Ranking the Possible Anaheim Ducks 2019 Draft Selections

With the Anaheim Ducks season-ending last Friday against the Los Angeles Kings, the next thing we as Ducks fans have to look forward to is the draft. Let’s take a look at the possible players the Ducks could take in their draft range, and rank them.

The Anaheim Ducks season unceremoniously ended Friday against the Kings, it’s been a long, painful season with far more disappointments than bright spots. But as the season mercifully comes to an end the next course of action is to turn our attention towards the draft. The Anaheim Ducks finished in the 8th worst spot in the league.

The draft lottery means that the top 3 selections are all determined by the lottery. This means that the Ducks could move into one of those top 3 spots, or on the more upsetting side of things, they could move back as far as 3 spots. So with the Ducks finishing as the 8th worst team, the Ducks could pick in the following spots. 1st overall, 2nd overall, 3rd overall, 8th overall,  9th overall, 10th overall, or 11th overall depending on the results of the lottery.

Today what I want to do is look at the top 10 ranked prospects the Ducks could draft and rank them according to how I feel they will be according to the Anaheim Ducks organizational needs as well as the likelihood that they’re selected. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the 10th and 9th overall prospects

Number 10- Vasili Podkolzin (St. Petersburg (MHL))

Vasili Podkolzin is considered by most scouts to be the consensus 3rd overall selection in the upcoming draft. A responsible player on both offense and defense, the young Russian winger plays with a tenacity that can’t be taught and is a bigger body than most of the others in the top 10. He’s a good skater, has soft hands, good vision and uses his size to his advantage.

By that description, one would think that he would be near the top of the Ducks scouting report. The reason he’s ranked 10th overall is his nationality. Whether a conscious effort or sheer coincidence, Ducks general manager Bob Murray appears to be allergic to Russians.

As a matter of fact, since Murray took over as the GM of the Ducks, only two Russian players have suited up for the Ducks, Anton Khudobin played 9 games as the Ducks backup goaltender in 2015-16, and Evgeny Artyukhin managed to suit up for 37 games for the Ducks before being traded the same season he was acquired in a trade for Drew Miller. It seems unlikely that the Ducks would use one of their highest picks in a decade on a player who Bob Murray seems to shy away from

Team Fit- 8/10, Great fit for the Anaheim Ducks on paper due to play style, Ducks need a center more than a winger however

Likelihood- 1/10, I simply don’t see Murray taking a Russian player this high in the draft. I’m not sure why Murray avoids them, but history would say it’s not likely to happen.

Comparable- Hard to pin him down to one, he has soft scoring hands like a Artemi Panarin but is more defensively inclined, not quite to the levels of a Patrice Bergeron or a Pavel Datsyuk, but higher than most scorers of his stature.

Number 9- Philip Broberg (AIK J20 (SuperElit))

There are a few defensemen who fluctuate in this area, Philip Broberg and Victor Soderstrom seems to be the two who flirt with the top 10 the most outside of another DMan who will be mentioned later. I’m going to focus on Broberg more as he’s currently ranked higher on Bob McKenzie’s mock draft.

I’ll briefly touch on Soderstrom here, he’s a Swedish defenseman (Like Broberg) who is right-handed, plays a solid two-way game and is mostly compared to Jared Spurgeon when discussing his play style. He’s more offensively inclined than Broberg and is a smaller body. But back to Broberg, the Swede is a bigger body, standing 6’3 and pushing 200lbs, he’s one of the more physically developed of this draft making him a more physically ready prospect than someone like a Soderstrom.

However Broberg is rough around the edges, he’s great physically, not afraid to throw his body around and skating quite fast for his size, he is sometimes careless with the puck which leads to some frustrating turnovers. He’s been criticized for his lack of hockey IQ and that’s not something that usually meshes well with the Ducks, paired with the fact that the Ducks have a pretty great defense as it is and a few younger guys who are already struggling to hit the lineup due to the established guys, it seems unlikely that they would select a defenseman in this spot.

Team Fit- 2/10- Ducks already have Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, Brendan Guhle, Jacob Larsson, Josh Mahura, with a top 10 pick you’re looking for someone who can slide into a key part of your lineup sooner than later, and the Ducks have far more pressing needs up front than on the back end. I could see the Ducks using their 2nd first round pick on a defender.

Likelihood- 2/10- Again, the Anaheim Ducks don’t really need a defender unless there’s someone who really really catches their eye, neither Broberg or Soderstrom is that guy for me. There are about 10-12 forwards who I would select before either of them.

Comparable- Mattias Ekholm, a big-bodied guy who can play physically, solid skater, doesn’t leap off the page or catch your eye. Likely a solid top 4 Dman but not one you build your roster around.

Number 6- Bowen Byram (WHL Vancouver)

Bowen Byram is considered by most to be the best defensive prospect in the draft. He’s a step ahead of the other ones mentioned earlier and it’s not hard to see why. He’s a talented two way player with some solid offensive production while not being a liability on defense.

He’s a moderately built player standing 6’1 and pushing 200lbs he’s one of the more physically developed players in the draft which will make it possible for him to jump to the NHL sooner than later. Byram doesn’t shy away from physical play but it’s not his trademark as he usually uses his positioning and stickwork to make plays.

Byram is a good puck moving defender and can start a break out quite competently. Byram projects to be a top line defender on whichever team he ends up on and I see a role as a power-play quarterback in his future. I predict Byram will be the first defender selected and will likely go somewhere from the 4-7 range depending on which teams select there and their respective needs.

Team Fit- 5/10- You can always use skilled defenders, but it’s not a pressing need for the Ducks. They have young capable defenders and Rasmus Dahlin he is not.

Likelihood- 5/10- I don’t see this one as overly likely unless things go badly and the Anaheim Ducks end up picking 9th-11th and all of the high skill forwards are taken and Byram inexplicably falls to them. It’s not something where it makes much sense to use a pick in a range that you rarely get, on a piece that you’ve proven to be able to acquire later in the draft. I stand by my assessment that the best defenders are taken later in the draft than earlier in most cases.

Comparable- I’ll put it this way. Poor-Man’s Drew Doughty, Rich-Man’s Cam Fowler.

Number 5- Kaapo Kakko (Turku (SM Liiga))

Kaapo Kakko is considered by most to be the 2nd overall pick in the draft, and quite a few pundits have even taken to saying he might push for being the first overall pick over Jack Hughes. Kakko is a bigger body than Hughes standing 6’2 and pushing 200lbs, he plays a good 200′ game playing a strong, exhausting offensive game while being responsible defensively.

Kakko is not afraid to get into the dirty areas in the corners and on the boards and dig pucks out of scrums. Kakko is an elite prospect and one that fans will be in awe of from the first time he steps on the ice. The one knock on Kakko is that he’s not the fleetest of foot, he’s not slow, but he isn’t a world-beater when it comes to speed. He’s quick and agile for his size, but he’s not exactly Connor McDavid on his skates, but when you’re as big a body as he is, you don’t have to be.

Team Fit- 9/10- I think Kakko will thrive as more of a winger than a center and that knocks a point off, but everything else about him is a perfect match for the Ducks.

Likelihood- 4/10- While I think that it’s almost impossible that Jack Hughes ends up a Duck, I think it’s only “unlikely” that Kakko would be one. If the Anaheim Ducks won the 1st overall pick I think that they would take Kakko over Hughes, if they won the 2nd overall pick I think that there’s more teams that would select Hughes 1st overall than Kakko, therefore the Ducks could end up with him there. So while there’s only one scenario where I see the Anaheim Ducks taking Hughes, I can see a couple where they take Kakko.

Comparable- It’s hard to put a real comparison on him, I’d say a less defensively gifted Aleksander Barkov, or a slightly less offensively gifted Sebastian Aho?

Number 4- Kirby Dach (Saskatoon WHL)

Kirby Dach is a big bodied center who will likely be selected 3rd or 4th in the draft, standing 6’4 and over 200lbs Dach is a prototypical center in the mold of some of the more dominant centers of the past decade. Dach isn’t a blazing skater, but he’s not a liability, he’s quicker than someone of his size would appear and he’s sneakily elusive. Dach may not be the prettiest skater but like Kevin Hayes, he will get where he needs to be.

Dach isn’t one who’s going to go out and score 40 goals for you, but I would not be shocked in the slightest if he managed to be one of the players with more gaudy assist totals as his career progresses. Dach isn’t the best in the faceoff dot, but playing alongside Ryan Getzlaf, and potentially a Ryan Kesler mentoring him would really go a long way to getting this young man to where he needs to be. He’s one you’d expect to be an ice general for your team, and play in all situations, I think he’ll be a force on the powerplay and will develop into a solid defensive player as well.

Team Fit- 10/10- I think he fits the team the best out of all the prospects, to be honest. He’s similar to the players this franchise has been built around for the last decade and would be a somewhat easy transition.

Likelihood- 4/10- The only way this one happens I think is if theAnaheim Ducks win the 3rd overall pick in the draft lottery. He’s not going to fall from 8-11th, and if you get a top two pick you take either Hughes or Kakko.

Comparable- Ryan Getzlaf. He’s molded his game in Getzlaf’s image, and it shows. He very likely will be Getzlaf’esque.

Number 3- Alex Turcotte (US NDTP)

Now getting into some of the more likely selections in my eyes. Alex Turcotte is currently ranked from 7th-10th overall in most mock drafts, he’s a center who is a slightly stalky frame, standing 5’11 but pushing 200lbs. Turcotte is a pass first guy who can make passes in tight areas and possesses some vision that is relatively unmatched.

Turcotte has some of the higher hockey IQ in the draft and can make plays at top speed. Turcotte is a good skater with solid top end speed, his stalkier build makes it harder to knock him off the puck. It’s not uncommon to see Turcotte work his way out of sticky situations and create scoring opportunities where none should be possible. Turcotte has a solid shot but not on the level of the elite scorers at this juncture.

Team Fit- 7/10- I’m not entirely sold that he’s going to be a number one center in the NHL, I think he projects better as a number 2 center but that’s not the end of the world. I don’t see him ending up as Getzlaf’s level but it’s not exactly miles off.

Likelihood- 7/10- I think he’s one of the 3 most likely players to be drafted by the Ducks, I think he’s not quite as high as the others as he’s projected slightly higher than the other 2 but he’s right there with them, and the Anaheim Ducks position overall is going to dictate the likelihood.

Comparable- The most common comparable I’ve seen to him is Logan Couture and I don’t disagree.

Number 2- Trevor Zegras (USA NTDP)

Trevor Zegras is projected in a bit of a neck and neck battle with Alex Turcotte, right in the 7-10 range. Zegras is the same height as Turcotte but is much lighter, weighing somewhere in the neighborhood of 165lbs. That lighter helps the style of game that Zegras plays, a big quicker a skater than Turcotte, he’s constantly making quick pivots and agile plays that get him open ice quite often.

One of Zegras’ strengths is his faceoff ability which is pivotal to being a successful NHL center. Zegras like Turcotte is a pass-first player, but his puck handling should not be discounted, at times it appears he has the puck on a string as he makes defenders look foolish on route to finding a passing option. Zegras is always moving his feet regardless of where the puck is, but I wouldn’t say that defensive play is his strength at this point.

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Team Fit- 8/10- I think Zegras is a slightly higher ceiling than Turcotte and his faceoff ability makes him a slightly better fit than Turcotte in my eyes.

Likelihood- 7/10- Same deal as Turcotte, they’re quite close in draft projection and should one of them be there when the Anaheim Ducks select, I think they’ll be a good choice.

Comparable- Zegras reminds me a bit of a slightly less dominant Matthew Barzal. I’m not sure his offensive tendencies will meet that of Barzal but the comparison play-style is there.

Number 1- Matt Boldy (USA NTDP)

I’ve got a feeling that Matthew Boldy will be an Anaheim Duck at the 2019 NHL draft. A 6’2 185lb winger who checks almost all the boxes that Bob Murray looks for in his players. He’s responsible defensively, he’s a big-bodied guy who isn’t afraid to get into the dirty spots of the ice. He’s not selfish consistently looking for an open passing option but not overly afraid to shoot the puck.

Boldy also excels at screening the goaltender, blocking out the sun while also having a tendency to tip pucks. Boldy is a quick player who has a pretty graceful stride for a bigger body, I think Boldy will be a good NHL player but doesn’t exactly have the highest ceiling. He seems like the low-risk type player that Murray frequently takes, he may not set the world on fire, but he’ll at least try and at the very least might be able to make a few sparks.

Team Fit- 6/10- He’s not a center, he’s a winger, but he fits all the other intangibles that Murray frequently looks for.

Likelihood- 9/10- I think he’s the most likely option for the Ducks short of them winning a lottery spot. I think that he’s not a high-ceiling enough for some of the other teams to take him over the other options meaning he will likely be available anywhere in the 8-11th range that the Anaheim Ducks are likely to pick.

Comparable- I’m having a really hard time thinking of a suitable comparable for Matt Boldy, I’ve heard a couple of people say Brady Tkachuk without the Tkachuk pest nature, and I can’t exactly think of someone who would be a better comparison so I think that will do for him.

Overall the Anaheim Ducks are set to get a good player in the top 11, it’s going to be an exciting time to be a Ducks fan in the coming days as we get a glimpse into the future of this team.

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