Ducks call up top prospect Roger McQueen ahead of possible NHL debut
The Anaheim Ducks already boast one of the most impressive collections of young talent the NHL has to offer, and another one of their highly-touted young players may be set to make his NHL debut Tuesday night.
According to Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the Ducks are calling up forward Roger McQueen from their AHL affiliate San Diego Gulls, setting the stage for him to make his NHL debut against the Calgary Flames.
Anaheim selected McQueen with the No. 10 overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft, adding his name to the likes of Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier and Beckett Sennecke who look poised to form one of the most dominant forward cores in the league for the forseeable future.
Like many recent top Canadian prospects, McQueen made the leap from major junior hockey to the collegiate game, tallying 27 points (11 goals and 16) assists in a 36-game stint with the Providence Friars of the NCAA last year.
After the NCAA season wrapped up, McQueen signed his entry-level contract and made his professional debut with the Gulls, notching three points on a goal and two assists in seven regular season appearances.
McQueen was in the mix for an NHL roster spot in training camp after the Philadelphia Flyers’ offer sheet to Carlsson forced the Ducks into a salary cap crunch that cost them some highly-paid veteran depth, but he instead debuted in San Diego, where he’s shown off his scoring touch by notching three goals in four games to start the year.
The Saskatoon native would offer yet another injection of skill into an Anaheim lineup that could use a bit more of it behind the aforementioned top stars. Only Carlsson, Sennecke, Gauthier and Mikael Granlund have more than three points among the team’s forwards.
The Ducks are targeting a second consecutive win over the Flames on Tuesday after dispatching the winless team from Calgary by a 4-2 margin in Alberta on Saturday. Through five games, Anaheim owns a 4-1-0 record and sits in third place in the Pacific Division.
