Ducks Rookie Face Off – Ducks vs Kings – Sept 16 2024

Ducks Rookie Face Off Los Angeles, California.

First Period:

Right from puck drop the home team held much of possession and control as play was non stop for the first five minutes. The odd broken chance that went the Ducks way was realised through a lucky bounce or disjointed rush up ice.

However – the Ducks did manage to slowly get more possession in the Kings zone and eventually earned themselves a Power Play after a net front scrum in front of the LA net.

The first unit won the offensive zone face-off but were under pressure early and as they cycled the puck around to find a lane the Kings picked off the final pass, sending Aatu Jamsen in alone on Vyacheslav Buteyets. The Ducks 6th round pick in 2022 patiently staying with the Kings foward as he faked left then made a move to his right.

With their goaltender bailing them out the second unit went to work and generated enough momentum to carry over throughout the rest of the period as the Ducks started to really press and create high danger chances across all four lines.

Highlights of the final few minutes of play included a Nico Myatovic partial break that saw the Gulls first year player this season fire the puck high and wide. As well as a monster hit from Rodwin Dionicio – catching the Kings first round pick Liam Greentree cutting across the slot with his head down. This was closely followed by a long and spirited bout between Konnor Smith and the Kings John Parker-Jones; Smith using an orthodox style of hammering away lower body blows before the Kings player could attempt to respond with head-shots.

The first frame finishing scoreless with the Ducks clearly riding the better of possession and chances.

Second Period: Anaheim Ducks 0 – Los Angeles Kings 0

Anaheim continued to hold momentum and carry chances into the Kings zone – Ethan Procyszyn setting up a great chance by winning a puck battle near the blue line and immediately flinging it to a wide open man but the chance was stopped.

It would be the home team to strike first as some poor gap control allowed the Kings top line to come at the Ducks net with speed and allow a set-up pass in the low slot. 1-0 Kings.

Los Angeles carried forward momentum after the goal – controlling the Ducks zone until Jaxsen Wiebe attempted to halt that by challenging the Kings Corbin Vaughan in a quick bout that Wiebe seemed to get the edge on with a flurry of opening head shots.

At the midway point of the period the Ducks made a goal-tending change – giving us our first look at Mike McIvor – the tryout invited to rookie camp in place of the injured Tomas Suchanek.

Anaheim seemed to briefly rally behind the swap and saw some chances and possession up ice but were again cruelly denied by the Ducks new goaltender at the other end – Erik Portillo.

The period ending with the Ducks once again pressing but entering the second intermission down by one.

Third Period: Los Angeles Kings 1 – Anaheim Ducks 0

Anaheim again tried for an equalizer – earning a Power Play in the early goings but it was quickly erased by camp invite Ruslan Gazizov in the first few seconds of play in the Kings zone.

Playing at four on four – the ice opened slightly but did not seem to favour either side in particular.

As time passed over the midway point the Kings looked comfortable protecting the 1-0 lead while pressing for an insurance marker. Only newcomer Mike McIvor kept the Ducks in it – making some huge stops including possibly the stop of the tournament on a two on one break that was a sure goal but which he grabbed from the air at the last second.

In a true tale of the game – the Ducks finally tied things up in the final five minutes of the game. Taking advantage of a Power Play – a change between the first unit and the second saw some space created for Coulson Pitre on the left side by some nice passing between Tristan Luneau and possibly Alexandre Blais? Regardless – Pitre was suddenly alone with space on the left side, able to take a step into the high slot and wire a shot over the left pad of Erik Portillo as he fell. 1-1 tie game.

The penalties continued for the final few minutes of the frame and the Kings pressed to retake the lead but McIvor shut the door.

Overtime:

Playing at three on three allowed a lot more space to clearly see players and I kind of wished most of the game was played in this format. Possession started with the Kings but the Ducks eventually took back possession and were mostly in control but for a couple of hick-ups – one from Alexandre Blais that the Ducks were able to recover from but the Kings went against the grain and ended things on a partial break as Tristan Luneau led a lengthy shift in the LA zone that saw his line too tired to recover once the puck went the other way. Kings taking this one 2-1.

Final Thoughts:

This is only reflective of this game in particular as I did not get to see any of the first and only the final ten minutes of the second one but it was very obvious that Yegor Sidorov and Rodwin Dionicio are standout prospects that look very ready to make the jump to pro.

Sidorov impressed me the most with not only how hungry he is – but his physical game too. He was feisty and clearly got under a lot of the Kings defenders skin. Fearless around the net – he will go to any area no matter the size disparity. All of his shot chances were smart options and he was trying everything out there to get a goal. All that was lacking was a play-maker to help set him up.

Dionicio was strong on both the offensive and defensive side of the puck – contributing on the rush but also shutting down plays with great timing, not to mention the punishing hit he lay on the Kings Liam Greentree in the second period. He also was not afraid to make a puck carry from the blue line to the net, demonstrating some soft hands. He has a strong upper body, able to protect the puck but also good on his feet to shift away from attackers. It is going to be very very fun to watch him on the Gulls this year.

Tarin Smith was not that noticeable at first but then popped out as the game went on. Showing his best asset with some swift skating as he shed would be forecheckers with ease on multiple end to end rushes. He was also fun to watch in the offensive zone, utilizing some flawless edge work to make spin moves and dance around traffic. He likely only needs a year of Junior before he could start pressing for a spot but will only be eligible for the Gulls in 2026-2027. Again – as I said in my 2024 draft recap – he might be the steal of that draft for the Ducks.

Tristan Luneau was quietly solid. Executing rush after rush without mistake and always there to ease pressure with a strong one-man breakout. The Kings clearly targeted him physically but he didn’t let it get to him, picking himself up while not retaliating to any chippy attention paid his way. He set-up the Pitre goal by drawing attackers to him before sending a pass to the left side and finding Pitre.

Pitre – was as advertised; strong defensively and on the penalty kill but not explosive on offense. His goal was well deserved of some very hard work though.

Terrance – was much the same; he was possibly the Ducks best penalty killing forward but didn’t show a heck of a lot of offense.

Myatovic – did not have much of a standout game either. He didn’t stand out for anything bad but all I could really remember from him was the missed attempt on the partial break. From what I remember of his short time as a Black Ace last season – that was his MO. Quietly doing all the right things but not pushing the needle too much either.

Procyszyn – my first look at the Ducks 68th overall selection and I did like what I saw. He was causing havoc in front of the Kings net and also created two dangerous chances via turnover in the offensive zone.

Blais – made some good plays to start; including one rush from his own zone; but largely faded as the game went on. He didn’t look particularly confident on the three on three in overtime. He is going to need some time but will actually be eligible for the Gulls after this season.

Masse – was a quiet overachiever. Playing on the fourth line with two camp tryouts he was clearly the best on the line. He made some very good plays in the overtime session, including one of the Ducks best chances as he drove the net and made a move in front of Portillo. As another late birthday – he can join the Gulls next season and I feel should be ready by then.

Hinds – might have been trying to do too much. It was he and I think Myatovic that were burned by the Kings on the games opening goal. He had some good defensive work down low but other than that – and the goal – I don’t recall him standing out for much else.

Gazizov – onto the camp invites; Gazizov managed to see action in all three games I believe; he definitely looks like a player that the Ducks are keeping a close watch on. He was used in all offensive situations and could always be seen in the middle of post whistle net front scrums. He didn’t particularly stand out offensively in this game but he did not make any detrimental miscues either. Expect to see him at the Ducks camp as an invite and then likely the Gulls one as one of the first cuts. At the very least he should put up some numbers in Tulsa.

McIvor – wow; what a performance. Much like Suchanek did last season and somewhat ironic given he has been brought in as a stand-in for him for the tournament. The kid is a battler and showed tremendous poise given his age. He is sure to have his name called in the next entry draft.