Latest news with #Ducks'
NBC Sports
18-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Little-used junior steps up in relief to keep Oregon women firmly inside NCAA top 8
Oregon head coach Derek Radley was beaming. Ducks junior Anika Varma stepped on the 10th tee Saturday morning at Omni La Costa with just six tournament rounds under her belt, three as part of Oregon's starting lineup. She'd won a qualifier to earn the right to travel to Carlsbad as the Ducks' sixth woman, and with freshman Tong An waking up too sore to compete after an opening 74, Varma was thrust into action in the second round of the NCAA Championship. Varma responded with an even-par 72, tied for the team's low round of the day. She even had it to 2 under at one point on her second nine. 'To throw her in second round of a national championship and for her to go out and do that, just awesome,' said Radley, whose Oregon team sits third at 1 over, six shots back of Stanford and just a stroke shy of Northwestern. 'She really, truly is a mentally tough kid. She's worked her freaking tail off, and I'm so proud of her for continuing to be engaged through this whole time and continuing to work hard in case we needed her, and I commended her on that.' It was because of that dedication that Varma, who graduated this spring, was afforded the opportunity to play Darae Chung in an 18-hole qualifier last week at Emerald Valley, the team's home course. Chung was coming off a second-round 85 at the NCAA Gold Canyon Regional before being subbed out for Karen Tsuru, who missed a few starts this spring with a back injury. Varma hadn't performed much better in limited duty, tying for 43rd as an individual at the Windy City Collegiate last fall and then sharing 44th at the Silverado Showdown, where she took a resting Kiara Romero's spot. In three years at Oregon, Varma has posted three top-20s in 12 career events, all three coming as a freshman, when she went T-11 and T-15 before tying for ninth at the Pac-12 Championship. Yet, Radley went with his gut and gave the relentless worker a shot; Varma responded by making nine birdies to easily defeat Chung, and she followed that up with an impressive week of practice. 'She looked the best she's looked in her time at Oregon,' said Radley, who also felt that La Costa, at just over 6,200 yards but extremely penal if off target, set up perfect for the short-but-accurate Varma. 'If there was ever a golf course that would fit her, it's this one,' Radley added. Varma took advantage of soft, morning conditions, carding just three bogeys and equaling her best round not just of this season, where she was a combined 22 over entering Saturday, but of the past two seasons. 'I'm out here having a blast,' Varma told Radley after her round. 'It's my last go round, so let's go get it.' Suvichaya Vinijchaitham and Tiffany Huang added 72s for Oregon, which advanced to the semifinals last year at La Costa. Romero was the throw-out score with a 74. Most of the morning wave, comprised of the better ranked teams, climbed the leaderboard as well, including the top-ranked Cardinal, who shot 10 under after an opening 5-over round. USC and Florida State are tied for fourth at 3 over while Mississippi State is sixth at 4 over and Texas is tied for seventh with Oklahoma State, the only team in the top 12 that played in the afternoon, at 5 over. The top eight teams after 72 holes qualify for match play, which begins Tuesday. First-round leader Vanderbilt plummeted to T-13 at 12 over after an 18-over day. LSU (14 over), Ohio State (16 over), Wake Forest (+26) and Ole Miss (28 over) were the morning-wave teams who are outside the top 15 and will get bumped to the tougher afternoon wave on Sunday. Mississippi State's Avery Weed leads South Carolina's Eila Galitsky by two shots at 7 under in the individual race. Florida State's Mirabel Ting, the favorite to win the Annika Award, is tied for sixth at 3 under, two shots clear of her teammate Lottie Woad, thought to be her biggest challenger along with Romero.
New York Times
07-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
College football recruiting thoughts: Oregon's setbacks, USC's surge, Washington's in-state push
One of the biggest names in the 2026 recruiting cycle is off the board after Jared Curtis announced his commitment to Georgia over Oregon on Monday. While the five-star quarterback's decision certainly warranted all the attention it received — we'll get into that soon — there are plenty of recruiting storylines popping up as we approach the busy summer months. What's next for Oregon? To contextualize how well it's gone for Oregon on the recruiting trail over the past few years, consider this: One of the Ducks' biggest setbacks under Dan Lanning occurred when five-star quarterback Dante Moore flipped to UCLA during the early signing period in December 2022. That's the same Moore who left the Bruins after one season and is expected to start for the Ducks this fall. Oregon took Curtis' recruitment down to the wire. Curtis, who plays for Nashville (Tenn.) Christian School, is the No. 1 quarterback and the No. 2 overall player in the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. He was committed to Georgia for seven months in 2024 before reopening his recruitment, which cleared the path for the Ducks to make a push that ultimately fell short. Lanning has signed top-10 classes in each of the past three cycles, and his last two classes have finished in the top five. He's raised the Ducks' recruiting profile since he took over. (And yes, comments section, we know: NIL, NIL, NIL.) But we're not used to seeing Oregon take as many blows on the trail as they have over the past couple of months. The Ducks have been on the wrong end of some high-profile flips to West Coast rivals — five-star offensive lineman Kodi Greene to Washington and a pair of four-star prospects, quarterback Jonas Williams and defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui, to USC. They also lost recent battles for four-star defensive lineman Derek Colman-Brusa (Washington) and four-star wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt (Ohio State). Now, add Curtis to the mix. When Moore flipped to UCLA in late 2022, Lanning countered with an impressive flurry to close the early signing period, showing the rest of the nation what to expect from him and the Ducks moving forward. There shouldn't be a ton of concern about Oregon's recruiting over the long term. The Ducks' average player rating for their seven commitments in the 2026 class sits at 92.80 (fourth nationally). It would surprise no one if they ended up with five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons. But it'll be interesting to see how Lanning and his staff respond over the next few months. USC continues to beef up its class The Trojans hold the top spot in the national rankings and continued their impressive run by landing several blue-chip commitments last week. The highest-rated player of the group was four-star corner Elbert Hill, an Ohio native who is a top-50 prospect nationally. USC also landed Luc Weaver, a four-star wide receiver from Southern California. But the most significant pledge might have come from four-star IMG (Fla.) Academy offensive lineman Keenyi Pepe, the younger brother of current USC defensive lineman Kobe Pepe. USC has struggled to attract elite offensive line talent for several years. It's one of the glaring areas where the program has to improve to contend nationally. The Trojans have a whopping 27 commitments in their 2026 class, which is 12 more than the next closest programs (Penn State and Syracuse). That's a big reason why they're sitting atop the team rankings, but their class also has star power, with eight top-100 prospects. And 15 of the 27 commitments come from the state of California, which will please USC fans after the recent in-state struggles under Lincoln Riley. Ole Miss makes some noise From a roster-building standpoint, the Rebels have become known more for their work in the transfer portal than the recruiting trail under Lane Kiffin. But Ole Miss received pledges from two top-150 prospects over the past week. The Rebels flipped four-star linebacker Izayia Williams of Tavares (Fla.) High, the nation's No. 51 prospect, from Florida. They also landed a commitment from four-star running back Damarius Yates, a Mississippi native who ranks No. 7 in the state and No. 125 nationally. They instantly became the two highest-rated players in Ole Miss' class. Committed 🦈 — Izayia williams (@izayia_williams) May 2, 2025 Yates is part of a particularly strong recruiting cycle in Mississippi, which is home to 15 blue-chip prospects this year. That's the most since the 2019 cycle produced 17 blue-chippers. We'll see if Ole Miss can take advantage. Washington keeps top talent in state Washington hired Jedd Fisch on Jan. 14, 2024. That was a less-than-ideal start date for a coach in the 2025 recruiting cycle. But Fisch made it work, and the Huskies finished with a top-25 recruiting class. The ceiling for Washington's 2026 class is potentially even higher. Flipping Greene, the No. 22 overall player in the class, from Oregon was a massive triumph. Fisch built the trenches up well at Arizona, and it's clear he's emphasizing that area with the Huskies. In addition to flipping Greene, Washington beat out Oregon and several other brand-name programs for four-star in-state defensive lineman Colman-Brusa. Fisch is also prioritizing keeping top in-state talent at home. Greene plays for Mater Dei in Santa Ana, Calif., so he's listed as a California prospect, but he's a Washington native and his older brother, Kayden, plays safety for the Huskies. Colman-Brusa is the top-rated player in Washington (No. 161 nationally), and his brother, Lowen, signed with Washington as part of the 2025 class. This is Fisch's second recruiting cycle with the Huskies, and it's the second time he's landed the No. 1 in-state prospect (Zaydrius Rainey-Sale in 2025 was the other). Washington's 2026 class currently ranks 18th nationally. Vanderbilt makes a splash It's not too often Vanderbilt is involved with one of the best prospects in the country. Four-star corner Caden Harris, who plays for Haywood High School in Brownsville, Tenn., has proven to be an exception. Harris, ranked No. 82 nationally, committed to the Commodores in late April over Notre Dame, Georgia and other Power 4 programs. Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea has not signed a top-150 prospect since he took over as head coach in December 2020. That's not a surprise. Vanderbilt is known more for its academics than its recruiting prowess. But Lea is coming off a breakthrough season with quarterback Diego Pavia and the program's first bowl victory since the 2013 season. That on-field momentum carried over with Harris' recruitment. If he remains in the fold, he would be Vanderbilt's highest-rated signee in modern recruiting history (dating back to 2002). Around the country Ohio State: Brian Hartline is keeping the Buckeyes stocked with high-end wide receiver talent. On Sunday, Dixon-Wyatt committed to Ohio State over Oregon and others. Dixon-Wyatt is the No. 107 overall player in the class and is a Mater Dei teammate of fellow Buckeyes receiver commit Chris Henry Jr., a five-star prospect. Ohio State has four blue-chip receivers in its 2026 class. Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish, No. 2 in the team rankings, bolstered their class with two four-star pledges recently — running back Javian Osborne (No. 90 nationally) and linebacker Jakobe Clapper (No. 399). Notre Dame's class includes 14 commitments and has an average player rating of 92.14, which, if it holds, would be the highest in Marcus Freeman's time as head coach. Georgia: A few days before Curtis' commitment, the Bulldogs landed four-star in-state offensive lineman Graham Houston, who ranked No. 298 nationally. Georgia has eight commitments and ranks No. 17 nationally. LSU: The Tigers went into Southern California and came away with a commitment from four-star corner and top-100 prospect Havon Finney, who plays for Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth. Finney is one of six top-100 prospects in LSU's class, which ranks No. 6 nationally. (Photo of Dan Lanning: Soobum Im / Getty Images)
USA Today
23-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Oregon Ducks announce details for annual Spring Game
Oregon Ducks announce details for annual Spring Game After several weeks of spring practice in Eugene, fans of the Oregon Ducks will get to see the team at long last on Saturday during the annual spring game at Autzen Stadium. It is a tradition unlike any other in Eugene, with the stands around Rich Brooks Field filling up fast as the players prepare to showcase their improvement over the offseason. It should be a thrilling event in 2025, with a new-look roster in Eugene getting set to make waves and uphold the standard that was set by those who came before them. With players like Dante Moore, Austin Novosad, Dillon Thieneman, Matayo Uiagaleleil, and Makhi Hughes getting set to take the field, intrigue will certainly be high. As usual, the Ducks' athletic department is building a day out of the event, incorporating the baseball series against the Oregon State Beavers into the schedule as well. Here's everything that fans need to know about the day as a whole: Oregon Spring Game Schedule of Events 10:00 a.m. Autzen Stadium parking lots open, Valley River Center shuttles begin 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Pregame Fan Fest - outside Autzen Stadium & PK Plaza 11:15 a.m. Autzen Stadium North Box Office opens 11:30 a.m. Autzen Stadium gates open 12:50 p.m. National Anthem and F-15 Flyover 1:00 p.m. Oregon Football Spring Game 2:30 p.m. PK Park gates open 4:00 p.m. Oregon Baseball vs. Oregon State (PK Park) Oregon Spring Game Admission Admission to the Spring Game is free for fans, with gates to Autzen Stadium opening at 11:30 a.m. PT. Fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to donate to Food for Lane County. If you wish to donate online to FFLC, that option is available. Students who are attending the game are encouraged to sit in the traditional student section — Section 7 and Section 8 — where bucket hats will be supplied while supplies last. Oregon Spring Game Parking Parking will open at 10:00 a.m. in the Autzen Stadium East parking lot. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to allow for plenty of time before the 1:00 p.m. kickoff. Parking passes are sold out. Fans are encouraged to utilize the free shuttles that will begin running at 10:00 a.m. from Valley River Center. Because of ongoing construction, fans will not be able to access Autzen Stadium via Leo Harris Parkway West. Oregon Football Pre-Game Fan Fest Information The Fan Fest will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. before the game in the Autzen Plaza. There will be over a dozen food trucks in the plaza from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those options include: Blessed Mess Chicken Bonz Taco Maniac The Corndog Company Oregon Woodfired Pizza Kona Shave Ice Mad Boba Everyday Kine Grinds Forrest Grove Sandwich Shop Oh' My Mini Donuts King Whippy Ice Cream New England Lemonade Crumbl Cookie Kettle Corn Company Oregon Spring Game Format The Ducks are bucking the conventional national trend this year and going with a normal spring game, much to fans' delight. The game will consist of four 15-minute quarters, and there will be a running clock except for scores, penalties, and change of possession for everything but the last three minutes of each half. There will also be a 12-minute halftime. Oregon Spring Game Guest Coaches Former Oregon head coaches Rich Brooks and Mike Bellotti and former Ducks Christian Gonzalez and Bucky Irving will serve as guest coaches for the 2025 Spring Game. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
USA Today
16-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Da'Jaun Riggs' increased knowledge of Ducks' offense sets him apart this spring
Da'Jaun Riggs' increased knowledge of Ducks' offense sets him apart this spring The list of exciting, high-upside players on the Oregon Ducks roster coming into the spring football season was long, with guys like Dante Moore, Makhi Hughes, Dillon Thieneman, Dakorien Moore, and Isaiah World all generating a ton of buzz. Through the first nine practices, fans haven't been disappointed as stories come out about those players living up to the hype in Eugene. Many of those fans are projecting a breakout season in 2025 for redshirt freshman running back Da'Jaun Riggs. He didn't get a ton of snaps last year, but with 11 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown, enough was seen to project highly for the future. Want a sample of what some people are saying? Former Oregon RB Jonathan Stewart says that when he watches Riggs run, he sees a bit of LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner. Current Oregon RB Noah Whittington has dubbed him "Bucky 2.0" for the similarities in his running style with Bucky Irving. Earlier this week, Oregon OL great Geoff Schwartz said on the Bleav in Oregon Podcast that he looked like the best player on the field against Washington and Illinois in 2024. "The thing about watching film, he stood out," Schwartz said. "He played faster than all 21 guys on the field, and I get that it was backups, I don't give a (expletive)." Those are all fans weighing in, though. What do the coaches have to say? We asked on Tuesday, and the results were just as glowing. "(Riggs) has grown up. He's definitely grown up. He's matured in the offense, he looks comfortable right now," RB coach Ra'Shaad Samples said. "That second half of the season, Dink really started to get comfortable, and I know you guys saw him rattle off a couple of runs, and that's been consistent. He shows up every day and is the same person. He's natural. He's a really natural runner. It doesn't take much for him. It isn't hard for him. He makes it look really easy." It will be hard for Riggs to carve out a share of the workload in Oregon's crowded backfield this season, with Whittington returning for another season and Tulane transfer Makhi Hughes coming in with high expectations, but from what we've seen him put on tape, the redshirt freshman has the talent to hold his own and demand a cut of the carries. "I'm going to try and figure out if I can call the NCAA and see if we can play with two footballs," Samples joked on Tuesday. "We've got to find ways to get these guys the ball, and it's a hard job. It's a good problem to have." One thing that Riggs has on his side this year that he didn't last year is a deeper understanding of the offense. While pure talent was relied upon as a true freshman, he now can further ingratiate himself into the system and build on his talent to stake his claim in the backfield. "It's the difference in knowing the system and not knowing and learning it," head coach Dan Lanning said. "And he's a guy that now understands where to hit on a certain path, understands, you know, where he's going to be at in a route, where he's at. So like, picking up the system, I think it's huge for him, but he's proven to be a guy that's elusive that can also get vertical fast. Plays the game the right way." When the Ducks' spring game rolls around two weekends from now on April 26, there's an endless list of players who fans will be chomping at the bit to see in action once again. Based on what we saw last year and based on what we're hearing this spring, Riggs will undoubtedly be near the top of that list. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
New York Times
14-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How Ducks' Jackson LaCombe leapfrogged others to become their No. 1 defenseman
ANAHEIM, Calif. — It made sense to think Pavel Mintyukov would become The One on the Ducks' blue line. He burst onto the scene in 2023-24 as a rookie, with lots of quality ice time, moments of physical one-on-one defensive play and scratching the surface of his offensive upside. It also made sense to think Olen Zellweger would become The One. He skates beautifully, with the ability to carry the puck out of his zone and move along the blue line to find shooting lanes. He's got a knack for getting his shot through to the net and has the puck-moving skills to run a power play. Advertisement Each player also won the best defenseman award in his respective junior leagues in 2023, with Zellweger edging out Mintyukov and Tristan Luneau — another highly talented projected Ducks blueliner — for the top defenseman award in Canadian major junior hockey. As training camp commenced last fall, it was easy to see a future in which Mintyukov or Zellweger started to nudge aside longtime veteran Cam Fowler as the one the Ducks rode in important situations. Someone did force the Ducks' hand. But that No. 1 position, and all the responsibility that comes with it, now belongs to Jackson LaCombe. LaCombe's rise has been meteoric in his second season. He has 14 goals — the most by an Anaheim blueliner since Lubomir Visnovsky had a team-record 18 in 2010-11 — and 43 points, which would be higher if the Ducks didn't ice the NHL's worst power play. After ranking fourth among their defensemen in ice time as a rookie (19:23), LaCombe plays more than any other skater on the team (22:09). 'Jacks always had it,' said fellow defenseman Drew Helleson, who has known his fellow Minnesota native since they were grade-school age. 'It was just a matter of time until he kind of grew into his own and was able to showcase what he could do. All our buddies back home, we always knew it was going to happen. 'You watch him in college and before he got here, even a little bit last year, you just could see he had it. Just waiting for him to get the confidence to make some plays. Now he's got it and now you can see what it's doing for him and what it does for us. It's been fun to watch.' Jackson LaCombe, who has emerged on the @AnaheimDucks blue line this season, is a candidate to join Team USA at the upcoming Men's Worlds. His skating would be an asset on the big sheet. Our @NHLNetwork coverage of the tournament starts May 9! 🇺🇸@GopherHockey @SiriusXMNHL — Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) April 10, 2025 The flight upward for LaCombe, 23, hasn't always been smooth. It was particularly bumpy last season. In 71 games, he showed flashes of his potential as a smooth-skating offensive contributor, but many more instances of tentative playmaking while also learning how to defend at the NHL level and overcoming mistakes made after skipping past the minor leagues. Advertisement With the Ducks firmly in a rebuild, LaCombe also had to deal with losing regularly on a 27-50-5 club after four successful years at the University of Minnesota, capped by a berth in the NCAA title game. And confidence — along with the lack of it — can be more important than ability for a young player in development mode. 'Last year, I was kind of a little bit standoffish and a little bit afraid in some moments,' LaCombe said. 'And I think now I'm just kind of just being myself. Just me being the player that I am is just contributing to my confidence. They're allowing me to play like that, which helps me out a ton. And I think my game is obviously evolved a lot from college. It's a lot different now. Just being able to kind of contribute in all areas of the ice has been huge for me, and it's just been helping me build my confidence.' On April 1, LaCombe played a personal-best 31:04 in a shootout win over the San Jose Sharks. It isn't uncommon for him to log between 23 and 28 minutes, and he hasn't played fewer than 20 in a game since early January. His effectiveness with regular partner Radko Gudas has been on the wane, as he's been on the ice for 20 goals against in all situations over the last 10 games. But LaCombe's play driving and offense generation in five-on-five play is markedly better year over year (43.6 to 48.9 CF%; 45.51 to 48.86 xGF%). There are the numbers that measure his improvement. It goes beyond that for LaCombe. He's had veterans to learn from. Gudas. Brian Dumoulin (before he was traded). And Fowler, the big-minute defenseman he replaced. 'He just allows me to play my game and be myself,' LaCombe said of Gudas, the Ducks' captain. 'That's kind of what I needed to hear and needed to do. For him just to be there has been huge for me. Obviously, he's a tremendous guy and such a good player. Just being able to learn from him every day and have a leader like that to play with has been great.' Advertisement The presence of Helleson has also had a positive effect. LaCombe and Helleson played on summer teams as youths in Minnesota and were united at prep power Shattuck St. Mary's for two years before Helleson left to play in the United States National Team Development Program. But after Helleson went to play at Boston College and LaCombe stayed home at Minnesota, they were back together with Trevor Zegras for the United States' gold medal-winning 2021 World Juniors squad. They reunited when the Ducks acquired Helleson from the Colorado Avalanche in a 2022 trade that sent away longtime defenseman Josh Manson. Now they're roommates, and Zegras said that's enhanced the comfort level that LaCombe now feels. 'Because it's hard,' Zegras said. 'Playing 82 games versus the best players in the world, it's tough. I guess when you have that comfortability on the days in between, I think it helps a lot.' 'I don't know if me being here has anything to do with that,' Helleson said. 'Like I said, we always knew he had it. It was just a matter of time for him to show it.' Last summer, coach Greg Cronin sought out Golden Gophers coach Bob Motzko to get a feel for how LaCombe might advance as a player after going through the peaks and valleys of his first season. Through a couple lengthy conversations, Motzko convinced Cronin that it takes LaCombe a bit of time to be secure and assured with his game and the atmosphere he's in. It requires a coach to be patient and, as Cronin put it, wait 'for all that talent to bust through.' If a coach can do that, the wait will be worth it. 'He had the same experience with Jackson his freshmen year at Minnesota,' Cronin said. 'And he said, 'You will see a different player this year.'' Adjustments were also made off the ice. LaCombe attacked the weight room and strengthened his 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame. He also spent a week training with Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor Jeremy Clark to build more combative instincts into his game. Motzko gave Cronin glowing reports. Advertisement 'He did some things that were kind of out-of-the-box stuff, which I had talked to Jackson about in terms of exploring boxing or some mixed martial arts to get a real intimate view of a human's response to competitiveness,' Cronin said. 'And he did it. He wasn't broadcasting it. He was very humble about it.' LaCombe's on-ice transformation began with a terrific training camp. But an illness at the start of the season sapped his momentum. LaCombe didn't play until the season's fifth game but even as he made up ground in the first two months, he was still scratched three times. One of those was a Dec. 11 game at Ottawa, as the Ducks had Fowler returning from injury and needed him in the lineup to showcase for a trade. After that, LaCombe was back in the lineup for good, and he had a goal and assist in consecutive contests to start a 16-game stretch in which he scored four goals and had 14 points. Fowler was traded to St. Louis on Dec. 14, opening the door for LaCombe to rush through. 'His biggest thing was the trust in his own abilities,' Gudas said. 'And I thought this year he showed up in the camp, he showed all his potential where it is right now. The start of the season, he was playing and trying to do his things. He got on the wrong end of it a few times and I think he learned from his mistakes. He got healthy scratched a few times early in the season, but he never looked back. 'He tried to get better. Worked on the confidence and worked on the things that he's great at.' 'I'm thrilled for Jacks,' Fowler said. 'He's a great kid. I've still been checking in on the guys and watching some of their games and I know he's had a great season. I think there's a lot more to come from Jacks. I think he's destined for great things and I'm happy that he's having some success there.' When the Ducks drafted LaCombe in the second round in 2019, they knew he'd be a bit of a long-term project, as a forward who converted to defense while at Shattuck. As they saw him stand out on the talent-laden Golden Gophers, where he played above Brock Faber and had Matthew Knies, Logan Cooley and Jimmy Snuggerud as teammates, they remained convinced that he'd find success in the NHL. Advertisement The Ducks now have a clear No. 1 defenseman, and that's a piece they'll need in their build-up toward being a playoff team. They've had players such as Fowler and Hampus Lindholm capably perform in that role — at a very high level during their most recent contention period — but they haven't had a dominant blueliner since Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger. That is still uncharted territory for LaCombe and he must fend off competition within his own team to be The One. But he is opening eyes across the league by the day. 'I always knew he was going to be this good,' Helleson said. 'It was just a matter of time. And I think he can get even better. It's a start. Who knows how high his ceiling is?'
