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2025-26 Anaheim Ducks: By the Numbers, Part 4
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- 2025-26 Anaheim Ducks: By the Numbers, Part 4
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek speaks to the media during his 2025-26 exit interview.
The Ducks' 2025-26 season has been over for just over a month and with the 2026 NHL Entry Draft just around the corner, it feels like a good time to start recapping this past season for each player in the organization.
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Today's edition of 'By the Numbers' will feature players who wore Nos. 31-40 this season.
If you missed the previous edition of 'By the Numbers', you can click here to read it.
Calle Clang
Clang had the best season performance of his North American career in 2025-26, posting an 18-9-9 record with an .897 SV% and 2.80 GAA. He missed time at various points of the season due to a leave of absence for personal reasons and two separate injuries. The second injury unfortunately ruled him out for the San Diego Gulls' first playoff series in four seasons.
Clang's stellar season earned him his first AHL All-Star selection, as both he and forward Tim Washe were selected to represent the Gulls in Rockford. At the AHL All-Star Game, he took home the honor of top goaltender.
San Diego goalie Calle Clang keeps his eye on the puck as it deflects off of his gear during the second period of their game at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024.
Set to be an RFA this offseason, Clang chose to return home to Sweden and sign with Rögle BK in the SHL , the club he played for prior to transitioning to North American hockey. His contract is for two years, which means that he will likely not receive a qualifying offer from the Ducks.
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With Clang expected to depart the organization, defense Tristan Luneau is the only remaining piece left from the Rickard Rakell deal that occurred at the 2022 trade deadline. With Lukáš Dostál and Ville Husso holding things down in net for Anaheim and Tomáš Suchánek, Damian Clara and Vyacheslav Buteyets doing the same for San Diego, there was little opportunity left for Clang moving forward despite his strong season. He will compete with Arvid Holm for Rögle's starting job next season.
Vyacheslav Buteyets
More well-known as 'Slava' by his teammates, Buteyets spent time with all three Ducks affiliates this season. He spent most of the season with ECHL Tulsa as their starter, putting up an 18-19-5 record with a .908 SV% and 3.11 GAA. He made four starts for the Gulls, sporting a 1-3-0 record with an .865 SV% and 4.29 GAA. He also made his NHL debut, coming in in relief of Ville Husso in an eventual 7-0 loss to the Utah Mammoth . He allowed three goals on 10 shots, though it was difficult to fault him on any of them.
Buteyets has now spent two full seasons in North America (mostly in the ECHL) after coming over from Russia. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2022 NHL Draft, he is a pending RFA. There is a possibility that the Ducks simply cut ties with Buteyets and do not tender him a qualifying offer. As mentioned above, there is more than enough quality goaltending depth. But as seen last season, injuries can crop up at any moment, making depth paramount in emergency situations.
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Ville Husso
Husso's patience and determination paid off for him in 2025-26. After being acquired from the Detroit Red Wings for future considerations in Feb. 2025, he performed well enough with the Gulls to earn a call-up at the end of the season after John Gibson went down with injury.
With Gibson out of the picture for 2025-26, shipped off to the Red Wings, Husso signed a two-year contract to return to the Ducks and compete with Petr Mrázek for the backup goaltender position. Husso performed well to make a case for the position, but was sent down to the AHL at the very end of training camp.
He was recalled when Dostál suffered a hand injury in November and momentarily took over the starting role after Mrázek also got hurt. During a seven-game stretch in December as the starter, Husso went 4-2-1 with an .893 SV%, though one of those losses was the aforementioned 7-0 defeat to the Mammoth.
May 8, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks goaltender Ville Husso (33) defends the goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period in game three of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Husso did enough to keep the Ducks afloat without their No. 1 goaltender and then was passed through waivers (going unclaimed) upon Dostál and Mrázek's return. A brief recall in January after Mrázek suffered another injury led to a prolonged stay in the NHL after Mrázek underwent season-ending hip surgery. Husso finished the season with a 10-8-2 record and an .884 SV% and 3.25 GAA.
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While those numbers may not look particularly convincing, it's worth noting that Husso's stats were slightly skewed by his final two starts, which involved him facing less than 20 shots in both games.
Since he is under contract for 2026-27, the expectation is that Husso will become Dostál's full-time backup. He was nominated as the Ducks' candidate for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy after displaying perseverance and dedication to hockey in his return to the NHL.
Petr Mrázek
It was a very unlucky season for Mrázek, who struggled with injuries and made just 10 appearances (eight starts) in his first and likely only season with the Ducks.
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After being acquired from the Red Wings in June 2025 , Mrázek entered training camp competing with Husso for the backup goaltender spot. While both goaltenders performed well during preseason, Mrázek ultimately edged out Husso, who was sent down to San Diego.
Mrázek made just two starts through the first 10 games of the season as Dostál carried the starter's workload, but he began to pick up more starts in November. He was even slated to be the starter when Dostál went down with broken finger, but suffered an injury of his own on Nov. 30 against the Chicago Blackhawks .
Nov 30, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Anaheim Ducks goaltender Petr Mrazek (34) talks with a team member after being injured during the third period against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
This injury sidelined Mrázek for nine games before he returned to action on Dec. 19. He would make two more appearances before suffering another injury on Jan . 5 against the Washington Capitals , which ultimately ended his season. He underwent hip surgery on Feb. 17 and recently resumed skating this past May.
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It's difficult to envision Mrázek getting more than an offer to be an NHL third goalie at this point due to a combination of his age (34) and repeated injuries. Lower-body injuries in particular can impact goaltenders much more, and it was concerning to see how much they impacted Mrázek this past season.
Matthew Phillips
One of the players on an AHL-only deal who got playing time during preseason, Phillips made waves with a two-goal performance against the Mammoth. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft, Phillips has minimal NHL experience (34 games), but carries plenty of AHL experience.
His addition to the Gulls was a welcome one, as he finished second on the team in points and tied for first in assists. Though he is just 5-foot-8 (and perhaps actually even shorter than that), he makes up for his lack of height with extended effort and is a force on the man advantage.
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With the Gulls expected to undergo several personnel changes after the departures of head coach Matt McIlvane and assistant coach Michael Babcock, along with the expectation that players like Nikita Nesterenko and Sam Colangelo will be up with the Ducks full-time, players like Phillips will be relied on to be the top point producers in 2026-27.
Justin Bailey
Bailey was acquired from the San Jose Sharks in Jan. 2025 in a straight one-for-one swap that sent Pavol Regenda the other way. A speedy forward who's more of a 'Quad-A' than a true NHL depth forward, Bailey provided adequate depth scoring upon joining the Gulls. But he became a more consistent offensive threat this past season as a regular in the Gulls' top-6 and lead the team in goals with 25.
Another player on an AHL-only deal who played during preseason for the Ducks, Bailey was part of the squad who played against the Kings in Ontario, Calif. as part of the Inland Empire Classic. Coming off a one-year AHL-only deal, bringing back Bailey should be a priority for the Gulls.
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