With the trade deadline approaching, there are bound to be some roster spots opening up in Anaheim. Which of the young San Diego Gulls could get the next call?

For the sixth consecutive season, the Anaheim Ducks are among the bottom ten teams in the league standings. Throughout the latter portion of those six years, the team has been in the business of accumulating extra draft capital and developing the players taken with those picks.

Last Tuesday, the Ducks called up 20-year-old AHL All-Star defenseman, Olen Zellweger, to the NHL from the team’s AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. Zellweger averaged 16:19 of TOI in the Ducks’ four games before the NHL All-Star break. First-year AHL head coach, Matt McIlvane, was hired this past offseason and was given a directive with an emphasis on developing the influx of young talent set to make up a sizable portion of the Gulls roster. Early returns on Zellweger are encouraging as he not only looks like he belongs in the NHL, but has made an immediate positive impact.

Olen Zellweger Reassigned to the AHL During the NHL All-Star Break

The NHL trade deadline is just over a month away and judging from the first half of the 2023-24 season, further injuries are all but a certainty. Some Ducks roster spots are seemingly about to be up for grabs. A question one may have is, “Which of the young Gulls could, would, and should receive the next call-up and get a shot in the NHL?”

The Ducks have a couple of pending UFAs on their roster who are likely garnering a lot of attention on the trade market. Versatile forward Adam Henrique and right-shot defenseman, Ilya Lyubushkin are at the top of that list. It can also be speculated that teams are calling Ducks' GM Pat Verbeek about players who aren’t pending UFAs as well, but all indications point toward at least a top-9 forward spot and a spot on the right side of the blueline opening up soon.

Drew Helleson:

There’s only one true option in San Diego to fill a potential void on the right side of the Ducks’ blueline. It’s Helleson. He’s now played 118 games in the AHL since the end of 2021-22 through now and has tallied 7 goals and 21 assists. He’s never going to give a team a shot of adrenaline like an Olen Zellweger-type can. His biggest strength is between his ears. Helleson is a meat and potatoes defender who gaps consistently well, remains on coverage assignments, and makes simple yet effective decisions with the puck.

Nikita Nesterenko:

Nesterenko has been on a tear of late. He’s scored four goals (including a hat trick on Jan. 27 vs the Iowa Wild) and added four assists in his last four games. Nesterenko got a nine-game taste of NHL action to conclude his 2022-23 season after his senior year at Boston College. He’s a crafty forward who thrives with the puck on his stick in transition. He manipulates defenders with his puck skills which gives him space to find a teammate in a dangerous spot or get off his plus shot. He doesn’t need much space to get that release off either.

Pavol Regenda:

Pat Verbeek signed Pavol Regenda out of the Slovakian pro league before the 2022-23 season. He impressed in camp enough to make the opening night roster, played 14 NHL games, and was sent down to the AHL where he’s remained since. Regenda came flying out of the gate this season, scoring 10 goals in his first 15 games. He suffered a lower-body injury that sidelined him for six weeks. He seems to have found his touch again as he’s tallied five goals in his last five games. Regenda seems the perfect fit for how the Ducks are trying to manufacture offense. He is a forward who pressures heavily in the D zone, forechecks efficiently yet effectively, and is as productive as it gets around the net.

Jacob Perreault:

Perreault was having his most productive AHL season to date in 2023-24, scoring 18 points in 24 games before suffering an upper-body injury in late December. He’s played 154 games in the AHL over the last four seasons. There had been a lot of turnover behind the bench over the past four years and Perreault may have felt the effects of that. There’s no denying his offensive skill, stick handling, vision, shot, etc. When he’s firing on all cylinders, there are few more dangerous. He's hopeful to return to full health and the Gulls lineup soon.

Brayden Tracey:

Tracey isn’t filling scoresheets like the forwards mentioned before him with only 17 points in 32 games, but he can positively affect a hockey game in a myriad of ways. He’s a tremendous puck-battler. Despite his slighter build, he’s strong on his edges as well as protecting the puck and tremendous at finding ways to get pucks to the net or on the stick of teammates. A shot from the point is always a dangerous option with Tracey in front of the net, he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure he provides a screen, gets a tip on a puck, or finds a loose puck around the crease.

Probably still a year or two away, but you never know:

Nathan Gaucher, Sasha Pastujov, Tyson Hinds