Has Jackson LaCombe's unexpected off-season progression landed him a spot as the Ducks' new number-one defenseman?

One of the biggest pre-season standouts from the Anaheim Ducks 2024 training camp has been sophomore defenseman Jackson LaCombe. 

LaCombe played the final two games of the 2022-23 season for the Ducks after his senior season at the University of Minnesota, where he scored 35 points in 37 games as Minnesota lost in the championship game to Quinnipiac in overtime.

In his rookie season of 2023-24, LaCombe played throughout the lineup and in every situation, scoring 17 points in 71 games and averaging 19:23 TOI.

Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe making strides in first NHL season

LaCombe was selected as a raw, mobile, cerebral defender in the second round (39th overall in 2019) and was seen as a long-term project.

After an admittedly (according to Ducks head coach Greg Cronin) tough year, LaCombe mentally recalibrated in the five months between the end of the 2023-24 season and the start of training camp. 

Cronin admitted to making LaCombe's year tougher on his latest episode of "Behind the Bench" on the Ducks' "Ducks Stream" podcast network with Alexis Downie.

"He's a heck of a player. He just felt that intuitively, he wasn't really an apex predator on the ice," Cronin said of LaCombe. "He was not going to run guys over or initiate contact. Then he went and learned boxing, trying to confront his fear."

"It's such an interesting journey when you do that, the feelings you experience," Cronin continued. "If you can overcome that, it's not about the physical battle. If you can overcome those feelings, the amount of confidence you get is exponential."

LaCombe played 28:41 minutes, 23:47, and 24:44, leading the Ducks in ice time while notching two assists in his three exhibition games, playing on the top power play and penalty kill units. He's been an important piece for the team in the pre-season and has displayed the concepts and standards the team hopes to achieve.

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"I'm lucky enough to play with Jackson, who's up in the play and wanting to be an offensive threat," Ducks new captain Radko Gudas said of his partner in the preseason. "I think we work pretty well with each other."

"He's a different player than he was last year. He looks the same but plays different," Gudas continued. "He looks very, very ready. He looks very manly out there. He makes plays; he's not afraid to play one-on-one with the body. He uses his speed, he uses his skill, so it's fun to see from him. He's playing big minutes, so I think he's going to be a big force for us."

LaCombe had always displayed smooth-skating, puck-moving tendencies, dating back to when he was drafted, along with a quality fundamental defensive framework (gap control, angles, body play). It now appears he's added the necessary strength, tenacity, and competitive drive to his game, making himself a potentially indispensable asset within the Ducks organization moving forward.

"I've really been impressed with LaCombe in the way he skates the puck," Ducks forward Alex Killorn said unprompted. "It's really impressive. He's taken such a step in my mind in this camp."

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The Ducks roster is full and will continue to brim with offensive talent on the blueline in the forms of LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger, Tristan Luneau, and Rodwin Dionicio. LaCombe, being the eldest among them, has a natural leg up at this junction, but if the rest of that group can round out their games the way LaCombe has, the potential of Ducks blueline will shift from daydream to reality.  

"For me, it's just to continue to grow," LaCombe said of building off his pre-season performance. "I think the (coaches) do a great job of letting us play our games and build our confidence, which, for me, is a huge thing. I want to be more aggressive and contribute where I can."

It will be worth monitoring if his role in the pre-season will reflect how the team deploys him to start the 2024-25 season, as LaCombe and the Ducks will play their first regular season game on Oct. 12 in San Jose, where they'll take on Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks.

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