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Drew Helleson

Ducks Recall Jansen Harkins, Drew Helleson

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The Ducks have recalled forward Jansen Harkins and defenseman Drew Helleson from AHL San Diego ahead of Wednesday’s home game against the Golden Knights, Patrick Present of The Hockey News reports.

The moves give Anaheim some necessary reinforcements, especially up front. The team placed Robby Fabbri and Cam Fowler on injured reserve yesterday with lower-body and upper-body injuries, respectively, while also announcing that Mason McTavish was day-to-day with an undisclosed injury and uncertain for tonight’s game. Without Fabbri and McTavish, the Ducks would have only had 11 forwards and six defensemen on hand.

Harkins and Helleson thus come up to fill the two roster spots vacated by Fabbri and Fowler’s IR placements. While Helleson is likely ticketed for the press box, Harkins will likely find himself making his second appearance of the season should McTavish miss the game.

Harkins, 27, signed a two-year, $1.58MM contract with Anaheim in free agency over the summer. Despite inking a one-way contract, though, he failed to make the team out of camp and cleared waivers at the end of the preseason.

He’s been recalled once, recording a shot, hit and block in 10:11 of ice time in an overtime loss against the Avalanche on Oct. 18. The versatile 6’2″ forward has continued to be a high-end point-producer in the AHL – his 17 points (5 G, 12 A) in 11 games for San Diego are tied with Vinnie Hinostroza for the league lead.

Despite producing over a point per game in the AHL over the last three seasons, Harkins still hasn’t had much offensive success in the NHL. The 2015 second-round pick has made 200 career appearances with Anaheim, Pittsburgh and Winnipeg but has only 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points with a -12 rating while averaging just 9:22 per game. Last season, his only one in the Penguins organization, was especially difficult for him. He made 45 appearances but failed to score a goal on 37 shots, only totaling four assists.

Meanwhile, the 23-year-old Helleson will look to play in his first NHL game since the 2022-23 season while Fowler is on the shelf. The 2019 second-rounder has struggled heavily with San Diego this season, though, posting no points and a -5 rating in 12 outings. The 6’3″ right-shot defender scored once and averaged 13:39 per game across three NHL contests two years ago, his only top-level audition to date.

The Ducks’ active roster is now full, although that will likely change this afternoon. Goaltender James Reimer is on waivers and his roster spot will open up, either by virtue of him being claimed or being assigned to San Diego.

Anaheim Ducks Reassign Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Drew Helleson

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The Anaheim Ducks have wrapped up their season, but their AHL affiliate isn’t done quite yet. The San Diego Gulls are receiving some reinforcement from the parent club late in the season. Per a team release, both Benoit-Olivier Groulx and Drew Helleson have been sent down to the Gulls. Unfortunately, not only have the Ducks finished last in the NHL standings, but the Gulls sit at the bottom of the AHL standings as well. They do have two games remaining against the Colorado Eagles this weekend before closing out their regular season schedule.

Groulx was a second-round pick of the Ducks back in 2018. The 23-year-old forward has played most of the past three seasons in the AHL, though he now has 20 NHL games under his belt as well. He has scored one goal and three points with the Ducks, and sits second in points on the Gulls roster this season. His 18 goals and 39 points in 61 games are decent production, but the fact he is second on the team in scoring with those numbers shows why the Gulls are sitting in the cellar of the AHL.

Helleson is a promising defenseman who was a second-round pick of the Ducks in 2019. He turned pro just over a year ago after a stellar NCAA career at Boston College. He is still learning the ropes of the pro game, but has shown he could become a dependable right-shot two-way defender for the Ducks down the road. He scored five goals and 18 points in 63 games for the Gulls this season, and suited up for three NHL games in the past week, scoring his first NHL goal against the Vancouver Canucks while averaging 13:39 per game.

Both players were called up in the past week as a late-season audition which is a good sign that the team thinks they could contribute at the NHL level in 2023-24. The Ducks remain in transition as they try to build a contending team for the future and Groulx and Helleson should get longer looks next season to see if they are capable of being NHL regulars.

Ducks Recall Drew Helleson

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It appears that Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson will have a chance to make his NHL debut tonight against the team that drafted him.  Per the AHL’s transactions log, Anaheim has recalled the blueliner from San Diego.

The 22-year-old was a second-round pick by the Avs (47th overall) back in 2019 but has certainly outperformed his draft stock.  Helleson had a strong three-year career at Boston College while also representing Team USA internationally at both the World Juniors and the Olympics.  That made him the key part of the trade that saw Anaheim send Josh Manson to Colorado last season.

Helleson signed soon after, getting his feet wet in the pros but this has been his first professional campaign.  He hasn’t exactly lit it up like he did in college with just five goals and 13 assists in 63 games.  However, it’s at least worth noting that the Gulls are the lowest-scoring team in the AHL and sit dead last in points with many of Anaheim’s top prospects still at the junior level.

Scott Harrington was a late scratch for Anaheim yesterday in their overtime loss to Arizona, forcing them to play with just five defensemen and 13 forwards while also resulting in Cam Fowler setting the NHL record for most ice time for a player in a regular season game at 38:55.  If Harrington isn’t able to suit up against Colorado, Helleson will be in line to make his debut while allowing the Ducks to get back to a more traditional lineup in the process.

Anaheim Ducks Activate Kevin Shattenkirk

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Good news this evening on the injury front for the struggling Anaheim Ducks, as the team announced it has activated defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk off of injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game in St. Louis against the Blues. As well as activating Shattenkirk, Anaheim has re-assigned defenseman Drew Helleson to the San Diego Gulls, their AHL affiliate. The moves leave Anaheim with 22 players on their roster.

Getting Shattenkirk back into the lineup isn’t exactly a game-breaker for Anaheim, who comes into tonight with a 5-11-1 record, however reinserting the veteran onto a young team should pay some dividends. As the team tries to put their rebuild in the rearview mirror, lead by an exciting young core, players like Shattenkirk will be vital to bring their reliable play and influence the next generation. Still worth noting, the 33-year-old isn’t just a source of veteran leadership, having found new life on the blueline with Anaheim, playing a well-rounded defensive game, as compared to the offensive powerhouse he was in his earlier days.

As for Helleson, who was recalled earlier this week, he’ll have to wait a while longer for his first taste of NHL game action. The 47th overall selection of the 2019 draft by the Colorado Avalanche, Helleson was dealt to Anaheim last season in the deal for Josh Manson. Soon after being dealt, Helleson signed his ELC with Anaheim and made his pro debut with San Diego. In 13 AHL games to start this season, Helleson has a goal and an assist

Anaheim Ducks Make Three Roster Moves

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The Anaheim Ducks have made three roster moves, announcing the recall of defenseman Drew Helleson, the activation of forward Sam Carrick off of the injured non-roster list, and the placement of defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk on injured reserve.

The moves put Helleson in line to potentially make his NHL debut with just 32 professional games on his resume.

Shattenkirk, 33, heads to injured reserve for the first time in his Ducks career. The former All-Star blueliner has been remarkably healthy as a Duck, although he did face significant injury issues as a member of the New York Rangers, issues that contributed to the Rangers’ expensive decision to buy him out of his $6.65MM AAV deal.

Shattenkirk is out with a lower-body injury, and since he last played on 11/9 the Ducks have the opportunity to make his injury reserve placement retroactive to that date.

Shattenkirk’s injury fill-in on the Ducks’ blueline is the 21-year-old Helleson. As mentioned, Helleson doesn’t have an NHL game on his resume, although he has been among the San Diego Gulls’ most heavily-utilized defensemen so far this season.

While Helleson has just two points in AHL 13 games so far this year, Helleson has been a valuable minute-muncher and penalty-killer in San Diego. He could find his way into the Ducks’ lineup if coach Dallas Eakins prefers a more defensively-oriented look to his lineup.

As for Carrick, the 30-year-old veteran has been a member of the Ducks’ organization since the 2016-17 season and spent last season as an NHL regular, the first year in his career where he did so.

Carrick scored 11 goals and 19 points in 64 games last season and won fans over with his physical style, his work ethic, and his ability to pitch in a goal here and there. His activation puts him in line to make his season debut for Anaheim.

Prospect Notes: Helleson, Vlasic, Smilanic

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When Drew Helleson was signed by the Anaheim Ducks just after they acquired his rights, they could have had the entry-level contract kick in right away. That would have meant burning the first season of the three-year deal though, something that the team avoided by having it start in 2022-23. With the deal not kicking in just yet, Helleson will be signing an amateur tryout contract with the San Diego Gulls for the rest of this season, according to Elliott Teaford of the OC Register.

The 20-year-old defenseman is coming off an outstanding season with Boston College and could very well be in the NHL as soon as next year, depending on how his transition to professional hockey goes. He’ll get an early chance to test that transition, and the Gulls need him. At 22-25-2 with 19 games remaining, the team is currently occupying the very last postseason spot in the Pacific Division.

  • Another young defenseman who signed recently is in a very different situation. Alex Vlasic’s entry-level deal kicks in right away, meaning he can get into the Chicago Blackhawks lineup whenever the coaching staff deems him ready. That could even be this weekend, according to head coach Derek King, who spoke to reporters including Scott Powers of The Athletic after today’s practice. Vlasic, who stands 6’6″ and spent the last few seasons as a rock-solid defender for Boston University, was the 43rd overall pick in 2019 and figures to step into a full-time role with the Blackhawks before long.
  • Ty Smilanic, who was part of the Ben Chiarot trade yesterday, is very familiar to the front office of the Montreal Canadiens. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes how Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes, and Martin St. Louis all have kids who played against the Quinnipiac star at one point and pushed hard for him in the trade talks. The 20-year-old Smilanic still needs to be signed before he officially joins the Canadiens’ organization.

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