Ian Moore was recalled by the Anaheim Ducks from their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, on Oct. 17, just ahead of their season-long five-game road trip beginning in Chicago and ending in Florida.

Nobody would have been at fault for assuming he’d simply accompany the team on the road, serve solely as a healthy scratch, and fill in if an injury had been sustained on the blueline, acting purely as a “7th defenseman.”

Takeaways from the Ducks 2-1 OT Loss to the Blackhawks

Ducks Altercation with Hurricanes during Thursday's Loss Bodes Well for when They Finally Make the Playoffs

Quack of Dawn: Ducks Morning Report - 10/18/25

Moore and Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville seemed to have other ideas in mind, however, based on how Moore returned to Ducks practice on the 18th.

“I like what I saw from practice today,” Quenneville said before the Ducks flew out. “I think he gives us more options. I think the one thing from him, flexibility-wise, is that he can play both sides. He’s got a good head on his shoulders, and he looked like you could probably use him in a lot of different situations. So it gives us some options when we’re putting our lineup together.”

Upon hearing those remarks from the head coach, it would have been expected for Moore to enter the lineup at some point during the road trip. However, it would not have been expected for Moore to enter the lineup in the way he did on the Ducks’ first game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.

The Ducks elected to deploy an 11/7 lineup: 11 forwards up front and seven defensemen on the backend. 11/7 isn’t anything new and something coaches will turn to every now and then based on roster needs or desire to see different pairs and lines together. The Hawks went 11/7 in this very game due to injuries sustained by their forwards heading in.

Moore found himself totaling 13:32 TOI in his 2025-26 debut, tallying 19 shifts through regulation and OT, and even took multiple shifts as a forward, an unusual and unexpected occurrence to be sure.

What he accomplished in those minutes, especially when he was in his natural position on the blueline, was impressive. When he was on the ice at 5v5, the Ducks generated 69.23% of the shots on goal (9-4), 67.87% of the shot attempts (19-9), and 67.55% of the expected goals (.59-.28).

Moore saw shifts alongside every other Ducks blueliner on the roster and on both his strong and off sides (right and left). In those minutes, he displayed what makes him such an intriguing NHL prospect: well-above-average skating, technically proficient defensive habits, and a capability to involve himself offensively.

Similar to what’s potentially on the horizon with the forward group, anticipating the return of Ryan Strome from injury into a healthy unit, with Moore’s emergence, the blueline could suddenly be crowded with impactful NHL-caliber talent.

How Quenneville and the coaching staff proceed from here regarding how defensemen are deployed will be fascinating to monitor, but the more significant takeaway will be how Moore continues to develop should he consistently receive minutes on this road trip and beyond.

Moore has the toolkit of a potentially high-end modern shutdown defender who could pair very well with a slightly more offensively oriented yet comparably talented skater like Jackson LaCombe, Olen Zellweger, or Pavel Mintyukov in the present or near future. He could even slot in on the left side of someone like Tristan Luneau or Stian Solberg down the road.

As Quenneville stated, Moore gives the Ducks a wide array of options, and none are poor. In his debut, he showed poise, IQ, and inclination to make a positive impact on every shift. The Ducks may be uncovering yet another hidden gem on their blueline, a good problem to have.

Takeaways from the Ducks 4-1 Loss to the Hurricanes

Encouraging and Concerning Trends Have Emerged Through Anaheim Ducks First Three Games of 2025-26