Anaheim Ducks Prospect Camp 2018-19 Preview
It’s almost here folks. Hockey is finally around the corner! Next Thursday is Day One of Anaheim’s Prospect Camp at the Anaheim Ice facility. It will be the unofficial kick-off of Anaheim Ducks hockey for the 2018-19 season.
The Anaheim Ducks have invited a group of seventeen forwards, eight Defensemen, and three goaltenders. Day one starts Thursday, September 5, at 1:30 p.m. PDT and day two on Friday at 10 a.m PST. The rookies will then head to Vegas over the weekend to play in a three-game-tournament versus prospects from Vegas, Colorado, Los Angeles, and Arizona. Here are a few items to keep an eye on as camp opens.
The Return of Tyler Soy
The forward group invited to camp is a pretty star-studded list of all the Anaheim Ducks highly coveted prospects. Guys like Troy Terry, Sam Steel, Maxime Comtois, Giovanni Fiore, etc. The list goes on. One notable name on this list is Tyler Soy. Soy went unsigned this offseason, making him a free agent. Vancouver and Florida both invited the 21-year-old center into their respective development camps this summer as well. It’s nice to see Anaheim give Soy another shot.
He had an amazing career with the WHL’s Victoria Royals and is arguably one of the greatest players in their franchise’s history, setting multiple records along the way. Hopefully, Soy can stand out enough to prove his worth, but best of luck to the kid wherever he may wind up.
Sam Steel: Worth all the hype?
Saying Sam Steel has Ducks fans hyped up is an understatement. The 20-year-old Center tore up the WHL, totaling 338 points (123G, 215A) in four seasons with the Regina Pats.
As excited as I am to see “The Man of Steel” play in a Ducks sweater, I’m hoping he gets at least one year with San Diego. I may be in the minority here but I don’t think a year in the AHL would hurt a young up-and-comer like himself. I’d rather him get time to develop and play consistently under Dallas Eakins for a season, rather than sit in the press box like Troy Terry did at the end of this past season.
It’s hard to really say he’s going to make an impact right away if he makes the team out of camp. You never know how a young guy is going to translate his game from junior to the NHL where you’re going up against developed systems. Regardless of that, it’s going to be nice seeing Sam at camp, and we don’t have to worry about him heading back to juniors this season.
Does Josh Mahura make the jump?
Mahura is one of the defensemen invited that I am also fairly excited to see at camp. Mahura and Steel were both teammates in Regina for the past two seasons, but their relationship goes beyond that.
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The OC Register did a wonderful piece back on it in July of 2017, but the two have been childhood friends, having grown up in Edmonton together. They were chosen five picks apart at the WHL draft, then reunited in Regina. Both Steel and Mahura have Ducks fans pumped to see just what they can do. The question is, can Mahura crack the roster?
Personally, I’m in the same boat with Mahura as I am about Steel. It’s a little easier to justify with Josh because of how solid the Ducks pairings are, as it is. Pettersson and Larsson seem like the go-to options for anyone making the jump for a full-time spot, but again, anything can happen.
It’s the thing that’s great about rookie camps. Guys are out there to show teams what they got and prove why they deserve a spot. It’s safe to make the assumption we’ll mostly see Mahura in San Diego but it’s nice having that little extra depth in the system to develop. With how this organization loves its defensemen, I can say Anaheim will have plenty of talent on the back end for years to come.
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