In 2011, Matt McIlvane was hired to coach the Danville Dashers of the Federal Hockey League. It was November and by then, he was already the third coach for a team that was still searching for its first victory, having started the season 0-26. Danville’s original coach had been fired and No. 2 was forced to leave because of a head injury he suffered after being accidentally tripped by a player during practice. Yes, it had been that kind of a year. When McIlvane walked in the door, he had no previous head coaching experience and couldn’t even imagine the magnitude of the task that lay in front ..read more

Whether it’s an open management post or a coaching vacancy, breaking down the hiring trends in the NHL feels more like a genealogical exercise. (For example, the oft-cited many branches of the Hartford Whalers family coaching tree.) Familiarity is important: Who rode the bus together from Sudbury, Ontario, to Owen Sound decades ago or how about those friendships forged playing alongside each other in the NHL? These are (some) things to consider as the Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek explores the pool of coaching candidates to fill the vacancy created when he did not bring back Dallas Eakins ..read more

The Ducks just had the worst season in franchise history – and the worst overall in the NHL this past season – and the bad news continued on Monday. They went into the NHL’s annual draft lottery with the best odds to win (25.5%) but the reality was still a three out of four chance that they might not end up with the No. 1 overall draft pick in June. And that’s exactly what happened. The numbers came up for the Chicago Blackhawks who moved up two places to the No. 1 spot. The Ducks slid back to No. 2 and even though they will get an impactful player at that position, the sense is that the ..read more

Brian Burke was general manager in Anaheim the last time the Ducks were seriously in the running for the NHL’s No. 1 overall draft pick. It was back in 2005. Ultimately the Pittsburgh Penguins won the lottery and were able to draft Sidney Crosby, while Anaheim had to settle for the second overall selection and took Bobby Ryan. The Ducks got a productive NHL player in Ryan who went on to play 378 games with them, scoring 289 points. But the Penguins landed a franchise-altering superstar in Crosby, who led them to three Stanley Cup championships and defined the organization for close to two deca ..read more

Matt McIlvane, a winner of multiple championships coaching in Europe, was named Tuesday as coach of the San Diego Gulls, the Ducks’ AHL affiliate. It has been a steady revolving door in San Diego as the 37-year-old McIlvane will be Gulls’ fourth coach in four seasons, following the recently retired Roy Sommer, Joel Bouchard in 2021-22 and Kevin Dineen in 2020-21. The Gulls are coming off a historically bad season (20-49-3), finishing last overall in the 32-team AHL with 43 points. And there was a 20-point gap between the Gulls and their closest competitor in the Pacific Division, the Henderson ..read more

IRVINE — For the Ducks, the page flipped over to the first day of next season on Friday and events took place at warp speed, starting with the end of the Dallas Eakins era. Eakins is out after four seasons as Ducks coach with official word coming down in the morning, less than 12 hours after the completion of their regular season. The Ducks announced they would not renew the coach’s contract. In four seasons, Eakins’ record was 100-147-44, punctuated by this season’s last-place finish in the NHL. They went 23-47-12 and went without a win for nearly a month down the stretch, dropping their fina ..read more

ANAHEIM — A gentleman wearing a Jamie Drysdale Ducks sweater stepped into a nearly full elevator at Honda Center on Thursday night, a half-hour or so before faceoff, and said: “Any Kings’ fans in here willing to guarantee a win tonight?” No, he wasn’t spoiling for a fight. The Columbus Blue Jackets entered the night a point ahead of the Ducks (they beat Pittsburgh), and the Chicago Blackhawks were even with Anaheim (they went to overtime with Philadelphia and picked up a point). A Ducks loss to their historic rivals from up the freeway would secure last place in the league and with it the best ..read more

ANAHEIM — Ideally, Lukas Dostal would be playing games well into the spring at the World Championships, which are scheduled for May 12-28 and co-hosted by Riga, Latvia and Tampere, Finland. The Ducks’ rookie goaltender has answered the call when asked to play internationally for his native Czech Republic at the junior level and made his World Championships debut in May last year for the national team, beating Great Britain, 5-1. It is different a year later. Dostal explained why earlier this week. “I talked about it with (Ducks GM) Pat (Verbeek) a little bit and also with the national team,” D ..read more

IRVINE — In the end, Ducks coach Dallas Eakins simply wants to finish the job that has been started in Anaheim. Eakins will coach his 291st game with the organization against the visiting Kings on Thursday in the regular-season finale for both teams. With the final chapter of this season about to close for the Ducks (23-46-12), there are questions looming about the future of players and coaches on expiring contracts, including Eakins himself. Just when they will be answered is a decision for general manager Pat Verbeek, who is wrapping up his first full season with the Ducks. “It’s as simple a ..read more

Ducks left wing Brock McGinnk, left, takes the puck as Vancouver Canucks center Dakota Joshua falls to the ice during the first period on Tuesday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Ducks center Nikita Nesterenko, right, puts Vancouver Canucks defenseman Cole McWard into the boards during the first period on Tuesday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Vancouver Canucks center Sheldon Dries, right, falls while under pressure from Ducks center Trevor Zegras, left, and right wing Frank Vatrano during the first period on Tuesday night at Honda Center. (AP Ph ..read more