After a couple of weeks off, we’re back with an Anaheim Ducks prospect update! Jamie Drysdale earned AHL Rookie of the Month honors, while Benoit-Olivier Groulx has picked up his play offensively. Artyom Galimov continues to pull off highlight-reel plays in the KHL and Henry Thrun returns to action in the USHL. It’s time to recap and analyze their performances. Welcome back to our series updating you on some of the Ducks’ top prospects and picks from the NHL Entry Draft.
Groulx Shines As Gulls Struggle
It’s been a bit of a fall back to earth for the San Diego Gulls over the last couple of weeks. They dropped three straight Henderson Silver Knights to end the month of February and have started 2-1-0 in the month of March, with their two victories coming after regulation Drysdale had one goal in four games and missed the last two Gulls’ game after he was called up to the Ducks’ taxi squad.
Despite missing some time it was still a wildly successful month for the Erie Otters defenseman. He was named the AHL/CCM Rookie of the Month for February after recording four goals and five assists for nine points in 11 games. Drysdale is due to return to Erie later this month for the beginning of the 2020-21 OHL season, so it’s a nice parting gift for the Ducks prospect.
Benoit-Olivier Groulx has picked up the slack offensively since the departure of Trevor Zegras, recording three goals and two assists over six games played. He only had one goal in his first eight games, so it’s a nice run of form for the former Moncton Wildcats forward. Jacob Perreault recorded just one assist in four games played and is also slated to return to the OHL once their season resumes.
Maxim Golod made his Gulls’ debut and recorded two assists in his second AHL game. Brendan Guhle returned to the lineup and has one assist in seven games played, while Brayden Tracey is still pointless in 12 games with San Diego. Lukas Dostal has struggled since his impressive five-game winning streak to start his AHL career. He managed three starts over the last six games, allowing 11 goals against. He’s now lost four in a row after winning his first five.
Upcoming Games: Mar. 9 vs. San Jose, Mar. 10 vs. Bakersfield, Mar. 13 vs. Tucson, Mar. 14 vs. Henderson
Galimov Continues to Show Off
Artyom Galimov continues to pull off highlight-reel plays for Ak Bars Kazan in the KHL. This time it was the opening goal in Kazan’s first playoff game. Galimov had one goal over the final three regular-season games and has one goal across their first three playoff games. Oh, and remember that goal he scored in February that won Goal of the Week and Goal of the Month? That’s now been named Goal of the Regular Season in the KHL. He finished the season with six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in 41 games played. Despite the highlight-reel plays, it’s actually a worse point-per-game pace than his rookie season which is ultimately disappointing for the Russian forward.
Upcoming Games: Mar. 9 vs. Torpedo
Colangelo & Janicke
After returning from a minor upper-body injury to plays in Northeastern’s two games against UMass Lowell, Sam Colangelo missed that last three games with a lower-body injury. He wasn’t even in the lineup for their season finale against Boston College. He finished the season with three assists in seven games played.
Upcoming Games: N/A
Things have started to look up for Trevor Janicke after he broke his pointless skid that saw him fail to record a point in nine out of ten games. Notre Dame won all four games over the last couple of weeks with two victories against Michigan State and two against Penn State. They outscored their opponents by a 16-3 margin. Janicke had 11 shots on goal and record two goals and one assist. All his points came in their series against Penn State which was marked by 5-2 and 7-1 victories. He now has four goals and six assists for ten points in 28 games played.
Upcoming Games: N/A
Axel Andersson, Albin Sundsvik and Thimo Nickl
Axel Andersson featured in the last five games for Södertälje SK in the HockeyAllsvenskan. He recorded one assist to bring his season totals to two goals and nine assists for 11 points in 47 games played. He’s one Ducks’ prospect who is likely to head to San Diego when his season in Sweden is over.
Upcoming Games: Mar. 8 vs. AIK, Mar. 10 vs. Mora, Mar. 12 vs. Kristianstad, Mar. 14 vs. Vita Hästen
Skellefteå AIK won two of their three matches of the last couple of weeks and Albin Sundsvik recorded one goal and one assist in the process. He recorded four shots on goal and played just over 11 minutes of average time on ice. Through 40 games played this season, he has six goals and six assists for 12 points.
Upcoming Games: Mar. 9 vs. Luleå, March. 11 vs. Frölunda, Mar. 13 vs. Malmö
Rögle had loaned Thimo Nickl to Mora in the HockeyAllsvenskan, but he was returned to the team on Feb. 15 and has been practicing but yet to play a game. We are still keeping an eye on this situation, as he didn’t play in many games when he was on Rögle previously. It’s a weird situation that I’m sure the player would like resolved as soon as possible.
Upcoming Games: N/A
Blake McLaughlin, Jackson LaCombe and Jack Perbix
The University of Minnesota saw their final two games in February postponed as they were due to face off against Penn State. In their first two games in March, they split the series against the University of Michigan, losing the first 5-2 and taking a 4-2 victory in the second game. Blake McLaughlin registered one goal and one assist and now has 23 points in 26 games played. Jackson LaCombe recorded two assists across two games played, bringing his season totals to four goals and 14 assists for 18 points in 22 games played. Jack Perbix finished scoreless and still has three goals and four assists for seven points in 25 games played.
Upcoming Games: Mar. 14 vs. Michigan State
Thrun Returns and Moore Impresses in USHL
After winning a gold medal with Team USA at the 2021 World Junior Championship, Henry Thrun joined several of his Harvard teammates for informal workouts in Florida. Harvard opted not to have a hockey season which prompted him to join up with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL. Thrun returned to the lineup on Feb. 28 and registered an assist. He grabbed his first goal of the season in his very next game. It’s great to see him back in action and he now has one goal and one assist in four games played.
Upcoming Games: Mar. 12/13 vs. Youngstown
Ian Moore continued his excellent run of form, having played in all four games for the Chicago Steel over the last couple of weeks. He picked up one goal and two assists and brings his season totals to six goals and seven assists for 13 points in 28 games played. At the time of writing this, the Steel is currently playing against the USNTDP so his totals might change.
Upcoming Games: Mar. 12/13 vs. Green Bay, Mar. 14 vs. Team USA
Thanks for checking out our latest 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!
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.