ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Anaheim Ducks have been a national storyline in the first quarter of the season because of their surprising rise to the top of the Pacific Division.

A 13-7-1 record, which included a seven-game winning streak, opened eyes. Their high-octane offense, which for much of the early portion led the NHL in goals per game, has turned heads. Has this leap come too soon, too fast, though?

“Really, I think a little bit ahead of where I envisioned it, but I’ll take it,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said this week on the team’s television broadcast.

The Ducks are being taken more seriously, but their wings have been clipped a bit. After the winning streak, they have four regulation losses in their last six games. The goals aren’t coming as easily as they did early, as Anaheim has netted only 16 in the last six games. So far, the Ducks are 1-5-1 when they score two or fewer in regulation, and they still need to tighten their defense, because they’re ranked 31st in expected goals allowed.

Still, the Ducks have come into the light, and Troy Terry is soaking it in. The winger, now in his ninth season and his fifth as an everyday player, believes this early success is more sustainable than in recent seasons when the Ducks enjoyed brief bursts of success.

“I think, if anything, we’ve just underperformed in the past,” Terry told The Athletic on Thursday. “It doesn’t feel like that here. It feels like this is where we should be and the team that we should be. Obviously, it’s been a big jump from the previous years, and we can’t be satisfied with that. In years past, we would have a good run or two and it’d be like, ‘Whoa, I don’t know if we can sustain it.’ But this year, it feels like we should win every game (we play) that night.

“I think this next stretch is huge for us. Just showing that it wasn’t just a good start and this is where we belong.”

✂️🦁

Cutter and Leo are in the company of legends! #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/NZi7jf3a4D

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) November 20, 2025

It’s not all happy news. Defenseman Pavel Mintyukov’s future with the team is in question because he has been a healthy scratch for the last three games. The Ducks don’t have interest in trading Mintyukov, their top pick in the 2022 draft (No. 10), and aren’t eager to move him when his value is low. An injury can occur, or another path back to the lineup could open. First-year coach Joel Quenneville said Mintyukov could get a turn again soon, but it is a situation worth monitoring.

Also worth monitoring is how this roster is performing. It’s a perfect time to take stock of what individuals have done. (Some data provided by Natural Stat Trick and Evolving-Hockey).

Stock way up

Leo Carlsson, Lukáš Dostál, Cutter Gauthier, Chris Kreider, Beckett Sennecke, Troy Terry, Jacob Trouba

Patrick Kane made an impact early in his career but didn’t truly take off until his third year under Quenneville in Chicago. Carlsson is engineering a similar breakout. The 20-year-old center snapped a three-game pointless streak with an assist on Wednesday, but he was on a tear before that. He had nine goals and 20 points over an 11-game streak, moving him into the league’s top 10 in scoring. The franchise center the Ducks imagined on his 2023 draft day is here.

At 25, Dostál is moving into the elite class of goalies. His .904 save percentage and 2.81 goals-against average do not scream elite. The 10 goals saved above average figure, per MoneyPuck, does illustrate how his netminding allows Anaheim to trade chances and play run-and-gun hockey. Gauthier, 21, leads the Ducks with 12 goals. It’s not because of a ridiculously high shooting percentage, though. It’s the volume: He led the NHL with 91 shots on goal entering Friday. He is also becoming a terrific play-driver, showing more offensively than what he generates off the rush.

Kreider couldn’t have had a better start to his Ducks career. The 34-year-old winger scored twice in back-to-back games in the first week. A viral infection knocked him out for four games, but he jumped back in and scored five times during a four-game goal streak. Five of his 10 goals have come on the power play.

🚨 Mac-T 🚨

Kreider with the sauce and we lead 2-1! #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/6Mcs3iZZyC

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) November 21, 2025

Sennecke, 19, grabbed a second-line spot and hasn’t given it up. His goal on Thursday was his seventh, tying him for the league’s rookie goals and points (15) lead. He can still stand to iron out the defensive mistakes and bad penalties taken.

After a couple of seasons treading water, Terry is thriving with more offensive talent around him. Still one of the better two-way forwards for the Ducks, the 27-year-old winger is averaging a point per game for the first time and is in position to have 30 assists by midseason (his season high is 38). Trouba, 31, has apparently found the fountain of youth. Or he’s unburdened from playing in New York. He’s playing to a 20-10 edge in five-on-five goals, blocking shots and shocking everyone with 12 points in 21 games.

Stock up

Ross Johnston, Ian Moore, Nikita Nesterenko, Ryan Strome, Olen Zellweger

Johnston might have been seen as headed for a part-time role when the Ducks started the season. Instead, the 31-year-old has been in every game but one and has made a difference on the forecheck, creating some scoring chances. He’s been on the ice for nine five-on-five goals, an impressive number for his ice time (8:59 average). Moore is among the Ducks’ numerous early success stories. The 23-year-old came up from AHL San Diego and has stayed in the lineup since Oct. 25. His metrics have been strong across the board.

Nesterenko had the highlight of a four-assist game on Oct. 23 in Boston. More than that, the 24-year-old left wing has carved out an every-game bottom-six role with his skating and puck management. There was hesitation in grading Strome after just five games. It seemed like he might not have a spot when he started late after dealing with an upper-body injury, but he’s got a goal and two assists upon his return. He has added to their depth. Zellweger, 22, has solidified himself on the second pairing, forming a strong union with Trouba. With him, the Ducks have another defender beyond Jackson LaCombe who can transport the puck.

Stock flat

Radko Gudas, Jackson LaCombe, Jansen Harkins, Drew Helleson, Mason McTavish, Ryan Poehling

A lower-body injury put Gudas out for 11 games, but the captain returned on Monday against Utah, and he contributed a goal and a plus-3 rating in 15:11 on Wednesday against Boston. The scoring chances haven’t been in his favor, but the third-pairing role is a good spot for him in their defense mix. LaCombe isn’t playing badly by any means. He’s eating up the ice time (his team-leading 25:00 is sixth in the NHL) and has been key to their dangerous transition game. The offensive production isn’t there like usual, but it feels like more is coming.

Harkins, 28, has stepped in and helped fill holes at center that injuries created. He is winning faceoffs (52.9 percent) and has chipped in a couple of goals in his 10 games. The Ducks are getting out-chanced badly when he’s on the ice, though. Helleson, 24, has become the right-shot complement to LaCombe. The numbers do point to him benefiting from playing with Anaheim’s No. 1 defenseman, though it’s interesting that he’s been on the ice for 12 goals against (and eight for) in five-on-five play but has a 5-4 edge apart from LaCombe.

McTavish had a strong two-assist night on Wednesday and snapped a seven-game goal drought on Thursday. He is on a 55-point pace that would edge out last season, but he’s also only found the net four times. It feels like there is more that the 2C can tap into, but he has fronted a productive “kid” line that has won its five-on-five minutes. Poehling, 26, has missed the last five games. He has been better at faceoffs in the past, but has otherwise fit in as expected. His skating and length were welcomed on a penalty kill that has upped its aggressiveness.

Stock down

Mikael Granlund, Alex Killorn, Pavel Mintyukov, Petr Mrázek

Granlund is only here because of a nagging lower-body injury that has kept him out of 11 of the last 12 games. His stock can rise if he’s healthy enough to stay in the lineup and provide the versatility the Ducks wanted when they signed him. He has nine points in his nine games this season, including a five-point game in Boston that tied a team record. Killorn has just one goal after being a consistent double-digit scorer throughout his career. The 36-year-old third-line winger isn’t in as many offensive opportunities, but he usually provides solid minutes.

Mintyukov is part is a deep blue line. LaCombe and Zellweger have passed him on the left side, while Moore is deserving of quality minutes. All three have been better. Mintyukov should be crushing easier minutes, but his defensive metrics show regression from last season. Mrázek has won three of his five starts. His 3.60 goals-against average is bad, but it reflects his two ugly outings to open the season more than the last three, in which he stopped 86 of 94 shots (.915).

Stock way down

Frank Vatrano

This is a tough placement for Vatrano, who is a lineup fixture, but a reunion with Quenneville has seen Vatrano enter a depth role, rather than the featured role he had in his first three Anaheim seasons. The 31-year-old dropped to the fourth line for a sizable stint but has reunited with Strome and Killorn on the right wing. Some of that reflects a deeper team and the rise of Anaheim’s youngsters. Vatrano has only two goals and an assist, and is playing five minutes fewer per game on average. He can improve his defensive numbers until more offensive opportunities come back his way.