It's been an underwhelming start to the season for the Anaheim Ducks. Through just over two weeks, the club sits just three points ahead of the last place San Jose Sharks, and are ranked 28th with just two wins in six tries. Although the expectations for this team were not high this season, it's certainly been a disappointing start.

Anaheim is having a lot of trouble in the goal department in the early going. The team has scored an average of 2.33 goals per game, good enough for 27th in the league. Although they're doing a fine job of keeping the puck out of their net — to the tune of a 2.83 goals against per game, ranked 11th — the record remains 2-4 due to a glaring lack of production. There hasn't been too much to get excited about in California in the early going; Trevor Zegras is having a nightmare start to the campaign, with just one assist through six games, Troy Terry has only three points of his own, and Jamie Drysdale landed on the injured reserve on Monday with a lower-body injury that could sideline him for a matter of weeks.

But despite the lack of star power from the stars, a few players have been stepping up. Frank Vatrano is leading the team in points while scoring at a terrific clip, while rookie phenom Pavel Mintyukov has been the club's most productive defenseman. Both players have been phenomenal in the early going, and are quickly approaching breakout territory in 2023-24.

Frank Vatrano can't stop scoring

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Frank Vatrano is loving life in his second season with the Ducks. Through six games played, the 29-year-old has scored a ridiculous five goals, adding an assist while playing over 19 minutes per game. He scored a hat trick in a 6-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 15, forming instant chemistry with linemates Mason McTavish and Ryan Strome. The team's second line has been much more productive than the first, with Terry, Zegras and Adam Henrique all struggling to start the year.

After failing to record a point in a 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Oct. 19, Vatrano has two goals and three points over a three-game point streak. That included a thrilling overtime winner against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.

Vatrano gave Anaheim its first road win of the season, and the former Boston Bruin, Florida Panther and New York Ranger is genuinely looking like the club's best player through two weeks. He's currently skating on the second powerplay unit, along with Henrique, Jakob Silfverberg, Cam Fowler and Jackson Lacombe. It seems like only a matter of time before he is elevated to PP1, and I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet. Vatrano has been a bright spot in what has been an otherwise rough start, and he looks poised to easily eclipse his career-high of 24 goals.

Pavel Mintyukov not looking out of place

Pavel Mintyukov made the Ducks' opening night roster after being drafted with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-1 defenseman moved from his Russian homeland to Canada at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season, and played two full junior seasons with the Saginaw Spirit and Ottawa 67s in the Ontario Hockey League. He scored at over a point-per-game clip as a D-man in 2022-23, putting up an eye-popping 24 goals and 88 points in just 59 games. That was good enough for 14th place in league scoring, and it wasn't overly surprising that the teenager earned a spot on the opening night roster.

The 19-year-old hasn't looked at all out of place playing against men over the first six.  In fact, he's been one of the team's better defensemen in a small sample. Mintyukov scored his first goal of the season against the Hurricanes, and has added two assists in just over 19 minutes of ice time per game.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Mintyukov's early success is that he's already assumed the role of powerplay quarterback — and not on PP2. The young Russian has been manning the top unit, skating alongside Strome, McTavish, Zegras and Terry. Although the latter two players are really struggling, it's a long season, and there's potential for the offensive-minded Mintyukov to score 40 points or more if he can carve out a role on that unit all year long. It won't be easy with an established veteran in Cam Fowler used to that spot, but for now, it's paying dividends.

Although it's going to be a long season for fans of the Ducks, the early success of Pavel Mintyukov is greatly encouraging for the future, while Frank Vatrano's early goal-scoring prowess could remain steady, especially if he can earn a look with the defenseman of the future on the top powerplay.