T-2 . Anaheim Ducks
As the 2016 Pacific Division champions, the Anaheim Ducks managed to have a better draft than the Vancouver Canucks and the Arizona Coyotes. Part of the reason is that Anaheim owned two first-round picks. They were both late — 24 and 30 — but they were first-round picks. In addition, the Ducks had a third, two fourths and a seventh. So, Anaheim and Vancouver had the same amount of picks, but the Ducks had a higher average draft position nonetheless.
With that, Anaheim obviously had it easier. But trades like the one that sent goalie Frederik Andersen to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 30th-overall pick are part of what made this a good draft for the Ducks. Jim Benning said he wanted to acquire another third-rounder, but he even failed to do that.
This is the 2016 Anaheim Ducks draft class:
| Rnd | Pick | Overall | Team | Player | Pos | Country | Height | Weight | Amateur League | Amateur Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | 24 | ANA | Max Jones | LW | USA | 6′ 2″ | 206 | OHL | London |
| 1 | 30 | 30 | ANA | Sam Steel | C | CAN | 5′ 11″ | 178 | WHL | Regina |
| 3 | 24 | 85 | ANA | Joshua Mahura | D | CAN | 6′ 0″ | 184 | WHL | Red Deer |
| 4 | 2 | 93 | ANA | Jack Kopacka | LW | USA | 6′ 1″ | 191 | OHL | Sault Ste. Marie |
| 4 | 24 | 115 | ANA | Alex Dostie | C | CAN | 5′ 10″ | 165 | QMJHL | Gatineau |
| 7 | 24 | 205 | ANA | Tyler Soy | C | CAN | 5′ 11″ | 174 | WHL | Victoria |
With their first pick, the 24th-overall selection, the Ducks got power forward Max Jones from the Memorial Cup champions, the OHL London Knights. Jones was expected to go as high as 14th, which was his rank on ISS Hockey’s final list, but he fell into Anaheim’s lap 10 picks later. An easy call for the Ducks, who will have a lot of fun with this smart, hard-working scorer.
Their second pick, Sam Steel, was ranked lower than 30 by all major scouting services, but he was a terrific pick as well. Instead of a two-way player like Rasmus Asplund, Pascal Laberge or Boris Katchouk, the Ducks went for a slightly undersized but very smart playmaker.
After that, they added a solid defenseman in Josh Mahura and another power forward in Jack Kopacka. Both were expected to go slightly higher than they did, and the Ducks can be happy to have them.
With their final two picks in the draft, the Ducks got two overage centers. Both are undersized, but they show great offensive potential. A terrific draft class overall.
Grade: A
Next: No. T-2