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Anaheim Ducks Recall Nathan Beaulieu From Conditioning Stint

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Jan 16: It didn’t last quite the maximum of 14 days, as Beaulieu was recalled today by the Ducks. He played in four games with the San Diego Gulls, recording his first AHL goal in years.

Jan 5: After playing just a few days ago, Anaheim Ducks defenseman Nathan Beaulieu has now been curiously sent to the AHL on a conditioning loan. He’ll join the San Diego Gulls for the time being, with the loan lasting a maximum of two weeks.

Beaulieu, 30, received 15 shifts in Monday’s loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, his 22nd appearance of the season. Nothing has really gone well for the Ducks this year but Beaulieu’s play specifically has been lacking, with the defenseman rarely impacting things in a positive manner. He has a -12 rating in his 22 games, despite only averaging 13 minutes a night.

The curious part is that conditioning loans are usually only for players who have missed a good amount of time due to injury or those that have faced several healthy scratches in a row. While Beaulieu did miss yesterday’s game, against the Dallas Stars and two last week, he has been dressed relatively frequently so far.

Sending him on a conditioning loan doesn’t clear a roster spot the same way a regular loan would. For the latter, he would need to clear waivers, though it’s hard to believe there would be a ton of interest in claiming him, given his $850K salary and struggles this season.

Regardless of why the Ducks did it, Beaulieu will get the chance to play in the minor leagues for the first time in years. He hasn’t appeared in an AHL game since the 2014-15 season with the Hamilton Bulldogs, while still a part of the Montreal Canadiens organization. For his career, Beaulieu has 441 NHL regular season appearances and has recorded 97 points.

Ducks Seeking First-Rounder For John Klingberg

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The Ducks are believed to be seeking a first-round pick for defenseman John Klingberg, reports Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription link).  The 30-year-old didn’t get the long-term contract he was hoping for in the summer so he instead opted for a one-year, $7MM pillow deal with Anaheim to try to rebuild his value.  However, it has been a tough season thus far for the veteran as he has just 13 points in 35 games so far with his new squad, by far the lowest point-per-game average of his career.  Klingberg’s deal moved from a full no-trade clause to a ten-team clause at the start of this month although with a high price tag on the cap and a high acquisition cost, that trade protection isn’t likely to be the hold-up in any potential move unless Klingberg is able to become more of the offensive threat that he was over eight years in Dallas.

Isac Lundestrom Could Rejoin Ducks On Next Road Trip

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  • Ducks center Isac Lundestrom could be ready to rejoin the team on their next road trip which begins on Monday, reports Eric Stephens of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 23-year-old has been out for more than a month due to a fractured finger and while he was off to a quiet start to his season before the injury (six points in 24 games), getting a developing young player back can only be good for an Anaheim squad that will likely be looking to move out some veterans in the coming weeks.

Pavel Mintyukov Traded In OHL

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  • The Ottawa 67’s have added another top talent, acquiring Anaheim Ducks’ prospect Pavel Mintyukov from the Saginaw Spirit. The 19-year-old defenseman was the 10th overall pick in last summer’s draft and scored 54 points in 37 games for Saginaw before the move. It’s a package of nine picks going the other way, including three second-rounders.

Justin Kirkland Stable After Car Accident

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  • The Anaheim Ducks today issued an update on the status of recent call-up Justin Kirkland. Kirkland was involved in a car accident while traveling to the team’s home game last night against the Boston Bruins, causing him to be transported to the hospital. The team reports Kirkland is stable, retaining full mobility and communication, and will be released within the next two days. It’s great news that Kirkland will be okay and hopefully able to return to the game this season.

Snapshots: Austria, Harkins, Kirkland

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Despite scoring twice with the goaltender out, Austria came up short in the relegation series at the World Juniors and will be dropped out of the next tournament. Norway will take their place next year, with Latvia (the other team in the relegation round) staying put. Austria was playing with house money already after finishing last in the previous two tournaments. There was no relegation in those years, meaning they got extra chances in the top tournament.

Norway won gold at the Division I level after going a perfect 5-0 against Denmark, Slovenia, France, Hungary, and Kazakhstan. Their group is incredibly young and will get the chance to bring back nearly the entire roster for next year, meaning they should be competitive at least. Only three of their skaters (and one goaltender) are 19.

  • After clearing waivers yesterday, the Winnipeg Jets have sent Jansen Harkins to the minor leagues as expected. The depth forward will get a chance to play big minutes again, as he re-joins the Manitoba Moose. In six games to start the year with Manitoba, Harkins had five goals and nine points.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have recalled Justin Kirkland once again, after sending him down just yesterday. The 26-year-old forward made his NHL debut this season and has appeared in five games so far, failing to register a point.

Anaheim Ducks Send Justin Kirkland To AHL

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After recalling him back on December 28th on an emergency basis, it appears the Anaheim Ducks have sent forward Justin Kirkland back to the AHL, according to CapFriendly. This had been Kirkland’s second emergency recall in as many weeks, however it did afford him the opportunity to make his NHL debut.

Anaheim Ducks Activate Anthony Stolarz

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The Anaheim Ducks have announced that goaltender Anthony Stolarz has been activated off of injured reserve.

In a corresponding move, the team has assigned netminder Lukas Dostal to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.

A few days ago, we covered that Stolarz had begun skating once again, a development that hinted at a soon-to-come return from the injured list.

Stolarz has been out of action since December 12th, when he suffered a lower-body injury. Now, with his activation, the Ducks have gotten John Gibson’s backup back onto their active roster.

The Ducks have been one of the worst teams in the NHL this season, and Stolarz has had his share of struggles. After posting a .917 save percentage in 28 games last year, Stolarz is down to an .889 through 13 contests this year.

Stolarz will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the league year, barring an extension. His expiring deal mans it’s imperative that Stolarz puts together a solid stretch of starts, in order to put himself in the best position possible for a potential trip to the open market.

To make room for Stolarz on their roster, the team has sent down their number-three goalie, Dostal. The 22-year-old Czech netminder has been a bright spot for the Ducks, posting a .909 save percentage through seven games. He’s been good in the AHL as well, with a .916 in 20 games.

Ducks Sign Gage Alexander To Entry-Level Contract

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The Ducks have signed one of their 2021 draft picks, announcing the signing of goaltender Gage Alexander to a three-year, entry-level contract.  CapFriendly reports that the deal carries an AAV of $810K.

The 20-year-old was a fifth-round pick by Anaheim back in 2021 (148th overall) out of Winnipeg of the WHL.  Prior to this season, Alexander was moved to Swift Current where he was splitting time with Boston prospect Reid Dyck.  Alexander had the better numbers of the two, posting a 3.47 GAA and a .898 SV% in 15 games.

While most players that sign their entry-level contracts in-season typically return to their junior teams, that’s not the case here.  Instead, the Ducks have assigned Alexander to San Diego of the AHL.  With Lukas Dostal still up with Anaheim for the time being, Alexander should be paired up with Olle Eriksson Ek with the Gulls and get a chance to start his professional career in the near future.

Although he started the year in junior, Alexander will burn the first year of the contract this season even if he doesn’t get into an NHL action with Anaheim in the second half of the season.

Devante Smith-Pelly Announces Retirement

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NHL veteran and Stanley Cup Champion forward Devante Smith-Pelly announced his retirement from hockey today. The 30-year-old announced his choice via Instagram.

Drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round in 2010, Smith-Pelly broke into the NHL just two seasons after being drafted. He recorded 13 points in 49 games during his rookie season in 2011-12 with the Ducks.

He spent most of the following two seasons with their AHL affiliate at the time, the Norfolk Admirals, but was called up near the end of 2013-14 for the first of his two clutch playoff performances. Smith-Pelly recorded 10 points in 19 games down the stretch in Anaheim and notched five goals in 12 playoff games as the Ducks fell in the second round to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings. He scored a last-minute goal in Game 6 of their first-round series against Dallas, tying the game and sending it to overtime, where Anaheim eventually won the series.

Smith-Pelly was a full-time NHLer the next few seasons but bounced around between the Ducks, Montreal Canadiens, and New Jersey Devils before finding a home with the Washington Capitals for 2017-18. It was there where Smith-Pelly achieved his dream of winning the Stanley Cup, equaling his regular-season goal total by scoring seven goals in 24 playoff games for Washington.

His last NHL games came in 2018-19, when he appeared in 54 games for Washington, scoring eight points. He spent the following three seasons playing in the KHL and AHL. In 2021-22, his last season of professional hockey, Smith-Pelly had eight points in 24 games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

PHR wishes the best of luck to Smith-Pelly in his retirement and issues congratulations on a clutch, championship-winning career.

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