Ducks Reassign Ian Moore to San Diego; Gulls Send Duo to Tulsa

Anaheim reassigned defenseman Ian Moore to the San Diego Gulls on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, a move the club made during the NHL’s Olympic-window roster shuffle. San Diego announced the same communication assigned forward Coulson Pitre and defenseman Konnor Smith to Tulsa, giving Moore an opportunity for immediate game action in the AHL while the Ducks pause their schedule.

Moore, 24 (born Jan. 4, 2002), has two goals and nine points in 41 games this season and has averaged 14:10 of ice time per night, while posting a 53.5% CorsiFor% at even strength in his rookie NHL work. Aggregated team records list him with 44 career NHL appearances for Anaheim; the club notes he scored his first NHL goal Nov. 6 at Dallas and made his NHL debut April 16, 2025 at Winnipeg.

The reassignment is explicitly framed as short term. As ProHockeyRumors put it, "It’s not expected to be a long-term demotion for Moore," and the outlet added that "the move to AHL San Diego will allow the 24-year-old defenseman to play in as many as three games before the Ducks return to action against the Edmonton Oilers next Wednesday." That window aligns with the Gulls' upcoming slate, which lists Rockford, Tucson, Texas and San Jose among opponents in the immediate stretch.

Moore brings a strong developmental résumé to San Diego. He completed a four-year tenure at Harvard University with 9-47=56 points in 122 games from 2021-25 and was a team captain at the collegiate level. He signed a two-year entry-level contract with Anaheim on April 12, 2025 and has appeared in multiple stints for the Gulls, including nine regular-season games to close out last year when he scored one goal and totaled five points.

San Diego’s assignment of Coulson Pitre and Konnor Smith to Tulsa clears roster spots and sends two prospects to the ECHL-level rotation; the Gulls’ release highlights Smith’s junior pedigree, noting he helped Peterborough to the OHL Championship in 2022-23 and had two assists in 23 playoff games and one assist across five Memorial Cup games. Those moves signal the Gulls are balancing short-term veteran depth with longer-term player development ahead of the AHL stretch run.

Moore’s brief AHL return also carries NHL ripple effects. ProHockeyRumors observed that his early-season play in Anaheim squeezed Pavel Mintyukov’s minutes and "sparked mixed feelings in Orange County," a dynamic the Ducks will watch when they evaluate their blue line after the Olympic window. With the Ducks not scheduled to play again until the Edmonton matchup, Moore looks likely to log a handful of AHL shifts and remain eligible for a recall if Anaheim needs an extra defenseman before returning to NHL action.