Ducks, Rodwin Dionicio To Terminate Contract
Sep. 9: Unsurprisingly, Dionicio has returned home. He essentially resumed his previous contract with EHC Biel-Bienne, which runs through the 2026-27 campaign, the team announced.
Sep. 3: Dionicio has cleared waivers, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He will now have his contract terminated.
Sep. 2: The Ducks placed defense prospect Rodwin Dionicio on unconditional waivers Tuesday, per PuckPedia. It’s for the purpose of a mutual contract termination, which can occur tomorrow if he clears.
Dionicio, 21, only has one season of professional experience and still had two years left on his entry-level deal, which he signed with Anaheim in May 2024. The Swiss rearguard was a fifth-round pick in 2023 from the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires and had a spectacular final junior season in 2023-24, erupting for 73 points (and 108 PIMs) in just 60 games split between Windsor and Saginaw en route to a Memorial Cup championship.
Things quickly turned sour for Dionicio upon beginning his professional career, though. He struggled to land a regular role for Anaheim’s AHL affiliate in San Diego and managed nine points in 24 games for the Gulls. By the time January rolled around, the Ducks and Dionicio agreed that a return to Europe was in his best interests, and they loaned him to EHC Biel-Bienne of the Swiss National League. He only got into nine regular-season games with the club, recording six assists and a +2 rating.
Given the offensive ceiling he displayed just one year ago, it’s surprising to see him now headed for unrestricted free agency. The Ducks only have 13 other defenders in the organization under contract, so it’s not like there was a huge logjam for him to work through again to win a roster spot in San Diego.
Usually, a mutual termination precipitates a move to Europe. In Dionicio’s case, though, there’s a higher likelihood than normal of someone making a claim and picking up the remainder of his entry-level deal, considering his offensive upside.
Ducks Assign Rodwin Dionicio To Swiss League
It has been an interesting day for Ducks prospect Rodwin Dionicio. Earlier in the day, the AHL revealed that they suspended the defenseman for three games for his actions in San Diego’s game on Wednesday. Soon after, the Gulls announced that they’ve loaned Dionicio to EHC Biel-Bienne in Switzerland. While no timeline for the length of the loan was announced, it’s presumably for the remainder of the season.
Anaheim selected the 20-year-old in the fifth round in 2023 but he has outperformed his draft stock since then. Dionicio was quite productive at the OHL level last season, recording 73 points in 60 games between Windsor and Saginaw while adding 17 points in as many playoff contests. In between, he played a big role for Switzerland at the World Juniors, tallying four points in five games in that event.
Dionicio originally signed a three-year deal with Biel-Bienne but that deal was overridden by Anaheim signing him to an entry-level contract back in May. He had played exclusively with the Gulls this season, picking up five goals and four assists along with 42 penalty minutes in 24 games but he won’t be adding to those numbers now as he’ll return home to play out the season.
Dionicio won’t be able to bypass the AHL suspension overseas as he’ll have to serve his three-game ban whenever he returns to the Gulls. Meanwhile, he will continue to count against Anaheim’s 50-contract limit.
Ducks Sign Rodwin Dionicio To Entry-Level Contract
The Anaheim Ducks have signed defense prospect Rodwin Dionicio to a three-year entry-level contract set to begin next season. Dionicio previously signed a three-year contract with Biel-Bienne of Switzerland’s National League, though he’ll now stay in North America, having earned the first NHL contract of his career.
Dionicio recently wrapped up his third season in the OHL, where he ranked third among all defenders with 73 points in 60 games. It was an electric season, largely thanks to Dionicio being dealt to the Saginaw Spirit at the OHL Trade Deadline. He formed a formidable duo with OHL ‘Defenseman of the Year’ Zayne Parekh – a top 2024 Draft prospect who led defensemen scoring with 96 points in 66 games. Saginaw is now one of the four teams competing in the upcoming 2024 Memorial Cup and could earn an edge over their championship-winning competition thanks to the offensive upside of their defensemen.
Dionicio totaled 154 points through 167 games in the OHL, the 16th-highest point-per-game pace of any OHL defender since 2010. But his strong scoring hasn’t kept Dionicio from criticism. He’s been highly scrutinized throughout his OHL career, with many pointing out concerns about his skating mechanics, defensive positioning, and ability to create outside of his teammates. Dionicio went undrafted in the 2022 Draft in part because of those critiques, though a strong 2022-23 season and 2023 World Juniors performance were enough for Anaheim to draft him in the fifth round of the 2023 Draft.
The critiques have made it hard to gauge just how high Dionicio’s upside could be, though his 17 points in 17 playoff games this season speak to his ability to perform in the clutch. An NHL contract will offer Dionicio with the perfect opportunity to show just how strong of a player he can be. He’ll likely move to the AHL next season, where he’ll join a list of strong Ducks prospects, including defenders Tristan Luneau, Noah Warren, and Tyson Hinds.