Preview: Ducks open 2024-25 season tonight in San Jose

“I like the steps we have taken and the progress since the end of last year,” Gudas said. “I think we're a lot better now than we were at this time last year. “It's a big step for us, especially for the young guys who have improved this year and are more confident.”

“It was a better camp this year,” Cronin said. “In our experience last year it was more organized and the players were more familiar with the expectations. When you have that familiarity, everything goes faster.”

Anaheim's roster was mostly set for the final week after a competitive training camp, particularly on the back end, where eight defensemen are vying for six regular spots.

“(Brian Dumoulin) brings a lot of composure and a lot of experience,” said Gudas. “We needed that, a presence to help us calm each other down… We're trying to get pucks to our centers and wingers earlier and with more confidence so we can make more plays and get out of the zone.”

With John Gibson out due to an emergency appendectomy, 24-year-old Lukas Dostal will make his first career start on opening night.

“It’s very hard to lose a guy like Gibby,” Gudas said. “We hope for the best recovery. He's one of the best goalkeepers in the league, so it's a big hurdle for us at the beginning, but Dosty was there for us whenever we needed him. He proved last year that he can play big.” All the boys have a lot of trust in him.

On the other hand, San Jose returns to action tonight on home ice after an exciting but ultimately disappointing season opener on Thursday night. The Sharks led 4-1 in the third period, helped by the first two points of the NHL career from first overall pick Macklin Celebrini, but were unable to stop a late Blues surge in a 5-4 loss in overtime.

“The thought (Celebrini) was really good,” San Jose coach Ryan Warsofsky told Max Miller of NHL.com. “Of course points are one thing. There are some things he needs to learn without the puck, he and (fellow freshman Will Smith), but I thought they were both solid in their debuts.”

Despite the strong start, Celebrini appears questionable for today's game as the standout rookie did not practice yesterday due to a lower body injury.

Still in the early stages of its rebuild, San Jose brought in several veterans this offseason to ease the transition for Celebrini, Smith and Co., most notably former King Tyler Toffoli, defenseman Jake Walman and goalkeeper Vitek Vanecek.