The Anaheim Ducks are once again in a new era. After firing head coach Greg Conin in April despite an upward trend in performance during his tenure, general manager Pat Verbeek went all in this offseason when he chose to bring in Joel Quenneville, who Anaheim will turn to for help ending their seven-year playoff drought.
Quenneville is no stranger to success, as he has been nothing but a winner behind the bench. Most notably, Quenneville ranks second in the all-time coaching wins category and won three Stanley Cups during his tenure as head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks from 2009 to 2019.
That winning record is why Quenneville was a key reason Anaheim brought him in this offseason, and if there is one thing the Ducks have lacked in recent years, it has been a winning culture. With his experience in championship seasons, Quenneville will certainly look to instill his pedigree in the locker room from day one.
The hiring is not a risk-free move, though. After being a part of the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault scandal, many Ducks fans are on edge as to how he can refrain from off-the-ice controversy. Quenneville will need to ensure that he sets a good standard from the start to prove to the Anaheim faithful that he possesses a winning character.
Quenneville will surely look to balance the team with veterans and young talent this season as he did with Chicago when he took them over in 2009. In his introductory press conference, Quenneville noted a significant reason why he joined Anaheim was because of the two teams’ parallels.
The 2009 Blackhawks squad was filled with youngsters like Johnathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith, which gave them a lot of depth organizationally and made it easy for Quenneville to create a balanced lineup. He believes the same concepts can apply in Anaheim.
Quenneville will look to create rapport and respect across the roster almost instantly by pushing his players hard from the get-go. As seen with previous Quenneville teams, he clearly believes that coming out of the gates hot will translate into consistent success throughout the regular season.
On the ice, Quenneville will look to fix the glaring issues Anaheim has faced throughout its rebuild. Perhaps the most glaring flaw for the Ducks has been their lack of power play success, a category in which Anaheim ranked dead last in 2024-25. Luckily, Quenneville has historically shone in maximizing power play opportunities, placing a real emphasis on its success. Quenneville’s recognition of how much of a difference special teams make in hockey games these days will hopefully be enough for Anaheim to be lifted off the bottom and generate far more success from the power play in 2025-26.
Although most hockey fans would likely describe Quenneville as having a more balanced approach to players on the ice, he certainly does not refrain from pushing the pace offensively. With a focus on transitional play and a disciplined defensive approach, Quenneville will generate a more fiery offense and produce more goal-scoring opportunities. With offense being such a struggle for Anaheim in recent years, the Ducks’ faithful will no doubt be ready to see some more pucks in the net this season under Quenneville.
As the Ducks get ready for their season opener on Oct. 9 in Seattle, fans will be eagerly looking in Quenneville’s direction to see if he can build the culture they have been desperate for.