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By Michael Walters The Anaheim Ducks announced Cutter Gauthier signed a 6-year extension through the 2031-32 season. The contract carries a $13.5 million AAV with about $69.2 million of the $81 million in signing bonuses per Elliotte Friedman. The Ducks signed Cutter hours before the new CBA rules kicked in at midnight ET on September 15th. Under the new rules players could sign up to 7 years with their current team. Before a player could sign up to 8 years with the current CBA.

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.

By Thomas Harrington Welcome to my favorite summer article that I write for DucksNPucks: Anaheim’s top 10 rookies. As has been the case in many years, this was a difficult list to finalize. The first few spots were pretty easy, but it got harder after that. The Ducks had a few prospects with very strong seasons in different leagues, and it was difficult to leave some of them off the final list.

By Thomas Harrington When Anaheim made the San Diego Gulls their AHL affiliate, it became easier than ever for the Ducks to call up players when needed. It could be for an injury fill-in, for a sick player, or because they are producing at such a rate in the AHL that they deserve the call-up. Regardless of reason, you can expect to continue to see a number of San Diego players make their way to Anaheim at some point this season.

By Thomas Harrington This weekend, the Anaheim Ducks will play in the 2026 Rookie Faceoff, along with the San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche, Utah Mammoth, and Vegas Golden Knights. Anaheim will play in two games: against Colorado on Saturday and Los Angeles on Sunday. The Ducks will bring a total of 22 players to the tournament: 13 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goaltenders.

By Thomas Harrington The Anaheim Ducks selected defenseman Stian Solberg of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, 23rd overall. He primarily played for the San Diego Gulls this past season, his first full season in North America. He also suited up for Team Norway at the World Championships. Solberg played in 71 games and scored 12 goals and 24 points in his AHL rookie year. Among all rookie defensemen in the AHL, Solberg ranked first in goals and tied for fifth in points.

By Thomas Harrington The Anaheim Ducks drafted forward Roger McQueen in the first round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, 10th overall. After playing in the WHL for three years, McQueen moved to the NCAA this past season and played for Providence College. When his freshman year ended, he joined the San Diego Gulls for the end of their season. In his only year of college hockey, McQueen had a good but not great season.

By Thomas Harrington Now that the individual graduated prospects and prospect updates and profiles are complete, it’s time to rank the positional strength of Anaheim’s prospect system. For more information on most of the players listed below, feel free to look back at the prospect profiles, updates, and draft reviews that have been published throughout the summer.

By Thomas Harrington The Anaheim Ducks drafted defenseman Tristan Luneau in the second round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, 53rd overall. Luneau spent most of this season playing in the AHL for San Diego, but did get a game in Anaheim at the end of the season. In his second full AHL season, Luneau played in a career high 70 games and scored 10 goals and 41 points. He was scoreless in two playoff games. He was second among San Diego’s defensemen in goals, and led the blueline in assists and points.

By Thomas Harrington The Anaheim Ducks drafted forward Emile Guite in the fifth round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, 159th overall. He spent this past season playing for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the QMJHL with fellow Anaheim prospect Maxim Masse. When he was drafted, I said that Guite might be the most intriguing prospect the Ducks drafted on the second day of the draft last year. He won the QMJHL Rookie of the Year Award in the 2023-2024 season after scoring 25 goals and 57 points in 61 games.