The Ducks opened the 2026 Rookie Faceoff with a 7-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Tech CU Arena in San Jose, Calif.
The Ducks roster featured 16 Anaheim draft selections, including first-round picks Roger McQueen (10th overall in 2025), Nikita Klepov (15th overall in 2026) and Marcus Nordmark (28th overall in 2026). Eight of Anaheim’s nine 2026 NHL Draft selections appeared in the contest.
The Ducks were led by the coaching staff of the San Diego Gulls, Anaheim’s primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League: Head Coach Dave Manson, Assistant Coaches Kelly Buchberger and SteveMcCarthy, Goaltending Coach Jeff Glass and Video Coordinator Lucas Hurtt.
Cruz Lucius opened the scoring for Anaheim at 8:03 of the first period.
Mathis Preston and Lucas Pettersson recorded assists on the Lucius goal.
Noah Kosick scored his first goal of the tournament (unassisted) at 5:45 of the second period.
Nordmark, Preston, Noah Read and Herman Traff co-led Anaheim with three shots apiece.
Damian Clara started the game for the Ducks, stopping 24 shots in his tournament debut.
Anaheim will wrap up their 2026 Rookie Faceoff schedule vs. the Los Angeles Kings tomorrow, Sunday, Sept. 13 (3 p.m.). The game is available to watch via AnaheimDucks.com and the Honda Center + Ducks app, or listen on Ducks Stream.