Anaheim’s Top 10 Rookies

By Thomas Harrington

Welcome to my favorite summer article that I write for DucksNPucks: Anaheim’s top 10 rookies. As has been the case in many years, this was a difficult list to finalize. The first few spots were pretty easy, but it got harder after that. The Ducks had a few prospects with very strong seasons in different leagues, and it was difficult to leave some of them off the final list. As I’ve done previously, I will only be including players who are eligible to win the Calder Memorial Trophy this season. To be eligible to win this award, a player has to have played less than 25 games in the NHL in any single season. Additionally, they cannot have played more than six games in each of any the two preceding seasons. They also have to be 25 or younger on September 15th. This means that Tristan Luneau is not eligible for this list after playing seven NHL games in the 2023-2024 season and then six NHL games in the 2024-2025 season. Otherwise he would absolutely have been among Anaheim’s top 10 rookies, and probably would have slotted somewhere within the top five.

I used three sets of criteria to create this list. The first is: what is the player’s ceiling? Are they a top six scorer or a grinder? Can they play 30 minutes per night and shut down the opposition, or are they destined to be a seventh defenseman?

The second question I ask is: how likely are they to reach that potential? A player may have the potential to be a top six forward, but will they actually make it that far, or are they more likely to be relegated to the AHL or European leagues for most of their career? Players with bad injury histories most often fall into this category, as injuries can really hamper a young player’s career.

Finally, I look at how close I think they are to making it to the NHL soon. As an example, I once had Chris Wagner in the top 10 because even though he projected as a bottom six player, he looked like he was pretty much NHL ready, so he was placed ahead of some other prospects who had a higher ceiling. He was so close to being an NHL player, I felt safe putting him in the top 10.

Also, just because a player doesn’t appear on this list doesn’t mean they won’t have a successful career in Anaheim or the NHL, or that they won’t appear in the NHL this season. I didn’t have Drew Helleson a couple years ago, and he played over 50 NHL games in his rookie season. Years ago, I didn’t have Josh Manson or Kiefer Sherwood on this list either. Manson has since become a top four defenseman, and Sherwood set an NHL record with 462 hits in the 2024-2025 season.

Before I get to the top 10 rookies, here are the players who just missed the cut: Tarin Smith, Eric Nilson, Austin Burnevik, and Herman Traff. This is the second year in a row that Smith just missed out on the top 10; a great year in college could put him on it a year from now. Nilson debuted on this list a year ago. He had a strong freshman season, but didn’t have enough offense to justify keeping him in it. A great sophomore campaign could put him right back on it. Burnevik scored 20 goals in college, which is often the mark for showing a player who will play in some NHL games. If he can have an even better season this year, he’ll likely break into the top 10 next year. Traff is another player who also just missed this list last year. This will be his first season in North America, and if he can adapt and succeed in the AHL, he could be on this list a year from now.

Beckett Sennecke (graduated), Tim Washe (graduated), Ian Moore (graduated), Sasha Pastujov (traded), and Nilson (passed by other players) are the five players from last year’s top 10 list who do not appear on this year’s. Previous year’s rankings will be shown in parentheses, and NR means not ranked the previous year. Now, on to the top 10!

10. (NR) Anton Wahlberg – The Ducks acquired Wahlberg over the summer in the Olen Zellweger trade. While he doesn’t have as high a ceiling as some of the players who didn’t make the top 10, Anaheim is clearly very high on him and expects him to be in the NHL sooner rather than later. Being so close to making the Ducks roster is what solidifies his spot in the top 10.

9. (10) Nathan Gaucher – Gaucher had a difficult start to the season and was in danger of falling off this list entirely, but a strong second half and his NHL debut not only keeps him in the top 10, but also moving up a spot.

8. (9) Damian Clara – Clara still has some inconsistencies in his game, but he really showed what he was capable of at the Olympics. He almost led Italy to a historic upset over Sweden, and if not for an injury, he just might have. However, he also had some rough games in the AHL to end the season. Still, he did enough to move up a spot. Hopefully he can have a consistent season in North America and keep pushing up this list.

7. (NR) Maxim Masse – Masse makes his debut on this list after a wonderful season in the QMJHL that saw him top both the 50 goal and 100 point marks. He’s one of several players heading to the NCAA this coming season, and it will be interesting to see how his game translates to the college level. If he can dominate in the NCAA, he could be moving up this list a year from now.

6. (5) Lucas Pettersson – Pettersson had a very strong season in the SHL, and doesn’t really deserve to drop a spot. This only happened because of Anaheim acquiring two first round picks, and there is also a defenseman who is knocking on the NHL’s door. I think Pettersson could become a very good NHL player, but he’s still at least a few years away from that happening. A great rookie season in the AHL could see him back in the top five a year from now.

5. (NR) Marcus Nordmark – The second first round pick that Anaheim made this summer, Nordmark has a great skillset, so much so that there were some who viewed him as the highest skilled player in the draft. However, he does have consistency issues. If he can work through those, the Ducks could have a great young winger on their hands.

4. (NR) Tyson Hinds – He’s a player I’ve never had in the top 10 before, though he was close a couple of times. But after getting called up and playing above Zellweger to end the regular season and for much of the playoffs, Hinds absolutely deserves this spot. He’s not going to win a Norris Trophy, but he can become a safe, reliable defender. Of these 10 rookies, he’s the one I feel the most confident about playing the entire year in Anaheim.

3. (3) Stian Solberg – For the third year in a row, I have Solberg as Anaheim’s third best rookie. He doesn’t have the gamebreaking ability of the two players ahead of him, but he’s been developing nicely in the AHL, and we could see him in Anaheim sooner rather than later.

2. (NR) Nikita Klepov – Anaheim’s top pick from this summer, Klepov led the OHL in points as a rookie. The last player to do that was Patrick Kane. Klepov was originally going to college this fall, but in a surprise move, the Ducks signed him to his entry-level deal, and now he’ll either play in the NHL or OHL this season.

1. (2) Roger McQueen – McQueen seems to have fully recovered from his back injury, and had a solid freshman season at Providence College. He then followed that up with three points in seven AHL games to end the season. This will be his first professional season. The only question is, how much time will he spend in the NHL vs the AHL?

Up next will be the final offseason prospect article: the prospects most likely to see time in Anaheim this season. Spoiler alert, you can expect some of the prospects from the above list to make an appearance.

Related Articles:

Ranking Anaheim’s Prospect Positions

Prospect Update: Roger McQueen

Prospect Update: Stian Solberg

Prospect Update: Tristan Luneau

Prospect Update: Emile Guite

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September 10th, 2026