In hockey, players come and go. While some are lucky enough to find their home teams early on in their careers, others bounce around season to season and fill in gaps for various teams. There have been a large number of players with short-lived stints on the Anaheim Ducks roster– let’s take a look at three of them.
Danton Heinen
Danton Heinen played in Anaheim from Feb. 24, 2020, until July 27, 2021. He came to the team in a trade involving left winger Nick Ritchie. Prior to his time with the Ducks, Heinen played in the Boston Bruins organization for five seasons, bouncing back and forth between the NHL team and their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Providence Bruins. During his time in Providence, he made an appearance at the 2017 AHL All-Star Game and helped the team reach the Eastern Conference Final of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
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In the 2019-20 season, before joining the Ducks, Heinen had 22 points in 58 games with the Bruins. He was unable to keep his successful offense going in Anaheim, however. At the end of his first season with the Ducks, he tallied four points in nine games. The season following saw just 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 43 games from the winger. He was released to free agency by the Ducks, and the Pittsburgh Penguins picked him up on a one-year contract. In two seasons with the Penguins, he notched 55 points in 141 games– an improvement from his season in Anaheim. He has since joined the Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks, and ultimately found himself back in Pittsburgh once again for the upcoming season.
Daniel Sprong
Daniel Sprong is no stranger to a new NHL team; in fact, the Ducks were just one of eight teams in his career. Sprong, a right winger, played for the Ducks organization from Dec. 3, 2018, to Feb. 24, 2020. He joined the team in exchange for Marcus Pettersson and reached a new career high with the Ducks by posting 14 goals and 19 points in 47 games. After a mediocre performance at training camp the following season, Sprong was placed on waivers and then reassigned to the San Diego Gulls, the Ducks’ AHL affiliate. During his time there, he tallied 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) through 39 games and was reassigned to the NHL, where he fell short with just one goal and one assist in eight games. He was sent back down to the Gulls but did not play any more games before being traded.
Sprong was traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Christian Djoos. He has since had stints with the Capitals, Seattle Kraken, Detroit Red Wings, Canucks, and New Jersey Devils, where he has found varying levels of success at both the NHL and AHL levels. His most successful NHL season was with the Kraken in 2022-23, when he scored 21 goals and tallied 25 assists. As a free agent, Sprong decided to leave North American hockey and signed a one-year deal with HC CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on July 23, 2025.
Devin Shore
Center Devin Shore is another player who was in Anaheim for essentially one season, from Jan. 14, 2019, to Feb. 24, 2020. Before his time as a Duck, he spent five seasons in the Dallas Stars organization, with his best season performance being in 2016-17, where he collected 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists) in 82 games. He came to Anaheim in a trade involving Andrew Cogliano. Shore fell flat offensively, notching just 22 points in 73 games with the team. He was ultimately traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Sonny Milano. Milano made waves in Anaheim with a Michigan-style goal, assisted by Trevor Zegras. Since 2020, Shore has played for the Edmonton Oilers, Kraken, and Minnesota Wild, finding the most success at the AHL level. With the Coachella Valley Firebirds in 2023-24, Shore tallied 25 points in 39 games. Similar to Sprong, Shore is pursuing a career internationally. This summer, he signed a one-year contract with HC Sparta Praha, a Czech team.
Heinen, Sprong, and Shore are just a few among many players who have spent just a small amount of time on the Ducks’ roster. It goes to show that not every player is a fit for every team. Factors like coaching styles, linemates, on-and-off-ice chemistry, and more are all contributing factors to how well a player will do in a particular hockey organization. Some players are not even quite built for the NHL level and find more success in minor leagues or international hockey. It will be interesting to see how these three perform in the upcoming season– one in Pittsburgh, and two in other countries. While their time in Anaheim was short-lived, it helped to shape their careers, play styles, and on-ice skills. They may not be on the roster anymore, but they were once Ducks.
