Anaheim Ducks prospects excel at Memorial Cup Tournament
By Ed Stein
Three Anaheim Ducks prospects played in the recent Memorial Cup Tournament. All three made the finals. We have a recap of their performances.
Over the past week and a half, Canadian Major Junior Hockey has been conducting their championship tournament. This year the Acadie-Bathurst Titan won the Memorial Cup with an Anaheim Ducks prospect leading the way. In fact, three Ducks prospects were played in the tournament and made a good accounting of themselves.
Antoine Morand, 2017 2nd round (60), Acadie-Bathurst Titan
The subject of an earlier article today, Antoine Morand was Acadie-Bathurst’s leading scorer this season (76 points) as they won the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship. He hoisted the Memorial Cup Saturday and signed an entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks today.
An adept passer, Morand finished had a pair of assists in the tournament. That included setting up the Cup-winning goal. Morand will get a shot at winning back-to-back Memorial Cups. Shortly after the final game, he was traded to the Halifax Moosehead. The 2019 Memorial Cup will be played in Halifax and the hosts get an automatic bid.
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Josh Mahura, 2016 3rd Round (85), Regina Pats
Josh Mahura had a great tournament for the hometown Regina Pats. He scored seven points (2g, 5a) in five games. That was good enough to finish tied for third overall and co-leader among defenseman at the Memorial Cup.
The slightly built 6’1” native of Alberta is done with Junior hockey. Mahura will come to camp with the Anaheim Ducks this summer. He’ll most likely spend a year or two in San Diego with the Gulls before he gets playing time with the big club.
Sam Steel, 2016 1st Round (30), Regina Pats
The good news for Sam Steel was that he was the MVP of the tournament. Unfortunately, that wasn’t good enough to bring a title to Regina. The Pats played five games in 10 days, Steel put up 13 points (2g, 11a).
The highlight of his tournament came last Wednesday against Swift Current. Steel had five (primary) assists during a 6-5 Pats win. His accomplishment tied him with Don Hodgeson (1985) and Jonathan Drouin (2013) for most assists in a Memorial Cup game.
Some believe that Steel had a chance to make the Ducks before Ryan Kesler‘s setback. With his elite performance on a big stage, his chances to break camp with Anaheim are improving.
Next: Free agent rumors: The Ducks and Joe Thornton
The Anaheim Ducks have a deep pipeline of players lined up to play for them. Morand, Mahura, and Steel add to that depth. Anaheim Ducks fans look forward to seeing the three of them wearing the webbed “D” crest.