"We've got a pretty deep roster, so we're going to make some changes," Potvin said after yesterday's game. "We'll meet with the staff and make sure we make the right adjustments there, but for us, I think there's maybe some minor tweaks here and there, but for the most part there's a lot to build off of."
Player to Watch: 2021 first-round draft pick Dylan Guenther, who is expected to be in the lineup for tonight's game. Guenther has been
nothing short of spectacular
since being selected ninth overall by the Coyotes, but the 19-year-old has not played a game since sustaining a lower-body injury with the Edmonton Oil Kings in Game 3 of the WHL Final in June. The Edmonton, Alberta native recorded 45 goals and 46 assists 59 games with the WHL Champion Oil Kings this past season.
A LOOK AT THE DUCKS
Anaheim
lost an overtime thriller
against the host San Jose Sharks yesterday, unable to hang on to a third-period lead en route to the defeat. A pair of 2022 draft picks scored for the Ducks, as forward Nathan Gaucher (First round, 22nd overall) and defenseman Noah Warren (Second round, 42nd overall) both recorded goals.
Anaheim's roster is incredibly deep. It boasts 15 total NHL draft picks, including six from 2022, five from 2021, and five first-round picks overall, highlighted by forward Mason McTavish, who the Ducks selected third overall in 2021. Forwards Jacob Perreault (2020, 27th overall), Brayden Tracey (2019, 29th overall) and the aforementioned Gaucher, along with defenseman Pavel Mintyukov (2022, 10th overall), round out the team's rostered first-rounders.
In all, The Ducks have 11 players on their roster that were selected within the first three rounds of the NHL draft.
Goalie Alexander Gage stopped 28 of 31 shots against the Sharks yesterday, and was selected 148th overall by the Ducks in 2021. He went 18-7-4 with two shutouts and a 2.40 goals-against average with the WHL's Winnipeg ICE last season. Brayden Peters, Anaheim's other netminder who is in San Jose on an invitation, went 21-23-3 with three shutouts and a 2.98 GAA with the WHL's Calgary Hitmen last season.
Player to Watch:Though Anaheim's roster was not yet available prior to publishing, keep an eye on McTavish, who has had quite a year. The dynamic 19-year-old forward appeared in nine NHL games last season, notching two goals and one assist. He also spent time with the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs (40 points in 24 games) and Peterborough Petes (7 points in 5 games), as well as the AHL's San Diego Gulls (2 points in 3 games).
He may be best known, though, for his save-heard-round-the-world with Team Canada in this year's World Junior Championship gold medal game against Finland. McTavish batted the puck -- which was a surefire overtime game-winning goal -- out of midair with his stick, and Canada went on to defeat Finland to earn gold moments later.
Puck Drop is scheduled for 4:30 pm AZ time, and the game can be found streaming
here
.
