Roger McQueen inks an ATO, bringing his rediscovered health and offensive spark to the San Diego Gulls' playoff push.
On Wednesday morning, the Anaheim Ducks announced they’ve signed forward prospect Roger McQueen to an ATO (Amateur Tryout), and he’ll finish the 2025-26 season with the San Diego Gulls in the AHL.
McQueen (10th overall in 2025) finished his Freshman season at Providence College in the NCAA, as Providence was eliminated by Quinnipiac 5-2 in the opening round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on March 26.
As Providence’s top-line center, McQueen (19) scored 27 points (11-16=27) in 36 games, good enough for third on his team in scoring, behind Sophomore Chicago Blackhawks prospect John Mustard and Sophomore Montreal Canadiens prospect Logan Sawyer.
McQueen was widely considered a top-five talent in the 2025 NHL Draft, but a fracture in his vertebrae caused him to miss all but 20 regular season games and three playoff games in his draft year, playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL.
The most significant takeaway from McQueen’s freshman season wasn’t his production or on-ice performance, but the fact that he is 100% healthy, played in all 36 of Providence’s games in 2025-26, and the injury seems out of sight in his rearview mirror.
The transition from the CHL to the NCAA is anything but unsubstantial on its own, but after the lack of games played from McQueen in the season prior, he was always going to have atypical circumstances attached to his adjustment and development.
Providence and head coach Nate Leaman ran a defensive-oriented system, predicated on eliminating the middle of their zone and generating offense from the forecheck and ensuing cycle. It’s one of the more pro-style systems in the NCAA ranks.
Through (roughly) the first third of the season, McQueen went through his expected adjustment period, seemed a step behind with his reads at times, but displayed quality defensive habits in the neutral zone and was a presence on the forecheck.
In the middle third of the season, after having learned the college game and his team’s systems, his production ramped up, as he was finding more pucks in the offensive zone, making deft off-puck reads, displaying his trademark hands in small areas, and finishing on opportunities.
Though his production dropped down the stretch and he only scored four points (3-1=4) in his final 11 games of the season, McQueen found himself driving play on his line with increasing frequency and more involved in transition, with wasted strides few and far between. Though he finished scoreless and shotless in his lone NCAA tournament game, he logged 22:14 TOI while rendering himself increasingly involved offensively, utilizing his hockey IQ, and displaying encouraging dynamism.
McQueen will join a Gulls team with eight regular season games remaining on their schedule (including one on Wednesday) and sitting in seventh place in the Pacific Division, in the midst of a playoff race. The top seven teams in the Pacific qualify for the AHL playoffs.
The Gulls recently lost center Nathan Gaucher (who will make his NHL debut on Wednesday night) to a recall by the Ducks, so a spot down the middle is available for McQueen to easily slot into. He’ll be forced to make yet another adjustment, this time to playing AHL minutes against grown men in a professional environment.
The Gulls can expect him to use his 6-foot-6, 198-pound frame to protect pucks along the walls, cover a surprisingly vast amount of ice with his above-average stride (given his size), and make smart connecting plays for his linemates.
The Ducks have yet to announce an ELC for McQueen, which leaves his NCAA eligibility moving forward a bit murky. It’s unclear at the moment what the future beyond these next eight AHL games (plus playoffs) looks like for McQueen.
However, it could be notable that McQueen marks the fourth draft pick taken in the top ten since Pat Verbeek took over as the Ducks’ general manager. The three previous picks (Pavel Mintyukov, Leo Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke) were each playing full-time NHL minutes in their draft-plus-two seasons, with Carlsson even playing with Anaheim in his draft-plus-one season.