Tristan Luneau

June 2025 – Luneau’s return from a lengthy injury saw him thrown straight into the fire. He began the season in the NHL on the Ducks’ top pairing as the organization looked to assess his progress. After six games, it became clear he wasn’t quite NHL-ready, and he was reassigned to San Diego, where he was tasked with leading the Gulls’ blueline. It took a few games for him to find his rhythm, but once he settled in, he quickly became a dominant force. A key development has been his skating, a weakness during his draft year; it has now become a legitimate strength. Luneau has also matured in his decision-making, showing better discipline with the puck, opting for simpler plays when needed, and no longer forcing risky passes. Luneau’s instincts remain excellent. He’s constantly in motion, always looking to get open, and has no hesitation carrying the puck deep into the offensive zone. He’s comfortable working below the goal line, keeping his head up to spot high-danger passing lanes or exploit a distracted goaltender. His offensive game, already a strength, continues to improve. In defense, he’s made noticeable strides. He no longer loses focus or positioning as he sometimes did in the past, and his physicality has improved. He battles harder for pucks, clears the crease, and isn’t shy about engaging along the boards. These all-around improvements have translated into production. He ranked fourth in AHL defenseman scoring and first on a per-game basis despite playing on one of the AHL’s most anemic offenses. Luneau remains the Ducks’ only right-shot defense prospect with a clear top-four upside. He’s likely to start next season in the NHL again, and this time, there’s a much better chance he stays. Cracking the top power-play unit will be difficult; he’ll have to compete with LaCombe, Zellweger, and Mintyukov. With a new coach and system in Anaheim, this could be the long-awaited breakout season for the Ducks. If that happens, Luneau will be a strong fantasy option, especially in deeper leagues that value point production. – Markus R

May 2024 – An injury riddled season for Luneau, who saw six games in the NHL and six in the AHL, saw him spent most of the campaign rehabbing an infection in his knee from mid-December onwards. Luneau will be looking to make the Ducks roster in 2024-25 and he has a good shot of making it. Pat Quinn

July 2023 – Luneau completed his third stint in the QMJHL with the Gatineau Olympiques, and his points per game has been on an incredible incline of 0.58, 0.68, and finally 1.28. The QMJHL is notorious for its high scoring and free-wheeling defense, so it has been good since that Luneau has improved so much. Once he feels comfortable in a league, his game really shines, and it almost feels like he is too good for the CHL at the moment. Unfortunately, he will spend another season there so all he can do is just work on playing in his own end and dealing with pressure. There is a great chance Luneau becomes a solid top four defenseman, the powerplay time may be all eaten up by the time he gets there though. Pat Quinn

July 2022 – The Anaheim Ducks have selected Luneau in the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft, 53rd overall. Nick Richard

September 2021 – Selected with the first overall pick in the 2020 QMJHL Draft, Tristan Luneau had an impressive debut season with Gatineau and was named the QMJHL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year. Suiting up for 31 contests in an abbreviated regular season, he tallied four goals and 14 assists while averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per game. Luneau should be relied upon as one of the Olympiques’ top players in 2021-22.

Luneau is a big right-handed defenseman with good mobility and great instincts all over the ice. He drives play from the back end by routinely creating clean exits, both with his feet and with his passing ability. His stride is powerful and clean but he isn’t particularly explosive at this point in his development. The young blue liner excels on puck retrievals, utilizing shoulder checks to scan for oncoming forecheckers as well as outlet options and he makes quick decisions with the puck on his stick. When under pressure, he uses his body and his feet to protect the puck along the boards until he has help or sees a safety valve to kick the puck out to. With his ability to quickly turn play in a positive direction for his team, Luneau effectively limits the amount of time his team spends defending when he is on the ice. He isn’t overly physical but he uses his body to take away space and box out attacking forwards, both in defensive transition and in defensive zone coverage off the cycle. Luneau is a willing shot blocker and has the intelligence to read the play and get his large frame into shooting lanes. In the offensive zone, he controls the blue line with his mobility and vision to help sustain pressure by getting into space and distributing the puck efficiently. He has a good shot and is proficient in creating lanes to get it through from the point, and his one-timer is an added weapon on the powerplay. There aren’t really any glaring weaknesses in his game but using his skillset to be more dynamic offensively would really take his game to the next level. If he takes another step forward in his draft year, Luneau could work his way into the conversation as a top-10 pick for the 2022 NHL Draft. Nick Richard