30 in 30: Anaheim Ducks

Lucas Main

2016-07-11

ducks draft

 

The Anaheim Ducks came into the draft with six draft picks, two of them in the first round; five of their six picks were forwards this summer, stock piling on centers and wings.

Here is the low-down on Anaheim’s six draft picks.

 

Max Jones, 24th Overall

At pick 24, Anaheim selected left-wing Max Jones. Jones is American born and played for the London Knights last season. His first season in junior hockey could not have gone any better. Jones played second line minutes while being one of the Knights best penalty killers and receiving minimal powerplay time, he still managed 28 goals and 52 points in 63 games along with 106 penalty minutes and 192 SOG. Jones got into six playoff games before getting into some league trouble (see below) and registered two points, 23 penalty minutes and 22 SOG and four Memorial Cup games, scoring two goals and two assists.

Anaheim 2016 first round pick Max Jones

Anaheim 2016 first round pick Max Jones

Jones is a hard nosed, big boy power forward; listed at 6’3, 203 lbs. He has NHL strength already, he just needs to be given more big situation minutes and learn when to not go over board with his physicality. Jones was suspended for 12 games for an illegal check to the head and had a few other incidents earlier in the season with players and coaches, but was never suspended for those acts.

Barring a very impressive camp, Jones will play another year in London to mature as a player and could possibly crack the NHL by 2017-2018. Jones will be a great roto player, contributing in goals, assists, penalty minutes, SOG, PPP, and SHP.

Sam Steel, 30th Overall

With the last pick of the first round, the Ducks selected Canadian center Sam Steel of the Regina Pats. Steel just completed his second full season in the WHL and finished with 23 goals and 70 points and in 12 playoff games he had six goals and 16 points.

{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sam Steel- C<br>'16 Ducks 1st round pick. Age 18, 5'11, 176lbs. Playing w/Regina Pats. '15-16 61gp, 23g, 47a. <a href="https://t.co/AdF9GKM6rE">pic.twitter.com/AdF9GKM6rE</a></p>&mdash; Tasha Florentz-Clift (@WeWillQuackYou) <a href="https://twitter.com/WeWillQuackYou/status/748368079449620480">June 30, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Regina selected Steel with the second overall pick in the 2013 Bantam Draft. He is blossoming into a strong two-way center; he plays a strong 200-foot game, has good vision, and skates well. He has the potential to be a second line center with his smart play and playmaking abilities. He won’t have any fantasy value for a couple of years, but if you’re in deep keeper leagues, stash him away.

Joshua Mahura, 85th Overall

With Anaheim’s third round pick they selected defenseman Joshua Mahura. In his second season with the Red Deer Rebels, Mahura tore his MCL at the start of the season and only played two regular season games, registering one assist. However, he was able to come back for their playoff run, playing in 17 games and scoring two goals and four points. He also played in four Memorial Cup games, but did not register any points.

Mahura is listed at 6’, 178lbs but very strong on his skates. He impressed at the combine, placing in the top 25 in bench press reps and 23rd in the VO2 max output station. Mahura isn’t flashy in the offensive or defensive zone, he just puts his work boots on and goes to work. He won’t have much fantasy value and will likely end up as a solid 4th defenseman.

Jack Kopacka, 93rd Overall

With their first fourth round selection, the Ducks selected left-wing Jack Kopacka. In his first full season with the Greyhounds, Kopacka registered 20 goals and 43 points in 67 games played, along with two goals and two assists in 12 playoff games. He has the size to be a power forward (6’2”), but needs to fill out his frame (190 lbs).

Kopacka has good speed for a player of his size and can make moves when he is in flight, which is good because he does not have a physical element to his game. If he can start to finish his checks, Kopacka has the tools to be a second/third line complementary player.

Alex Dostie, 115th Overall

With their second fourth round pick, Anaheim selected center Alex Dostie, from the Olympiques. After being passed over in last years entry draft, Dostie made a statement this past season, scoring 25 goals and 73 points in 54 games while adding six goals and 10 points in 10 playoff games.

His size may have effected his draft status last year (he is only 5’10” and 173 lbs) but he made up for it this season by using his speed and skating ability to track loose pucks in the corners and the offensive zone. He also likes to use his skating to back check, so you know he is committed to developing his game. With the league moving to a speed game and the influx of smaller players, he could end up becoming a Tyler Johnson type player, but not for a couple of seasons.

Tyler Soy, 205th Overall

With their last pick in this year’s draft, the Ducks selected Tyler Soy from the Victoria Royals. Soy led the Royals with 46 goals and finished second with 85 points and seven goals with 12 points in 13 playoff games. He was passed over in the draft last summer, most likely because of his size (5’11”, 172 lbs), but worked hard over last summer and it paid off this last season.

Soy has the offensive abilities to become a playmaker at the NHL level on a second. He has the vision, possesses an accurate shot, he is strong on his skates, and his coaches say he goes hard every shift. He won the Brad Hornung Trophy, which is awarded to the most sportsmanlike player in the WHL.

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Anaheim’s developmental camp will be July 1-4, with invites sent to:

Scott Conway (college center)

Brandon Crawley (junior defenseman)

Collin Delia (college goalie)

T.J. Fergus (junior defenseman)

Joe Gambardella (college center)

Matt Kiersted (junior defenseman)

Trevin Kozlowski (college goalie)

Joel L’Esperance (college center)

Cale Morris (college goalie)

Matt Murphy (junior defenseman)

Vince Pedrie (college defenseman)

Sheldon Rempal (college leftwing)

Darian Skeoch (junior defenseman)

Landon Smith (college leftwing)

 

 

The rest of the camp list is here: http://ducks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=887754

 

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Prospect center Julius Nattinen was traded from the Barrie Colts to the Windsor Spitfires. Nattinen scored 22 goals and 71 points during the regular season and eight points in 12 playoff games. Those are good numbers, but reports are he wasn’t happy in Barrie. He showed stretches of brilliance and then would disappear for a few games. You hate to see that in a young player, but I am going to say it was him getting adjusted to life in North America as this was his first season in the OHL. Hopefully he can be more consistent this season under second year coach Rocky Thompson.

{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">Comments from Spitfires GM, Warren Rychel, on the Nättinen trade: <a href="https://t.co/nHwPXKF62z">https://t.co/nHwPXKF62z</a></p>&mdash; Ducks Prospects (@DucksProspects) <a href="https://twitter.com/DucksProspects/status/747149001166884864">June 26, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}

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Since the Anaheim Ducks are first, I am writing this before Free Agent Frenzy so I will have multiple updates throughout the month, so be on the lookout for those, thanks for reading!

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