Carl Hagelin looks to make a fast adjustment with the Ducks

It’s a little early for Anaheim to feel like home to Carl Hagelin.

The Ducks winger hasn’t been in town for a month yet, and he’s staying in a hotel until he gets settled.

“There’s no rush for me,” Hagelin said. “But when you have the weather like this, you can’t really complain.”

It was slow for Hagelin on the ice as well. He didn’t play his first game until Thursday and scored an empty-net goal in a 3-0 win against Colorado in an exhibition at Honda Center.

Although it was preseason, it represented Hagelin’s Ducks debut after he was acquired during the draft in June from the New York Rangers. Coach Bruce Boudreau held out Hagelin for the first four exhibitions so he could more closely look at the team’s other young players competing for jobs.

Hagelin was eager to get acclimated. It was his first game since May 29.

“I was anxious to get out there and play a game,” Hagelin said. “You realize how much you love the game when you get out there and play. Even though it was a preseason game, it feels really good to play at least one game.”

Hagelin was an unexpected addition, acquired with two draft picks for Emerson Etem and a second-round draft pick in a deal that unfolded quickly. He is among the fastest players in the game who can deliver scoring on the left side.

It will be interesting to see if Hagelin can do that in the perceived more rugged Western Conference, but he is expected to help replace the collective 41 goals scored by Etem, Matt Beleskey and Kyle Palmieri.

“It puts more pressure on people to make plays, and he’s got a scoring touch around the net,” captain Ryan Getzlaf said. “Hopefully he can make up for some of the scoring that we lost and make our game go that much quicker.”

Boudreau is using the final two exhibitions to see where Hagelin might fit, at least to start.

Hagelin played with Getzlaf and Chris Stewart on Thursday and he could also be tried with Ryan Kesler and Andrew Cogliano in a potentially intriguing second line.

“Everything is the chemistry,” Boudreau said. “You don’t know until it’s out there.”

Hagelin and the Ducks can work that out in the short and long term. Hagelin signed a four-year, $16-million contract extension in August. He reversed the No. 62 jersey he wore with the Rangers and wears No. 26, a new start that finally felt real when he slipped it on for a game.

Boudreau said Hagelin was “jittery” at times, but his first game is out of the way.

“I think I’m pretty good at adjusting, in general, in life,” Hagelin said. “I like new challenges. I’m here and I’m ready to adjust.”

Shawn Horcoff and Mike Santorelli also scored for the Ducks. Goalie John Gibson left the game after two periods because of illness, the team announced. Defenseman Simon Despres did not practice for a second straight day because of a minor injury.

The Ducks trimmed their roster to 31 players and recalled right wing Brian McGrattan.

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