Top 10 Anaheim Ducks Prospects: June 2018 Edition Part Two, #s 5-1
The Anaheim Ducks have started their annual prospect camp. It’s a good time to roll out our Top 10 prospects list. We continue today by counting down numbers 5-1.
The 2018 Entry Draft is now almost a week behind us and there is a new crop of prospects joining the Anaheim 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
5. Maxime Comtois, Forward (2017 second-round)
The eventual replacement for Ryan Kesler, although I hope that is later rather than sooner is Maxime Comtois. The Ducks second-round pick of 2017 had an incredible year for the Victoriaville Tigers. He scored 44 goals and 85 points in 54 games with the Tigers and also put up 12 points in 13 games for Canada at the World Juniors.
Comtois is most comfortable at right wing, but can play any forward position; as a center, he has won 50.4 percent of the 272 faceoffs he has taken. He can be used in all situations because of his size and speed. He is highly skilled but also highly competitive and plays the game with an edge. – Mike Morreale, NHL.com
Comtois plays a complete game. If this coming season is anything like his last the Anaheim Ducks will look like absolute geniuses selecting him at 50th overall. Even in the faster NHL center is one of the biggest positions to have as a strength. The prospect pool is deep here for the Ducks.
Comtois has another year of eligibility in juniors so it’s hard to imagine the Anaheim Ducks won’t send him back for one more year of seasoning. They already have a number of young players already vying for a coveted roster spot. Comtois will be in the Ducks jersey sooner rather than later. At only 19, comes in at 6’2″ 205 lbs. He will become a force to be reckoned with on Katella Avenue for a long time.
4. Marcus Pettersson, Defenseman (2014 second-round)
The only pick on my list that has played more than 2 games in the NHL. Pettersson should be the Ducks fifth or sixth defenseman in 2018-19. He is someone I think should be exciting to watch make the leap to full-time NHL player. At 21 years old, Pettersson is still extremely young. He seemed to gain more and more confidence with each shift he got last season.
In 24 regular season games with the Ducks, he put four points up (1g, 3a) while averaging 13:34 of ice time per night. In addition, he was +5, with 27 blocked shots. It’s fair to say he passed his audition.
Pettersson looked a little out of place at times in the postseason last year. So did the rest of the Anaheim Ducks roster so how can I hold that against him. He gets his shot through and uses his big frame to angle off opposing forwards. It will be the buzzword all season but his skating allows him to speed the game up.
The more confidence he gains he will start to push the issue like fellow d-men Cam Fowler and Brandon Montour. Pairing him a stay at home option like Josh Manson or even a player brought in through free agency will allow him to flourish. Fans should be excited about the newest Swede patrolling the Ducks blue line.
3. Max Jones, Left Wing (2016 first-round)
Do we finally get to see Max Jones make his long-anticipated debut for the Ducks? After all, he is the power forward winger the Anaheim Ducks have been waiting for. Between Jones and Sam Steel, I am not sure I have ever seen Ducks fans as excited about prospects making the jump since Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. If these two are anything like “The Twins”, the Ducks will be in great shape.
Jones has had some detractors, mainly commenting on his lack of discipline. Scouts have said that his last junior season he was able to reel himself in a bit. However, it affected his play.
His late-season trade to the Kingston Frontenac after almost three years with the London Knights was a tough adjustment. He responded with three points in the final six regular-season games. In the playoffs, he added four points and 28 penalty minutes.
Nonetheless, he still has great speed for a big man and as long as the Ducks don’t rush him, he should turn into a complementary power forward. This next season will be a big one, as he turns pro, so watch for him to get a cup of coffee or two during the season, but will most likely spend most of it in San Diego. – Lucas Main, Dobber Prospects
Jones plays with an edge and needs to do that to be at his best. We don’t want another Nick Ritchie situation repeating itself. I think Jones has more skill than Ritchie, but watching how he approaches the pro game for a year should show what he kind of player he will be. Some time in San Diego should do him well before he makes the jump to the Ducks.
2. Troy Terry, Center (2015 fifth-round)
“American Hero” Troy Terry has gained more and more clout after his performance at the World Juniors in 2017. Terry’s 2017 was possibly one of the best seasons of his life. Aside from his standout efforts at the WJC, he won a national championship with his hometown college team, the University of Denver.
Terry followed that year up by almost eclipsing 50 points at the collegiate level. It earned him a spot on the 2018 USA men’s Olympic hockey team as one of only two amateurs on the roster. In Pyeongchang, he was a point per game scorer in the tournament.
The 6’1″ center signed with the Ducks at the end of last season forgoing his senior year of college. He only played in two games after joining the team at the conclusion of the Denver Pioneers season. Terry should get a longer look in 2017-18. Anaheim has an opening for a fourth line center and Terry could slot in nicely there.
Terry uses his size well and can finish around the net. He has great wheels and helps the Ducks achieve their goal of being a faster team. “Double T” could be a match-up nightmare for opposing fourth lines, especially if the Ducks have the guts to roll a speedy”kid line.”
1. Sam Steel
I have written about Steel numerous times and how I expect him to be an impact forward from the second he touches the ice at the pro level. He is a point producing machine, excelling at each level he’s moved to.
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His numbers in Juniors are outstanding, 284 points (116g, 178a) in 192 regular season games. A rate of almost a point-and-a-half per game. His playoff numbers were equally as devastating to opponents with 57 points over 42 appearances.
Steel captained the Regina Pats to the Memorial Cup Finals, where he was voted tournament MVP despite his team losing in the finals. He was still 19 when he represented Canada in the last WJC putting up nine points in seven games for the gold medal winners. He has nothing left to prove at the junior level and quite frankly I am not sure how much the AHL would help him improve.
In my opinion, just as Getzlaf and Perry’s play through camp in 2003 wouldn’t allow the coaching staff to give them a year in the minors, Steel will follow in their footsteps. He would be dynamite on a line with Adam Henrique and Ondrej Kase.
Not only would they be able to put the puck in the net but they would be one of the fastest lines in the game as well. I see no downside to Steel, and will even go as far to say he could be a Calder candidate.
Judging by all the reports about his character and competition level, it wouldn’t surprise many people if he eventually had a “C” on the front of his Ducks jersey.