The Anaheim Ducks have announced the signing of college prospect Judd Caulfield to a two-year entry-level contract set to begin next season. The team has also signed him to an ATO agreement so that he can play with Anaheim’s AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, for the rest of the season.
The Ducks acquired Caulfield two days ago in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins, sending prospect Thimo Nickl back to the Pittsburgh Penguins in return. Caulfield was originally selected by the Penguins at the 2019 draft, in the fifth round 145th overall.
A U.S. National Team Development Program product, Caulfield has spent the last four seasons playing college hockey for the University of North Dakota. He finishes his collegiate career with 62 points in 133 career games, including this past season where he scored 10 goals and 19 points in 39 games, ranking fourth on his team in both goals and points.
Caulfield turned 22 on March 19th and brings size and a powerful game to the Ducks’ system. Caulfield was not ranked inside the top 15 prospects of the Penguins’ 29th-ranked system earlier this year according to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, (subscription link) but he does bring some intriguing qualities for their development staff to get to work on.
The Ducks selected six-foot-three QMJHL pivot Nathan Gaucher in the first round of last year’s draft, and all four forwards the Ducks selected at the 2023 draft stand at least six-foot-two.
With just one player above six feet tall in the team’s top-five scoring forwards this season, it could be that this acquisition of Caulfield adds to some growing indications that GM Pat Verbeek has made acquiring bigger forwards a heightened organizational priority.
I like it. Ducks are getting bigger.