NHL.com’s fantasy staff continues to cover the latest trends and storylines in the League through the lens of NHL EDGE puck and player tracker stats. Today, we take a look at the surging Anaheim Ducks and their young core.
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The Anaheim Ducks have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in six straight seasons, but their young core has accelerated their rebuild and is helping them quietly join the Western Conference Wild Card race.
The Ducks are 9-3-1 in their past 13 games after a 6-2 road win against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday and are tied for fifth in goals per game (3.54) over that span since Jan. 23. The contributions of defenseman Jackson LaCombe (six-game point streak with nine points in span), forwards Leo Carlsson (consecutive multipoint games; 11 points in past nine games), Mason McTavish (10 goals in past 14 games) and rookie Cutter Gauthier (six points in past five games) have helped the roster show a glimpse of its long-term potential.
LaCombe, who’s 24 years old and was selected with the 39th pick (second round) in the 2019 NHL Draft, is tied for seventh in goals (11) among defensemen and tied for 14th in even-strength points (27) at the position. Since Dec. 12, LaCombe has 27 points (seven goals, 20 assists) in 33 games, tied for sixth among defensemen over that span; he also leads the Ducks in average ice time (21:18 per game) this season.
Per NHL EDGE stats, LaCombe ranks among the leaders at his position in high-danger goals (four; fourth), high-danger shots on goal (18; third) and 20-plus mile per hour speed bursts (72; 95th percentile).
Carlsson, who’s 20 years old and was the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, has seen his best stretch of the season coincide with the return from the 4 Nations Face-Off, during which he played for Sweden. Per NHL EDGE stats, Carlsson is tied for third in average skating distance per 60 minutes at all strengths (10.67 miles) behind only Lukas Reichel of the Chicago Blackhawks (11.02) and Ryan McLeod of the Buffalo Sabres (11.00)
McTavish, who’s 22 years old and was the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, is playing mostly on a line with Gauthier, who’s 21 years old and was the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft (acquired from Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 8, 2024). That duo, along with more experienced forwards Troy Terry and Frank Vatrano, has provided the Ducks with a deep forward group and even more strong underlying metrics.
McTavish has excelled in top shot speed (91.28 mph; 86th percentile) and high-danger shots on goal (44; 83rd percentile), while Gauthier is showcasing his high ceiling for the years to come in the following EDGE stats categories:
• Top skating speed: 23.37 mph (95th percentile)
• 20-plus mph speed bursts: 130 (89th percentile)
• Top shot speed: 93.22 mph (93rd percentile)
• Average shot speed: 62.88 (89th percentile)
• Midrange shots on goal: 51 (90th percentile)
Vatrano, who has produced through thick and thin for the Ducks over the past two seasons, leads them in goals (18) and shots on goal (190) this season and also has a robust advanced stats profile:
• Top skating speed: 23.39 mph (95th percentile)
• 20-plus mph speed bursts: 136 (92nd percentile)
• Top shot speed: 91.31 mph (86th percentile)
• High-danger shots on goal: 54 (92nd percentile)
• Midrange shots on goal: 66 (95th percentile)
The Ducks are still far from a finished product and could come back down to Earth during the stretch run due to subpar possession numbers (46.1 shot attempts percentage at 5-on-5; third worst in NHL) and an offensive zone time percentage (39.7) below the League average (42.2).
But Anaheim’s efficient goalie tandem of Lukas Dostal and John Gibson has helped mask some of the team’s inconsistencies; each goalie has a .911 save percentage on the season, and the Ducks’ 5-on-5 save percentage (.923) ranks sixth in the NHL. Per NHL EDGE stats, Dostal is tied with Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets for eighth in high-danger saves (257), while Gibson is tied for fifth in long-range save percentage (.989).
With the Ducks only six points behind the Calgary Flames for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference with one game in hand, the present and future are looking bright in coach Greg Cronin’s second season. Anaheim’s ability to stockpile highly drafted players is starting to translate to on-ice progress, and its signature win Tuesday certainly put the rest of the Western Conference on notice.
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More: EDGE Stats for Ducks
