The Anaheim Ducks Select Jacob Larsson With the 27th Pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft

Meet the newest Swede to join the Anaheim Ducks!

The Anaheim Ducks turned left when most of us thought the team would take a right, selecting a smooth-skating defenseman over depth down the middle or on the wing.

With forwards Nick Merkley, Jansen Harkins, and Paul Bittner, to name a few, still on the board, the Anaheim Ducks deviated from the “select the best talent available” strategy and used the 27th pick of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft on Jacob Larsson, the Swedish defenseman who drew instant comparisons to Anaheim’s other Swedish blueliner, Hampus Lindholm.

Here’s what the NHL Director of European Scouting, Goran Stubb, had to say about Larsson in his scouting report:

He plays a surprisingly mature game with good decisions both on the offense and defense. Good size and strength and a smooth mobile skater. Very quick first pass, makes smart plays and finds the open man well.

Larsson split time last year between Frolunda’s junior and senior team.  He also represented Sweden on their Under-18 team at the 2015 World Championship, following the 2013-2014 season, in which he was named the top defenseman in Sweden’s Under-18 league.

Here’s a video I found on the Calgary Flames website, in which Larsson discusses which parts of his game he needs to work on as he prepares to come play in the NHL:

The Anaheim Ducks already have an enviable squad of young blueliners on their roster, with another stud in prospect Shea Theodore.  Selecting Larsson has given Anaheim insane depth at the blueline for years to come.  Whether or not all of us here at Pucks of a Feather . . . well, we’ll wait until the entire draft is over before we hand out final grades!

Of course, we’d love to hear what you think of Anaheim’s picking Jacob Larsson, so hit us up in the comments below!