 defenseman for the Ducks for years to come. However, he has the potential to be a franchise defenseman for this team and he’s gotten off to a great start.
Tristan Luneau, RD
6’2” 192lbs
19 years old – Jan. 12th, 2004
Victoriaville, QC
Season Outlook: Luneau surprised a lot of people by making the Ducks opening night roster. He’s yet to make his debut, but it is testament to how well he played leading up to the season. Last season he led all QMJHL defenseman with 83 points (10 more than the next highest) and ranked 2nd in goals with 20. You’ll start to notice a trend here as he was also named Defenseman of the Year in the QMJHL. Luneau’s case is a bit different from Mintyukov and Zellweger. He doesn’t have the option of going to the AHL so it’s either Anaheim or back to the Gatineau Olympiques in the QMJHL. I imagine he gets a couple games under his belt in the next week or so and is then sent back to Gatineau for the season.
Potential: With Mityukov and Zellweger it was already clear the Ducks had talented defenseman who were among the best in their respective leagues. Luneau had a decent 2021-22 season , but it was nothing compared to the production he put together last year, a 40-point improvement. He took significant steps forward in all aspects of his games. His creativity and deceptiveness with the puck have improved and he’s developed more awareness with his off-puck decisions. He projects as a safe bet as a long-term Top 4 defenseman and if he can add more speed and quickness to his game there is potential for even more with Luneau.
Olen Zellweger, LD
5’9” 175lbs
20 years old – Sept 10th, 2003
Calgary, AB
Season Outlook: Olen Zellweger seemed like the frontrunner of all the rookie defensemen to make the Ducks roster, purely based on how ridiculous his 2022-23 season was. He led WHL Defenseman in goals with 32, not a typo, and second in points with 80. However, his 1.45 Pts/G led the group. HIs 345 shots led WHL defenseman by a mile (102 more than the next highest). In fact, only Connor Bedard had more shots with 360 and they were the only two players over 300 in the entire league. He won the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the WHL Defenceman of the Year for the second consecutive season and also walked away as CHL Defenceman of the Year. An award that had Mintyukov and Luneau as the other nominees. The Ducks opted to start Zellweger in San Diego for the beginning of the year and he’s been excellent. He has three assists in two games played to go along with nine shots on goal. With LaCombe and Mintyukov starting the season well it might be awhile before we see Zellweger on the Ducks. However, keep in mind that both are waiver exempt and the Ducks can make changes whenever they see fit.
Potential: If Zellweger was 6’1” we wouldn’t have any concerns with his game. Even at 5’9” it’s hard to find any flaws in his abilities and it’s certainly not something that has held him back on the ice. He controls the game from the blueline better than any prospect in the Duck’s system. He’s a transition monster and is a shooting threat off the rush. His skating is elite and his edgework is among the best in the position. You would think that his size would limit him defensively, but he’s got a high hockey IQ and utilizes his skating to actively defend against opposition forwards. If he stays in the AHL this season he has rookie of the year potential. He projects as a Top 4 defenseman with power play quarterback upside.
Tyson Hinds, LD
6’3” 188lbs
20 years old – Mar. 12th, 2003
Gatineau, QC
Season Outlook: Tyson Hinds is another prospect making their pro debut for the San Diego Gulls this season. He recorded his first point last night, a secondary assist on Ben King’s first of the season. He was named the QMJHL Best Defensive Defenseman last season and ranked second among defenseman with a plus/minus of +61. He was also part of Team Canada’s gold medal winning team at the World Junior Championships. Hinds is currently playing on the Gulls’ third pair with Robert Hagg and should factor in on the Gulls PK as well. With the wealth of talent the Ducks have on the blueline I expect him to spend the entire year in the AHL.
Potential: Most notably praised for his defensive game, Hinds’ offense took a step forward in his final QMJHL season and it’s an intriguing sign for his future. He ranked eighth in scoring among defenseman with 54 points in 56 games played. I don’t expect that to translate much at the NHL level, but Hinds could certainly develop into a solid bottom pairing defenceman who is one of the better penalty killing blueliners on the roster.
Noah Warren, RD
6’6” 225lbs
19 years old – Jul. 15th, 2004
Montreal, QC
Season Outlook: Warren had an injury plagued although production 2022-23 season. He saw his point per game totals increase and continued to build on the play that made the Ducks select him in the second round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He was traded to the Victoriaville Tigres this offseason and has started the season on their second pairing with Francesco Iasenza. He has two assists in three games to begin the year. Expect Warren to be a key defensive contributor in his final QMJHL season before being eligible to move to the AHL next year.
Potential: Warren remains the same player as he was in his draft year. In this case that’s not actually a bad thing. He was always going to be a long-term project that needed work offensively. He flashes his playmaking ability every now and then and is an above-average puck mover for his size. He’s a great defender and uses his reach and size to his advantage to disrupt the play. He has a powerful, yet not entirely accurate, shot from the point. He’s got a shot at becoming a solid bottom pair defenseman in the NHL, but it’ll take some effort to get there.
Ian Moore, RD
6’3” 185lbs
21 years old – Jan. 4th, 2002
Concord, MA
Season Outlook: Moore enters his junior season at Harvard after recording one goal and 19 points in 34 games last season. Still unsigned by the Ducks, I imagine Moore is a full four-year NCAA player before making the decision to stay in Anaheim or hit free agency in 2025. Harvard lost several players to the NHL/AHL this year, including former Anaheim Ducks prospect Henry Thrun. Moore will have every opportunity to impress this season and take on a larger role.
Potential: He slots in the same projection as both Warren and Hinds, but with a little less certainty on making the NHL. He’s an above-average skater for his size and a solid puck carrier. He’s not flashy and lacks creativity and consistency on offense. If he makes the NHL it’s likely as a bottom-pair defender. While he is still a good defender he lacks some of the awareness or physical presence that both Warren and Hinds have.
Konnor Smith, LD
6’6” 209lbs
18 years old – Nov. 6th, 2004
Windsor, ON
Season Outlook: For Smith this section could easily just say “cut-and-paste” from last season. He’s going to be a lock for around 15 points and playing a painfully physical game that isn’t a lot of fun to go up against. He’ll have several fights, has one so far, and likely a suspension or two. He had a five-game suspension last February and an eight-game suspension in March.
Potential: He certainly takes advantage of his size. He is terrifying to line up against and shows an aggressive willingness to throw the body or close down opposing forwards. He uses a long reach and well-timed stick checks to diffuse opposition attackers. He’s actually a decent skater and it’s not a major weakness for the way he plays. The problem for Smith is his on-puck play. He’s not great in possession, is still when handling the puck and relies heavily on his size advantage at this level to defend. That will go away as he moves up the ranks. A longshot at making an NHL roster, he has a long way to go in terms of refining his game.
Rodwin Dionicio, LD
6’2” 203lbs
19 years old – Mar. 30th, 2004
Newark, NJ
Season Outlook: Dionicio’s 2022-23 season took a turn for the better once he was traded to the Windsor Spitfires. He had 7 points in 17 games before the trade and recorded 43 in 33 games after moving to Windsor. He’s having a decent start to this season with 3 goals and 6 points in 8 games which ranks him 11th among defenseman. His 27 shots on goal are 4th most at the position. A full season of production similar to what he produced in Windsor last year will be the benchmark for Dionicio this season.
Potential: An intriguing case to say the least. In some models he ranked as the best playmaking blueliner the OHL has seen in several years. However, his skating and defense are a major work in progress. Which is why he saw a few games at forward last year. He has high end hockey sense and has good size which he uses to his advantage and as mentioned previously his playmaking is among the ebay at the position. Without major development in his skating and defensive skills I can’t see him making the NHL as a defenseman. Some have speculated that he could do-so as a winger, but even then his skating still needs an overhaul.
Vojtech Port, RD
6’2” 177lbs
18 years old – Aug. 3rd, 2005
Jihlava, CZE
Season Outlook: Port had a solid first season in North America with the Edmonton Oil Kings posting 17 points in 46 games played. He was one of the younger players available at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft when the Ducks took him in the sixth round. He’s currently playing on the Oil Kings second pair and has three points through the first eight games. Look for Port to get more comfortable playing in North America and continue to refine his offensive game as the team looks to rebound from scoring the least amount of goals in the WHL last season.
Potential: Port was earmarked as one of the better rush defenders in the entire draft class last year. He pressures the puck carrier early and forces the opposition into a turnover or to go offside. His defending outside of the rush still needs some work as he can find himself out of position or lacking physicality in battles. He doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves for his offensive ability. He’s an adept playmaker and has excellent lateral movement and deception to get out of trouble and make a play. Unfortunately, Edmonton was the worst offensive team in the league last season so there wasn’t much talent to break the puck out to. He’s a work in progress, but could be a nice find and a bottom 5th or 6th defenseman at the NHL level if he’s developed properly.
Calle Clang, G
6’2” 194lbs
21 years old – May. 20th, 2002
Olofstrom, SWE
Season Outlook: Clang had a solid season with Rogle BK in the Swedish Hockey League, recording a 12-10-0 record with a .901 SV% and 2.69 GAA. A bit of a departure from his .915 SV% the season prior, but still an impressive season. He finished the year with San Diego, going 1-3-0 with a .904 SV% and 2.65 GAA. With Lukas Dostal cementing himself as the backup in Anaheim, Clang will be likely splitting starts with veteran Alex Stalock in San Diego. He stopped 35 of 39 in yesterday’s 6-4 victoria over Ontario, while Stalock stopped 40 of 41 in the Gulls 4-1 victory on Friday. Look for Clang to establish himself as the main starter as the season goes on.
Potential: He’s got all the tools to succeed sooner rather than later in the AHL and two years of pro hockey in Sweden under his belt. A former third round pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins, he has the ability and skill set to succeed. The Gulls should be a much better team in front of their netminders this year so all signs point to an improvement for the Swedish netminder. It’s difficult to project netminders, but I think Clang has the talent to make the NHL in the near future. Whether that’s as a starter or a backup.
Damian Clara, G
6’6” 214lbs
18 years old – Jan. 13th, 2005
Brunico, ITA
Season Outlook: Clara spent the majority of the season in Sweden’s youth league the J20 where he posted a 17-17-0 record with a .903 SV% and 2.79 GAA. He had a short stint in the HockeyAllsvenskan where he had an impressive .936 SV% over two games. He’s 2-0-0 to start the season this year with a .900 SV% and 3.00 GAA. The goal for Clara this year will be to remain in HockeyAllsvenskan this year and improve on his game.
Potential: The first thing you notice about Clara is his size. He has a massive 6’6” frame which is a different profile from the other goaltenders in the Ducks system. His skating ability is impressive for such a large netminder and due to his size he is excellent at covering the top and bottom portions of the net. It’ll take time and he’s a work in progress, but it’s smart for the Ducks to try and develop a different profile in net. Clara has the work ethic to succeed and will be a fun player to track over the next couple of seasons.