The Anaheim Ducks opened training camp Thursday at Great Park Ice and FivePoint Arena in Irvine, beginning their attempt to rebound from their seventh consecutive non-playoff season.
The Ducks were 27-50-5 in the 2023-24 season, finishing seventh in the eight-team Pacific Division under first-year coach Greg Cronin.
The Ducks will hold their #FlyTogether Fan Camp Saturday. Fans are invited to join the team for warm-ups at 8 a.m. to get a close-up look and interact with players in front of Great Park Ice & FivePoint Arena on the east grass area.
The first group will start skating at 9 a.m.
Festivities will include what is billed as a special surprise from mascot Wild Wing. Fans will have the opportunity to receive giveaway items, including tickets to select games throughout the season, and hear live music. There will also be appearances by the Ducks Power Players promotional team and Wild Wing.
The Ducks announced Thursday that defenseman Radko Guda will be the team’s captain, its first since center Ryan Getzlaf retired following the 2021-22 season.
“After taking time to assess our group over the last few seasons, Radko emerged as a natural leader who encompasses all of the qualities of a captain and the respect of his teammates, our staff and his peers,” general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement.
“With a young group of players establishing themselves in the NHL, we felt it was necessary to have a veteran lead our team. Radko exemplifies what it means to be a professional, how to carry yourself on and off the ice and in the community, and be a mentor to our young group that will become the next leaders of the team.”
The 34-year-old Gudas is entering his 13th NHL season and second with the Ducks. He led the team in plus/minus at plus-14, blocked shots with 154 and hits with 232 the 2023-24 season.
“I am honored to be named captain of the Anaheim Ducks and lead our team into an exciting era,” Gudas said in a statement. “The trust put in me by Pat, our management, coaches and my teammates is something I take with pride. Leadership is a shared quality amongst our team, and I look forward to representing the Ducks on the ice and also outside of the rink in the community.”
The Ducks will begin preseason play Tuesday at San Jose, then play host to the Sharks Thursday at Honda Center. They will open the regular season Oct. 12 at San Jose and play their home opener Oct. 16 against the Utah Hockey Club, which the NHL considers a new franchise, with players from the Arizona Coyotes.
The Coyotes’ franchise is inactive, with a right to reactivate if owner Alex Meruelo has fully constructed a new, state-of-the-art facility appropriate for an NHL team within five years.