Jacob Larsson- Defenseman- 26 Games Played
The young Swede has taken advantage of the injury-riddled roster of the Ducks. He has outplayed Luke Schenn and Andrej Sustr and found himself slotted into the lineup for the majority of the Anaheim Ducks games thus far this season.
He hasn’t leaped off of the page stats wise but has been serviceable in his young career. He only has 2 assists to this point and is a minus 7. His advanced stats don’t look much better, but a lot of that probably has just as much to do with the team around him seeing how the slump in late October and into November really hurt a lot of player’s stats.
Overall he hasn’t been phenomenal thus far, but he hasn’t been bad either. He’s young and has shown some rookie mistakes. However, he has also shown glimpses of why he has been so coveted by the Anaheim Ducks.
He has a lot of growing left to do and for that reason, he’s going to get a tennis racket. Jacob Larsson is quite fond of tennis, read the interview here where you can learn more about him.
He hasn’t played well enough to get Wimbledon tickets, but he deserves a little something. Probably just a racket you can get at your local sporting goods store, not a top of the line one.
Jake Dotchin- Defenseman- 14 Games Played
Jake Dotchin is one of the more interesting stories in the entirety of the NHL thus far this season. His contract was terminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning for violating the terms of his contract, allegedly because he was not in shape when he arrived for training camp.
He went unsigned for a while and eventually signed with the Anaheim Ducks. He worked hard in San Diego playing in the AHL and earned a call-up. Dotchin has played a physical game, adding a level of grit that has been missing from the Ducks blue-line in the absence of Kevin Bieksa.
So far, he has only played in 14 games, has 1 assist and is a -1, but he has brought a presence to the Ducks blue-line that they were missing. He’s been fairly impressive and I have liked what he’s brought to the lineup in his short time with the team.
Jake is not exactly ready to take on the role he had in Tampa Bay, but he’s slowly working himself into playing shape and I have high hopes for him moving forward.
For Christmas, Jake Dotchin can expect to find a nice Everlast Punching bag, a present that will help him hone his skills as a gritty defenseman. Maybe he can practice some superman punches to pay homage to Bieksa.
Josh Manson- Defenseman- 33 Games Played
Josh Manson is an interesting case. The past few seasons he’s shared a line with Hampus Lindholm, forming one of the best shutdown pairs in the entire league. This season Carlyle shook things up a bit, putting Manson with Cam Fowler while pushing Brandon Montour up with Lindholm, and it was rough.
Manson and Fowler just did not mesh well together. As the season has gone on, he’s found his game a bit, but his statistics still look rough. He has one of the worst relative Corsi ratings on the Defense.
Nevertheless, Manson has been playing his game, and historically he’s been very good. Hopefully, his hot and cold game will lean more towards the hot as the season continues to progress.
Manson’s present is actually a joint gift. A local movie theater will hold a private screening of Goon 1 and 2 for Cam Fowler and Josh Manson to help them bond and prepare to be linemates again once Fowler is back from injury.
Brandon Montour- Defenseman- 37 Games Played
The Ducks leading defensive scorer, he’s played the most games out of all the Ducks defenders and has really been on fire recently. He has found his groove with Hampus Lindholm and starting to emerge as one of the top 4 defenders the Ducks expected him to be when they gave him a pay raise in the off-season.
Montour season started off pretty rough, similar to the rest of the team. However, he has the highest relative Corsi among Ducks defensemen and had a truly remarkable 4 point night against Dallas earlier this month. ‘
Brandon Montour and his linemate Lindholm have been two of the biggest reasons for the Ducks turn-around thus far into the season. Due to his performance, he can expect a gift under his Christmas tree this season.
Montour has several tattoos, most with important dates, or ties to his heritage. He could certainly use some fresh-ink and a tattoo at one of the best shops in SoCal appears to be waiting for Montour Christmas morning.
Hampus Lindholm- Defenseman- 31 Games Played
Much like Montour, and the rest of the Ducks for that matter, Hampus Lindholm started the season off slowly. He and Montour didn’t exactly gel together. As they’ve played more together they’ve found chemistry and have been a force together.
His stats aren’t as flashy as his linemate, but he’s always been more of a two-way player. Lindholm’s points are on pace for what he usually averages and that’s pretty impressive given the slow start.
Hampus is similar to Larsson in his affinity for sports other than hockey, and he deserves a bit better of a gift than Larsson given his play this season. Lindholm can expect a Table Tennis Table adorned with the Ducks logo with matching paddles to let him know he’s never allowed to leave the Anaheim Ducks.
Josh Mahura- Defenseman- 11 Games Played
Josh Mahura hasn’t played a ton, but he’s made an impression on fans. He’s a skilled player, a fast player, and he has followed in the footsteps of Brandon Montour and Sami Vatanen before him.
He is a smart puck moving defenseman who outplays those who were thought to be ahead of them in the hierarchy of prospects. He’s got some growing to do, and he’s not perfect, but he’s fun, very fun to watch, and I think he’s got a really bright future ahead of him.
Mahura’s present is 2 months of rent paid in Anaheim, he’s earned a longer look, and his expenses should be paid for!