The Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Los Angeles Kings brought their rookie players to Irvine last weekend to play a series of showcase games known as the Golden State Rookie Faceoff. Notable young talents from all three teams took the ice in scrimmages, with each team playing each other once. Unfortunately, the Ducks’ rookies fell short in both games and were unable to get a win against their in-state rivals.
Ducks vs. Sharks
The series opened with the Ducks facing the Sharks on Friday evening. Sharks forward Cam Lund scored twice in the opening game; and Quentin Musty, Mattias Havelid, Luca Cagnoni, and Collin Graf also found the back of the net for San Jose. The Ducks cut the Sharks’ lead in half, with Alexis Mathieu, Tim Washe, and Yegor Sidorov each scoring. Vyacheslav Buteyets and Michael McIvor split time in net for the Ducks, whereas Joshua Ravensbergen played the entire game for the Sharks.
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Though the Ducks lacked offense, they certainly did not lack spirit or physicality. The game featured quite a handful of fights (and their associated penalties). In the second period, the Ducks’ Konnor Smith and Sharks’ Carson Wetsch each received five-minute majors for fighting. Wetsch received an additional roughing penalty later in the period as well. The third period was when the physicality really gained steam, with four further fights, while Will Francis received three separate penalties in the third period alone. Clearly, the rookies were unable to keep their emotions in check and will need to refine their game before they start playing at the NHL level. It was all in good fun, though, and a nearly sold-out crowd at Great Park Ice enjoyed seeing various sides of their young players. The game ended in a 6-3 win for San Jose.
Ducks vs. Kings
Long-time rivals faced off on Sunday afternoon, engaging in a fun-size “Freeway Faceoff” at Great Park Ice. The Kings were coming off an 8-6 loss to the Sharks the previous day, making them particularly hungry for a win. The Ducks were once again bested by their rivals after a particularly dominant second period from the Kings. Kenny Connors was the star of the show, being credited with two goals in less than a minute. One of these goals was, technically, an own goal by Ducks’ goaltender Tomas Suchanek, who was later relieved by McIvor. Connors capped off his stellar performance with an empty-net goal in the third period to complete the hat trick. Koehn Ziemmer scored in the second period as well. The Ducks narrowly avoided a shutout when forward Tim Washe showed up yet again, scoring early in the third period, though his effort alone was not enough to get a win. Though he faced 36 shots, Sharks’ goaltender Carter George stood strong and helped his team to a 4-1 win.
The game was, similar to game one, a physical affair. The Kings’ Jared Wright and Anaheim’s Jaxsen Wiebe dropped the gloves in the first period. The second-period penalties were the Konnor Smith show, with the Ducks’ defenseman being assessed 17 minutes in total after engaging in fisticuffs with Nate Corbet (he received a two-minute instigating minor, a five-minute fighting major, and a 10-minute misconduct for instigating.) Smith is likely to be an enforcer if he joins the NHL, as he is already 6-foot-6, 215 pounds at just 20 years old. The Golden State Rookie Faceoff ended with a 4-1 Kings win.
While it is disappointing to Ducks fans that their rookies were unable to pull out a win, all hope is not lost. There is a wealth of talent, skill, and elite ability in the Ducks’ rookie pipeline. Players like Beckett Sennecke, Washe, and Nico Myatovic performed well and have performed well on their respective junior-level teams. These young players will continue to refine their game and sharpen their skills, preparing for the task of joining the NHL someday soon. The Ducks’ veterans will begin training camp on Thursday at Great Park Ice, with public-facing training– “fan camp”– taking place on Saturday, Sept. 20.
