The Anaheim Ducks spent the first month of the season equally torching both scoreboards and expectations. They sit atop the Pacific Division after roughly the first quarter of the season, which is something no one had penciled into a pre-season projection. Their early surge has forced the NHL to have a different conversation about them. It is not whether the Ducks are improved. It is whether this is the moment they become something more than a rebuilding project.
The answer, at least right now, is complicated. The Ducks are ahead of schedule in almost every way, yet they remain a work in progress in ways that matter over 82 games. Their season so far is not a fluke, but it is also not a finished picture. The next quarter will tell us which part of their identity carries more weight.
Anaheim Ducks Quarter Season Analysis: A Hot Start Built on Real Engines
Anaheim reached the quarter pole with a 14-7-1 record. That is not a product of favourable scheduling or percentages. Instead, it reflects a roster that is finally aligned with a coaching staff that lets it play fast, aggressive hockey. Head coach Joel Quenneville leaned into the youth movement, rather than tightening the reins. Consequently, the Ducks have turned transition play into their greatest advantage.
The results have been dramatic. Anaheim opened with a seven-game win streak and reached the top of the NHL scoring race through the first month. They scored seven goals four times, something the franchise had never done in a single season before. Even when the scoring pace cooled, the structure remained intact. Because of that, their place in the standings has not evaporated.
While the NHL adjusts, Anaheim continues to lean into its strength. The system does the same, which is why their early surge feels more sustainable than past short lived spikes.
Young Talent Driving a Real Identity
Leo Carlsson’s leap is the story of Anaheim’s season. He sits inside the league’s top scorers at age twenty and looks every bit like the franchise centre the Ducks hoped he would become. His line drives play in all three zones and turns rush chances into sustained pressure. Moreover, he has already reached the point where defences adjust their coverages just to account for him.
Cutter Gauthier has matched that rise with a relentless shot volume that is rare for a player his age. He leads the Ducks in goals and has become a primary chance generator, both off the rush and on the cycle. Beckett Sennecke has started faster than anyone expected, and his play has given Anaheim a legitimate second scoring wave. Troy Terry, freed from the responsibility of being the sole offensive threat, is producing at a point per game pace with his most efficient underlying metrics since 2022.
Anaheim goal!Scored by Troy Terry with 06:10 remaining in the 2nd period.Assisted by Leo Carlsson and Jackson LaCombe.Anaheim: 3Vegas: 3#VGKvsANA #FlyTogether #VegasBorn
— NHL Goals (@nhlgoals.bsky.social) 2025-11-23T04:41:56.741846Z
The blue line shows similar progression. Jackson LaCombe has grown into a twenty five minute defender. Olen Zellweger is driving play as a rookie, and Jacob Trouba has delivered his most complete hockey in years. Together, they form a mobile and, at times, aggressive group that directs the puck north with far more confidence than the previous few seasons allowed.
Why This Does Not Feel Like a Fluke
Quenneville’s immediate impact sits at the centre of Anaheim’s transformation. Last season’s Ducks were one of the league’s most conservative teams by design. This season’s version could not be more opposite. The coaching staff encourages pace and does not restrict creativity. Because of that, the young core has flourished.
Furthermore, the Ducks are not just relying on talent. They are creating more with less risk, which is a hallmark of teams that understand how to shape games on their terms. Their rush game is among the most dangerous in the West. The forecheck forces turnovers. Their defensive reads remain inconsistent, yet their structure is improving slowly enough that the overall trajectory stays positive.
Because of this, the Ducks are not winning on vibes or luck. They are winning with a recognizable identity that fits their roster and amplifies their strengths.
Results Strong, Process Less Stable
Here is where the story becomes more nuanced. Anaheim’s expected goals against remains among the worst in the NHL. Natural Stat Trick places them near the bottom in xGA. Their scoring chance differential stays slightly negative. Their Fenwick and Corsi shares hover around break even. The defensive zone remains a source of volatility, particularly when the depth is on the ice.
Because of that, projection models cannot agree on who the Ducks really are. Advanced Hockey Stats places them around a 28 percent playoff probability. Evolving Hockey gives them 44 percent. MoneyPuck, meanwhile, landed above 80 percent for most of November. It is a spread that almost no other team in the league shares.
The disagreement tells us something important. Anaheim’s blend of elite finishing talent, high event hockey, improving structure, and imperfect defending makes them one of the hardest teams for models to understand. Their ceiling and floor sit uncomfortably close together, which is why their outlook varies so widely.
Who is Rising and Who Must Catch Up
The quarter season stock report paints a clear picture of where Anaheim stands. Carlsson, Gauthier, Terry, Trouba, Zellweger, and Sennecke are thriving. LaCombe is steady. Dostal is giving them above expected goaltending that stabilises their chaos.
However, several players sit in the category of needing more. Mason McTavish is producing but has room to push higher. Pavel Mintyukov’s recent scratches hint at a player who has not matched last season’s growth. Killorn and Vatrano have yet to find consistent scoring in their reduced roles. Depth centres, while serviceable, continue to get out chanced.
Anaheim can stay competitive with this balance, but they cannot climb another tier without more support behind the headline names.
The Last Word: A Team Becoming Itself
The Ducks are not a finished team, but they are a far more competitive one. Their offence is real. Their goaltending is stabilising. Their young core is ahead of schedule. Their defensive issues are not fatal, but they remain the bottleneck on their ceiling.
Because of that, the next twenty five games will shape the rest of their season. Anaheim must tighten its defensive zone play, raise its penalty killing consistency, and find internal progression among players who have not yet matched the early season surge. If they do those things, they can transform this start into something more significant.
The Ducks have moved beyond the slow rebuild. They have become a team with a clear identity, a talented young core, and a coach who understands how to amplify both. Their rise is real. Now they must decide how long it can last.
Main Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Anaheim goal!Scored by Cutter Gauthier with 01:03 remaining in the OT period.Anaheim: 4Vegas: 3#VGKvsANA #FlyTogether #VegasBorn
— NHL Goals (@nhlgoals.bsky.social) 2025-11-23T05:51:45.160455Z
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