Ducks Make First Round Of Roster Cuts

By Thomas Harrington

On Saturday, the Anaheim Ducks announced their first round of roster cuts, sending forwards Emile Guite, Maxim Masse, Ethan Procyszyn, Noah Read, and Brady Turko and defensemen Aleix Mathieu, Tarin Smith, and Darels Uljanskis to their respective junior teams. All of these players were taken in the past two drafts. The Ducks now have 46 players left at training camp. None of these moves were a surprise, though it’s a little disappointing for Smith, Masse, Procyszyn, and Uljanksis to get no preseason games.

Guite was a fifth round pick from this past draft. He played in both games at the rookie tournament and recorded one assist. For a fifth round pick, Guite has a high degree of skill, and he made some nice plays at the tournament. He’s returning to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the QMJHL, the team he has played for the previous two seasons.

Masse was a third round pick from the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. This is the second year in a row that he has failed to appear in any preseason games. He played in both games at the rookie tournament and was scoreless. Masse will also be returning to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the QMJHL, the team he has played for the previous three seasons. He is one of their alternate captains.

Procyszyn was also a third round pick from the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, taken just a couple of spots after Masse. He played in both games at the rookie tournament and was scoreless, but he had a couple of nice offensive chances. For the second year in a row, Procyszyn also did not appear in any preseason games. He’ll be returning to the North Bay Battalion of the OHL where he has played for the past three seasons and been their captain since last season.

Read was a third round pick from the most recent NHL draft. He played in both games at the rookie tournament and was scoreless. He’ll be returning to the London Knights of the OHL for his second season with them.

Turko was Anaheim’s final pick in the most recent NHL draft, taken in the seventh round. He played in both games at the rookie tournament and was scoreless. He made a couple of nice plays in the game against the Sharks and drew a penalty. Turko will be returning to the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL for his second full season with them.

Mathieu was taken in the fifth round of the most recent NHL draft. He played in both games at the rookie tournament and scored against the Sharks, scoring the first goal of the tournament for the Ducks. For a player more known for his physical play than his offensive ability, it was nice to see Mathieu pick up the goal and fire several pucks at the net. He’ll be returning to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL for his third season with them.

Smith was taken in the third round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, shortly after both Masse and Procyszyn were taken. Smith played in both games at the rookie tournament and was scoreless. Despite not recording a point, he made a great play that eventually led to Mathieu’s goal. This is the second year in a row that he did not appear in any preseason games. Smith will be returning to the Everett Silvertips of the WHL where he’s one of their alternate captains.

Uljanskis was taken in the seventh round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, Anaheim’s final pick of the draft. He played in both games at the rookie tournament and was scoreless. This was his first training camp with Anaheim as he was playing overseas last year. This year will be his first year playing in North America, where he’ll play for the Flint Firebirds of the OHL. The plan is then for him to go to the NCAA, so he will not be attending training camp next year.

It wasn’t a surprise to see any of these players assigned back to their junior teams. None of them are currently signed to their entry-level contracts and none were going to play for Anaheim this year. It makes sense to get them back to their junior teams so they can get playing time, but it is a little disappointing that none of the 2024 picks got any preseason action. However, with fewer bodies at training camp, it will make things a little easier for Anaheim’s coaching staff to evaluate the remaining players. It should also be noted that the Ducks now only have one junior eligible player left at training camp: Beckett Sennecke. The Ducks still have a ways to go to get down to the required 23 man roster, but most of the positions have already been decided. When San Diego’s training camp opens in the coming days, expect there to be an exodus of several players sent to the Gulls. For now, it’s about getting the younger players in a preseason game or two before that happens.

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September 21st, 2025