When the responses to our column at the start of the month asking the public to evaluate (or complain, or maybe even laud) the owners of their favorite teams began to arrive, there was a surprise. Amazingly, given the tenor of emails we’ve received over the last few seasons, not all were devoted to the failures of Angels owner Arte Moreno. Maybe devoted Angel fans have gotten most of their rants out of the way in previous correspondence, or else some are reluctant to pile on in the early stages of what figures to be another season in the depths of the American League West. The Angels and Moren ..read more

The Ducks signed defenseman Rodwin Dionicio to a three-year, entry-level contract on Friday, per a news release from the team. He was a fifth-round pick (129th overall) in last year’s draft as a re-entry selection. He joined goalie Vyacheslav Buteyets (Round 6, No. 178 in 2022) among aspiring Ducks to sign their entry-level deals already this offseason. Dionicio, 20, amassed 73 points in 60 games split between two different Ontario Hockey League clubs this past season. He also notched four points in five games for Switzerland’s Under-20 side at the World Junior Championships. While Dionicio’s ..read more

The Ducks were already set to undergo one of the most stark transformations in the NHL this offseason, beginning Tuesday with changes behind the bench and in the front office. It was announced by the club that assistant coaches Newell Brown and Craig Johnson would not have their contracts renewed, opening the door for new faces to join head coach Greg Cronin and assistant Brent Thompson. Cronin could also have a multitude of new players in his group as the Ducks will be one of the most financially flexible teams in the league this summer. Brown and Johnson were holdovers from the administratio ..read more

What, as a fan, do you want to see from the owner(s) of your favorite team(s)? Is it enough to have a decent hot dog, a reasonably priced seat with good sightlines, a stadium or venue that’s relatively easy to get into and out of? Is concessions variety important to you? What about the in-game experience? Do you want a high-energy atmosphere, or would you prefer that the speakers be turned down a bit – even if it’s only once in a while – so you can hear yourself think or actually, you know, talk to the person next to you without having to scream? Or is it all about winning and nothing else? Do ..read more

The NHL’s draft lottery played out in the way that few NHL seasons ever do: according to the odds. That meant the San Jose Sharks would select first, last year’s No. 1 overall pick owners, the Chicago Blackhawks, would be up second and that the Ducks would slot in third. This year’s most coveted prospect is Boston University freshman Macklin Celebrini. However, the Ducks have never chosen first overall in their 32-year draft history and it will be no different when the two-day draft starts June 28 in Las Vegas. “While it’s disappointing to not win a lottery, we remain in a position to draft on ..read more

In May of 2023, Ducks goaltending coach Sudarshan Maharaj was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given a roughly one in five chance of survival. In May of 2024, the man affectionately known as “Sudsie” had been declared cancer-free. “It’s been an emotional year for my family and me, culminating with the incredible news that I am cancer free,” Maharaj said, in a press release from the Ducks. “There are so many people for me to thank – starting with Henry, Susan and Jillian Samueli, Aaron Teats, Pat Verbeek and the entire Ducks organization. The support I received from around the league is bey ..read more

The NHL draft lottery will be held on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. PT and, for the sixth straight season, the Ducks will be awaiting the draw with bated breath. Of the 16 teams in the lottery, they have the third-best odds (11.5%) of obtaining the No. 1 overall selection in the June 28-29 NHL entry draft. This was the Ducks’ sixth consecutive campaign missing the playoffs and they last won both a postseason game and series in 2017, when they reached the Western Conference finals. They are the only team in the NHL without a postseason victory of any kind since 2018. The Ducks have never picked first ov ..read more

IRVINE — For the Ducks, it was another season of pain, both literal and figurative, as an injury-marred campaign crashed short of the postseason landing strip yet again. But it was also a period of growth, both personal and collective. Though they finished just a tick better than last year’s NHL-worst total of 58 points, new leadership and a youth movement on the roster set a course toward snapping a string of six consecutive non-playoff seasons. “You could throw wins and everything out the window, I think, from the eye test, our team was much more competitive. Our work ethic and our structure ..read more

Ducks right wing Cutter Gauthier skates against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period of their season finale on Thursday night in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker) Trevor Zegras #11 of the Anaheim Ducks takes a shot against Shea Theodore #27 of the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Ducks defeated the Golden Knights 4-1. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) Ducks center Trevor Zegras (11) and Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) vie for the puck during the first period of an NHL ho ..read more

The Ducks’ campaign will end where it began, in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights, but Thursday’s season finale will be remembered more as a commencement than a conclusion. Marquee trade acquisition, World Junior Championships gold medalist, Hobey Baker Award finalist and 2022 lottery pick Cutter Gauthier will arrive in the NHL, making his debut for the Ducks after a season of triumph and tumult for the 20-year-old forward. Gauthier was selected fifth overall in 2022 by the Philadelphia Flyers, but his rising stock after leading Team USA to gold only cemented that he’d be moving on as Phill ..read more