The Ducks' 2025-26 season has been over for just over a month and with the 2026 NHL Entry Draft just around the corner, it feels like a good time to start recapping this past season for each player in the organization.

Today's edition of 'By the Numbers' will feature players who wore Nos. 11-20 this season.

If you missed the previous edition of 'By the Numbers', you can click here to read it.

After getting a good chunk of playing time with the Ducks in 2024-25, there was an expectation that Colangelo would be one of the frontrunners for a depth spot on the NHL roster come 2025-26. He signed a new, two-year deal this past August, broke camp with the Ducks and was in the opening night lineup against the Seattle Kraken, but was a healthy scratch for the next four games. After being re-inserted into the lineup for six games, he was sent down to AHL San Diego. Aside from two separate call-ups with one NHL game apiece, Colangelo spent the rest of the season in the AHL.

Next season may be Colangelo's last shot at a full-time role, at least with the Ducks. He'll be 25 in December, is in the final year of his contract and has just 44 games of NHL experience under his belt. There are a few depth roles that need to be filled, especially if several of the Ducks' pending UFAs are moved on from. Lack of foot speed is an issue that Colangelo has pointed out in the past and hopes to improve. Improvement in that area would help him become a more complete player, as he tends to find the right spots to be in and has scoring prowess, but is sometimes a step slow to get there.

While Nesterenko spent many calendar days with the NHL club, his total number of games played did not increase all that quickly. He played in 29 games over the course of three months and was healthy scratched for almost all of December. He even went on waivers, went unclaimed and was then recalled by the Ducks at one point.

A diligent forechecker, Nesterenko had a career night in the seventh game of the season, putting up four points. He checked more boxes for qualities that Quenneville was looking for in a bottom-6 forward than Colangelo or Ryan Strome and was rewarded with consistent playing time up until December.

Nesterenko will be 25 in September and is also in the final year of his contract after signing a two-year contract last June. He, like Colangelo, will be part of the competition looking to fill out the fringes of the Ducks' 2026-27 roster. He is capable of playing all three forward positions and also had stints on the penalty kill.

Helleson made the switch to No. 14 this past offseason after donning No. 43 for the early stages of his NHL career. When asked about the number switch, Helleson said he wanted to keep the number four in his jersey number somewhere, but also wanted to respect the legacy left by longtime Duck and former teammate Cam Fowler, who wore No. 4 during the 2010s and for much of the 2020s.

Helleson signed a new, two-year contract with the Ducks last summer and began the 2025-26 season as part of the bottom defensive pair alongside Pavel Mintyukov. When Radko Gudas went down with injury early in the season, Helleson jumped up to the top pair alongside Jackson LaCombe. The childhood friends meshed well initially as a pair, but Helleson began to struggle as his ice time increased.

A return to the bottom pairing in January was where Helleson spent most of the rest of the season, save for a couple of stretches where he was a healthy scratch. After Gudas suffered an injury in Game 1 against the Edmonton Oilers, Helleson made his playoff debut alongside rookie Tyson Hinds. The pair played eight games together before Helleson's season came to an end due to a groin strain.

With John Carlson and Jacob Trouba both expected to hit free agency, there is a large hole on the Ducks' right side of defense. The possible departure of Gudas, who is also a pending UFA, could make that hole even larger. As it stands, the Ducks' right-handed defense (if they made zero additions) would consist of Helleson, Ian Moore and Tristan Luneau. That's just 203 combined games of NHL experience. Not quite the seasoned veterans you want if you're planning to make a long playoff run next season.

2025-26 was a difficult season for Strome. He began the season with an oblique injury, which forced him to miss the first month of the season. Subsequently, his injury led to an increased role for Beckett Sennecke, opening the gateway to what became a fantastic rookie season for the 2024 third overall pick.

When Strome returned, he found it difficult to break into the lineup due to Sennecke's emergence and the absence of a defined role. He didn't fit what Quenneville was looking for in his top-6, despite having the vision and passing ability to be a capable playmaker. He also didn't quite have the grit and high-energy level that Quenneville was seeking from his bottom-6 forwards.

A couple of healthy scratches at the beginning of December foreshadowed what the following months would be like for Strome, as he was shifted out wide from his natural center position upon his return to the lineup. Eventually, he became one of the customary healthy scratches on a game-to-game basis.

The lack of production and playing time started to become a focal point. $5 million is a lot of money to have sitting in the press box every night. With the writing seemingly on the wall, Verbeek did Strome right by dealing him to the Calgary Flames for a 2027 seventh-round pick at the trade deadline. This deal opened up cap space and freed up a roster spot for the Ducks and gave the Flames a reliable veteran to help steady their rebuild, a role that Strome embraced when he first came to Anaheim.

While Strome's Ducks career ended unceremoniously, he was a good steward for the team and was never afraid to speak casually about performances, whether individual or team-related. He was one of Verbeek's first free agent signings (alongside longtime friend Frank Vatrano) in the summer of 2022 and helped set the groundwork for where the Ducks are today. 

This upcoming season, Killorn will be entering the final year of a four-year, $25 million contract that he signed in July 2023. Both he and Radko Gudas joined the Ducks organization on the same day. Previously, they were teammates when they entered the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It was clear early on that Killorn's role would be to complement rookie Leo Carlsson, who had just been selected by the Ducks with the second overall pick a week prior. The pair were joined at the hip during training camp, but a finger fracture during one of the Ducks' preseason games ruled Killorn out for the first month of the regular season. Upon his return, he was back on Carlsson's line.

Injuries were the tale of Killorn's debut season with the Ducks as he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery that January to clear out a lingering issue. "It was just painful, and I felt like it was a negative part of my game," Killorn said. "I got it (cleaned up) and now I feel like there's no hindrances."

His role has remained relatively similar as the seasons have passed by. He was the reliable linemate for Cutter Gauthier while he got his feet wet during his first full NHL season, and continued to play alongside Carlsson. His penalty killing acumen has been one of his calling cards since arriving in Anaheim. Head coach Joel Quenneville and assistant coach Ryan McGill leaned on him especially this past season, putting him in a tandem with Ryan Poehling as the top penalty killing unit.

Killorn has not missed a game since that first season with Anaheim, showcasing his durability and endurance. He was one of three Ducks to play in all 82 regular season games this past season. Though he isn't the quickest skater by any means, his intelligence and strength when hanging onto pucks or engaging in board battles make up for his lack of foot speed. He has arguably been Verbeek's best free agent acquisition to date and while his $6.25 million AAV may have been eye-popping initially, he has managed to quell concerns about those numbers.

Terry endured plenty this season, battling through a chronic hip impingement during the second half of the season and into the playoffs. He still managed to put up 57 points in 61 games and just missed out on his fifth consecutive 20-goal season, though he did hit the 50-point plateau for the fifth time in his career.

One of the team's top forwards and a staple on the power play, Terry has become much more of a facilitator over the past few seasons, following his 37-goal breakout in 2021-22. With players like Cutter Gauthier, Beckett Sennecke and Chris Kreider now on the team, there isn't as much of a burden for Terry to be a goalscorer. He does showcase his wicked wrist shot from time to time, with his shooting percentage hovering around 12 percent, feeling more appropriate than his scorching 19.3 percent during his 2021-22 campaign.

On Thursday, the Ducks announced that Terry underwent successful surgery to address his hip impingement and a labral tear. He is expected to be out for five to six months, which means he could be out until December.

Terry's absence provides an opportunity for someone like Colangelo, Nesterenko or even Frank Vatrano, who was on the outskirts at the end of this past season, to step in and make an impact. Terry's scoring gradually decreased as the game progressed, with it clear that his injury was impacting his play. He had strong opening and closing performances against the Oilers, but the injury appeared to be taking its toll against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Hip issues can be tricky, as we saw with former Duck Ryan Kesler about a decade ago. The hope is that this surgery will give Terry a clean bill of health and help him get back to the level of play he was at before the hip impingement became an issue.

Kreider was acquired by the Ducks last June, following another New York Rangers saga that involved forcing out a player via trade. After Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek acquired Trouba from the Rangers in December 2024 following a brief strong-arm discussion with Rangers general manager Chris Drury, he circled back to grab Kreider for minimal cost (prospect Carey Terrance and a third-round pick) several months later.

The bounties were plentiful early and often for Kreider in his first season as a Duck. If he had any issues acclimating to the other end of the coast, it didn't show in his play as he became a mainstay on the top power play unit in his customary netfront position and the ideal complementary piece alongside Leo Carlsson and Terry on the top line. November was by far his most productive month. He scored seven goals and provided five assists with a plus-3 rating. He reached the 20-goal mark for the eighth consecutive season and was one of six Ducks who reached the 50-point threshold.

However, things took a downturn for Kreider once April hit. He registered three points (all assists) in seven games with a plus-0 rating and then had seven points in 12 playoff games. Most of that production came in the series-clinching Game 6 against the Oilers in the first round, when he had a goal and two assists. Outside of that, he had just four points and a minus-3 rating. He was a minus in every game of the second round against the Golden Knights, aside from Game 6. Despite the lack of production, Quenneville opted to stick with Kreider on the top line alongside Carlsson and Terry.

At 35, Kreider isn't getting any younger. But he didn't cost an exorbitant amount and provided secondary scoring. He probably shouldn't be on the top line again next season, but should be on a line with player(s) who can drive play and set up scoring opportunities for him. He is entering the final year of his seven-year, $45.5 million contract this upcoming season.

Kreider is a cerebral player who doesn't need the puck on his stick very long to make an impact. The lulls in his play may be concerning, especially for someone who received a lion's share of playing time at both 5v5 and the power play. After missing a portion of the 2024-25 season with various injuries, Kreider was relatively healthy this past season, save for a bout with hand, foot and mouth disease. A similar season production-wise in 2026-27 would be welcomed; it's just a matter of continuing to find that success in the latter stages of the season.

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