It’s still only beginning to sink in for Rian Chudzinski.
The Anaheim Ducks selected the Needham, Mass., native with the 82nd pick in the third round of the 2026 NHL Draft.
Chudzinski couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw his name appear on the screen as he watched the draft at home with family and friends.
“It didn't really sink in right away,” Chudzinski said. “Like, I didn’t believe it at first, but it was awesome, especially going to a place like Anaheim, too. I was really excited about that.
“It was just an awesome moment with my family all there, just super emotional.”
The right-winger’s stock continues to rise. For those most familiar with his game, it was no surprise to see the winger come off the board early on Day 2.
“He’s a really, really good player, and I think he’s just starting to show it,” Dexter Southfield coach Dan Donato said. “He’s not afraid to use the body. He’s got a sneaky good scoring touch. He can play up and down your lineup as a pretty versatile player.”
The ‘07 established himself as one of New England’s top prospects at Dexter a season ago, posting 52 points (27 goals) in 28 prep games. He entered the season as a fourth- or fifth-round candidate, according to NHL Central Scouting.
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“I think back to a game against Brunswick last year. … He came down, got a one-time pass and just absolutely annihilated the puck into the top corner,” Donato said. “I just know if I were on the other team, I would have been like. ‘They have guys that can do that?’”
But Chudzinski tallied 15 points (nine goals) in 27 QMJHL contests with the Moncton Wildcats through the end of December.
A bout with mono hadn’t helped with the transition from prep to major-junior hockey.
“You have to kind of find your way. Coming from prep school to major-junior is a big step,” Moncton coach Gardiner MacDougall said. “He was just starting to come on really well for us, and then he went home for a few weeks with mono … but then he just continued to get better.”
Over his final 27 regular-season games, Chudzinski put up 23 points (12 goals) before a monster playoff run of 17 points (six goals) in 21 games as the Wildcats nabbed the top seed in the QMJHL playoffs and reached the championship, falling in six games to Chicoutimi.
“I was just getting better and better throughout the year, and leading up to playoffs was just where everything started to fall into place for me,” Chudzinski said.
As his momentum continued to build through the back half of the season, so, too, did interest from NHL scouts. He surged to a second-round grade in Central Scouting’s final rankings.
“The last half of the season and the playoffs, my phone was ringing off the hook with NHL scouts,” Donato said. “People were very, very excited about him.”
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Much of that interest was thanks to Chudzinski’s detailed, physical brand of hockey, coupled with an improving scoring touch that can help him slot throughout a lineup.
“He offers a skill set that’s not as abundant,” MacDougall said. “It’s becoming more and more important in our game.”
To his coaches, it’s no wonder why Chudzinski plays such a competitive style.
Chudzinski, who stands 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, comes from a family of athletes. Older brother Kaelan is a sophomore tight end at Boston College, while younger sister Maggie is a star defender entering her junior season at Dexter. Their father, Rob, was a three-year starter at tight end for the University of Miami before embarking on a coaching career that has taken him to the NFL and collegiate ranks, and their mother, Sheila, was a basketball star at UNH.
He was among the top scorers in Moncton’s fitness tests entering last season, tying a franchise record in the “beep”, a cardiovascular endurance test where athletes run back and forth between two marks 65 feet apart. His strong attitude left a strong impression on Moncton’s staff.
“The grit is the separator, and he has a lot of it,” MacDougall said. “A big part for him is his resilience, and he’s got a lot of confidence. … He established a standard for himself.
“He’s got great family values. He’s been well-brought up. He’s very competitive.”
Donato said, “Usually a coach’s kid or someone that’s been at a high level like that, those kids are built mentally tough. That’s the way they’re brought up. He’s a wonderful kid and a great teammate.”
That drive, along with his versatility on the ice, should only help Chudzinski, a Boston University commit, as he continues to establish himself with Moncton next season and at higher levels.
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He already got a taste of the professional ranks at Anaheim’s development camp the week after the draft.
“I think the biggest takeaway is how much you have to work and how hard it is to get there from the workouts to the skates, just how difficult it is,” Chudzinski said.
That critical glimpse into what it takes to succeed at the higher levels will only help springboard Chudzinski through the rest of his offseason training and into the upcoming QMJHL season.
“He’s just on the verge of becoming really, really good with the skill set and the physicality, and I think the scoring touch will come,” MacDougall said.
Moncton expects Chudzinski to be a key contributor next season, especially with increased roles on the power play and penalty kill. His analytical grades were “off the charts,” MacDougall said, especially with his off-puck play.
“He’s going to be one of our go-to guys, which is the progression you want as a player,” MacDougall said.
“I think he’s going to be a guy you’ve got to put on the ice because he can do so much,” Donato said. “Sometimes, skilled guys, if they’re not scoring, they’re not very useful, so to speak. Every good player is going to run into a streak where they’re not scoring.
“Rian still impacts your team because he plays hard every night.”
