Anaheim Ducks sign Jackson LaCombe to two-year entry-level contract

Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek announced Monday the club had signed defenseman Jackson LaCombe to a two-year entry-level contract beginning in the 2022-23 season. He will report to the Ducks immediately.

LaCombe was drafted in the second round (No. 39) in the 2019 NHL Draft; he was selected right out of high school. He played high school hockey for the prestigious Shattucks St. Mary’s, notching 67 assists and 89 points in 54 games during his draft year. 

The Eden Prairie Minnesota product spent the last four years in the NCAA with the University of Minnesota. He recorded a career-high 35 points (nine goals, 26 assists) along with a plus-12 rating in 37 games as a Senior. He helped lead the Golden Gophers to an NCAA championship, where they lost to Quinnipiac on April 8. He ranked tied for third among all NCAA defensemen in points this season and was named to the All-Big Second-Team honours. 

In 2020-21, as a sophomore, LaCombe helped lead the Golden Gophers to a Big Ten Championship, picking up two assists in the championship game. He was named to the 2021 All-Big Ten First Team and was named an NCAA Second Team All-American. Throughout his NCAA career, LaCombe notched 19 goals and 80 assists for 99 points in 140 career NCAA games with the Golden Gophers from 2019-2023. 

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound defenseman helped Team USA to a gold medal at the 2021 World Junior Championship; he recorded one assist in six games on a team that featured the likes of Trevor Zegras, Matt Boldy, Cole Caufield, Matty Beniers and Brock Faber to name a few. He will join the Ducks immediately; the Ducks next play Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks.