As part of NHL.com's 32 in 32 series, we will identify key NHL EDGE stats for each team to preview the 2026-27 season. Today, we look at three advanced metrics trends surrounding the Anaheim Ducks:
1. Cutter Gauthier’s shot speed
Gauthier scored an NHL career-high 41 goals last season (tied for 11th in NHL), and his elite advanced shot metrics were a huge reason for his breakout season. Gauthier ranked third among NHL forwards in hardest shot (99.90 mph) and was a standout at his position in average shot speed (63.93 mph; 97th percentile).
The 22-year-old translated his shot speed to his perimeter shooting; he ranked third in the NHL in snap shot goals (23) last season, fourth in the League in midrange shots on goal (117) and was tied for fourth in midrange goals (18). He also was among the forward leaders in long-range offense, ranking in the 98th percentile in long-range shots on goal (37; tied for 10th at position) and 93rd percentile in long-range goals (two).
2. Shots by location prowess
Anaheim ranked among the top 10 in all three shots by location categories: the Ducks were third in midrange shots on goal (734) and long-range shots on goal (531), and seventh in high-danger shots on goal (702).
Forward Beckett Sennecke, who tied Matthew Schaefer for the NHL goal lead among rookies last season with 23, led rookies in high-danger shots on goal (88; 97th percentile among all forwards) and also ranked highly in high-danger goals (14; 87th percentile at position). Forward Leo Carlsson ranked in the 92nd percentile at his position in high-danger goals (16), while veteran wing Chris Kreider ranked in the 93rd percentile in high-danger shots on goal (73).
Anaheim tied for eighth in long-range goals (21), led by defenseman Jackson LaCombe (four; 90th percentile at position). It's worth noting that John Carlson, who was acquired by the Ducks prior to the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes during the offseason and eventually signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning, giving the Ducks less depth in terms of long-range goals; he scored five last season, tied for 10th in NHL.
3. Transition offense
The Ducks ranked eighth in 20-plus mph speed bursts (1,984) and tied for eighth in offensive zone time percentage (41.6 percent) last season, making them one of the most-improved possession teams in the NHL; Anaheim finished last in offensive zone time percentage (38.6 percent) in 2024-25. The Ducks, who are the fifth-youngest team in the NHL (average age: 26.57), led the Pacific Division in wins (43) last season and won a playoff round for the first time since 2017.
Anaheim's high-end young talent was a driving force behind its rebuild; Sennecke, 20, ranked in the 98th percentile in 20-plus mph speed bursts (230), while Carlsson, 21, ranked in the 95th percentile in 20-plus mph bursts (197). Per NHL EDGE IQ, the Ducks led the League in inferenced shot attempts off the rush last season (19.8 per game), meaning those that occurred within five seconds of the puck crossing the offensive blue line; inferenced shot attempts exclude those taken from beyond 60 feet, below the goal line or against an empty net.
Read more: EDGE stats outlook for Carlsson
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