2024 Draft Recap: Anaheim Ducks
A surprising first pick, a handful of high-upside forwards, and a trio of puck-moving defensemen should have the Ducks giddy over their latest draft haul.
NASHVILLE (The Draft Analyst) — Those familiar with my work know how I feel about draft report cards, even if I’ve been guilty of feeding that beast throughout the last 10 years. But my thoughts on the latest 2024 results will be more than broad brush strokes, as pinning the rose on 12 uninterrupted months of in-depth analysis from both the team and prospect standpoints requires more than the standard letter-grade marking scheme acting as the rubric. Rather, draft hauls will be evaluated and labeled on the following criteria, which I think are both fair and reasonable:
Strong — Any four of potential franchise player(s) drafted; needs addressed; first-round caliber picks in the second or third round; multiple home-run swings in later rounds; point-producing sleepers; the majority of prospects were in top-line/top-pairing/starter roles (Ex. Buffalo’s 2022 draft)
Above-average - Any three of needs addressed; multiple home-run swings; acknowledged consensus favorites; the majority of prospects were in top-line/top-pairing/starter roles; making more with less; first-round quality in the second or third round. (Ex. Carolina’s 2023 draft)
Average — A solid first- or second-round pick but mostly unspectacular thereafter (Ex. Colorado’s 2020 draft)
Below-average — Quantity over quality; over-drafting of higher-round picks/reaching; four picks or less with no first-round selection; obsession with overagers (Ex. New York Rangers’ 2018 draft or Ottawa’s drafts from 2021-2023)
Poor — Any three of unpopular reach in the first round, no picks in the first or second round; needs not addressed, obsession with overagers, leaving upside on the board for projects, or bucking popular consensus choices (Ex. Arizona’s 2020 draft)
Outlook
Mired in a lengthy rebuild, the Ducks entered the day with multiple picks in each of the first three rounds yet already owned one of the league’s top farm systems, making a best-player-available approach the likeliest of likelihoods. Two considerations could have been made for right defense and right wing; the former after trading valuable righty Jamie Drysdale for center Cutter Gauthier last January and the latter for moving 2020 first-rounder Jacob Perreault from an already top-heavy group. Another storyline was Anaheim’s decades-long reluctance toward drafting Russians and whether winger Ivan Demidov or defenseman Anton Silayev were talented enough for the Ducks to buck the trend.
MORE: 2024 NHL Draft Report (PDF Download)
Traded picks
Anaheim packaged Edmonton’s late first-rounder (31st, acquired for Adam Henrique) and the late second-rounder they received from Boston for Hampus Lindholm to move up to 23rd overall and draft LHD Stian Solberg. This market-price transaction closes the books on the Lindholm deal, which also netted them 2022 first-rounder Nathan Gaucher and a late 2023 second-round selection they used to grab stud goalie prospect Damian Clara.
Draft Picks
MORE: 2024 Draft: Round 1 Pick-by-Pick Analysis and Grades
Assessment: Strong Draft
The decision to take Beckett Sennecke third overall (ahead of Demidov, Silayev, among several others) will go down as an all-time shocker, and Sennecke’s stunned on-camera reaction is the only validation needed. The Ducks and their scouting staff saying he was their best player at No. 3 doesn’t mean they were correct, but there is plenty of time until that can be determined, and it isn’t like Sennecke isn’t a dynamic finesse forward trapped in a power winger’s body. And although he is a right-shot wing, he’s too close to the elite end to be considered a need pick to replace the underperforming Perreault, who was drafted by Martin Madden Jr. before GM Pat Verbeek took over. Every pick thereafter was vividly BPA and equally balanced between the three skater positions, beginning with the hard-hitting Solberg and capping it off with slick power-play quarterback Darels Uljanskis, who made it three straight drafts and fifth in the last six where the Ducks took at least three defensemen.
Favorite picks
Literally all of them, especially after Round One. We can start with quick two-way center Lucas Pettersson, who was ranked in my top 20 and along with big-bodied Ethan Procyszyn should push Gaucher and Bo Groulx hard for the full-time 3C job. I also liked the balance at forward, with a franchise type in Sennecke, power-play finishers in Maxim Masse and Austin Burnevik on the wing, and crafty playmaker Alexandre Blais at center. Tarin Smith is a wicked shooter from the back end, although he will be in a dogfight with Anaheim’s other half-dozen defenders for prime opportunities and offensive-zone starts once he reaches the AHL.