Top 10 Anaheim Ducks Prospects: June 2018 Edition Part One, 10-6
The Anaheim Ducks have started their annual prospect camp. It’s a good time to roll out our Top 10 prospects list. We start today by counting down numbers 10-6.
The 2018 Entry Draft is now almost a week behind us and there is a new crop of prospects joining the Ducks. With prospect camp starting, I wanted to dive in and look at some prospects who could make some noise in camp, as well as for the Ducks this season. So I’m ranking the Anaheim Ducks top 10 prospects.
**All of my selections had to have played less than 30 NHL games to this point**
Honorable Mention
Andy Welinski, Defenseman – Welinski is the current incumbent for the Ducks sixth defenseman spot. He posses strong puck skills but will be in a dogfight this summer to remain on the roster.
Kevin Roy, Right Wing – If Roy were two inches taller, he wouldn’t be on the list. He’d probably be flourishing with the Ducks in a featured role. Unfortunately, he is only 5’9″ tall. That means the lightning-fast forward has to fight for everything he gets. Roy’s talent is closer to Martin St. Louis than Nathan Gerbe.
Jacob Larsson, Defenseman – The Ducks 2016 first-round pick is still adjusting to the North American game. He is expected to either make the team out of training camp or be one of the first call-ups. At the very least, he’ll be a mainstay on the San Diego Gulls blueline this year.
10. Lukas Dostal, Goalie (2018 third-round)
I added a goalie to this list because I felt this was an interesting pick. The Ducks look set in net for the next decade with John Gibson. It’s never a bad idea to have a safety net as no one can know the future.
For the Anaheim Ducks to use a third-round selection on the highest ranked European goaltender in the draft, they must see something they like. It makes sense once his stat line is read.
Dostal is hard to track with the numerous teams he’s played for in the Czech Republic. His numbers remain consistent despite the many teams. His SV% ranges in the .912ish range while his GAA is anywhere from 2.00-3.00. Now 3.00 in GAA is never good but his SV% is also high. That tells me he faces a very high volume of shots and plays for a team that isn’t defensively sound.
At 6’1″, 165lbs, Dostal will have all the time he needs to continue to grow overseas before transitioning to the North American game. Gibson is here for the long haul, however, his section is telling the Ducks may have the next man between the pipes already lying in wait.
9. Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Center (2018 second-round)
Another pick from the 2018 draft finds his way on to the list at nine. It was clear from this draft that Gm Bob Murray had a plan in place to re-stock the center pipeline. He found a good one here.
The Gatineau, Quebec native currently plays for the Halifax Moosehead and will be a teammate of Antoine Morand next season. Groulx has put up 31 and 55 points respectively during his two seasons in Canadian juniors. This season should be telling of what he can accomplish at that level.
Groulx is still young, but if he can put up high point totals at the junior level, it could carry over to the pro game. He, like 2018 first-round pick, Isac Lundestrom will have the luxury of coming along slowly due to the wealth of talent ahead of him.
Following day one of prospect camp, Groulx had this to say, “It’s a completely different pace than the major junior team, the guys are a lot bigger and a lot faster so I have to adjust to it and I think it can be beneficial for me.” That’s what you want a young prospect to take away from camp and learn from. Bo is going to be a great Ducks player one day even if its a few years down the road.
8. Isac Lundestrom, Center (2018 first-round)
The Ducks first-round pick of this past draft cracks my list at number eight. Isac Ludenstrom played with Lulea in the SHL (Sweden’s top league) as an 18-year-old, scoring 15 points in 42 games is no small task.
“Lundestrom owns an excellent shot with a quick release. He requires little backswing to get velocity on his slapper, and he can pick corners from the tightest of angles. Making neat plays on the backhand comes easy for Lundestrom, who can be deployed to solve problems in any situation. His speed and balance allow him to power through defenders, and the decisions he makes thereafter seem to always make sense. Lundestrom is a battler who won’t shy away from physical play and does so in a clean, disciplined manner.” – Steve Kournianos, The Draft Analyst
He’s is a boy playing with men and so far has been up to the challenge. Playing this season again in the SHL I’m expecting big things from the young center iceman. It should be fun to see what he can do at prospect camp this week.
Last December, Ludenstrom was part of Sweden’s silver medal winning team at the World Junior Championships. He scored two goals in seven games against the world’s best under 20 players.
Ludenstrom is so raw it’s hard to project what he can and will be. This upcoming season should provide some answers. The Ducks will be able to take their time with Lundstrom. He’s behind some very talented players in the organization, and that’s far from a problem.
7. Antoine Morand, Center (2017 second-round)
“An undersized but very speedy and skilled playmaker. He thinks the game at a high level and is often a step ahead of his opponents mentally. Has a motor that never breaks and keeps working hard in every shift with a great energy-level.” – Dennis Schellenberg, The Hockey Writers
Schellenberg’s evaluation of sums up Antoine Morand very well. He is undersized but ask Calgary how that affects Johnny Gaudreau’s game. Size isn’t what it used to be in the NHL and Morand could find quite the home with the Anaheim Ducks one day. A good comparison would be Morand is a slightly taller version of Kevin Roy.
A member of the reigning Memorial Cup Champion Acadie-Bathurst Titans, Morand was traded to the Halifax Moosehead where he hopes to keep his scoring touch going. In three seasons with the Titans, he played 181 games and tallied 200 points. Those are outstanding numbers and with another year in Juniors who knows what he could produce.
Morand is in a good spot as numerous prospects could and should graduate to the NHL level this season. He can light it up in Juniors next season and then in the AHL with San Diego the following year before he’s called up to produce at Honda Center.
6. Josh Mahura, Defenseman (2016 third round)
One of two defensemen on this list,
checks in at number six. That isn’t a knock on the Ducks defensive prospect pipeline. It’s a testament to how many prospects they have graduated to the professional ranks in the last few seasons.
More from Pucks of a Feather
- Who could the Anaheim Ducks consider presenting offer sheets to?
- Is Pierre-Luc Dubois on the cards for the rebuilding Anaheim Ducks?
- Making the case for the Anaheim Ducks to trade with the Edmonton Oilers
- Anaheim Ducks might benefit tremendously by trading John Gibson
- How close are the Anaheim Ducks to becoming contenders again?
The Ducks seem to be focusing more on offensive prospects as of late which makes sense however, Josh Mahura is definitely not a prospect to sleep on. Two years ago Mahura was traded midseason to the Regina Pats where he became a teammate of Sam Steel.
In a year and a half, Mahura has put up 89 points in 94 games for the Pats as well as the more telling stat of being a +54 in that time. His numbers show that Mahura not only puts up points but keeps opposing teams off the boars with great efficiency.
Josh Mahura, who has become one of the top defensive prospects in the CHL and only played two regular season games in his NHL draft year (although did make it back by the playoffs). – OHL Prospects
Mahura could afford to bulk up a bit but at only age 20 he should have time to do that. Also with numerous prospects/players ahead of him, he should get top pair minutes in San Diego this coming season allowing to learn the pro game and maybe receive a call-up due to injury but overall have time to grow with the Gulls.
Next: A healthy Patrick Eaves impact on the Ducks lineup
Don’t forget to check out prospect numbers 5-1 tomorrow.