The Anaheim Ducks’ second preseason game brought a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, but the night was really about the kids. At Honda Center on Wednesday, Anaheim leaned into its youth movement, and a few names gave the Ducks plenty to like even in a sloppy exhibition.
Jayden Kurtz was the one worth circling before puck drop. The 18-year-old, just three months removed from his draft, was thrown into first-pair duty in his NHL preseason debut and started next to Pavel Mintyukov.
He didn’t look overwhelmed by the stage. Kurtz showed calm in transition, made smart first passes out of the zone, held up well against the rush, and kept his stick active in passing lanes.
He’s still a raw prospect, but this was a real first glimpse of what he could grow into with more time.
If Kurtz was the fresh face, Tristan Luneau was the driver. From Anaheim’s side, this was “The Tristan Luneau Show.”
He logged the most even-strength ice time on the team at 18:57, more than three minutes ahead of Mintyukov’s 15:03. He also led the Ducks in power-play time at 5:51 and shorthanded time at 3:20.
The workload matched the performance. Luneau looked in control all over the ice, handling puck retrievals with more polish, setting the tempo once the puck was on his stick, and using the blueline and the offensive zone to manipulate defenders. Defensively, his gaps were sharp and his physical presence showed up in tight spaces.
The game itself had the feel of a preseason grind. Anaheim and Los Angeles combined to go 0 for 11 on the power play, and finishing was a problem for the Ducks throughout the night. When they did manage to create quality looks, Anton Forsberg was there with the stop, including a key save on the doorstep.
Lukas Dostal got the start in net for Anaheim and stopped 17 of 19 shots. Forsberg turned aside 24 of 25 for the Kings.
There were also encouraging signs from the Ducks’ cycle game. It’s still too early to draw hard conclusions about system changes, but Anaheim did produce some extended offensive-zone sequences when forwards like Frank Vatrano, Nikita Nesternko, Yegor Sidorov, etc. worked higher in the zone with possession. That opened lanes, pulled defensemen into the play, and created disruption in Los Angeles’ structure.
Noah Warren also had moments worth noting. His stride and four-way mobility have come a long way, and he now looks like a confident, polished defender in a lot of areas, including rush defense, gap control, coverage, and angles.
The next step is the puck side. In this one, some of his shots and passes were knocked down in difficult spots, and simplifying his decisions under pressure may be the cleaner path for now.
Anaheim won’t have much time to sit on this one. The Ducks are back for Game 3 of their four-game preseason Thursday evening when they head north to face the San Jose Sharks.
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