Ducks Rookie Face Off San Jose, California
In their second and final game of the Rookie Face Off in San Jose the Ducks dropped another decision going down 4-1 to the rival Kings who similarly to the Avalanche in the previous game; outclassed them with experience.
Thoughts:
Cruz Lucius: Had an up and down game. On offense he looked like he did yesterday – always dangerous. Poised with the puck and looking for options he created a lot of dangerous chances. Unsure about his motor – there was a play near the end of the first where he and his line-mates surrounded a Kings player to attempt to force a turnover near the blue line and Lucius got a stick on him but then gave up and stopped skating entirely.
Roger McQueen: Was once again everywhere. Taking charge down low to body up the one Kings player causing havoc. Using his frame to cause turnovers in the neutral zone to set-up a two on one break the other way. Taking on defenders on the rush He is proving he is ready for the NHL.
Nikita Klepov: Was integral in the Ducks only goal – providing the primary assist but also starting the play earlier in the Ducks zone on the break-out. Showed a lot of poise with the puck, speed but not as many shots as I would have like to have seen him take. Was always the first man in on the forecheck and often won a puck race. Defensively – I did notice; similar to yesterday – his line got hemmed in a few times which isn’t entirely on him but he did seem a little lost in his own zone sometimes. He is definitely a strong candidate to make the Ducks roster out of camp though, no doubt about it.
Lucas Pettersson: Perhaps the Ducks best forward. Not only scoring the only goal but constantly setting up team-mates, leading the rush and providing sound defensive coverage. He looked even better than he did in yesterdays game and I expect him to be a very late cut from the main camp where he will hopefully come out firing right out of the gates to start the season for the Gulls.
Herman Traff: Wasn’t quite as visible as yesterday but did setup some chances for his line-mates by either getting to a loose puck first or using his big body to force a turnover down low. He lost his man off the draw on the Kings second goal and allowed him to get two chances on Suchanek – so defensively there is still some work needed.
Rian Chudzinski: I think I love this kid. He showed more of his rush ability through the neutral zone as well as some additional snarl as he finished a check after the whistle at the conclusion of the second and drew a crowd. He was generally always leading the rush on his line. This kid can not come to the Gulls soon enough.
Marcus Nordmark: Created his own partial break early in the third with some insane acceleration to pick up the puck and beat two Kings players wide. Also had the Ducks best chance early on in the first half of the first period off of a nice setup from Lucius. Overall a much better game than yesterday. Will be interesting to see how he looks at camp.
Mathis Preston: Looked good early on, was denied a chance in front and then almost set up a chance in the slot on the shift after. Other than that did not really notice him too much.
Ethan Procyzyn: Was slightly more noticeable than yesterdays game and looked better in the face-off circle. I cannot really comment much more. Like his size and work in the corners.
Noah Read: Did not play in today’s game.
Noah Kosick: Was centering Traff and Preston in this one but was no where near as noticeable as yesterday. Needed to go to the crease more and lost the key draw that lead to the Kings second goal.
Brady Turko: Surprised he got another look given the hit he took yesterday; was still fast and good on the fore-check but did not really notice him much other than that. Was out of position for the Kings third goal but so was the rest of his line.
Matt Basgall: Did not play as good a game as he did yesterday – got beat by the Kings speed on a couple of plays and had to be bailed out by Suchanek, Other than that he had a relatively conservative game – contributing on the rush when the timing allowed and playing his usual heavy game down low.
Jayden Kurtz: Was probably the Ducks best defender today; even better than Basgall. Smart with the poke-check and quick with the first pass. Like I said yesterday – looking like a very smart selection.
Eric Frossard: Was generally OK for most of the game but appeared to tire in the third. Struggled with the puck in front of his own net against much smaller forwards. Was the last Ducks player to challenge the Kings shooter on the second goal but it wasn’t his man so not a whole lot he could have done. Did show some unexpected flashes on offense – joining the rush in a similar fashion to Niedermayer. I still like the kid and his selection but I am starting to worry about the Ducks taking these taller defenders that struggle against speedy forwards.
Alexis Mathieu: Did not play in today’s game.
Jimmy Rieber: Paired with Smith again and this time looked the more terrible of the two. He was beat wide on the Kings first goal which wasn’t a good look but to be fair it was an AHL experienced goal scorer versus a seventh round selection in 2026. Again his defensive ability despite his smaller stature is impressive though.
Konnor Smith: Played a much much much better game. I know I was harsh on him yesterday but its the same mistake he always makes – taking himself out of the play to go head-hunting and it lead to a goal against. Today he did not do that and it was to his benefit. Was on the ice for the Kings first goal but it was his defensive partner that got burned on that play. Was also net front for the Kings third goal. Much like Frossard there were points where I could see he was a step too slow to keep up with the Kings speedier forwards.
Damian Clara: Did not play in today’s game.
Kyle Kukkonen: Looked a veteran out there which is understandable given his age and College experience but didn’t really push the needle either. Played a mistake free game and was good on the fore-check but other than that did not really do much. I can’t see him making the Gulls roster right away.
Jackson Niedermayer: Holy shit I did not expect him to stand out like he did. Definitely his fathers son – joined the rush on multiple occasions and was a part of the Ducks only goal as he drifted to the left side post. The puck eventually made it back into the slot where Klepov fed it to Pettersson but that play doesn’t happen without his offensive pressure earlier. He was probably the Ducks third best defender and more than held his own against competition that featured AHL experience, although he did lose his man on the Kings fourth goal which was the deflection in front. The Gulls defense is projected to be pretty tight but he could surprise and make the squad – particularly if Solberg makes the Ducks.
Tomas Suchanek: Suchanek is back baby! After fighting through injuries the last two seasons it was VERY good to see Suchanek back to his battling barely beatable best. He was largely only beat by the Kings full AHL season experienced player earlier on and then just sheer volume of chances as his team in front of him tired later in the game.
Ducks Rookie Face Off – Ducks vs Avalanche – Sept 12 2026
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