Ducks acquire minor-leaguer Zaborsky.

The Ducks have traded minor-league defenseman Matt McCue to the New York Rangers for forward prospect Tomas Zaborsky.

The 22-year-old Zaborsky, a native of Slovakia, has yet to reach the NHL since being drafted by the Rangers in the fifth round of the 2006 draft. In 43 games for Assat Pori of the Finnish Elite League, Zaborsky had nine goals, 26 points and 67 penalty minutes. Zaborsky split his first professional season between the AHL (goal, three points in eight games) and the ECHL (14 goals, 28 points in 47 games) in 2008-09.

The Ducks signed McCue as a free-agent forward out of the Western Hockey League and attempted to convert him to the blue line as a professional. Known more as a fighter than a scorer, McCue had two assists and 68 penalty minutes in 19 games with ECHL affiliate Bakersfield last season. In 10 games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, he had one goal and 24 penalty minutes.

Sexton, Clark, Salcido shut out in Hamilton.

Consider this a belated, Ducks-related, American Hockey League playoff update.

Since the Ducks do not have an AHL affiliate this year, tracking their prospects’ postseason progress is a more haphazard endeavor than usual. Three (Dan Sexton, Brian Salcido and Mat Clark) are with the Manitoba Moose, who tonight lost Game 1 of their seven-game series against the Hamilton Bulldogs. Needless to say, each was held scoreless.

On Wednesday, defenseman Nathan Oystrick had two assists in the Chicago Wolves’ 6-5 win over the Milwaukee Admirals in Game 1 of their series. Shawn Weller, playing for the Abbotsford Heat, contributed the second of three goals in a 3-2 win over the Rochester Americans. Heat defenseman Mark Mitera was held scoreless.

The Ducks’ ECHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, begin play in the second round of the Kelly Cup playoffs tomorrow against the Stockton Thunder. Kyle Calder, MacGregor Sharp, Ryan Donally, Maxime Macenauer, Matt McCue, Eric Regan, Stu Bickel, Timo Pielmeier and J-P Levasseur are all competing in the series for Bakersfield.

Prospects update: MacMillan injured, McCue down.

Rookie forward Matt McCue has been re-assigned by the Ducks from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose to ECHL affiliate Bakersfield. McCue, whom the Ducks signed out of the Western Hockey League in Dec. 2008, had one goal and 24 penalty minutes in 10 games in Manitoba, where he had limited playing time.

He’ll get more of an opportunity in Bakersfield, typically more of a run-and-gun team that could use an enforcer — which is what the 6-foot-5, 218-pounder projects to in the NHL.

“He’s going to go to Bakersfield and get that chance to play regularly and learn his trade,” Moose head coach Scott Arniel told the Winnipeg Sun. “And part of his trade is learning to fight. It’s part of the element that he has to continue to get stronger at.”

Meanwhile, the Condors transfered forward Logan MacMillan to 21-day injured reserve today. The former first-round draft pick reported back spasms and was placed on 7-day IR prior to Saturday, when he missed his first game of the ECHL season. MacMillan had two goals and six points in 30 games with Bakersfield.