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Anaheim Ducks Reassign Ville Husso, John Gibson Returns

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Earlier today, Anaheim Ducks’ head coach Greg Cronin shared (and publicized by Derek Lee of The Hockey News) that netminder John Gibson has returned from his lower-body injury and would start tonight against the Nashville Predators. The Ducks announced they’ve reassigned goaltender Ville Husso to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, now that Gibson has fully returned.

Gibson has been out of the lineup for the better part of two months with a pair of lower-body injuries. Since the calendar turned to February, Gibson has only managed four games played, posting a 1-1-0 record with a .891 SV% in that time. His start tonight against Nashville will be the first action he’s seen since March 5th.

Still, this season can’t be seen as anything other than a productive rebound for Gibson. He owns a 9-10-2 record in 25 starts this year with a .909 SV% and 2.82 GAA. The latter two statistics and his 5.9 goals saved above average represent his highest totals since the 2018-19 season. Although Lukáš Dostál has become the de facto starter in Orange County, Gibson has turned his career around after multiple disappointing campaigns.

Meanwhile, Husso returns to San Diego after debuting with the Ducks in the past week. Anaheim acquired Husso just before the trade deadline from the Detroit Red Wings for future considerations, and he’s filled in nicely for the team when Gibson has been out.

The native of Helsinki, Finland appeared in two games for Anaheim since being acquired, managing a 0-1-0 record and stopping 46 of 51 shots. His numbers aren’t as promising in the AHL, as Husso has posted a 3-1-0 record in four games with the Gulls with a .894 SV%.

Ducks’ Will Francis Signs AHL Tryout

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Ducks defense prospect Will Francis has signed an amateur tryout with AHL San Diego for the remainder of the season, the team announced. The 2019 sixth-round pick will get his first taste of professional hockey after four years at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

It’s been an incredibly trying road for Francis, 24, to get to this point. After playing out his post-draft season with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He’s now entered remission three separate times in the last five years, keeping him sidelined for the entire 2020-21 campaign and the vast majority of the 2021-22, 2023-24, and 2024-25 campaigns. After beginning his third round of cancer treatments in October, he returned to play for the Bulldogs on March 8 and suited up in one of their NCHC quarterfinal losses to Arizona State.

A hard-nosed shutdown defenseman, the 6’5″, 216-lb Francis totaled one assist and 29 PIMs with a minus-six rating in 39 games for Duluth. Before his diagnosis, he posted 3-11–14 with a plus-nine rating across 69 major junior games with Cedar Rapids. While Francis’ NHL signing rights will lapse on Aug. 15, he’ll still get at least a few games within the Ducks organization.

Back in 2022, the Ducks’ website put together a profile on Francis during a development camp appearance with the club that’s more than worth the read. All of us at PHR wish him health as he takes the next step in his career.

Will Francis To Sign With Gulls

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  • Ducks prospect Will Francis will join AHL San Diego for their stretch run, reports Matt Wellens of the Duluth News-Tribune. The 24-year-old blueliner was a sixth-round pick back in 2019, going 163rd overall.  Francis is a three-time cancer survivor, missing time in three of his four collegiate campaigns at the University of Minnesota-Duluth due to the illness, limiting him to just 39 games overall, five of which came this season.

No Suspension For Trouba; Biakabutuka Reassigned To ECHL

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Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba will not face any supplemental discipline from his hit on St. Louis forward Jordan Kyrou on Sunday, notes Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link).  The hit occurred in the first period and no penalty was assessed on the play while Kyrou remained in the game.  While it looked as if contact was made with Kyrou’s head, the league determined that the head was not the principal point of contact, and Trouba connected with Kyrou’s arm and shoulder as well.

  • The Ducks have reassigned defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka to ECHL Tulsa, per an announcement from their AHL affiliate in San Diego. He was promoted to the Gulls last month, getting into 11 games but with Stian Solberg recently being sent to the AHL, Anaheim decided that they were best off getting Biakabutuka more playing time at the lower level.  The 23-year-old has 15 points in 21 outings with Tulsa and has one year left on this one on his entry-level contract.

Ducks Expected To Reassign Stian Solberg To AHL

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The Ducks are bringing over 2024 first-rounder Stian Solberg from Europe to finish the season stateside, per an announcement from his Swedish Hockey League club, Färjestad BK.

Solberg, a 19-year-old Norwegian defenseman, put pen to paper on his entry-level contract days after he was drafted last summer. He’s expected to report to AHL San Diego for the stretch run – a move the Ducks can only do without Färjestad’s permission since they selected him in the first round.

The 6’2″, 205-lb lefty spent last season playing in the top league in his native Norway, posting 5-10–15 with a plus-two rating in 42 games with Vålerenga. A strong showing at the men’s World Championship against top-flight professional talent rocketed him up draft boards, making him, along with countryman Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, the first Norwegians to be selected in the first round of the NHL draft.

At the beginning of the season, Anaheim loaned Solberg to Färjestad to continue his development in a more familiar Scandinavian setting, although against much stronger competition than he faced in the Norwegian league. The defensive specialist and extremely physically engaged defender has taken the assignment in stride, posting 3-9–12 and a plus-one rating in 47 games for Färjestad. He also posted a pair of assists in three games for Norway at last year’s Olympic qualifiers.

Färjestad’s regular season is over, but they’re set to begin their playoff run in a few days. A reassignment before a player’s European season is over is exceedingly rare, but Färjestad says the Ducks are bringing him over amid a rash of injuries to their defensive complement in San Diego. The Gulls currently have seven defensemen on their roster, but only four are under contract with the Ducks.

His strong adjustment to high-level European pro hockey, plus his NHL-ready frame, should make him a long-shot candidate to crack the Ducks’ opening night roster next season. Solberg’s audition in San Diego over the next few weeks will likely go a long way toward informing Anaheim’s development plan for him.

Ducks Recall Nikita Nesterenko

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With injuries mounting, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled winger Nikita Nesterenko from AHL’s San Diego Gulls, the team announced. He is in the lineup for tonight’s game against the Predators.

This marks the second recall on the year for Nesterenko, 23, who previously registered a goal and an assist during a seven-game stretch earlier this season. In 19 career games with the big club, he has registered three goals and four points.

He has fared much better offensively at the AHL-level, where he has 13 goals and 34 points in 48 games with the Gulls this season, along with 71 points in 118 career AHL games. He’s been particularly hot of late, ranking third among all AHL players in points (19) since the AHL’s all-star break.

The Ducks acquired Nesterenko, defender Andrej Sustr (who never dressed for the Ducks and is now playing overseas) and a 2025 fourth-round selection from the Wild for defenseman John Klingberg in March 2023. Nesterenko was selected by Minnesota in the sixth round (173rd overall) in the 2019 NHL entry draft.

While his recall may be deserving, it also comes with a degree of necessity as forwards Sam Colangelo and Ross Johnston are both out day-to-day with injuries. The 23-year-old Colangelo has scored 6 goals in 20 games this season and his injury comes at a particularly inopportune time, as he scored four goals in his last five games. This included his first career two-goal game at home against the Islanders on March 9. The right-handed winger was selected by Anaheim in the second round of the 2020 draft.

Johnston, a veteran of 245 NHL games, has registered just four points in 45 games on the season. Now in his ninth NHL season and second with Ducks, Johnston has averaged just 8:41 of ice time on the year.

Anaheim Ducks Recall Ville Husso

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For the third time since March 7th, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled goaltender Ville Husso from their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. Despite being involved in a roster move consecutive times since the trade deadline, Husso has yet to make his first appearance with the Ducks.

The first two call-ups were expected, with netminder John Gibson being out with a lower-body injury. However, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reported that Gibson had been medically cleared to return this morning, making this transaction somewhat peculiar. Although Anaheim may want another night of rest for Gibson, one could reasonably assume he could have done that in a backup role behind Lukáš Dostál.

Dostál has already been confirmed as tonight’s starter against the Washington Capitals, so we know that Husso isn’t expected to play. However, as the league’s top-ranked offense, there’s a chance Dostál could be chased at some point during the contest, forcing their hand at playing Husso. This could also be why the Ducks chose Husso as the backup rather than Gibson.

If he plays in tonight’s contest, it will be Husso’s first NHL appearance in about two months. He’s managed a 1-5-2 record in nine games this season, all with the Detroit Red Wings, with a .866 SV% and 3.69 GAA. He’s performed better in the AHL with the Gulls and Grand Rapids Griffins, combining for an 11-5-0 record in 17 games with a .908 SV% and 2.84 GAA.

Ducks Reassign Ville Husso

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  • The Ducks announced they’ve reassigned goaltender Ville Husso to AHL San Diego. The veteran third-stringer, acquired from the Red Wings last month, backed up Lukáš Dostál for the second straight contest in last night’s win over the Islanders while John Gibson remains sidelined with a lower-body issue. They’ve sent him to the minors on off-days during Gibson’s absence, so today’s move isn’t necessarily an indication Gibson will be ready to return when Anaheim hosts the Capitals tomorrow. Husso has yet to play for the Ducks since the swap, but the 30-year-old has a .894 SV%, 3.27 GAA, one shutout, and a 3-1-0 record in four showings for San Diego.

Husso Recalled From San Diego

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  • A day after sending him back to the minors, Anaheim’s AHL affiliate in San Diego announced that the Ducks have once again recalled goaltender Ville Husso to the big club. He was acquired for future considerations last month to add some goalie depth and has a 2.84 GAA along with a .908 SV% in 17 AHL contests this season while compiling a 3.69 GAA and a .866 SV% in nine NHL contests.  Husso is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Minor Transactions: 3/8/25

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The NHL Trade Deadline has finally passed, pulling teams into the late stages of their seasons. The transaction wire has stayed hot as teams continue to sort out their lineups for the remainder of the year. As always, Pro Hockey Rumors will track the minor moves here:

  • The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned goaltender Ville Husso to the AHL. Husso was recalled to be Anaheim’s third-string goalie behind Lukas Dostal and John Gibson on Friday, after news that Gibson had suffered a day-to-day, lower-body injury. Husso has played in three games with the San Diego Gulls since joining Anaheim’s system. He won the first with a 34-save shutout, but split his last two while allowing 10 goals on 59 shots. With this move, Husso will look to build on his 2-1-0 record and .892 save percentage with the Gulls.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have reassigned defenseman Jack St. Ivany. Pittsburgh recalled St. Ivany under emergency conditions and used him as a healthy scratch in Friday’s game against Vegas. He has been a fixture of the minor leagues since November, netting six points, eight penalty minutes, and a minus-two in 21 games. Before that, St. Ivany appeared in 19 NHL games and recorded one assist, 17 penalty minutes, and a minus-three. He could find a tougher time earning another call-up, after Pittsburgh acquired longtime Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins at the deadline. Timmins has eight points in 51 NHL games this season.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have swapped emergency netminders, assigning Arturs Silovs to the minor leagues and utilizing an emergency recall on Nikita Tolopilo. Silovs played in two NHL games in late February. He lost them both while allowing six goals on 56 shots. He’ll return to the minors sporting a dismal .858 save percentage and 1-6-1 record at the NHL level. He’s been far more productive in the AHL, where he has a .906 Sv% and 10-4-0 record. Meanwhile Tolopilo could be in store for his NHL debut after posting a .890 Sv% and 12-14-2 record as the AHL starter in Silovs’ absence. Tolopilo is in just his second season of North American pros after two years in the HockeyAllsvenskan. He posted a .912 Sv% and 39-38-0 record across 79 games in Sweden’s second-tier league.
  • Defenseman Calen Addison has been traded from the Henderson Silver Knights to the Springfield Thunderbirds in exchange for future considerations. Addison played in 49 games and recorded 33 points, 55 penalty minutes, and a minus-24 with Henderson. He is expected to initially report to Springfield’s ECHL affiliate, the Florida Everblades. Addison was once a second-round pick in the NHL Draft and managed a single-season high of 29 points across four NHL seasons. His career totals at the top level stand as 50 points and 96 penalty minutes in 152 games.

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