Ducks Make Second Round Of Roster Cuts

By Thomas Harrington

Today, the Anaheim Ducks made their second round of roster cuts, assigning 16 players to the San Diego Gulls and leaving 30 in Anaheim. Forwards Justin Bailey, Judd Caulfield, Nathan Gaucher, Nico Myatovic, Sasha Pastujov, Matthew Phillips, Yegor Sidorov, and Jaxsen Wiebe; defensemen Jeremie Biakabutuka, Nikolas Brouillard, Konnor Smith, and Noah Warren; and goaltenders Vyacheslav Buteyets, Calle Clang, and Tomas Suchanek were all directly assigned to San Diego. Forward Jan Mysak was placed on waivers, and if he clears, he’ll be assigned to the Gulls as well. With San Diego’s training camp starting this week, the Ducks needed to fill out their roster, and none of these moves are particularly surprising.

The Ducks acquired Caulfield from the Pittsburgh Penguins for forward Thimo Nickl. Caulfield appeared in two preseason games and was scoreless. He’s a good third line player but didn’t really improve offensively from his rookie year. I expect him to spend the entire year with the Gulls.

Gaucher is a first round pick from the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He appeared in two preseason games and scored a goal and two points, with both of his points coming in Anaheim’s most recent preseason win over Los Angeles. Gaucher’s second season in the AHL was a difficult one that finished with him suffering a season-ending injury in March. He’s on my dark horse list of candidates to make his NHL debut this year, as long as he can stay healthy and have a more consistent offensive game.

Myatovic is a second round pick from the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. He played in both games at the rookie tournament, recording two assists, and was the team’s captain. He also played in two preseason games and scored one goal, an empty netter against Los Angeles. This past year was Myatovic’s rookie year in the AHL, and he had a slow start to the season but played better in the second half of the year. I expect him to spend the entire year in San Diego.

Pastujov is a third round pick from the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He played in two preseason games and was scoreless. Last year, he had difficult training camps with both the Ducks and Gulls and started the year in the ECHL as a result. Once he returned to the AHL, he became San Diego’s most dangerous forward. If Pastujov can keep up a similar level of play with the Gulls this season, he could make his NHL debut.

Sidorov is a third round pick from the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. He played in both games at the rookie tournament and scored one goal. He also played in three preseason games and recorded two assists. More impressively, he had 10 shots on goal, including seven in a game against Los Angeles. Sidorov was one of the more dangerous and creative forwards on San Diego last year. If he can take his game to the next level this season, he’s on my dark horse list of candidates to make his NHL debut this year.

The Ducks signed Wiebe as a free agent in 2023. He played in both games at the rookie tournament, was scoreless, and appeared in no preseason games. Last year was a difficult one for him. Wiebe started the year in the ECHL but played well enough to earn a callup back to the AHL in November. But his season ended in January with a major injury. I expect Wiebe to play in both the AHL and ECHL this coming season.

Mysak was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Jacob Perreault. Mysak played in two preseason games and recorded one assist. He had a slow start to last season, but he and Pastujov found some great chemistry starting in December and became an incredibly dangerous duo. If he can keep playing like that, he’s on my dark horse list to make his NHL debut this season.

Biakabutuka was acquired from the St. Louis Blues in the Cam Fowler deal. He did not play in any preseason games. He split time between the AHL and ECHL this past season. Biakabutuka likely will play in both leagues again this season, but hopefully spend more time in San Diego than Tulsa.

Smith is a fourth round pick from the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. He played in both games at the rookie tournament and was scoreless. He also appeared in one preseason game and was scoreless. Smith played in the OHL last year and joined the Gulls at the end of the season. This will be his first full professional season, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him play in both the AHL and ECHL.

Warren is a second round pick from the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He played in three preseason games and was scoreless. His three preseason games were tied for the team lead at the time he was assigned to the Gulls. This past season was his rookie year in San Diego, and I expect him to spend the entire year with the Gulls.

Buteyets is a sixth round pick from the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He played two periods of hockey at the rookie tournament and no preseason games. This past year was his first in North America, and he spent it mostly in the ECHL, along with a couple of games with the Gulls. This season, Buteyets will likely split time between the ECHL and AHL again.

Clang was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the Rickard Rakell deal. He appeared in half of one preseason game and allowed two goals on 12 shots. He was called up to Anaheim a couple of times last year but didn’t play in any games. He should spend all of this season in San Diego, but with a crowded crease, there’s a chance he may go to the ECHL to get some playing time. If the Ducks suffer several injuries in net, there’s a chance he could get called up and make his NHL debut this year.

The Ducks signed Suchanek as a free agent in 2024. Unfortunately, he then missed all of last season with an injury. He played two periods of hockey at the rookie tournament and looked a little rusty, including an own-goal against. Suchanek did not play in any preseason games. Given he just missed an entire season of hockey, he’ll likely spend all of this season in the minors, most likely the AHL. However, the ECHL is an option if only to help Suchanek readjust to hockey after missing so much time.

Bailey, Phillips, and Brouillard are all signed to AHL-only contracts and were going to be assigned to San Diego regardless of how the preseason went. Phillips in particular has had a strong preseason, leading Anaheim with three goals in just two games. All three are veteran players who will hopefully help guide the Gulls back to the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Anaheim has only made two rounds of roster cuts, but they’ve already cut the preseason roster down to 30 players. There are seven more cuts that need to be made before opening night. Look for young players like Sam Colangelo, Nikita Nesterenko, Tim Washe, Beckett Sennecke, Drew Helleson, Stian Solberg, Tyson Hinds, Tristan Luneau, and Ian Moore to be fighting for those final spots. Also, forwards Coulson Pitre and Jansen Harkins are both currently injured. Once healthy, Pitre will be assigned to San Diego, but Harkins could be in the mix for a roster spot in Anaheim.

Related Article:

Ducks Make First Round Of Cuts

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September 28th, 2025