Ducks Prospect Luneau Leads AHL Defensemen in Points Since All-Star Break

Tristan Luneau turned in one of the most productive defensive seasons in San Diego Gulls history, finishing 2024-25 with 52 points on nine goals and 43 assists in 59 games while leading all AHL blueliners in points after the All-Star break.

The numbers carried historical weight in San Diego. Luneau's assist total was the second-most by a defenseman in Gulls franchise history, trailing only Brandon Montour's 45 in 2015-16, and he became just the second Gulls player to earn AHL All-Rookie Team honors alongside Montour. Every skater in the AHL who outscored him was a forward who played more games.

The centerpiece of his second half was an 11-game assist streak from Feb. 12 through March 7, during which he posted 16 assists and one goal. It was the longest assist streak in Gulls AHL history and the longest in the entire league since the 2021-22 season. He bookended that run with a career-high four-point game Jan. 25 at Calgary (1-3=4) and added three-assist performances Feb. 8 at Ontario and Feb. 22 at Bakersfield. On the power play alone, he recorded 16 points during a season snapshot that showed him ranked second among all AHL rookie defensemen in that category.

The production was a direct rebound from a 2023-24 season that barely existed. An infection in his knee ended Luneau's year in early December, cost him 44 NHL games, and forced him off Canada's 2024 World Junior Championship roster, where he was replaced by Jorian Donovan. He had combined for just 13 games across AHL and NHL play that year.

"After missing so much time with an injury in the 2023-2024 season, I only had one expectation for Luneau this year, to play as much hockey as possible between the AHL and NHL," wrote Thomas Harrington of Ducksnpucks. "He went from a combined 13 games to a combined 65 games. Even taking the points out of the equation, this was a great bounce back season from Luneau."

Luneau began 2024-25 with Anaheim and appeared in six NHL games before being assigned to San Diego, where he operated primarily on the top defensive pairing. He has now played 13 career NHL games with the Ducks, posting three points (1-2=3). His NHL debut came in 2023-24, when he scored his first NHL goal Nov. 30, 2023, against Washington as part of a two-point night.

The Victoriaville, Quebec native was selected 53rd overall by Anaheim in the second round of the 2022 draft out of the QMJHL's Gatineau Olympiques, where he won the Emile Bouchard Trophy as the league's top defenseman after posting 83 points in 65 games during the 2022-23 season. Scouts have noted that his skating improved considerably since that draft year, with his four-way mobility remaining a strength and his straight-line stride gaining both length and power. One prospect analysis ranked him third among all Ducks prospects, above fellow defenseman Stian Solberg, citing his offensive ceiling and two-way potential as the separating factors.

With the Ducks carrying a relatively set defensive corps, Luneau is positioned as the first callup from San Diego when Anaheim needs reinforcements, and projects as a legitimate competitor for a permanent roster spot heading into training camp.