On Tuesday, a pair of teenagers made their NHL debuts on the same night for the Pittsburgh Penguins, which was something that hadn't happened since 2006.

And one of the rookies made history in a different way as well. 

19-year-old defenseman Harrison Brunicke - one of the Penguins' top prospects - became the first skater born in South Africa to play in an NHL game. The only other player in NHL history from South Africa to take the ice was goaltender Olaf Kolzig, who was the longtime netminder for the Washington Capitals in the 1990s and early 2000s. 

Harrison Brunicke makes history on opening night! 🇿🇦 #NHLFaceOff

📺: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/m0LyTCIwdfpic.twitter.com/UN3NiOGQiw

— NHL (@NHL) October 8, 2025

The 6-foot-3, 201-pound rookie blueliner, like Kolzig, was born in Johannesburg, RSA. Brunicke's parents, Kim and Dean, grew up in South Africa and relocated to Canada when Brunicke was young. He picked up hockey once they moved, and the rest is history. 

Brunicke - selected 44th overall by the Penguins in 2024 - was invited to Team Canada's World Junior camp last season, but a broken wrist sustained last November kept him from participating and, ultimately, representing Canada at the 2025 World Junior Championship. He and Ben Kindel, 18, both made the Penguins' NHL roster out of training camp and debuted in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the New York Rangers, and Brunicke is fighting to stick around the NHL for good with the big club. 

In 41 games for the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL last season, Brunicke registered five goals and 30 points. 

Penguins Play Clinical Road Game, Shut Out Rangers, 3-0 There were a lot of storylines heading into the Pittsburgh Penguins' season opener against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

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Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs got the nod over Tristan Jarry for Tuesday's opening-night game against the New York Rangers and didn't disappoint.

Silovs, who was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks for forward Chase Stillman and a 2027 fourth-round pick in July, stopped all 25 shots he faced in the Penguins' 3-0 shutout victory over the Rangers. His glove-hand looked a little shaky at the start of the game, but once he settled in, it was smooth sailing the rest of the way, saving 2.5 goals above expected. 

The decision to start Silovs came as a little bit of a surprise since Jarry was the slight favorite to start going into the game, but head coach Dan Muse wanted to reward Silovs for his strong training camp and preseason. Silovs responded with a great effort and became the second goalie in franchise history to pitch a shutout in his first start with the team. It was also his first career regular-season shutout in the NHL. 

Silovs was over the moon about his performance during a post-game interview with SportsNet Pittsburgh's Hailey Hunter.

"I mean, it's great. Guys competed, so many great blocks, great individual effort," Silovs said. "You know, it's like team effort, and I felt comfortable. The guys did a good job, and the result showed us."

You are ✨ formally ✨ invited to the Arty Party 🥳@TheHaileyHunter caught up with Arturs Silovs after his shutout win over the Rangers! pic.twitter.com/45w6lkWkPA

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) October 8, 2025

Muse spoke about Silovs after Wednesday's practice and was also impressed with his performance during Tuesday's game.

"He showed it yesterday," Muse said. "He’s gained some really good experiences in his career so far, and he’s obviously still a relatively young guy, and I think those things all stack up. To have that run that he had last year and then to have the playoffs before, and you also look at some of the different experiences that he has had in international play, he's not that old. So, he's got all these things already, and you own those now. You own those experiences and you carry them with you." 

"So, now you go into a new experience there to get the game one start on the road at Madison Square Garden. I thought you saw that poise, and he made some big saves early, too. I always feel like with guys, that sometimes that can help somebody into a game a little bit. It's not by design that we were killing a penalty with a minute to go, but those things happen.  The guys did a great job, but he had to come up there with some saves, and I thought he was really able to build off that start and obviously carry it through the entire game."

'We View Him As A Responsible Player': Penguins' Top Winger Embracing New RoleWhen Pittsburgh Penguins' winger Rickard Rakell came into training camp this season, he was doing it on the back of a career year that saw him register 35 goals and 70 points.

Silovs has more than earned the start for Thursday's home-opener against the New York Islanders, and if he also plays well in that game (assuming Muse gives him the nod), he could also start Saturday's game against the Rangers at home. It would send a message to Jarry that the 1A goaltender spot is wide open this season. 

Jarry came into training camp and the preseason as a slight favorite for that spot, but after giving up three goals on 19 shots during the Penguins' last preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres, Muse opted to go with Silovs, who was the second-best goaltender during camp. 

He came into camp riding a lot of momentum from last season, guiding the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks to the Calder Cup. He was the MVP of the Calder Cup Playoffs, winning 16 games and finishing with a 2.01 goals against average and a .931 save percentage. Before that, he started for the Canucks in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs and helped them reach Game 7 of the second round against the Edmonton Oilers, but they ultimately fell. 

Silovs has the talent, but he just has to bring it on a consistent basis. Tuesday was a good first step in that direction.

Puck drop for Thursday's home-opener against the Islanders will be at 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. The Penguins lost three of the four meetings against them last year and have lost seven of their last 10 against them overall. 

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When Pittsburgh Penguins' winger Rickard Rakell came into training camp this season, he was doing it on the back of a career year that saw him register 35 goals and 70 points.

More than likely, he expected to be seeing more time alongside Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin and a solidified role on the power play. What he probably did not expect, however, was to be put into a somewhat unfamiliar role. 

Since the beginning of camp, Rakell has regularly been deployed on the Penguins' penalty kill unit, which is something he hasn't done a lot over the course of his 14-year NHL career. According to MoneyPuck, going into this season, Rakell had only played 84 total minutes shorthanded, with 67 of those minutes being compiled over two consecutive seasons from 2018-20 with the Anaheim Ducks.

Until Tuesday's season-opening 3-0 win against the New York Rangers, Rakell had not recorded a minute of shorthanded regular season ice time with the Penguins. It may be pretty uncharted territory for the 32-year-old veteran, but he feels like it's going pretty well so far.

"I mean, so far, I haven't been on for a goal yet," Rakell smiled. "So, obviously, I feel good about that."

Part of new head coach Dan Muse's philosophy with the penalty kill seems to be using regular power play forwards on the units, which includes guys like Rakell and Bryan Rust, who is currently out with an upper-body injury but skated with the team Wednesday. Muse believes that using power play players in shorthanded situations can be advantageous for a lot of reasons - especially since there is a factor of predictability for them.

Rakell agrees with that assessment.

"I've played on the power play for a long time," Rakell said. "You see some things on the ice, and when I'm studying to get better on the power play, I look at different players, and then I know what their habits are going to be. So, hopefully, that will give me a chance to make some reads and use my hockey sense to disrupt their plays and, hopefully, create something off of that. Just take it as it goes, I guess."

Another thing it seems like the Penguins are emphasizing on the penalty kill this season - at least, based off of the early returns from the pre-season and from game one - is that they want to pressure the opposing power play units a bit aggressively to try to get them out of structure - which tends to open up chances the other way.

And using players like Rakell - who are familiar with the inner workings and structural components of a power play - on the penalty kill should lend to teams making a few more mistakes here and there and opening up opportunities to force turnovers.

"I think that's a big part of it," Rakell said. "You know where the dangerous areas are, and then, just go from there. I know that a lot of things can happen. The power plays are usually not in structure as soon as you turn the puck over, and hopefully, we can start creating chances the other way with that. Like, not cheat for offense on the PK, but throughout the year, there could be some chances going the other way."

And this line of thinking - as mentioned before - is exactly what makes Muse want to put intelligent power play players like Rakell on the penalty kill.

"We view him as a responsible player, a player that can be trusted on the defensive side," Muse said during the pre-season. "You get a player like him, he's got a little bit of time there on the penalty kill... [it's] good to see. Sometimes, players like him that have spent a lot of time on the power play, they think like power play players. So, they're able to anticipate plays really well. You combine that with his defensive awareness, really good stick... it's something that we want to see. So, we're going to continue to look at that."

Of course, it's early, and there is plenty of time for situations to evolve. More responsibility in more situations probably also means a slight uptick in ice time for Rakell throughout the season, which, in theory, could be a tiny adjustment for a player who is already near the top of the minutes chart among forwards. 

But, it's not something Rakell has noticed up to this point, and given how Muse has split ice time between the lines pretty evenly through the pre-season and through the season opener, it may not pose much of an issue at all.

Regardless of what happens, though, Rakell is embracing the chance to play a new role for the Penguins - even if the situation ends up changing a bit when that certain teammate in a similar position returns to play. 

"It's kind of just an idea that came up," Rakell said. "Rusty's out of the lineup. So, perhaps this is my opportunity."

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There has never been a player in the history of the Detroit Red Wings, who are entering their centennial campaign in the NHL, taller than the Swedish-born Elmer Soderblom. 

For the second time in his professional career, the towering 6'8" forward made the cut for the Red Wings out of Training Camp, and this time, he aims to stay in the NHL for good. 

Ironically, when Soderblom initially made the Red Wings' roster in October 2022, they began the new season against the Montreal Canadiens, the same opponent they'll begin this campaign against on Thursday. 

Soderblom tallied his first career goal early in the third period of that game, not only registering a career milestone with his parents in the stands but also breaking what was a scoreless tie that ultimately finished as a 3-0 Red Wings victory. 

He'll remember this forever! It's Elmer Soderblom scores not only the first @DetroitRedWings goal of the year, but his first career NHL goal! #LGRW I @ThinkFordFirstpic.twitter.com/A7pDmunPgf

— FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (@FanDuelSN_DET) October 15, 2022

The camera repeatedly panned to Soderblom's parents, who were visiting from Sweden and were overjoyed, even getting high fives from Kevin Larkin, Dylan's father. 

For his efforts, he was awarded the game's first star of the night. 

"It was my first game, NHL debut, it was a very special night," Soderblom said as he looked back on his debut and first goal three years ago. "It was very fun and exciting, and a dream come true. I just remember good stuff from that night." 

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Soderblom, whom the Red Wings selected in the sixth round (159th overall) of the 2019 Draft, skated in 21 games for the Red Wings that season before being returned back to the Grand Rapids Griffins, where he remained until being called back up to the team last season. He ultimately played in 26 games, scoring four goals while adding another seven assists. 

Soderblom has demonstrated an offensive touch before in his career, as he led Frölunda HC J20 in scoring with 29 goals and 26 assists in the 2019-20 campaign. To date, his highest scoring season of professional hockey came with the Griffins in 2023-24, registering 13 goals with 16 assists in 61 games played.

During the offseason, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman saw fit to extend Soderblom for another two seasons with a $1.125 million cap hit, and he will likely skate on the team's fourth line to begin the season with Michael Rasmussen and newcomer Mason Appleton. 

In what will be his second opportunity to cement his place in the lineup after making the team out of Training Camp, Soderblom is already envisioning not only remaining consistent in his performance but also using his notable stature to his advantage. 

"I want to show that I can play good at this level and keep improving, and just become a better player. My goal is to keep being consistent and show what I can do," he said.

"I've learned to be more consistent and use my size to my advantage and play with my size, and still use my hands and shot," he continued. "I feel like I've found a good combination and found a way to be consistent." 

"It's Special": Todd McLellan Reflects On Meaning Of Being Part of The Red Wings The 2025-26 NHL Season has officially begun for several teams, and for the Detroit Red Wings, it will commence on Thursday evening against the Montreal Canadiens at Little Caesars Arena. 

As far as knowing no player out of the nearly 1,400 men who have suited up for the Red Wings over the last 100 years has stood taller than he does, it’s not something that’s top of mind for Soderblom - but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t think it’s an interesting reality. 

"A couple times, it's fun," he said with a grin when asked if he's ever pondered his status as the tallest player in team history. "Not that I think too much of it, but it's a fun fact." 

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Apr 16, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) blocks the puck against the Dallas Stars during the second period at Bridgestone Arena. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The approach of Opening Night is typically met with the eager anticipation of a new season. No matter how a team performed the previous year, all eyes are fixed on what could lie ahead.

As the Nashville Predators prepare to open their 2025-26 season against the Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena, they hope to permanently put the demons of a subpar 2024-25 behind them. They also hope to change their recent fortunes of Opening Night performances.

The Predators are 14-11-1 all-time on Opening Night, the 15th-best record in the NHL among active teams dating back to 1997-98. They post a 10-5-1 mark in 16 home openers.

Recently, however, Opening Night hasn’t been particularly kind to the Preds. They are just 2-3 over the past five openers, their two victories coming against the San Jose Sharks at a neutral site in the 2022-23 season opener and in 2021 against the Blue Jackets in a season abbreviated by COVID-19.

Here's a look back over the past five season openers.

2024: Predators Fall Short Against Dallas

Last season’s opener against the Dallas Stars featured the debuts of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei.

The excitement surrounding the Predators’ three big off-season free agent acquisitions came crashing back to earth following a 4-3 Oct. 10 loss to Dallas.

The Preds got behind after Dallas scored all four of their goals in the second period. A valiant comeback effort fell short and started the team on a five-game losing streak to begin the season.

Starting goaltender Juuse Saros did not play due to a lower-body injury, so backup Scott Wedgewood got the start in net. Filip Forsberg tallied a power-play goal and two assists, while Marchessault recorded two assists in his Predators’ debut.

The Preds never fully recovered and finished 30-44-8 for the season, missing the playoffs.

2023: Preds Fall In Tampa

The season before didn’t go much better for the Predators in the opener, falling 5-3 in Tampa Bay against the Lightning.

Ryan O’Reilly scored in his first game as a Predator, while Forsberg collected two assists. That gave Forsberg at least a point in eight consecutive season openers, the longest active streak in the NHL at that time.

Nashville put on a furious rally late in the 2023-24 season and earned a playoff spot before losing to the Vancouver Canucks in the first round.

2022: Predators Attack The Sharks

In their 2022-23 season opener, the Preds dominated in a 4-1 triumph over San Jose.

The game was played in Prague as part of the NHL Global Series in front of a crowd of 16,648 at O2 Arena. Kiefer Sherwood tallied a goal and an assist, Nino Niederreiter had a goal while Ryan McDonagh picked up an assist.

All three were making their Predators debut: Sherwood and Niederreiter signed as free agents in the off-season and McDonagh was acquired in a trade from the Lightning.

That season, Nashville failed to qualify for the post-season, finishing fifth in the Central Division with a 42-32-8 record.

October 2021: Kraken Make History Against Predators

The Seattle Kraken spoiled the Preds’ 2021-22 opener with a 4-3 win at Bridgestone Arena. The victory was the first in Kraken history, and it came on the road.

Mikael Granlund collected a goal and two assists for Nashville, and Saros stopped 22 Seattle shots.

The Preds trailed 4-2 late in the third period before Granlund lit the lamp with 42 seconds left, but it was too little, too late for a Preds comeback.

In 2021-22, the Predators went on to finish fifth in the division with a 45-30-7 mark. They were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs.

January 2021: Preds Win At Home In Odd Setting

The Blue Jackets, whom the Predators will face Thursday, came to Bridgestone Arena for an Opening Night game to start what was technically the 2020-21 season.

It was a much different setting than any season opener in Preds history. For one thing, the game was played in January 2021, not October 2020. Also, the only fans allowed in the stands were family members of the players and police officers who responded to a bombing in Nashville the previous Christmas.

This was during the aftermath of COVID-19. Despite local health officials allowing a 15 percent seating capacity for January games, the Predators chose to err on the side of caution and limit arena capacity.

Nashville won the game 3-1. The Preds held Columbus to just three shots in the third period. They proceeded to take the next game against the Blue Jackets 5-2 to sweep the opening two games between the teams in Nashville to begin the season.

In a shortened 56-game campaign, Nashville finished 31-23-2, good for fourth in the Central. In the playoffs, they were eliminated in six games by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round.

Looking Ahead

The Predators hope history will repeat itself against Columbus on Thursday, when four rookies will be in the lineup. The expectations of this season are more tempered than they were this time a year ago, but a season-opening victory would already put the club ahead of last year, when they started 0-5.

In a peculiar move from head coach Rick Tocchet, the Philadelphia Flyers are looking like they'll be lining up without one of their most exciting young prospects on opening night.

Based on PHLY's Charlie O'Connor's reporting of Nikita Grebenkin not taking part in line rushes in Flyers practices over the last few days, we can deduce that the 22-year-old isn't going to make his official Flyers debut against the Florida Panthers in Sunrise on Thursday night.

Instead, Tocchet and Co. will continue to roll with Rodrigo Abols and Garnet Hathaway on the fourth line, with either Nick Deslauriers or Jett Luchanko drawing in there.

Virtually everything else remains unchanged at forward from the Flyers' preseason finale against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, with Christian Dvorak playing with Sean Couturier and Matvei Michkov and Owen Tippett staying with Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny.

Grebenkin played in a variety of important roles for the Flyers this preseason, including with Zegras and Michkov and jumping in next to Noah Cates and Bobby Brink.

NHL Trade Rumors: Flyers Badly Need Defensive UpgradesThe Philadelphia Flyers are reportedly scouring the NHL trade market for much-needed defensive reinforcements, but which players are actually going to be worth their while?

Strangely, the affable Russian hasn't seen much power play time despite his obvious skills when playing close to the net, and he appears to be out of the lineup entirely for Thursday's game against Florida, even after arguably being the Flyers' most impressive forward this preseason.

At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, Grebenkin isn't exactly small and should have no issues holding his own against the defending champion Panthers

O'Connor did add that Tocchet expects to get Grebenkin in the lineup at some point, be it Thursday or Saturday, and that he needs to play.

The problem, though, is the Flyers are seemingly going through this daily deliberation process twice now--first with Luchanko, who has to play in the NHL or return to the OHL, and Grebenkin, who has given the Flyers no reasons to pull him from the lineup.

Flyers to Begin New Season Without Key DefenderIn a somewhat surprising injury update, the Philadelphia Flyers are going to be without one of their top defensemen to start the 2025-26 regular season.

Based on merit, there is no real rhyme or reason that the former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect should be out of the lineup, which has and will aggravate Flyers fans further as their impatience for improvements and a winning team grows.

Time will tell if Tocchet's choice proves to be the right or wrong move, but Flyers fans have seen this movie before, including as recently as last season. It's an important first test to pass if Tocchet is to build early trust with a disenchanted fanbase.

LAS VEGAS -- The Golden Knights and Jack Eichel are locked in for eight years.

Just hours before the team began its ninth season in the NHL, the organization announced it has signed its prized forward to an eight-year contract extension through the 2033-34 season worth an average annual value of $13,500,000.

Eichel's tab will count $13.5 million against the salary cap when the new contract kicks in for the 2026-27 season, through 2034.

"Obviously, happy in Vegas, the organization has been great to me," Eichel told The Hockey News in July. "I think that that stuff kind of takes care of itself, and I kind of worry more so about the things I can control and try to prepare for next season."

It more than took care of itself, as Eichel can focus on a campaign with plenty of expectations now that another prized forward is with the team, Mitch Marner, who signed with the Golden Knights just before free agency this summer. Eichel, Marner and Ivan Barbashev are poised to form one of the most potent offensive lines in the league.

Eichel, 28, is in his fifth season with the Golden Knights and leads the team in scoring with 253 points (100 goals, 153 assists) since making his debut with Vegas during the 2021-22 season. Last season, the forward posted a career-high 94 points (28 goals, 66 assists), a franchise record for the Golden Knights in a single season, which landed him in fifth place on voting for the Hart Trophy.

REKINDLED PASSION

Eichel said his passion was dwindling before he arrived in Vegas, partly because of the neck injury that required a never-before-done surgery, but also because he felt it was time for fresh scenery after spending his first six seasons in Buffalo.

The relationship between Eichel and the Sabres became irreparable after an ugly dispute over whether or not the forward was permitted to undergo the surgery he wanted to repair a severe neck injury. The Sabres had no choice but to move him, and Eichel underwent artificial disk replacement after becoming a member of the Knights. Since then, Eichel has produced above a point-a-game level for Vegas, and also helped lead the Knights to the 2023 Stanley Cup.

During Vegas' historic run to the Cup, Eichel led all playoff skaters with 26 points (6 goals, 20 assists), playing in each of the team’s 22 contests. He also finished first on the Golden Knights during each of their last two trips to the postseason, with seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in 2024 and 10 points (1 goal, 9 assists) in 2025.

"I felt a lot of pressure in Buffalo to succeed and bring wins and success to the organization and the city," Eichel said after morning skate on Wednesday. "And when that doesn't happen, you take a lot of onus on yourself, and it can eat away at you a lot. At times, you start to lose your passion and love for what you're doing.

"I think you come to a place like this, where there are so many established players in the room, and you don't feel like it's necessarily going to fall on you. And I feel like the group and the organization culture have built something special. And you just try and find a way to fit into the puzzle, and I feel like I did that."

DYNAMIC DUO

Though Marner and Eichel's situations were entirely different, a fresh start is something the two have in common.

"You want to be in a place where you want to win," Marner said when he was introduced on July 1. "That’s the whole goal of why we do this, you want to hoist that Stanley Cup. This team has shown that they can do it. I’m lucky enough now to hopefully bring another piece in to help bring it back here."

But it was also the need for starting over in a new environment with a locker-room culture that would benefit his mental health and love for the game, even if that meant leaving an organization that drafted him fourth overall in 2015, two years before the Knights entered the league.

"It’s where we wanted to be," Marner added, speaking for he and his wife.

Marner inked a $96 million contract for a maximum of eight years.

Eichel said he's excited for his new teammate, knowing the type of pressure that comes with being a face of a franchise. Considering Marner hailed from the area, the expectations were high for him while playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"It feels like what is a fresh start for him here in Vegas, and I just know what that did for me and my career," Eichel also said Wednesday. "Not that he was at all in that situation. I mean, he had 102 points last year, so he doesn't need a fresh start, but, maybe mentally and emotionally, he did, and I feel like this is a great place for him to be, and we're super excited to have him."

Eichel said it wouldn't be fair to compare their paths, considering he was dealing with an injury - "the kicker in my situation" - but did feel Marner has been able to come to Vegas without a lot of pressure.

"And relax a little bit, get back to enjoying it, and not have to feel all the pressure and what comes with that," Eichel said. "And I think that that's a little bit of what I felt. Not saying I can put myself in his shoes and what he went through in Toronto, being in Toronto, and from there, and what hockey means to that city and area of the world. I'm not speaking for him, it's more so my own experience."

Nevertheless, with no distractions and Eichel and Marner both signed for eight years in a place they feel fits their needs, they can embark on the ultimate goal, delivering a second Stanley Cup to Vegas.

After an offseason full of speculation concerning where Anaheim Ducks rookie/prospect Beckett Sennecke (3rd overall in 2024) will play his 2025-26 season, the indications have become clearer.

Sennecke (19) has made the Ducks’ season-opening roster, and all signs point to him making his NHL debut on Thursday, when the team hits the road to take on the Seattle Kraken.

Starting his draft-plus-two season in the NHL always seemed the likeliest scenario for him, with the more pressing decisions to come later.

Ducks Say ‘Playoffs or Bust’ in 2025-26

THN Anaheim's 2025-26 Ducks Predictions

Ducks’ Opening Night Roster Highlighted by Sennecke, 3 Goalies

Will the Ducks elect to send him back to the CHL before the ten-game threshold so as not to burn the first year of his ELC? Do they have enough faith in him to give him a full 82-game slate? Will they utilize a route similar to one the Kraken took with Shane Wright during his draft-plus-one season? Maybe they’ll follow how the Utah Mammoth handled Dylan Guenther in his draft-plus-two season?

The answer seems to be that they’ll take a page out of their own playbook and deploy Sennecke similarly to how they introduced Leo Carlsson (2nd in ’23) to the NHL. According to general manager Pat Verbeek's most recent appearance on his “The Beeker” podcast, hosted by Alexis Downie, we now have an indication of how the organization intends to utilize their current top rookie.

“Well, he's going to be very similar to Leo (in his) first season,” Verbeek said. “The one thing that I really liked about Beckett's camp is (that) he started very slow in rookie camp, but progressively got better as camp went on, which is a good sign and a sign he's kind of ready for the NHL.

“Most guys, they come in and probably have a good flash, but they wear down as training camp goes on, but Beckett did not. He went the opposite way. So I think just him getting used to the pace and understanding the style of play that (opposing) teams play. He’s been a sponge and has really taken it to a level of understanding that will help him play really well.”

The Ducks elected for an unorthodox approach to Carlsson’s rookie season, where, for the first half, they had planned to have him dress twice a week in an attempt to both mirror an SHL schedule, his previous league, and allow him maximum time in the gym to fill out his frame and add strength.

In the games he did play, he was deployed in the role he’d project to assume for the foreseeable future in Anaheim: 1C.

Of course, the benefits of “The Leo Plan” were never fully realized, as he sustained a couple of injuries that kept him out for extended periods in his first NHL season. By the time he was fully healthy, he was slated to play every game.

Sennecke is in a different situation than Carlsson was during his rookie season. Sennecke (6-foot-3, 206 pounds) has already tacked on the necessary size, as today he and Carlsson (6-foot-3, 208 pounds) have nearly identical measurements. Carlsson was more polished, and Sennecke still has quite a bit of rounding out to do with his game.

“I feel like I just keep getting better every game and more comfortable, the more you play. I think that’s just kind of the trajectory I’m on,” Sennecke said. “There’s a bit of summer rust, and the more you get back into it, that game shape, the better you’re going to be out there.”

Sennecke suited up for more games than anyone in the Ducks’ organization during the preseason, playing in six of their seven games. His exhibition season was a rollercoaster, dating back to his performances in the team’s two “Golden State Rookie Faceoff” games. He flashed some of the skill that encouraged Verbeek and the Ducks' scouting staff to select him third overall a year ago, but it was dimmed somewhat by an array of poor puck management, losing winnable puck battles, and below-standard defensive habits.

However, with each passing preseason game, he improved in every one of those facets.

“I thought he made great progress in camp and rookie camp,” head coach Joel Quenneville said. “Watching him, I thought he got stronger every day with the puck; all of a sudden, he got a little more physical with the puck, more tenacity, trying to get rid of the junior habits. Those types of things.”

Through the later stages of the Ducks’ preseason, when the roster consisted mostly of their NHL talent, Sennecke had been slotted on the fourth line next to center Ryan Poehling and opposite Ross Johnston.

“I think I have that kind of hard forechecking aspect of my game as well. I can kind of play that role,” Sennecke said when asked about playing with Poehling and Johnston. “Those guys are fun to play with because you get the puck back pretty fast because they forecheck hard.”

The Ducks’ listed third-line center, Ryan Strome, was forced from practice on Tuesday with what has now been diagnosed as an upper-body injury that will keep him from traveling with the team for their first two games against the Kraken on Thursday and against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.

During practice on Wednesday, Mikael Granlund slotted into Strome’s spot between Alex Killorn and Frank Vatrano, while Sennecke took Granlund’s spot next to Mason McTavish and opposite Cutter Gauthier.

It will prove a tremendous opportunity for Sennecke, looking to make an impact with the Ducks as they hope to put an end to their seven-season playoff drought.

His roster spot and role on the team moving forward will likely come down to how he performs in these early stages of the season. If the Ducks have true intentions of qualifying for the playoffs, deploying an underdeveloped and volatile, albeit highly talented, rookie seems counterintuitive. Unless, of course, he performs well enough to render himself a bonafide asset to the lineup as they hope to meet the lofty expectations they’ve set for themselves.

There’s also a question of what Sennecke’s role will be when the entire forward group is healthy. Will he return to the fourth line? How will minutes be distributed? Is that role best for his development?

Maybe extended time on the fourth line, where his matchups will be easier and he can learn those professional habits, can be a positive. Especially so, if he receives time on the power play as well.

“I see him being like a wild card where you can use him in all situations, and he can play with anybody,” Quenneville said. “You’re sitting there if you’re playing in that role, in that line. You think that he’s not going to get enough ice time. But I still think he’s useful in other ways, where he can play with top players and be a threat and be productive as well. He’s a good asset for us, and I think the way he trained in training camp, he gave us a lot of options as a coach.”

As always, a “wait-and-see” approach will be required, but the magnitude of this decision can’t be understated. Beckett Sennecke is a huge piece of the future of the Anaheim Ducks.

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