Player Review: The Call-Ups

The end of the 2019-20 Ducks season was made official when the NHL announced its Return to Play Plan on May 26. Anaheim concluded the season with a 29-33-9 record and 67 points, having played 71 games until the regular season was paused March 12 and eventually deemed completed May 26 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over this offseason we're featuring a different Ducks player in numerical order in our annual player review series highlighting key stats and moments from the past season. You can find published pieces and a full schedule on this landing page.

Gone are the days when recalling a player from the American Hockey League and getting him into town was an all-day ordeal. When the Ducks need reinforcements from their minor league club in San Diego these days, it's a leisurely drive (depending on traffic) up the I-5 freeway, or, if you're Anaheim's head coach Dallas Eakins, a bike ride.

The convenience of having their AHL affiliate within arm's reach works in several ways. If both teams are at home, no flights are needed. Fatigue brought on by a day of flying isn't a factor. Players can arrive fresher, which is always a plus.

With any season comes injuries and illnesses, and the 2019-20 campaign for the Ducks was no different. The Ducks-Gulls shuttle was an active one, and a handful of players saw time between both clubs. We'll start with veteran forward (and Gulls captain) Sam Carrick.

The eight-year pro spent the majority of the season with the Gulls, but also appeared in nine games with the Ducks. Carrick earned two points (1g/1a) during that span, including his first goal as a Duck and first career NHL shorthanded goal. It came on Dec. 21 in a road game against the New York Islanders with the Ducks in the early stages of killing off a two-minute minor. In the video below, Carrick brings the puck close to his body to get it away from Islanders defenseman Devon Toews' stick before sniping it low-blocker on goaltender Semyon Varlamov. His goal gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead in what turned out to be a wild and woolly 6-5 shootout victory for Anaheim.

With the Gulls, Carrick posted 43 points (23g/20a) with a +27 rating in 46 games. He led the Gulls in points, goals, plus-minus, shorthanded goals (4), shots (144), co-led in power-play goals (5), and ranked second in assists (29).

The 28-year-old was set to become an unrestricted free agent but signed a one-year contract extension with the Ducks on May 10.

Like Carrick, Isac Lundestrom played in a handful of games with the Ducks. The 20-year-old center recorded four points (all assists) in 15 games with Anaheim, logging a career-best 19:42 TOI on Dec. 21 at New York (Islanders). Lundestrom's primary assist (a nifty touch-pass) on Rickard Rakell's goal in a game on Jan. 11 at Chicago is worth showing.

Lundestrom has appeared in 15 games in each of the past two seasons and is still in search of his first career NHL goal, but the former first-round pick of the 2018 NHL Draft doesn't turn 21 until Nov. 6, 2020. Lundestrom earned 21 points (6g/15a) in 43 games with the Gulls, ranking tied for second in game-winning tallies (3) and tied for sixth in assists. He potted back-to-back game-winning goals, including his first regular season AHL goal, Nov. 1-2 vs. Colorado, and scored his first career overtime tally with 3.4 remaining on the clock on March 7 at San Jose.

It's hard not to forget Max Comtois' epic debut in the NHL when he scored Video: ANA@NYI: Carrick snaps SHG past Varlamov for lead on Oct. 3 at San Jose, the fastest goal to start an NHL career since 1989. While his sophomore campaign didn't include such theatrics this time around, Comtois still set career highs in goals (5), assists (6), points (11) and games played (29).

What you like to see from the 6-foot-2, 215-pound left wing is his willingness to get into the dirty areas. Several of his goals this season were in and around the crease, as you'll see.

In this one from a game on Oct. 26 at Colorado, not only does he get greasy in the trenches, he scores with his back facing the net.

And there's this one on Dec. 27 vs. Vegas where he sets up shop in front of the goaltender and gets a piece of a point shot to double the lead.

He's also got some soft hands, as you'll see in this game-deciding shootout winner on Dec. 10 at Minnesota.

Comtois had a huge February with the Gulls. He was named the CCM/AHL Player of the Week from Feb. 17-23, posting seven points (5g/2a) in four games, including three GWG. He was also named CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month for February, posting 13 points (8g/5a) in 13 games. He co-led the league in goals and ranked first with four game winners.

Splitting his second pro season with the Ducks and Gulls, forward Kiefer Sherwood began 2019-20 with San Diego, posting 23 points (16g/7a) with a +6 rating in 37 games. He ranked second among the Gulls in goals and co-led in shorthanded points (5, 3g/2a). The Columbus, Ohio native scored three shorthanded goals, tied for second-most in a single season in Gulls history and tied for fourth among league leaders. He also netted nine goals in his final 16 AHL games this past season in addition to 14 goals (and 19 points) in his last 31.

Sherwood finished the season with the Ducks, recording one assist in 10 games. His lone assist, a primary helper, led to Danton Heinen's first goal as a Duck back on Feb. 28 vs. Pittsburgh. One of his great qualities is his excitement whenever a teammate scores, as you can see in the video below.

Josh Mahura had quite the season debut with the Ducks back on Oct. 29 vs. Winnipeg. That night, he tallied three assists to become the sixth rookie in NHL history and the first since 1991 to record three in less than three minutes (2:52) of a single period (Todd Richards, Hartford Mar. 31, 1991 @ Boston, 2:37).

The Ducks won that game, 7-4, and afterwards head coach Dallas Eakins had this to say on the talented young defenseman. "It was great. It was excellent to see him have his head up, he was moving his feet, and he was all over loose pucks. I just thought he had an excellent night and obviously the three points is a great thing, but knowing Josh like I do, he's really happy with the win and more happy with just his overall play."

Mahura would finish the 2019-20 season with four points (1g/3a) in 11 games with Anaheim, including his second career goal on Nov. 12 vs. Detroit.

He had a strong finish to the season with San Diego, posting seven points (1g/6a), including three multi-assist efforts, in his final eight games.