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. 61-70 this season.

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

In his sophomore season, Gauthier was one of the Ducks' best offensive players. He hit the 30 and 40-goal thresholds for the first time in his pro career and led the team in both goals (41) and points (69). He would likely have hit the 70-point mark if not for an upper-body injury that he suffered towards the end of the regular season. Gauthier missed five games with the injury before returning for the final five games of the regular season.

After a quiet playoff debut in which he went scoreless and finished the game with a minus-1 rating, head coach Joel Quenneville swapped Gauthier and Chris Kreider, elevating the former to the top line alongside Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry. Gauthier responded with a three-point night, which included the eventual game-winning goal. Quenneville continued to run this line for the rest of their playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers before reverting to the Kreider-Carlsson-Terry top line for the start of their series against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Gauthier again struggled to find a foothold on things early in the series before posting multi-point efforts in Games 4 and 5, showing good chemistry with linemate Mason McTavish. He also showed good vision in the offensive zone, using the threat of his lethal spot to create pockets of open space for his teammates in prime scoring positions. Once the Ducks were eliminated, it was revealed that Gauthier was playing with two fractured vertebrae.

With Gauthier entering this summer as a pending RFA, the expectation is that he and the Ducks will agree to a long-term deal. He's part of the young core that they envision having for a long time, which includes Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke and Jackson LaCombe. General manager Pat Verbeek isn't very proactive when it comes to getting some of his young players tied down. Contract discussions with RFAs Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale lingered into training camp in 2023 and the same situation occurred last September with Mason McTavish. Verbeek did sign LaCombe to a long-term extension last fall, but opted to let the year play out for both Gauthier and Carlsson.

Once Gauthier is signed long-term, he will be relied upon as one of the team's top offensive talents who can be one of the leaders for the young core. His quotes during media scrums are always polished and composed and he is rarely shaken by anything that is said or done to him on the ice. With Troy Terry likely out until December due to hip impingement surgery, Gauthier will be relied on even more to carry the load in his absence.

After playing in the USHL during the 2024-25 season, Allain-Samaké made the move to the NCAA in 2025-26. He committed to UConn and began the season as part of the bottom defensive pair, competing for ice time as a true freshman.

Allain-Samaké played in 38 games during his first collegiate season, putting up 10 points. He was joined at UConn by fellow Ducks prospect Alex Blais, who also played in his first collegiate season after several seasons in the QMJHL with Rimouski Océanic. The pair helped UConn to a 19-12-1 record and made it all the way to the Hockey East championship, where they lost to Merrimack. Their hopes of winning the NCAA tournament would also come to an end several days later at the hands of Michigan State.

A continued focus for Allain-Samaké will be to get stronger and improve his two-way game. His offensive game could use a bit more work, especially his shot, which was critiqued coming out of the draft. He failed to score a goal during his freshman season.

Heading into his sophomore season, Allain-Samaké will be relied upon more after the departures of Viking Gustafsson Nyberg and Thomas Messineo. Midway through the 2025-26 season, the left-handed Allain-Samaké was even playing on his off-side on the top defensive pair next to Gustafsson Nyberg. With the abundance of left-handed defensemen that the Ducks currently have, added versatility could give Allain-Samaké an edge as he continues to develop his skills at the collegiate level.

If there's one thing Smith likes to do, it's drop the gloves. He's fought at every single rookie tournament he's been a part of since being drafted by the Ducks in 2023 and dropped the gloves at this past year's tournament, making him 5-for-5 in rookie tourney fights.

He's a big, physical presence on the blue line, which can be a double-edged sword at times. While he's known to throw the body around and has worked to improve his skating over the years, his gap control needs work and his skating needs to further improve in order to become a capable defender.

Smith spent most of the 2025-26 season in the ECHL with the Tulsa Oilers, appearing in 38 games and putting up nine points. When he was recalled to the AHL with the San Diego Gulls, he mostly served as defensive depth, playing in just 13 games.

The attributes that Smith possesses are very much ones that Verbeek and the rest of his scouting department value, enough so that they decided to select Smith in the fourth round. But he is still a bit of a project and needs further refinement. There could be an opportunity for more playing time in the AHL next season with Tyson Hinds likely up with the Ducks and AHL veteran Nik Brouillard currently without a contract.

Granlund joined the organization on a three-year deal, signing with the Ducks on July 1 of last year. He played his role well as a veteran who could provide leadership and depth scoring. Quenneville had no issue deploying Granlund in any type of situation, whether it was to kill a penalty, defend a late lead or play wing on the top line in a pinch.

Perhaps one of the only drawbacks in Granlund's maiden season with the Ducks was how little he played. He missed 24 games due to a recurring lower-body injury that occurred in October and an upper-body injury that he suffered at the Winter Olympics while playing for Finland.

But Granlund was healthy for the playoffs and finished the postseason as one of the Ducks' top performers with 10 points in 12 games. Shortly after the Ducks were eliminated, Granlund joined up with Finland at the IIHF World Championship and had six points in seven games, helping Finland win gold. He had just captained Finland to a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics a few months prior.

Initially viewed as someone who could rotate between center and wing depending on how Mason McTavish progressed during the first year of his new six-year, $42 million contract, Granlund spent most of the season as the Ducks' 2C while McTavish struggled to perform consistently. With the plethora of trade rumors that have arisen recently regarding McTavish, Granlund may begin the 2026-27 season as the Ducks' 2C once again.

Trouba appeared reinvigorated in 2025-26, posting the highest points total of his career since 2022-23. He was acquired from the New York Rangers in December 2024 and has now played in 134 regular season games for the Ducks since then. He spent most of this past season on the top defensive pairing with Jackson LaCombe after beginning the season as Olen Zellweger's defensive partner. Trouba also logged heavy minutes on the penalty kill and was often entrusted by Quenneville to help defend late-game leads. Prior to John Carlson's arrival, he also saw time on the second power play unit.

A pending UFA for the first time in his career, it's possible that Trouba has priced himself out of general manager Pat Verbeek's ideal price range. During his exit interview, Trouba said that there were preliminary discussions about a contract extension around the trade deadline, but that the discussions "didn't get very far". With Carlson already expected to depart, it's possible that Trouba and captain Radko Gudas could also be hitting the open market. Darren Raddysh, who would have been the top UFA defenseman option, is no longer available after being signed and traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on June 19.

Letting all three defensemen walk would be a surprising move for Verbeek, who doesn't have many experienced options on the depth chart. But Carlson and Trouba could command big numbers in a weak free agent market, and both would be foolish to not see what's out there for them. Interest has also picked up for Gudas, who could be an option for a team looking for more physicality on the backend.

Whether he stays or leaves, Trouba has made it known that he is very appreciative of what the Ducks have done for him. After being essentially forced out of New York by Rangers general manager Chris Drury, he found a landing spot in Anaheim and helped lead them to their first playoff berth this past season, their first since 2018. 

While he didn't quite reach the offensive heights in 2025-26 that he did in 2024-25, Luneau was still one of the Gulls' best players. He logged heavy minutes as part of the top defensive pairing and power play complement and was rewarded at the end of the season with a brief call-up to the NHL, making it three consecutive seasons that he's gotten NHL action.

It's difficult to imagine Luneau being in the AHL for a third consecutive season. He's now 22 and has vastly improved his game from when he first made his NHL debut in 2023. The muscle that he's put on over the past few seasons should help him fare better against NHL players than he has in the past, and his skating allows him to find exits efficiently in the defensive zone and activate offensively when called upon. With the Ducks' three most experienced right-handed shots on the blue line all expected to hit free agency, there is a big opportunity for Luneau to grasp.

What a season it was for Clara. He returned to Brynäs in the SHL after bouncing around the SHL, Finnish Liiga and the AHL in 2024-25. He was Brynäs' unquestioned starter after failing to break through as the starter with Färjestad the previous season. He appeared in 33 games for Brynäs, sporting a 17-15-0 record with a .887 SV% and 2.52 GAA. They would fall to Växjo in five games in the quarter finals, with Clara appearing in two games. He had a 1-1-0 record with a .865 SV% and 2.38 GAA.

Following the conclusion of the SHL season, Clara made the trip across the Atlantic to join up with the Gulls. He appeared in three regular season games, winning one and losing two, and had an. 868 SV% and 4.04 GAA. With usual starter Calle Clang suffering an injury late in the regular season, Clara was called upon to start the Gulls Calder Cup Playoffs series against the Colorado Eagles. There was only so much Clara could do against a powerhouse Eagles team as the Gulls were swept in the three-game series. Clara finished the series with a .877 SV% and 3.57.

But Clara's best performance in 2025-26 came on the international stage. With his home country, Italy, playing host to the 2026 Winter Olympics, he took charge as their No. 1 goaltender. Clara made an eye-popping 46 saves in Italy's first game against Sweden before departing due to a cramp. He played reliever to Davide Fadani in their second game against Slovakia before returning to the starter's crease for their third game against Finland. While he was also pulled for Fadani, it was more so head coach Jukka Jalonen giving Clara a break after stopping 32 of 38 shots after two periods.

Following the conclusion of the AHL season, Clara spent time with the Ducks during their playoff run as one of their Black Aces. He acted as the third goaltender behind Lukáš Dostál and Ville Husso, and even partook in a couple of practices along the way. Clara then represented Italy again at the World Championship, starting all three of their games and finishing the tournament with a .921 SV% and 3.35 GAA.

Clara will be with the Gulls for the 2026-27 season, competing with Tomáš Suchánek for the starting job. The Ducks hold Clara in high regard; it's why they went out and selected him in the second round of the 2023 draft despite the chance that he could have been available in a later round. His 6-foot-6 frame gives him more than capable vision to see over and around screens, with lateral movement and anticipation being areas that he needs to improve in.

As mentioned above, Blais made the move to the NCAA after several seasons in the CHL. A couple of Ducks draft picks in the same class have also done the same in Maxim Massé and Tarin Smith.

Blais said the move was facilitated in order to play against bigger, older players. At 5-foot-10, he doesn't have the biggest stature. Improving his skating is also another area that he said he wanted to focus on heading into his first collegiate season. Despite his size, Blais isn't afraid to get to the dirty areas of the ice and uses his playmaking abilities to find teammates after recovering or retrieving pucks. As a smaller player, improving his skating will be paramount to ensuring that he can turn into an NHLer.

As a freshman, Blais put up 19 points in 38 games, mostly in a middle-6 role. His 19 points put him just outside the top-5 in scoring among all UConn skaters in 2025-26. Blais can play down the middle or on the wing, but spent most of the 2025-26 season as a wing after doing the same for the Océanic in 2024-25. He'll have a bigger role next season with the departures of Ryan Tattle, Jake Richard and Tabor Heaslip.

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