During the same week millions of Americans celebrated Independence Day, 32 young hockey players gathered at Irvine’s Great Park Ice looking to take the next step in their quests for long and fruitful NHL careers.
The Anaheim Ducks’ annual summer development camp, which opened there July 3 and runs through July 7, offers youngsters who have played mostly junior and collegiate hockey a glimpse of life in the big-time while also giving the club’s key decision-makers an up-close look at possible prospects for a much brighter future.
Coming off its worst season in franchise history, one that left them at the very bottom of the NHL overall standings, the Ducks are counting heavily on their collection of talented prospects, many of whom are in town this week.
“We want to make sure we get to know them, start building relationships with these players,” Ducks director of player development Jim Johnson, a former longtime NHL defenseman, told The Epoch Times. “These are the players that are so critical in returning the Ducks to a championship-caliber team. We’re trying to give them the tools and the skills, and the details of the skills, necessary to play at the NHL level.”
The camp is scheduled to conclude with 11:10 a.m. open practices July 7 on Rink 3 and at Five Point Arena at Great Park Ice, with a 3-on-3 scrimmage to follow.
Fans are invited to remain after the scrimmage for a meet-and-greet session featuring autographs and photos with players.
While some players have experienced previous development camps, others are newbies being exposed to the ways of the NHL for the first time. Among the latter group are all nine of the Ducks’ selections from last week’s draft in Nashville, including left winger Nico Myatovic.
“It’s been crazy exciting with everything going on, and it still is now that I got here and I’m at my first development camp,” Myatovic told The Epoch Times. “It’s been awesome.”
Chosen with the initial pick in the second round, No. 33rd overall, following a 30-goal campaign with the Seattle Thunderbirds in the Western Hockey League, the 18-year-old Myatovic said he experienced a gamut of emotions as he quickly transitioned from being drafted to heading for Orange County.
“I was a little nervous for my first [professional] camp, but excited as well,” Myatovic said. “This is where I’ve dreamed of being ever since I was a little kid. Now that the opportunity is here, I was really looking forward to it and trying to make a good first impression.”
In addition to this year’s draft class, which also features highly touted Swedish center Leo Carlsson, the second overall selection, the development-camp roster also includes multiple other players who have enjoyed great success at lower levels.
The Ducks, last season, became the first NHL organization ever to have prospects named defenseman of the year in each of the three Canadian major-junior leagues.
Russian-born Pavel Mintyukov, the 10th overall pick in the 2022 draft, earned that honor in the Ontario Hockey League, while Tristan Luneau and Olen Zellweger followed suit in the Quebec and Western leagues, respectively.
Another 2022 first-round selection, versatile center Nathan Gaucher, meanwhile, recorded 22 goals and 46 points in 44 games while helping the Quebec Remparts to the Quebec league championship, as well as the Memorial Cup, emblematic of major-junior hockey supremacy.
“It was not only a good year for myself, but it was a good year for the team,” Gaucher told The Epoch Times. “We won literally everything. It’s one thing to have a good season personally, but just learning to win, for me, has been huge. It really helped me improve my game, for sure.”
For good measure, Gaucher, Zellweger and another Ducks prospect, defenseman Tyson Hinds, also played on Team Canada’s gold medal-winning entry in the World Junior Championships earlier this year in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Moncton, New Brunswick.
Many of those in camp are destined to spend at least one more season with their respective junior or college teams, but two players actually made cameo appearances with the Ducks near the end of last season.
Winger Nikita Nesterenko played in nine games, and scored his first career goal, and defenseman Jackson LaCombe got into two games. Both had just completed their respective college seasons.
Gaucher, meanwhile, is counting on immediately beginning his professional career. If not with the Ducks, like most first-year pros, he would figure to start in the American League, with Anaheim’s top farm team, the San Diego Gulls.
With an appearance in last year’s development camp already on his resume, Gaucher is certainly among the more experienced players. As such, he has embraced a role as something of a mentor to younger camp participants.
“Make them feel comfortable, so they can play at their best, try their best,” he said. “We’re not here to be shy. We’re here to be teammates one day.”
Like many Ducks fans, Gaucher is very optimistic about the future.
“It’s really exciting. I know this group is maybe going to be built to win the Stanley Cup. This is what we’re trying to accomplish. Even if we’re not here in the beginning, that’s what we’re trying for,” he said.
Evaluation of players won’t occur until rookie and training camps begin in September. Still, Mr. Johnson—the Ducks player development director—general manager Pat Verbeek, new coach Greg Cronin, and the remainder of the Ducks’ hockey-operations staff are keeping close eyes on, well, pretty much everything—and the players know it.
“The on-ice is one part of it, and the off-ice testing as well, but then I think also how you carry yourself around the rink,” Myatovic said. “Your attitude when you come through those doors is a huge part of it, as well.”
In addition to heavy emphasis on skating instruction and off-ice work, physical testing, and medical evaluations, prospects are also receiving leadership training from new Gulls coach Matt McIlvane. The itinerary also includes a cooking workshop and personally tailored nutritional recommendations.
So yes, it’s pretty much all business, but it is also, after all, Southern California.
“This is my first time,” Myatovic said. “It’s pretty cool. I’m from Prince George, British Columbia. It’s a little colder up there.”
