Many of the Anaheim Ducks prospects have gotten their season’s underway, so we are back with another prospect update. Here’s the second edition of our weekly series updating you on some of the Ducks’ top prospects and recent draft picks from the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
Zegras Scores First NCAA Goal
Boston University played back-to-back games against Northern Michigan in Trevor Zegras’ second and third NCAA games. He now has points in his first three games and hasn’t look out of place on BU’s top line. He posted two assists in Friday’s game, one of which was a beautiful cross-ice pass to Patrick Curry, giving Boston a 4-1 lead.
He’d show off his goalscoring ability by picking up his first NCAA goal on Saturday. A shot from Patrick Harper would rebound to Zegras at the bottom of the left circle and he fired it into the empty net.
It’s been an impressive start for the Ducks’ ninth-overall selection.
Upcoming games: Oct. 25 vs. UMass Lowell, Oct. 26 vs. New Hampshire.
Groulx Continues Strong Start
Benoit-Olivier Groulx has thrived as the Halifax Mooseheads’ top line center, posting points in all nine games he’s appeared in. Since our last update, he’s played in six games and registered three goals and eight assists. He was also named captain of the Mooseheads on Oct. 17. He was selected to the QMJHL Team of the Week for the week spanning Oct. 7 to Oct. 13 and placed on Team QMJHL for the 2019 CIBC Canada Russia Series.
That included a four-point night against Val-d’Or where he made a nice move on the breakaway to give himself two goals to go along with two assists on the night.
Upcoming games: Oct. 25 vs. Moncton, Oct. 26 vs. Saint John.
Jack Perbix, Blake McLaughlin and Jackson LaCombe
The Minnesota Golden Gophers have played four games since our last prospect update. Two against Colorado College and two against Niagara.
Blake McLaughlin posted one goal and two assists across those four games. His goal was the game-winning goal in Minnesota’s 4-3 win over Colorado College on Oct. 12. He’s played primarily on the right wing of the top line with Sammy Walker. Their chemistry is undeniable, as you can see in this sweet set-up from McLaughlin to Walker to put Minnesota on the board against Niagara.
Jackson LaCombe has played in all four games and has been paired with senior Ryan Zuhlsdorf. He picked up his first two NCAA points with a two-assist effort in Minnesota’s 3-2 win over Niagara on Oct. 18.
Jack Perbix has quite literally found himself all around the lineup to start the season. He’s started on each of the four lines in Minnesota’s first four games. He even found a spot on the top line with Blake McLaughlin in Minnesota’s 3-2 win over Niagara. He is pointless to start the season.
Upcoming games: Oct. 25 and 26 vs. Minnesota Duluth.
Jack Badini and Henry Thrun
Harvard played Dartmouth in a scrimmage to opening their season on Oct. 19. Jack Badini centered the second line with junior Henry Bowlby and sophomore R.J. Murphy. He was held pointless in the game and finished with one shot and was 8-10 in the faceoff dot.
Henry Thrun played on the second pairing with junior Reilly Walsh. He finished pointless with 4 shots on net. Harvard begin their regular season with a rematch against Dartmouth on Nov. 1.
Trevor Janicke
Notre Dame began their season with two games against Air Force on Oct. 11 and Oct. 13. They posted victories in both, winning 4-3 and 6-1 respectively. Janicke was held off the score sheet in both games, registering one shot in each game. He’s begun the season on the right wing of the Irish’s third line, playing with sophomore’s Graham Slaggert and Jake Pivonka.
Upcoming games: Oct. 25 and 26 vs. Lake Superior State.
Matt Berkovitz
Played in each of Army’s last three games. They beat UConn 2-1 on Oct. 11 and split their back-to-back vs. Robert Morris, winning 4-1 on Oct. 19 and losing 3-0 on Oct. 20. Berkovitz was pointless across all three games. He was paired primarily with freshman Thomas Farrell.
Upcoming games: Oct. 25 vs. Bentley.
Will Francis
Francis played in three of the last four games for Cedar Rapids. He did not play against Waterloo on Oct. 11. He posted three assists and 12 shots over that span. On the season, he has five assists in six games and leads the entire team with 20 shots. It’s a shift in style for Francis who posted 75 shots in 59 games last season.
Upcoming games: Oct. 25 vs. Madison, Oct. 26 vs. Green Bay.
Matthew Hill
After registering one assists in the Barrie Colts’ first six games, Hill has gone pointless in the Colts five games since. He’s not known as an offensive defenseman, but he did register two goals and 11 assists in 65 games last season.
Upcoming games: Oct. 24 vs. Owen Sound, Oct. 26 vs. Niagara.
Lukas Dostal Has Bounce Back Month
It’s been a bounce-back month for Lukas Dostal. After going 1-2-0 in September and posting a .865 save percentage (SV%), he’s rebounded by posting a 4-1-1 record with a .923 SV% in October. Over his last three games, his SV% is even better, coming in at .940. Ilves have a back-to-back on Oct. 25 and 26 vs. Tappara and Pelicans. Dostal will likely get a start in one of those games.
Garrett Metcalf
Mercyhurst faced St. Lawrence University in a back-to-back on Oct. 11 and 12. Metcalf got the start in both games and allowed five goals against on 60 shots faced. He picked up a 3-2 overtime win on Oct. 11 but suffered a 3-2 regulation loss on Oct. 12. On the season he has a 3.03 goals against average (GAA), .914 SV% and a 2-2-0 record.
Upcoming games: Oct. 25 and 26 vs. Ohio State University.
Brayden Tracey Back in the Lineup
Tracey has since rejoined the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League after rehabbing an injury with the Anaheim Ducks. He’s played in five games since rejoining the team and posted one goal and six assists. He’s primarily played on the right wing of sophomore center Ryder Korczak. The third member of the line has often been over-ager Owen Hardy, but it seems to be a revolving door of players at the moment. He was recently named to Team WHL for the 2019 CIBC Canada Russia Series.
Upcoming games: Oct. 25 vs. Calgary Hitmen, Oct. 27 vs. Saskatoon Blades.
If you missed our first update, check it out here! Stay tuned next week for a fresh update on Anaheim Ducks prospects from major junior, NCAA, Europe and around the world!
