Tony Ferrari brings back his NHL prospect pool reports for another year, beginning with strengths, weaknesses and players to watch on the Anaheim Ducks.
Tony Ferrari brings back his NHL prospect pool reports for another year, beginning with strengths, weaknesses and players to watch on the Anaheim Ducks.
The NHL off-season is in full swing, giving us the perfect opportunity to look at each team’s prospect pools, beginning with the Anaheim Ducks.
In this series, Tony Ferrari will dig into each team’s strengths and weaknesses, their latest draft class, where their positional depth chart stands, and who could be next in line for a shot at the NHL.
Introduction
Simply put, the Anaheim Ducks were not fun to watch for large stretches of the season last year, with brief moments of reprieve when 21-year-old Trevor Zegras did something dazzling in what would ultimately be a multi-goal loss. Thankfully, help appears on the way.
The Ducks' youth movement should begin to truly take off after a couple of false starts in the last few years due to injury, rushed timelines and other factors.
Anaheim could feature rookies at every level of the roster. Lukas Dostal should be one of the two netminders for the Ducks and could see significant playing time should the team trade longtime starter John Gibson. Jamie Drysdale will be a mainstay on the blueline after recovering from a shoulder injury that kept him out almost all of last season. Any of Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger, Jackson LaCombe or Drew Helleson could join him on the back end, each having a shot at playing NHL games next season.
Up front, they have a fuller roster of veterans, but they lack particularly effective NHLers, which will give the young players a chance to earn spots on the roster.
Leo Carlsson could join the team right away and secure a top-six center spot, potentially moving Zegras to the wing. Benoit-Olivier Groulx was one of the best players for the San Diego Gulls last season and could be a candidate to jump into the lineup. Brayden Tracey and Jacob Perreault are promising young wingers who took steps back last season in the AHL, but they didn’t have much to work with on the league’s worst squad.
The Ducks have depth to their pool as well. Sasha Pastujov tore up the OHL last year and could factor into the NHL lineup within a couple of years. Nathan Gaucher was a key member of the Memorial Cup-winning Quebec Remparts and played on Canada’s gold medal-winning world junior squad. Tristan Luneau won the award for the best blueliner in the QMJHL last season after taking a huge step in his development.
Anaheim will struggle on the ice again this season, but it could be more entertaining and a better overall product if some of their young players step up and play pivotal roles at the NHL level. If they can’t, the 2023-24 season will be another tough one to watch.
2023 NHL Draft Class
Round 1, 2nd overall - Leo Carlsson, C, Orebro (SHL)
Round 2, 33rd overall - Nico Myatovic, LW, Seattle (WHL)
Round 2, 59th overall - Carey Terrance, C, Erie (OHL)
Round 2, 60th overall - Damian Clara, G, Farejstad Jr. (Sweden-Jr.)
Round 3, 65th overall - Coulson Pitre, C/W, Flint (OHL)
Round 3, 85th overall - Yegor Sidorov, RW, Saskatoon (WHL)
Round 4, 97th overall - Konnor Smith, D, Peterborough (OHL)
Round 5, 129th overall - Rodwin Dionicio, D, Windsor (OHL)
Round 6, 161st overall - Vojtech Port, D, Edmonton (WHL)
Analysis: The Ducks surprised fans at the draft by selecting Leo Carlsson over the anticipated No. 2 pick, Adam Fantilli. There was a prominent buzz around Nashville in the hours leading up to the first round, as it was reported they were leaning toward the Swedish center. Ultimately, Anaheim ended up with a potential franchise center who can help bolster the team down the middle for a decade or more.
Carlsson has high-level playmaking ability, blending intelligent decision-making and power on the puck to bring a needed element to the Ducks. If he stays in North America, he should earn top-six minutes almost instantaneously, which should begin the process of developing chemistry with Zegras and Troy Terry as the team’s top line of the future.
Outside of their top pick, there were some interesting choices. With the first pick on Day 2, Anaheim selected Nico Myatovic, who was a big riser in the draft. He played a middle-six role for a loaded Seattle Thunderbirds team. He doesn’t have a ton of flash, but he’s incredibly habit driven, protects the puck well, understands what he needs to do on the ice and doesn’t lack any major skill set.
The Ducks used their back-to-back picks at the end of the second round to draft two of the more intriguing players in the class. Carey Terrance was a monster of a goal-scorer in the OHL this year with good speed and not much to work with for teammates on the Erie Otters. He was the only non-NTDP player to join the American U-18 squad and fit right in with the top talent.
Damian Clara is an Italian goalie playing in Sweden, and he's developed a bit of a cult following. At 6-foot-6, with a strong technical game to go with solid athleticism, Clara is one of the wild-card goaltenders of this year's class.
Coulson Pitre is willing to throw the body and outwork the competition. His offensive upside may not be incredibly high as he lacks creativity, but he does bring a decent shot to the table and capable passing ability. He projects as a useful utility option on the third line. Yegor Sidorov was one of the better D+1 players in the draft, improving offensively this season. He has creativity and a great shot, but he sometimes gets lackadaisical. When he wants to get to the inside to generate offense, Sidorov is an excellent creator. He just needs to find more consistency.
Konnor Smith is a defense-only blueliner who doesn’t bring much in the way of puck-moving ability, but he was a solid contributor for a Petes team that won the OHL title. Rodwin Dionicio took a massive step when he was traded from the dumpster-fire Niagara IceDogs to the contending Windsor Spitfires. His creativity and elusiveness with the puck made him an instant impact player, which earned him a draft pick as an overage prospect. Vojtech Port is an excellent bet on one of the youngest players in the draft class and has shown some intriguing skills on the back end with some flashes of high-end skill.
Strengths
The Ducks have depth at just about every position, which could easily be the strength of their system, but the sheer volume of legitimate defensive prospects on the left and right side stands out among the pack. Mintyukov, Zellweger, and Luneau were all recognized by their respective leagues as the top defenseman, while Tyson Hinds also won the award for the QMJHL's top defensive defenseman. Needless to say, the Ducks have a potentially special group of blueliners on their hands moving forward, and that isn’t even considering Drysdale, who is already NHL-caliber.
Weaknesses
There isn’t a major weakness to speak of for the Ducks because of how much depth they have. The right wing may be where they should look toward bolstering, but considering not every center prospect plays down the middle, they may find a few right wingers in that group.
Next Man Up: Olen Zellweger, D
This spot could go to a few players, but with nothing more to prove after dominating the CHL, Zellweger will be given every opportunity to earn a role with the NHL club. The dynamic, cerebral blueliner will be in tough competition with fellow defenders Mintyukov and LaCombe, but there's a chance they make the jump to the NHL at various points this season. Zellweger could see AHL time as well, but the Ducks could use a play-driving defender like him on the back end in addition to Drysdale.
Leo Carlsson signed his entry-level contract on Wednesday, so there’s no reason to believe he won’t be in the lineup on opening night as well.
Prospect Depth Chart Notables
LW: Sasha Pastujov, Nico Myatovic, Brayden Tracey, Blake McLaughlin, Benoit-Olivier Groulx
C: Leo Carlsson, Nathan Gaucher, Carey Terrance, Nikita Nesterenko, Albin Sundsvik
RW: Jacob Perreault, Sam Colangelo, Coulson Pitre
LD: Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger, Jackson LaCombe, Rodwin Dionicio, Tyson Hinds
RD: Tristan Luneau, Noah Warren, Drew Helleson, Ian Moore
G: Lukas Dostal, Calle Clang, Gage Alexander, Damian Clara
For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Yearbook, Prospects Unlimited and Future Watch print editions of The Hockey News.