We’re back with another Anaheim Ducks prospect update! Axel Andersson made his way over from Sweden to the San Diego Gulls after his season in the HockeyAllsvenskan ended. Jacob Perreault returned from injury in the best way possible, with two excellent performances for the Gulls. Brayden Tracey bounded back from a tough debut, with five points in three games played last week. 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.
Gulls Extend Winning Streak to Seven & Andersson Joins The Team
The Gulls rattled off another three wins this week to extend their winning run to seven games. Not only did they win all three games, but they also did so in style, outscoring their opponents 20-9. Chase De Leo and Andrew Poturalski led the way offensively with five points each.
Poturalski leads the entire American Hockey League in scoring with six goals and 21 assists for 27 points in 26 games played. Kodie Curran extended his point streak to five games with two goals and three assists over last week’s three-game stretch. Across his point streak, he has three goals and four assists for seven points and has 11 points in 13 regular-season games. Brendan Guhle recorded four assists and now has seven across his last seven games played. Sam Carrick recorded three goals and one assist in two games before being called up to the Ducks for Sunday’s game against Arizona.
Speaking of Sunday’s game against Arizona, the Gulls’ captain scored in his first NHL game of the season, and Trevor Zegras put up two primary assists in their 3-2 overtime loss to the Coyotes. Zegras now has one goal and six assists for seven points in 17 games played.
Back to San Diego, Perreault returned from injury to feature in the Gulls’ final two games of the week. He returned in style, amassing one goal and one assist in each game to finish the week with four points. He showed off his goal-scoring ability with a beautiful backhand tally to give the Gulls’ a 7-2 lead against the San Jose Barracuda. He now has three goals and five assists for eight points in 13 games played this season.
As for the goaltenders, Lukas Dostal returned to the net for two games last week. He rebounded from his seven-game losing streak with two wins and now has a 7-7-0 record, 3.08 goals against average (GAA) and a .913 save percentage (SV%). Olle Eriksson Ek played in the Gulls’ other game last week and extended his win streak to five games. He now has a 6-1-0 record, 2.16 GAA and a .924 SV%.
Andersson’s timed with Södertälje SK of the HockeyAllsvenskan has come to an end. The Swedish defenseman has returned to North America and will join up with the San Diego Gulls for the remainder of their season. Andersson’s season came to an end, as Södertälje were eliminated in the five-game series two weeks ago. It will be interesting to see where he fits in their lineup. The Gulls have a logjam on their blueline, and Hunter Drew, normally a defenseman, is currently playing as a right winger.
Upcoming Games: April 7 vs. Ontario, April 9/10 vs. Tucson
Albin Sundsvik, Artyom Galimov & Thimo Nickl
Sundsvik failed to register a point in Skellefteå AIK’s regular-season finale last week. He failed to put a shot on goal and played 11:40 of time on ice. Skellefteå will take on Luleå in the Swedish Hockey League quarterfinals that begin this weekend. He finished the season with six goals and eight assists for 14 points in 45 games played.
Upcoming Games: April 11 vs. Luleå
Artyom Galimov and Ak Bars Kazan began their conference finals matchup against Avangard last week. Game one didn’t go as planned, however, as they ended up losing 3-1. He failed to register a point, recording one shot on goal in 17:10 of time on ice. It’s their first loss of the playoffs after sweeping both of their previous series.
Upcoming Games: April 5/7/9 vs. Avangard
No games last week for Thimo Nickl and Rögle. The team finished the SHL regular season as the second seed and are waiting to find out their quarterfinals opponent. They will play the higher seed of the eighth-finals matchups that take place this week. He hasn’t played in many games this season, so it would be a surprise if he plays any playoff games for the team.
Upcoming Games: N/A
Henry Thrun & Ian Moore
Henry Thrun played in both games for the Dubuque Fighting Saints last week. He had one goal and one assist in their game on Friday and extended his point streak to five games, in which he’s amassed an impressive four goals and six assists for ten points. His point streak came to an end on Saturday when he failed to get on the score sheet in their 7-2 loss to the Chicago Steel. He’s adjusted well to life in the United States Hockey League with six goals and eight assists for 14 points in 15 games played.
Upcoming Games: April 8/9/10 vs. Muskegon
Ian Moore also extended his own point streak with an assist last week, making it three goals and three assists for six points in six games. However, just like Thrun, he was pointless in Saturday’s game, and his streak came to an end. He now has nine goals and ten assists for 19 points in 36 games played. He ranks fourth among Steel defensemen in scoring.
Upcoming Games: April 9/10/11 vs. Youngstown
Brayden Tracey & Ethan Bowen
After a tough debut to the 2020-21 Western Hockey League season, Tracey returned to form, registering at least a point in all three games for the Victoria Royals last week. Playing as the first-line left winger in the Royals’ lineup, he recorded one goal and four assists, including two multi-point efforts. He now has five points in his first four games of the season. Expectations are high for his third WHL season, and this is a good start to proving that he was worth the first-round selection that Anaheim used on him.
Upcoming Games: April 6 vs. Prince George, April 7 vs. Vancouver, April 9/11 vs. Kamloops
Ethan Bowen and the Chilliwack Chiefs returned to action on Apr. 2 against Merritt. What a return it was for Bowen, as he recorded two goals and one assist in his season debut. He followed that up with an assist in their second game last week to give him four points in his first two games of the season. He is tied for second in league scoring and sits atop the Chiefs lineup. He had 12 goals and 19 assists for 31 points in 41 games played for the Chiefs during the 2019-20 season. He is committed to the University of North Dakota for the 2021-22 season.
Upcoming Games: April 8 vs. Merritt, April 9 vs. Prince George, April 11 vs. Merritt
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.
Fan of the Anaheim Ducks for my whole life. I’m a die hard fan living in London, Ontario. Excited to be writing about the team I love. Talking all things Ducks on the Forever Mighty Podcast!