Ducks send Nikita Klepov back to the OHL
The Anaheim Ducks made a key roster decision on Friday, announcing that they have opted to return rookie winger Nikita Klepov to his OHL team, the Saginaw Spirit, rather than keep him in the NHL and burn a year of his entry-level contract.
The Ducks selected Klepov with the No. 15 overall pick in the first round of June’s NHL Draft, and he was one of just five players from the class to make his NHL team out of training camp, joining Gavin McKenna of the Toronto Maple Leafs (No. 1 overall), Ivar Stenberg of the San Jose Sharks (No. 2 overall), Alberts Smits of the New York Rangers (No. 5 overall) and Viggo Bjorck of the Winnipeg Jets (No. 8 overall).
Klepov appeared in four games in his first taste of the NHL this season, and he was held without a point while skating to a minus-2 rating on an average of 13:03 of time on ice per game. Klepov also recorded six penalty minutes.
The six-foot tall winger will now go back to Saginaw, where he spent his 2025-26 season and put up a monstrous 97 points on 37 goals and 60 assists in 67 regular season games before tacking on five points in four games in the postseason. Last year was Klepov’s first season in Canadian major junior hockey after he spent the 2024-25 campaign playing with the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL.
After the draft, Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis ranked Klepov as the top overall prospect in Anaheim’s pipeline.
“Klepov tends to make things happen when he’s in control of the puck on the attack,” Ellis wrote. “I like him as a potential secondary scorer in the NHL.”
While Klepov continues to develop toward being a full-time NHL player in Saginaw, the Ducks will look to get their season back on track. After a decent start, Anaheim is in free fall as of late, as they’ve allowed the fourth most goals in the league and sit fifth in the Pacific Division with a record of 5-7-1.
