Five Sent to the Minors

A day after losing their final exhibition at Phoenix, the Mighty Ducks pared their roster to the league maximum of 23 Sunday by assigning five players to their American Hockey League affiliate in Portland, Maine.

Center Zenon Konopka, wingers Chris Kunitz and Curtis Glencross, defenseman Aaron Rome and goaltender Michael Wall were sent to Portland as three of their top prospects, center Ryan Getzlaf and wingers Corey Perry and Dustin Penner, should be in Chicago for Wednesday night’s regular-season opener against the Blackhawks.

Getzlaf and Perry, who were the Ducks’ first-round selections in the 2003 draft, stood out particularly in training camp while playing on the same line.

The two finished among the team leaders in preseason scoring as Getzlaf recorded all seven of his points on assists and Perry had three goals and three assists.

Konopka, Kunitz, Glencross and Rome all played last year at Cincinnati of the AHL when it was the Ducks’ minor-league affiliate. Wall, who played in junior hockey last season, is expected to compete for the backup goalie job in Portland.

The Ducks are expected to name their captain and alternates today at practice.

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Right wing Bobby Ryan, the Ducks’ first-round pick in this year’s draft and the No. 2 selection overall, has three goals and five assists in his first three games in juniors with Owen Sound of the Ontario Hockey League.

Ryan spent most of his first Ducks’ training camp recovering from a shoulder injury suffered in August.