Viel a Vital Part of Anaheim's Early Playoff Success

Typically the hype of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is all about the stars. For this Ducks-Oilers First Round series in particular, the banners and billboards around the arenas, the TV graphics and the social media imagery is filled with guys like Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, Connor McDavid. 

But those close to the game know full well it's the unsung guys that get you through the grind of the postseason. For the Ducks, going back to their Stanley Cup title in 2007, much attention was fittingly placed on the Scott Niedermayers, Teemu Selannes and Chris Prongers of the world. But it was guys like Sammy Pahlsson, Travis Moen and Rob Niedermayer that were just as vital to that incredible run. 

In Anaheim's last extended playoff stretch, which included a seven-game triumph over the Oilers in the Second Round, we remember the stars -- Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler, each playing a major role. But just as crucial were forwards like Jakob Silfverberg and Andrew Cogliano, both of whom provided shutdown defense and timely goals. 

Here in 2026, you could take a walk around Honda Center and you'd be hard-pressed to find fans wearing Jeffrey Viel or Ryan Poehling jerseys, yet they've been a major reason Anaheim holds a 3 games to 1 lead in the series with a critical Game 5 in Edmonton tonight. 

Poehling is more familiar to Ducks fans, having come to Anaheim last summer via a trade that sent the popular Trevor Zegras to Philadelphia and responding with an outstanding season. But Viel has only been with the Ducks for 3 1/2 months after coming over from Boston in exchange for a fourth-round pick on January 16, a deal that is now looking like a steal for Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek.

Ducks fans may not have been certain how to pronounce Viel's surname at first (it's vee-ELL by the way), but they certainly know it after what he's done in these playoffs.

The 29-year-old Viel, along with unsung linemates Tim Washe and Ian Moore, are major factors in the Ducks holding McDavid to just one goal and three assists in this series, after the superstar had a gargantuan 48-90=138 points during the regular season. 

That defensive prowess is critical to a team's success in the postseason, but it doesn't get you on the highlight reels. What does are the timely goals Viel is also providing, including the tying tally in Anaheim's dramatic overtime victory in Game 4. That game was ultimately won by Poehling early in OT with a sharp angle goal that snuck over the stripe by a matter of millimeters, but Viel's goal with 6 1/2 minutes left in the third is the reason Anaheim got there.  

"I'm getting a lot of texts," Viel said after he had big goals in both games at Honda Center. "It's been great. It's an awesome experience, obviously. Living in the moment and focusing on the task at hand."

The undrafted Viel was a late bloomer, having played 349 games in the AHL with the likes of the San Jose Barracuda,  Manitoba Moose and Providence Bruins before becoming a full-time NHLer this season. He has just six goals in 99 NHL regular season contests, but two in four playoff games. He says he never got discouraged after all that time in the minors that his NHL dreams would come to life. 

"I was hoping, obviously that was always the goal," says the native of Rimouski, Quebec (and you can hear a hint of that French-Canadian accent when he speaks). "I think it's just the way I am, I guess. I've always had to fight for what I had and what I gained. And I think it's just the way I grew up with my parents and everything, the way they teach me is just to never give up and to always keep moving forward."

Viel was a goal-scorer in juniors, having potted 33, 35 and 39 in consecutive seasons with Acadie-Bathurst of the QMJHL, leading them to a Memorial Cup in 2018. But at the NHL level, he's had to focus on his checking to earn ice time. 

"Obviously there's different levels and for me, it was just about focusing on how to make it to that level and finding a role," Viel said. "I think that's important for any hockey players to find a role on a team and maybe something that the team lacks and find a way to get in the lineup. And I think that was my way of working for that goal."

You could see the roots as a scorer in Viel's two vital goals in this series. In Game 4 he tied the game by punching in a rebound from the bottom of the left wing circle while tumbling to the ice. Despite not scoring a ton in his NHL tenure, he said with a chuckle, "That's a Jeffrey Viel goal."

Two nights prior he lifted a backhand from almost the exact same spot at Honda Center, which gave the Ducks a crucial two-goal lead with three minutes left in the game. It was redemption for a cross checking penalty Viel took earlier in the period, which led to McDavid's only goal of the series and got Edmonton within one. 

"Obviously it was pretty stressful in the penalty box there," Viel said. "Obviously just the confidence from Q [Ducks coach Joel Quenneville], for putting me back out there after a tough penalty was a good vote of confidence and obviously awesome to get rewarded."

Those are nights Viel dreamed of in Anaheim when Boston decided to part ways and deal him to the Ducks. He says when he learned of the trade, "I was pumped, especially seeing the talent that was here and the exciting groove that was here. And I think right from the start, I kind of fit in right away. They've been great, just making me feel comfortable right from the start. And yeah, it's been awesome."

Viel knows full well the job's not close to finished, especially with a Game 5 tonight in an undoubtedly hostile Rogers Place in Edmonton. "We're a young team, but I think we've shown a lot of maturity in our game and just being able to stay calm in pressure moments," Viel said. "I think we've done it all season coming back from games and I think we've just been able to keep building on that in the playoffs."

No matter what happens next, Viel is soaking up every moment. "It's been great obviously with just the two buildings that have been pretty loud. So it's definitely been an awesome experience."