Scott Niedermayer was the first Anaheim Duck to raise the Stanley Cup at 2695 E Katella Ave. on June 6, 2007.
He currently works as a “Special Advisor to Hockey Operations” in the Ducks organization, a position he’s held since Feb. 8, 2022. Before 2022, he had served the team in roles as a team consultant (2011-2012), assistant coach (2012-2015), and development coach (2015-2019).
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Niedermayer (51) was recently interviewed by Tom Gulliti of NHL.com. He asked his thoughts on the upcoming NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, his time with Team Canada, and his role within the Ducks’ organization.
“Adviser is what I am, so I’m kind of involved in most areas of the hockey operations,” Niedermayer said of his position. “I do talk to the coaches. I’m in touch with them. I do some player development. I go out and see some players we’ve drafted. I do a little bit of scouting before the draft.
“So, kind of just chipping in. I’m definitely not working as hard as the real scouts that are pounding the pavement as hard as they do, but it’s been fun, and it’s been a challenge for where our team and franchise is and what we’re trying to do. But similar to competing when you’re playing, you’re trying to get to the top of the hill again.”
Aside from moseying around Great Park Ice during Ducks’ development, rookie, and training camps, Niedermayer was last notably seen on stage at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, where he announced the Ducks’ somewhat surprising third-overall pick of Beckett Sennecke from the Oshawa Generals of the OHL.
Through 52 games in the 2024-25 season, the Ducks sit in sixth place in the Pacific Division standings and 17th in the overall NHL standings with a 22-24-6 record.
The Ducks are scoring at the lowest rate in the NHL (2.52 goals per game) and on the other end, they sit in 21st in terms of goals allowed per game (3.10). Their power play ranks 31st in the NHL, converting at a 12.5% rate and their penalty kill sits at 27th, killing at a 74.2% rate.
Their underlying numbers paint a similar picture. They’re generating 2.34 expected goals per 60 minutes at 5v5, placing them 27th in the NHL, and are allowing 3.01 expected goals per 60 minutes at 5v5, placing them in a tie for 32nd with the San Jose Sharks.
The numbers indicate they’re relying on elite goaltending and clawing out unmerited wins with timely goals.
“These days there’s so many different numbers and stats that everybody looks at,” Niedermayer said. “You can almost pick the ones that you want to kind of tell a story. But if I ignore that and you just go by sort of the eyeball test, it does look better.
“It looks like the coaching staff has been there over a year now and the players are starting to understand, and the young guys are gaining some experience. And I think those things have helped us look better, for sure.”
The Ducks deploy a nightly lineup consisting of eight skaters and one goaltender under 25 years old: Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, Jackson LaCombe, Drew Helleson, Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger, and Lukas Dostal.
Of those nine players, LaCombe, Helleson, and Dostal are the only ones who haven’t either regressed or underperformed compared to expectations in 2024-25. The group is playing a more detail-oriented, 200-foot game on a nightly basis, but that hasn’t translated into the offense they were hoping for (the area that will ultimately provide the greatest impact for the youngest players on the Ducks roster).
Following the Ducks’ acquisition of Jacob Trouba compounded with the unexpectedly high level of Helleson’s game has created a logjam on the blueline and rendered one of Zellweger or Mintyukov as the odd defenseman out game-to-game, serving as a healthy scratch.
Pavel Mintyukov was the 2022-23 OHL Defenseman of the Year and Olen Zellweger was the WHL defenseman of the year in 2021-22 and 2022-23. Zellweger was also awarded CHL Defenseman of the Year in 2022-23.
Niedermayer was asked how much he’s in communication with the young duo.
“A little bit. I’m in touch with them, talk to them about their game, about different things,” Niedermayer said. “It is a difficult position to play, obviously, and it does take time. Everybody probably looks at rebuilding teams and wishes they were better right away, and probably the same can be true for young players.
“We are trying to focus on them learning the important details of the game that help you have success later as an individual and team. Maybe that does take away a little bit of other parts of their game when they’re young. I know I felt like that when I was coached by under Jacques Lemaire (with the Devils), but in the long run that made me a more valuable, better player for my team. So, I think that’s what we’re trying to do here, and hopefully, the young guys are learning those things.”
Time will tell if Niedermayer, harmonious with the Ducks’ approach to the situation, is correct in his assessment and the youngest, most talented, and potentially impactful players will see their offensive numbers increase with further commitment to the defensive side of the puck.
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