The Anaheim Ducks began trimming their training camp roster on Sunday, sending forwards Marcus Nordmark and Mathis Preston back to their junior clubs and adding defenseman Matt Basgall to camp.
With those moves, Anaheim is down to 47 players in camp.
Neither cut came as much of a shock. Nordmark had a long shot at sneaking into an NHL game or two, but that path always looked extremely unlikely. Preston, meanwhile, has not signed his entry-level deal with the Ducks yet.
Nordmark, Anaheim’s second first-round pick this past summer, went 28th overall. After the draft, it wasn’t clear whether he would remain in Europe or come to North America.
Instead, he’ll spend this season with the London Knights of the OHL and, hopefully, Team Sweden at the World Juniors. He did not appear in a preseason game, though that was hardly surprising with the Ducks playing fewer exhibition games.
Preston was taken in the second round this summer, 50th overall, and will return to the Vancouver Giants of the WHL, the same team he finished last season with. Like Nordmark, he would have been an interesting name to watch in a preseason game, but that never felt likely.
Anaheim still has plenty of work ahead to get down to a 23-man roster. More cuts are expected early this week now that the Ducks have already played their first preseason game, and with San Diego’s training camp set to begin later this week, a sizable wave of players should be headed to the AHL in the coming days.
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Ducks Young Talent Is Making Anaheims Roster Decisions Much Harder
The Ducks preseason roster has already turned into the kind of puzzle every team wants, and every decision-maker dreads a little. Anaheims blend of established young pieces and rising prospects keeps pushing the conversation beyond simple evaluation, because the club is trying to sort out who belongs now, who needs more time, and who is making the strongest case to stay in the mix once the games start counting.
A 6-2 win over the San Jose Sharks only sharpened that feeling, even with San Jose dressed mostly at the AHL level. The Sharks got encouraging work from Sam Dickinson on the blue line, along with notable showings from Eric Pohlkamp, Ethan Cardwell and Zack Ostapchuk, but the bigger takeaway for Anaheim was the way its own young talent keeps making roster choices more complicated than expected as camp moves along. [Read more 🡒]