Sam Colangelo's Big 36 Hours

Around noon Pacific time on Wednesday, the AHL announced their All-Stars for the 2024-25 season.

It was announced that the representative from the San Diego Gulls will be forward Sam Colangelo.

Through 24 AHL games this season, Colangelo has scored 13 goals and 22 points, a .92 points-per-game pace.

Roughly 40 minutes later, the Anaheim Ducks announced they'd recalled Colangelo from the Gulls and that he'd join them on their season-long six-game road trip, starting on Thursday in St. Louis.

Colangelo had played eight games for the Ducks this season, mostly in a fourth-line role, failing to find the scoresheet, and averaging roughly ten minutes per game.

Troy Terry didn't join the Ducks on their trip, remaining in Orange County following the birth of his second child. Colangelo slotted into his spot on the top line between Ryan Stome and Frank Vatrano when the Ducks took on the Blues on Thursday.

Takeaways from the Ducks 6-2 Loss to the Blues

Colangelo played 12:29, mostly at 5v5 against St. Louis' top two lines, and tallied his first goal of the season, albeit late in a blowout loss to lessen the deficit to 6-2.

He was a rare bright spot in what turned out to be one of the Ducks' worst losses of the season. He was quick to pressure on the forecheck, made quality reads after receiving outlets to keep pucks moving up ice, and sought out soft lanes on the rush, where he scored his goal.

Colangelo was drafted 36th overall by the Ducks in the 2020 NHL Draft from the Chicago Steel of the USHL as a project power forward with a finishing touch but a lack of foot speed.

He had an up-and-down collegiate career, first at Northeastern University for three somewhat disappointing seasons then at Western Michigan, where he completely overhauled his game in his senior year. In 2023-24, he scored 24 goals and 43 points in 38 games, good enough to be tied for eighth in the nation in goal-scoring.

After a four-game cup of coffee with the Gulls, where he scored four points, and a three-game stint with the Ducks, where he scored a goal to end the 2023-24 season, he carried his strong play into the first half of this season.

He's been one of the more impactful U23 players in the AHL and has earned his shot in an elevated role with the Ducks while they are without key forwards Terry and Trevor Zegras.

The AHL All-Star Weekend will be held in Coachella Valley, CA on Feb. 2 and 3.

Report: Ducks Shopping Pending UFA Dumoulin

Troy Terry Named NHL Second Star of the Week