With the NHL season creeping closer, Anaheim is starting to fill in the calendar. The Ducks announced a batch of news this week that touches three different parts of the offseason picture: Cruz Lucius is officially in the organization, the national TV slate is set, and the home-game promo schedule is out.
Lucius, a 22-year-old right wing, was brought in from the Pittsburgh Penguins for future considerations and then signed to an entry-level contract. Anaheim is getting a young forward who has kept trending up. Last season at Arizona State University, he made the NCHC First All-Conference Team after putting up 15 goals and 31 assists for 46 points, which ranks as the second-most in school history.
His college path started at Wisconsin before he moved to Arizona State as a junior, and the production came with him. He posted 34 points in 34 games as a freshman and then matched that total in 36 games the next year. For now, the most likely landing spot is the American Hockey League’s San Diego Gulls, unless he turns heads in training camp.
Anaheim also learned which games will get the national spotlight this season. Most Ducks games will still be available locally on KCOP or Victory+, but seven matchups will air or stream nationally. Two are set for TNT, while the other five will be on ESPN+, Disney+, and Hulu.
The full schedule includes Thursday, Oct. 29 vs. Buffalo (ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu), Tuesday, Dec. 22 vs.
Vegas (TNT), Tuesday, Jan. 5 vs. Minnesota (ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu), Thursday, Jan. 28 vs.
Chicago (ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu), Sunday, March 14 at Chicago (TNT), Tuesday, March 16 vs. Carolina (ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu), and Thursday, March 18 vs.
Utah (ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu).
On top of that, the Ducks dropped their home promotional calendar, and it’s loaded with theme nights, giveaways, and special appearances at Honda Center. There are 13 theme nights on the schedule.
The home opener on Oct. 4 leads things off, and the early-season lineup includes Día de Muertos on Nov. 1 with a sugar-skull Wild Wing giveaway, plus Military Appreciation Night on Nov. 11 and Hockey Fights Cancer Night on Nov. 15.
Anime Night arrives on Dec. 16 with a mystery giveaway, and another mystery giveaway is tied to Hockey is For Everyone Night on Jan. 14.
The rest of the themed slate runs through Lunar New Year on Feb. 11, Pierce the Veil as guests of honor on Feb.
24, Pride Party on Feb. 27, CHOCO Day on March 7, Women in Sports Weekend on March 20-21, and Star Wars Night on March 30.
Fan Appreciation Night closes out the home schedule on April 3.
The Ducks said there will also be more giveaways, merch drops, and special appearances throughout the season. In all, they listed 15 theme nights, 19 giveaways, 10 kids’ sock giveaways, and six special merch drops.
One item still hanging out there is Cutter Gauthier. Fans are waiting for an update from general manager Pat Verbeek and his staff, and Gauthier remains unsigned.
The source of the delay is contract space, with other deals needing to be moved in order to make room for the price the forward is asking for. For now, there’s still no movement, but with the offseason winding down, a decision should come sooner rather than later.
In Other News...
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Mathis Preston and Tarin Smith stand out as two of the more intriguing names in that tier, each with a development path that points toward a bigger future if their progress keeps moving. Prestons scoring touch and Smiths all-around defensive upside give Anaheim different ways to solve the same long-term problem, while Noah Warren and Nathan Gaucher add even more size, structure and versatility to the group. The timeline is still a few seasons out for most of them, but for a Ducks team that needs the next wave to arrive with purpose, this is the part of the system worth watching most closely. [Read more 🡒]
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The mix of national windows says plenty about how the league and its broadcast partners are viewing the Ducks right now, with opportunities to reach fans well beyond Southern California on some of the sports biggest stages. The first of those dates is already on the calendar, and the second TNT appearance comes later in the season, leaving the rest of the broadcast picture to fill in when the complete schedule is unveiled. [Read more 🡒]
Draisaitl Just Validated What Ducks Fans Said About That Playoff Series
Leon Draisaitl offered a blunt read on why Edmontons season fell apart, and it lined up neatly with what Ducks fans saw from the other side of that playoff matchup. The Oilers forward said last years group never settled into a clear identity, leaving them without the kind of consistent structure that can carry a team through the grind of an 82-game season and into April.
For Anaheim, the validation is part of the payoff from that series, which exposed how shaky Edmonton could look when the pressure rose. Draisaitl also sounded hopeful about what new coach Mike Babcock can bring with a heavier emphasis on structure and accountability, but the bigger point is still unresolved: the Oilers have the talent to matter, yet they still have to prove they can build a dependable system around it. [Read more 🡒]