Ducks Make 2nd Round of Roster Cuts + Injury News

By Thomas Harrington & Mike Walters

The Anaheim Ducks announced their second round of roster cuts on Saturday. They assigned goaltenders Gage Alexander and Tomas Suchanek, forwards Davis Codd, Ben King, and Blake McLaughlin, and defensemen Luka Profaca and Nick Wolff to the San Diego Gulls. None of these moves were a surprise, and with San Diego’s training camp opening next week, expect a lot more players to be assigned to the Gulls in the coming days.

Alexander will likely split time between the AHL and ECHL this season. He didn’t play in any preseason games and played in one game at the rookie tournament. He suffered Anaheim’s only loss at the tournament, but he can’t be blamed for most of the goals that got by him in that game. Suchanek has been in the WHL for the past couple of seasons, and he’ll probably head back to the Tri-City Americans at some point. For now, he’ll serve as one of San Diego’s goaltenders in camp before that happens. He impressed me in the rookie tournament and I wonder if he’s a player the Ducks or Gulls will think about signing in the future.

McLaughlin played in both the ECHL and AHL last season, and could again this year. He played in two preseason games and recorded one assist. King was scoreless in his lone preseason game, but did record a goal and three points in three games at the rookie tournament. The Ducks hold his rights until next June. If he wants to stick around, he’ll need a solid season in San Diego. Codd has been in the OHL for the past few seasons and could be again this year if he isn’t signed to a pro deal with the Gulls or another AHL team. As San Diego’s roster takes shape, he’ll be competing hard to show that he belongs.

Profaca was a rookie last year and played in almost 50 games for the Gulls; he’ll be looking to better the five points that he recorded. Wolff is a career AHL player and was signed by the Gulls over the summer. He’ll be part of a mostly remade blueline that will hopefully play better than last season.

Of these players, only Alexander, Codd, and McLaughlin are signed with the Ducks or Gulls. The rest are either camp invites like Suchanek or prospects not signed yet like King. None of these players were going to play in Anaheim this year, and none of them are even guaranteed a spot in San Diego. However, if they play well enough in the preseason for the Gulls, they all have a chance at suiting up in the AHL. Anaheim’s training camp roster is now down to 48 players. With Alex Killorn missing the start of the season, there’s another roster spot for one of Anaheim’s prospects to try and grab on opening night.

Update:

After the initial announcement of cuts today, the Ducks made more moves. Judd Caulfield, Nathan Gaucher, Josh Lopina, Sasha Pastujov, Jacob Perreault, and Brayden Tracey were also assigned to San Diego.

Gulls Sign Davis Codd

The San Diego Gulls announced today they signed forward Davis Codd to a one-year contract. Codd recorded 11 total points(2 G + 9 A) and 13 penalty minutes in 20 games with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League(OHL) in the 2022-23 season. He took part in the three games in the 2023 Rookie Tournament in Las Vegas, posting one assist. 

Injury News

The Ducks will be without Alex Killorn for about 4-6 weeks the team announced today. He fractured a finger in Wednesday’s preseason win 4-2 over the Sharks. Anaheim has gone 3-1-0 so far in preseason action.

John Gibson had to leave last night’s preseason game against Los Angeles after taking a couple of hits in one sequence of play. He took a stick to the neck area, possibly from one of his teammates. As he lowered his head he then took a puck to the face mask. Gibson was dazed on the play, which caused him to throw up. Eric Stephens of the Athletic reported shortly after the play that Gibson appeared to be fine. Gibson was on ice today for the team’s practice and seemed no worse for wear.

Related Article:

Ducks Make First Round Of Cuts

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September 30th, 2023