The Beginning of the Anaheim Ducks ‘New Era’

Southern California kicked off the start of a new hockey season this past week with the Anaheim Ducks training camp and the first two games of preseason. Although there is a collective uneasiness amongst most Ducks fans as both Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale remain unsigned, the future certainly looks bright in Anaheim. With a new head coach, the 2nd overall draft pick, and a roster filled with exciting prospects, let’s recap what we’ve seen so far.

It is no secret that the Anaheim Ducks are still in the early stages of an extensive rebuild. The upcoming 2023-24 roster is filled with young and ridiculously talented prospects that will completely reshape this franchise throughout the coming years. Some standout skaters throughout training camp have been Pavel Mintyukov, Jackson LaCombe, Pavol Ragenda, and Vojtech Port. Unfortunately, as of Tuesday night, Port was reassigned to the Edmonton Oil Kings.

During training camp, Pavel Mintyukov proved to be a promising defensive prospect, which Anaheim desperately needs more of in their pipeline, especially with the current absence of Jamie Drysdale.

Head coach Greg Cronin made the unsurprising decision to place Troy Terry, Adam Henrique, and Alex Killorn on a line together during training camp practice and scrimmages. Although expected, this line provides a glimpse of Anaheim’s offensive future. With Terry penning a seven-year deal in August and skating alongside veteran linemates like Henrique and Killorn, this exemplifies how seriously the Ducks coaching staff are investing in Terry’s future.

Jackson LaCombe got called up to the Anaheim Ducks roster at the end of last season but certainly made a breakout appearance during game one of the preseason on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Kings. LaCombe scored two of the Ducks’ three goals, which contributed to Anaheim’s win over Los Angeles. LaCombe proved to be a solid two-way player, and Anaheim will benefit immensely from a dependable defenseman who also obtains the ability to achieve multiple points in a game.

Overall, the result of the first preseason game is a direct reflection of the major changes that were made to Anaheim’s roster and coaching staff during the offseason. With two preseason wins under the Duck’s belt, fans can finally begin to feel a glimmer of hope for the future of their beloved franchise.

Episode 111: Who's Better? – Late Arrivals: An Anaheim Ducks Podcast

So uh… yeah things aren't great…again! The guys do their best try and say something positive about the last week of Ducks hockey. They talk about the nauseating struggles this team still seems to have and give their thoughts on just how bleak things seem right now. They also cover some league news including Ovechkin's continued chase of the goal record and the uniforms for the Stadium Series. As always, the episode is finished with some listener questions! Follow Late Arrivals  Twitter: @latearrivalspod Instagram: @latearrivalspod Follow the hosts Chris: @CJKChel Connor: @91_Pluty Jake: @_JRobles71 Louis: @Louiex37  Intro/ Outro done by Will Rice/ @pastorwillrice

1. Episode 111: Who's Better? 02:02:15
2. Episode 110: Fly High Free Bird 02:12:09
3. Episode 109: Soggy Bread 01:55:59
4. Episode 108: Merry LAPmas 01:51:21
5. Episode 107: Quack Therapy 01:58:09