We’re back with the final Anaheim Ducks prospect update of the season. The San Diego Gulls’ season came to an end with a 2-1 loss in overtime las night to complete their three-game set against the Bakersfield Condors in the Pacific Division Playoffs. Ian Moore and the Chicago Steel secured the Clark Cup Championship with back-to-back victories against the Fargo Force. Welcome back to our series updating you on some of the Ducks’ top prospects and picks from the NHL Entry Draft.
Gulls Season Comes to an End
The Gulls season came to an end on Monday night as they lost their Pacific Division Semifinals matchup to the Bakersfield Condors. They opened the three-game series with a 5-3 victory, but suffered back-to-back losses in overtime on Sunday and Monday nights. It’s a tough way to end the season for the Gulls, and now Bakersfield will take on the Henderson Silver Knights in the Pacific Division Final.
Andrew Agozzino led the way in scoring with two goals and two assists for four points across the three games series. He had the only goal in their 2-1 overtime loss last night. Trevor Zegras recorded one goal and two assists, all of which came in the first game of the series. He was originally credited with a four-point night, but had an assist later removed. Sam Carrick and Vinni Lettieri also recorded three points each with Carrick amassing two goals and an assist and Lettieri grabbing one goal and two assists. A major factor in the Gulls’ goal drought was that Chase De Leo and Andrew Poturalski were both held pointless through all three games. The duo were the team’s leading scorers in the regular season. Jamie Drysdale led all defensemen in scoring with two points, both of which were assists.
Lukas Dostal capped off an excellent rookie campaign with three impressive performances during the playoffs. He finished with a 2.55 goals against average and a .935 save percentage through three games played. He allowed three goals on 42 shots in Game 1, three goals on 37 shots on goal in Game 2, and only two goals on an astounding 45 shots on goal in Game 3. It’s not the ending he would’ve liked, or even deserved, but it bodes well for the 2021-22 season that he’s been able to adjust so quickly.
Most of the team will be back for the 2021-22 season with the exception of Zegras and Drysdale who will hopefully spend the majority of the season in Anaheim. Drysdale isn’t even eligible to return to the team as he will only be able to pick the NHL or the Ontario Hockey League. The Gulls’ top forwards are all pending unrestricted free agents, including Lettieri, De Leo, Poturalski, Carrick and Agozzino. On defense, Trevor Carrick is an unrestricted free agent, while Josh Mahura is a pending restricted free agent.
Moore & Chicago Secure Clark Cup Championship
The Chicago Steel are the Clark Cup Champions after securing 7-1 and 3-1 victories over the Fargo Force last week. It’s Chicago’s second championship of all-time after winning its first in 2017. Ian Moore finished the week with one assist and six shots on goal to bring his playoff totals to three assists in eight games played. He also led all Chicago defensemen in shots on goal with 21. His plus-6 rating was second among defensemen, only trailing Jack Babbage who has a plus-11 rating. He is committed to Harvard for the 2021-22 season and will be joining up with Steel teammates Sean Farrell, Matthew Coronato and Jack Bar at Harvard next season, as well as Ducks prospect Henry Thrun.
Thanks for checking out our final prospects update of the 2020-21 season. Stay tuned for a fresh update on Ducks prospects from major junior, NCAA, Europe, and around the world as we shift our focus into Prospect Spotlights in the offseason. In the meantime, if you want to hear my thoughts on the team’s prospects and current affairs, check out The Forever Mighty Podcast for all the latest Anaheim Ducks talk and analysis.