Jackson LaCombe has been signed by the Ducks for a two-year contract that extends until the 2025-26 NHL season.

In his first NHL season in 2023-24, LaCombe, aged 23 (born on January 9, 2001), played 71 games with the Anaheim Ducks, recording 17 points and 24 penalty minutes. Among all-time Ducks rookie defensemen, he ranked seventh in assists and eighth in points. He scored his first career NHL goal on January 20, 2024, against San Jose, and also earned his first NHL point (assist) on October 15, 2023, against Carolina. LaCombe made his NHL debut with Anaheim on April 11, 2023, against Vancouver, playing a total of two games with the Ducks after completing his collegiate career in 2022-23.

The defenseman, weighing 200 pounds and standing at 6-2, achieved a total of 99 points with a +53 rating and 47 PIM throughout his time in college hockey. He played 140 games for the University of Minnesota (Big Ten) between 2019 and 2023. LaCombe, who was drafted 39th overall by Anaheim in the 2019 NHL Draft, had his most successful season as a senior in 2022-23. During this time, he contributed 35 points with a +12 rating in 37 games for Minnesota. His performance played a role in the team’s appearance in the NCAA championship game. In the 2022-23 season, LaCombe ranked among the top defensemen in the NCAA, tying for third in points, seventh in assists, and eighth in goals.

In the 2021-22 season, as a junior, LaCombe was the top scorer among Minnesota defensemen with 30 points (3 goals and 27 assists) in 39 games. During his sophomore year in 2020-21, he ranked eighth in scoring (21 points, with 4 goals and 17 assists) and fifth in assists among all NCAA defensemen. As a freshman in 2019-20, he played 37 games and earned 13 points (3 goals and 10 assists), which led to him receiving Big Ten All-Rookie Team honors. Additionally, LaCombe, who hails from Eden Prairie, Minn., contributed to Team USA’s gold medal win at the 2021 World Junior Championship, where he recorded one assist in six tournament games.