Ducks Notebook: Terry, Moore return to practice, Jensen clears waivers, Klepov to juniors

IRVINE, Calif. – Saturday was a busy small news day around the Anaheim Ducks.

Aside from the eyebrow-raising selection of Laurent Brossoit as the starting goaltender for the Ducks tonight against the Ottawa Senators ahead of a healthy Lukáš Dostál and Ville Husso, Saturday’s practice at Great Park ice saw a handful of returns to the ice for Pavel Mintyukov, Troy Terry and Ian Moore and the departures, for now, of Nick Jensen and Nikita Klepov.

Here’s a run through the the practice notebook detailing the Ducks’ personnel moves:

Pavel Mintyukov Elevated Off Injured Reserve

First and most pertinent, Pavel Mintyukov was in the regular line rushes on Saturday and was brought off injured reserve from his lower-body injury.

Mintyukov was Oct. 20 on Long Island and has missed the last four games. He will be paired with Noah Warren on the blue line against Ottawa on Sunday.

The 22-year-old Russian has averaged over 18 minutes per game and is third among Ducks defensemen in expected goal share at five-on-five, with Anaheim earning 51.15% xGF with Mintyukov on the ice.

Troy Terry, Ian Moore Return to Practice After Season-Long Absence

Second, and maybe the biggest needed morale boost the Ducks could use right now, was the return of their longest-tenured player in Troy Terry and much needed help on the blue line in Ian Moore.

Terry underwent hip surgery in June for a chronic hip impingement and labral tear and initially had a recovery timeline stretching into late November or early December.

Now, Terry skated in his first full practice with the team and is just a week or so away from his season debut, according to Joel Quenneville. Terry remains on long-term injured reserve, which provides the Ducks nearly $4 million in salary cap relief.

“It was just fun to be back with the guys and feel like part of the team again,” Terry said, “and try to take the puck from me. I’ve been skating by myself for a long time… Still working towards it.”

Terry has been around the Ducks facility since the beginning of training camp and could often be seen catching bits of practice from the other side of the glass. After battling through his injury as long as he did last season, he’s excited to be back with the group.

“It’s hard. It’s hard to not start the year too,” Terry said. “You just feel very much removed. It’s hard to not be around the guys… Just trying to support where I can. We do have a young team, so just trying to be there.”

Moore was on the ice for the first day of training camp, but within minutes of the first on-ice session, the 24-year-old was out with a lower-body injury.

“It was frustrating,” Moore said. All the skates in the summer, you build up and you’re so excited to be out there, then that happens.”

For a Ducks blue line that is currently skating with three or four rookies on any given night, Moore’s experience from last season’s run will be valuable.

“It felt great,” Moore said. “It’s been fun watching them, but obviously you want to be out there. It’s just awesome to be out there with the guys and feel a bit more normal again.”

Moore is further away than Terry is, per Quenneville, and remains on injured reserve.

Nick Jensen Clears Waivers, Assigned to AHL San Diego

In an offseason that lacked in free agent additions for the Ducks, Jensen was seemingly the most key signing general manager Pat Verbeek made on July 1.

With Anaheim losing the entirety of its veteran right-handed defense corps in Radko Gudas, Jacob Trouba and John Carlson, the 34-year-old blue liner was slated to be the experienced hand, with Jackson LaCombe the next oldest regular blueliner at just 25 years old.

However, Jensen suffered a minor lower-body injury in training camp and seemingly never got fully integrated to the Ducks blue line.

Jensen did not make his Anaheim debut until the eighth game of the season on Oct. 19, and with just four games under his belt with the Ducks, he was put on waivers on Saturday and cleared on Sunday to be sent to the minors.

“He hasn’t played in a long time there last year going back to that,” Quenneville said referring to a hip surgery in the 2025 offseason and a meniscus surgery in March. “Coming into camp didn’t play much (after the lower-body injury). Get him playing. I think that’s going to help his game.”

Jensen signed a two-year deal with a $2.5 million per season value, and in the AHL, he retains a $1.025 million hit on the Ducks salary cap.

Nikita Klepov Returns to Juniors

Anaheim’s 2026 first-round pick–one of two acquired in the Mason McTavish trade–made a splash when he signed his entry-level contract and left before the school year even began at Michigan State.

Nikita Klepov did so with the opportunity to make a thin Ducks roster and possibly make an impact. When he was drafted Verbeek said the 18-year-old could be on a fast-track to the NHL and seemingly was, making the Ducks opening night roster.

“I think he’s going to be a good player,” Quenneville said. “We liked what we saw in him. He needs to play hockey. It’s a big jump. There’s a lot of bright side to him.”

However, despite shining with skill players in the preseason, Klepov was sheltered in the regular season and played sparingly in just four NHL games. After sitting out the Ducks’ last three contests, Klepov was sent back to OHL Saginaw to play the rest of the season. (He was ineligible to return to college after signing his pro contract.)

“The more he’s going to play, it’s only going to add to his resume as he’s going to gradually grow quickly,” Quenneville said. “This is a good experience for him, and he can apply that in juniors.”

In four games, Klepov averaged over 13 minutes per night and did not record a point. Last season in Saginaw, Klepov led the OHL in scoring with 97 points in 67 games.