Tristan Luneau’s NHL Debut: An Overview

Tristan Luneau made his NHL debut as one of the Anaheim Ducks’ newest defensemen on Thursday night at Honda Center against the Dallas Stars. Luneau accompanied Anaheim veteran Cam Fowler on the first line and logged just under 16 minutes of ice time.

Related: Tristan Luneau Stats

Although the game ended with a 3-2 loss for Anaheim, the team’s overall performance was nothing short of a continued improvement, and Luneau’s defense was certainly a visible contribution to that. Anaheim’s head coach Greg Cronin spoke highly of Luneau after his first game with the team, stating he thought the defenseman was “fantastic.”

With Anaheim choosing to call up Luneau over Olen Zellweger, Drew Helleson, and Colton White, Luneau proved he rightfully earned his spot on this year’s roster.

Luneau’s Road to Anaheim

Tristan Luneau was born in Quebec, Canada, and began playing hockey for the QBAAA league in 2016. He later moved up to the QMJHL, where he started his career with the Gatineau Olympiques in 2020. While Luneau was an active member of Gatineau’s roster from 2020 to 2023, he was drafted to the Anaheim Ducks in the 2022 NHL draft. Luneau was selected in the 2nd round and chosen 53rd overall by Anaheim.

Related Article: Anaheim Ducks Prospects Spotlight: Defensemen (Part 2)

During his time with the Gatineau Olympiques, Luneau played in 159 games and logged a total of 144 points. He scored 36 goals, 20 of which were scored in his final season last year. Although Luneau did participate in Anaheim’s 2022 training camp, he ultimately did not make the final roster. He continued playing for the Olympiques in Quebec for a final season before securing a place on the Ducks’ roster for the 2023-2024 season.

Luneau’s Debut Game

Tristan Luneau made his NHL debut against the Dallas Stars this week, where he played on the first line with defensive linemate Cam Fowler. It appears Luneau subbed in on the first line for Jamie Drysdale, who is currently listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. According to a report from The Sporting Tribune’s Derek Lee, Anaheim was deciding between Urho Vakaanainen and Tristan Luneau to sub in for Drysdale on the first line. With Drysdale only appearing in 2 games before falling back out of the line-up due to injury, Luneau certainly had big shoes to fill for his first appearance in Anaheim.

Although Luneau did not put up any points during his first game on Thursday, his on-ice presence was visible and impactful. As Anaheim struggled with racking up penalties early on, Luneau’s skill contributed to the Ducks’ penalty kill. Throughout the game, Luneau remained active in front of netminder John Gibson and did not shy away from acting as a physical force against his opponents. Lunueau utilized his 6’1, 175-pound frame to his benefit without drawing any penalties and keeping up a solid pace on the ice.

Overall, Tristan Luneau appeared calm and unfazed by the pace of play against the Dallas Stars, who contended for the Stanley Cup just six months ago. It is clear that as Luneau continues to develop his apparent defensive abilities, he will effectively contribute to Anaheim’s rebuild and overall success.

Photo by Gary A. Vasquez for USA Today Sports

Episode 129: Oops! All Cats Late Arrivals: An Anaheim Ducks Podcast

On this episode of LAP, the guys cover the end of the Cup Final and talk about how the summer of the Cats… or Rats is going strong already. They give their thoughts on how dominant Florida really is and how out of their element the Oilers looked. As always, they finish the episode by answering 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 129: Oops! All Cats
  2. Episode 128: Stir Them Beans
  3. Episode 127: The Ol' Meat Sweats
  4. Episode 126: Duck Pattern Baldness
  5. Episode 125: Choices Were Made

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

Anton Frondell

2025 NHL Draft: Top 8 Swedish Prospects

With the 2024-25 NHL regular season concluded, it is time to begin taking a look at prospects for this year’s draft class. While this year’s draft class does not appear to have the same level of elite talent as previous ones did, there is no shortage of solid picks for teams to keep an eye […]

Read More
Aleksei Medvedev 2025 Draft Profile

2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Aleksei Medvedev

Aleksei Medvedev is a 6’3″ left-catching goaltender from St. Petersburg, Russia. He played for the London Knights during the 2024-25 season and was an integral part of the team’s success, leading them to clinch the division, conference, and OHL regular season championships. Medvedev was awarded the Dave Pinkney Trophy alongside teammate Austin Elliott, an award […]

Read More
Karl Annborn

2025 NHL Draft Player Profile: Karl Annborn

2024-25 Team: HV71 (J18/J20 Nationell, Swedish Hockey League)Date of Birth: Mar 6, 2007Place of Birth: Örebro, SwedenHeight: 6-feet-1 Weight: 187 poundsShoots: RightPosition: Defense Karl Annborn is known for being a two-way defenseman with exceptional passing accuracy. He holds the blue line with ease while also producing points consistently. In the 2024-25 season, Annborn played in […]

Read More