The Newest Ducklings: Forward Grant Besse
This is the second part of the series on the newest members of the Anaheim Ducks, the 2013 draftees. I’m going to start with their last pick and go from there. The previous part was on Finnish center Miro Aaltonen. So, next up is American winger Grant Besse.
via mnhockeyhub.com
The Anaheim Ducks selected winger Grant Besse from Benilde-St. Margaret’s Catholic Prep (USHS) in Minnesota in the fifth round (147th overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. The 18-year-old is a native of Plymouth, Minnesota which is just west of Minneapolis and is listed 5’10”-185 lbs. This “Minnesota Miracle Man” has gone down as one of the greatest players to ever play high school hockey in Minnesota. He finished his high school career with a total of 163 goals (5th all-time) and 272 points (7th all-time). His legend revolves around his performance in a state championship game two years ago, which has been called the greatest individual performance in state championship history. He scored all five goals for Benilde-St. Margaret’s in a 5-1 victory. To cap off his senior year, he was named Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey and the Associated Press Player of the Year. He is a pure shooter and all offense. He reportedly already has an NHL-caliber shot with a very quick release and hides the shot well from the goaltender. He is committed to play hockey for the University of Wisconsin along with fellow Duck Nic Kerdiles next year in the new Big Ten Hockey Conference. For more on Besse, check out this very good article on him by Bucky’s 5th Quarter over at SB Nation!
via buckys5thquarter.com
Age: 18
Position: Forward
Shoots: Left
Height: 5’10″
Weight: 185 lbs.
Scouting Report:
“Again, with Grant it comes back to the level of passion I sensed from our scouts, and three guys had real passion for Grant. He went through the draft last year after a very good high school hockey season, and this year he had an unbelievably productive season, and it showed that he’s dedicated and motivated to get better. One thing he can do is score goals, and that’s what we drafted him for. If he makes it, it will be a home run type pick.”– Martin Madden, Director of Amateur Scouting, Anaheim Ducks
Next up is defenseman Keaton Thompson.
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