“I think you try to make sure there’s a time and a place to apply those things and that’s part of the learning curve with him,” Quenneville said. “He’s not afraid to try things and do things but it has to be respectful with the score, and the time, and the opponent. 

“There’s a place for it and I think he’ll get better as far as recognizing those situations as we go along here. We’re not afraid to point them out, and neither are his teammates or linemates or as a group.”

For the most part, Sennecke has been a revelation this season and is part of a young core that has the future in Anaheim looking extremely bright.  

The Ducks underwent a rebuild after getting to the Western Conference Final in 2017 and then were eliminated in the first round in 2018. They finished sixth in the division last season, 16 points out of a playoff spot. 

Considering nearly half of the players on Anaheim’s current roster are 25 and under, it appears the Ducks are further along in their rebuild than some expected. 

Sennecke is part of a youth movement that also includes forwards Leo Carlsson, 21, Cutter Gauthier, 22, Mason McTavish, 23, Tim Washe, 24, defensemen Olen Zellweger, 22, Pavel Mintyukov, 22, Ian Moore, 24, Jackson LaCombe, 25, Drew Helleson, 25, and goalie Lukas Dostal, 25.

“I think we have a super solid group of young guys and older guys too that blend really well,” Sennecke said. “We play fun hockey together, that’s the best part. I think everyone in here is competitive and we all know each other well and it’s definitely a family atmosphere in here.”

Though Anaheim’s success may be a surprise to some, the feeling heading into the season was that they were ready to make a breakthrough. 

“This has been a good team since training camp and the biggest thing is that we have that belief in ourselves that we’re never out of a game,” Sennecke said. “And I think that shows based on our results and that’s the biggest part of our success.” 

There’s no quit in the Ducks this season, although Quenneville would prefer they get off to better starts.