Ducks winger Beckett Sennecke was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team on Friday.
He finished in third place for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year behind unanimous winner Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the New York Islanders, and Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov.
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The All-Rookie voting followed suit, with only Schaefer and Demidov garnering more nods than Sennecke.
Schaefer tied Brian Leetch’s rookie record for goals by a defenseman with 23, the same total Sennecke put up to tie for this season’s rookie lead. Demidov paced all rookies in assists (43) and points (62).
Rounding out the selections were second-half sensation Jimmy Snuggerud, a St. Louis Blues forward; Demidov’s teammate Jakub Dobeš, the goalie who powered the Canadiens’ surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals; and Alexander Nikishin, the 24-year-old Russian rearguard that’s currently in the Stanley Cup Final with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Sennecke was just one campaign removed from his draft year, when his meteoric rise up the board saw him taken third overall in a move that surprised not only observers but Sennecke himself.
The run-up to his rookie season was underwhelming as his showings at development camp, rookie camp and training camp were largely flat. Yet he began 2025-26 with the parent club and never looked back.
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There would be no return to junior hockey, minor-league conditioning stint, load management or consideration about skating for Canada at the World Juniors. Sennecke played all 82 regular-season games and all 12 playoff matches for the Ducks. He finished third on the team in both goals and points, and he tied for the lead in goals during their two-round playoff sprint, their first postseason berth since 2018.
“It was fun. I learned a ton in my first year. It was a great group of guys to learn from and a great coaching staff. All around, it was super enjoyable,” Sennecke said.
Sennecke finished his adolescence in his first season with the Ducks, one played under 67-year-old Joel Quenneville after he took the helm last May.
“A lot of credit to him, he knew I was young and gave me a lot of leash that maybe he wouldn’t give other players,” Sennecke said.
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