Prospect Update: Darels Uljanskis

By Thomas Harrington

The Anaheim Ducks drafted defenseman Darels Uljanskis in the seventh round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, 214th overall. After playing in Europe previously, he came to North America this past season and played for the Flint Firebirds in the OHL. Uljanksis also played for Team Latvia at the World Junior Tournament.

Uljanskis played in 42 games for Flint, scoring eight goals and 26 points. He was injured early in the season, and missed most of October and November. He picked up his first assist in his third game of the season, but didn’t score until late November because of his injury. Despite missing so much time, Uljanskis still finished second in goals and points among Firebirds defensemen. Flint made the playoffs, sweeping their first round series against Owen sound before getting swept by Windsor in the second round. Uljanskis played in all eight games and recorded five assists, leading Flint’s defense in assists and points.

For the third year in a row, Uljanskis played for Team Latvia at the World Juniors. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury during the tournament and only played in four of their five games. Uljanskis was scoreless in those four games and Latvia lost to Sweden in the quarterfinals. This was his final trip to the World Juniors.

I had three expectations for Uljanskis last summer, and he met them all this past season. First, he was playing for a new team in a new league on a new continent. I figured that there’d be some period of adjustment for him. However, he’s also shown that he can put up points from the blueline. I wanted him to put up some points in this new situation. He was able to average over a half point per game, easily meeting this expectation. Second, Flint had made the playoffs the year before Uljanskis arrived, but they lost in the first round. I wanted him to help the Firebirds advance further. Even though they were swept, it was still in the second round, so expectation achieved. Finally, I wanted him to play for Team Latvia at the World Juniors one last time, which he was able to do.

Uljanskis’ junior career has already come to an end. He’s committed to playing at St. Cloud State University next season. He was originally going to play at the University of Connecticut but decided St. Cloud would be a better fit for him. His season in the OHL was a transition season between playing in Europe and North America. Uljanskis knew the OHL was for only one year; he had already committed to Connecticut before this past season even began.

Next year will see Uljanskis on another new team in another new league. Offense is a little harder to come by in the NCAA, especially for first-year players. However, Ulanskis won’t be a typical freshman, given that he’ll be 20 when the season starts. With that in mind, here are two expectations for his first season of college hockey. First, for him to have a healthier year and play a majority of St. Cloud State’s games. He was good in the OHL, but injuries limited his effectiveness for Flint, and especially for Team Latvia. Second, his offensive totals will drop as he transitions from the OHL to the NCAA. However, Uljanskis is an offensive defenseman, and I expect him to put up some points with his new team.

Uljanskis is still a number of years away from making it to the NHL. Seventh round picks rarely make it that far, but he seems determined to get there. He’s got at least one season of college hockey ahead of him, probably more. When his college career ends and Uljanskis turns pro, he’ll head to either the AHL or ECHL. He’ll need to put up some good offensive numbers against AHL competition before he gets a chance in the NHL. So the earliest we may see him in Anaheim is the 2030-2031 season.

Uljanskis is currently unsigned, and per PuckPedia, Anaheim controls his rights until summer 2028. If he can have two solid seasons of college hockey, Uljanskis should be signed. However, if he struggles to adjust to the college game, the Ducks could choose to not sign him and let him leave as a free agent.

The next prospect update will be on forward Lucas Pettersson.

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Prospect Update: Eric Nilson

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Prospect Update: Alexis Mathieu

Prospect Update: Ethan Procyszyn

Prospect Update: Austin Burnevik

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September 5th, 2026