Nashville, Tennesse. The much anticipated Anaheim Ducks NHL Entry Draft 2023 has completed and second year Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek has taken yet another step further in cementing the club in his image by emphasizing size in his selections. However; in contrast to the previous years widely praised group the feedback immediately following the list of choices made in this draft is a common theme of aiming high tied to some risk and some reaches made where a more widely regarded better option was available. Time will tell and all in all it is another exciting group to follow as they progress and make their way to reliasing a potential seen in them by the Ducks scouting staff.
The First Round
Owning just the one selection in the first round this year – continuing the alternating trend of owning two picks in the opening round followed by a year with a single selection; the Ducks were in the unenviable position of having the power to choose who went second overall after Chicago took the second coming of Sidney Crosby in Connor Bedard.
When once the conversation featured all three of Russian phenom Matvei Mitchkov, Swedish sensation Leo Carlsson and Hobey Baker winning Freshman Adam Fantili, concerns surrounding Mitchkovs KHL contract as well as the ongoing Russian invasion of the Ukraine meant his name fell to background noise while debate raged over the two skilled Centers.
Given his profile seemed tailor made for Verbeek, with size, scoring prowess and a north-south game that complemented his drive-the-net, havoc-creating style as well as an above-average work-rate it seemed inevitable that the Ducks GM would most definitely swipe right on the 6’2″ Ontario native.
But the new Ducks GM surprised many by announcing the Swedish Center from Orebro in the SHL.
Weighing in at 194lbs and standing at 6’3″ the general consensus in the comparison between he and Fantilli is that Carlsson has the definite edge in Hockey IQ, giving him the overall higher ceiling but that Fantilli has the “compete now” tools that would allow him to step in and contribute right away on an NHL roster. To illustrate why Ducks fans should be happy that Verbeek opted for Carlsson – his 25 points in 44 games were scored as an 18 year old against grown men in the second best league in Europe and put him in some very esteemed company historically.
He has also been praised for his work on the defensive side of the puck which combined with his visionary play-making abilities has earned him comparisons that vary from Alexsander Barkov to Patrice Bergeron. If the Ducks can help him realise the kind of ceiling that would allow him to be a dominant force both with and without the puck, he could be a surprise franchise center and the perfect yin to Trevor Zegra’s yang. If that still is not enough to convince you then read this article by Scott Wheeler, which delves a little into the personal struggles Carlsson has had to embrace and overcome but to me also shows the kind of immense fortitude he possesses.
The Second Round
With three selections in the second round and the added bonus of having the first choice of those that slipped through from the first round it was once again a surprise when Pat Verbeek selected the fast-rising but lower ranked Nico Myatovic with the 33rd overall pick.
Coming in at 6’3″, the left shooting winger put up a respectable 30 goals and 30 assists in 68 games on a stacked Seattle Thunderbirds team but didn’t exactly blow the doors off in his draft year. He finished sixth on his team in scoring and 64th overall in the league.
He does the majority of his scoring at five on five and uses his frame to get into favorable positions in the slot, contributing to a lot of deflections and rebound goals. Widely regarded as a solid two-way player, his direct comparisons come in the form of Brandon Hagel and Mikey Eyssimont. That is – middle six depth wingers that are good on the defensive side of the puck but can also contribute offensively – albeit not in a play-driving role. Despite being a left shot, Myatovic appears to prefer the right wing and the Ducks are starting to lag in incoming talent on the Right Wing with Perreault still being the only real clear shot to make the next graduation – so he does fill a clear need there.
He projects as a solid depth forward – the kind that is an important facet of any team wishing to make a deep run in the post season; but its that label that also lead many to wonder why the Ducks elected to use their very first pick in the second round to select him and not one of their two others where he likely would still have been available. Perhaps they had intel that this might not be the case, or maybe they were not willing to risk it. Either way – it is clear there is a lot of belief in him and I do see him as being another piece in the puzzle for a championship winning team; it’s just a matter of whether or not all those pieces come together in the right combination and at the right time.
With back to back selections to begin the final six picks of the second round the Ducks continued to draft for need rather than seemingly best player available – grabbing the speedy 6’0″ center/winger Carery Terrance of the Errie Otters followed by the first Italian ever drafted – goaltender Damian Clara of Farjestad BK in Sweden.
Terrance is perhaps the most intriguing pick of this round for me – all reports heavily emphasize that his game is all about speed but that he needs to improve in most of the other areas. That is not to say he wasn’t projected to go where he did – he was ranked 50th by Central Scouting, 77th by Bob McKenzie and 58th by Draft Prospects; so the Ducks taking him with the 59th selection is about right if not potentially a slight steal. He had 47 points in 67 games in the OHL on a not very good Errie Otters squad – leading the team in scoring while fulfilling an assistant captain role in just his second season. He was a late add to the USA U18 team where he notched six points in seven games during the tournament in Switzerland. His selection got my attention for two reasons in particular – the fact that his game is all about speed, and that he is not 6’3″ – it showed that the Ducks aren’t completely zoning on on size and brawn which was something I was beginning to slightly worry about.
With the very next selection (using the Boston pick acquired in the Hampus Lindholm deal) they took 6’6″goaltender Damian Clara of Brynas IF in the Allsvenskan, the league below the SHL in Sweden. There were reports and predictions that the Ducks would take a goaltender in the second round citing it as a pressing need but I had hoped they would not while vehemently disagreeing with the reasoning. After-all; even with Lukas Dostal graduating to the NHL and soon to take the net from John Gibson when he is eventually dealt – the Gulls have Calle Clang firmly in place to lead the way this season; with Gage Alexander tutoring underneath him and last years selection of Vyacheslav Buteyets is already proving to be an underrated steal. I guess one more net-minder in the system can’t hurt but I didn’t see the need to use a second rounder to obtain him. Perhaps the Ducks felt the same way but saw the sudden run of goaltenders being selected and panicked – making Clara the fifth one selected within the first 59 picks of the draft. Much like the Durny pick a few years back – I am extremely skeptical of this selection and my only hope is that the scouting staff have found another hidden gem much like they did Buteyets. Clara is big – bigger goaltenders are proving to be the all round more successful lately and the Ducks have done well drafting net-minders out of Europe recently; seemingly coming to North America with pre-developed compact positioning and energy-efficient styles. Draft bios and write-ups state his game-reads and edges allow him to react quickly to fakes while his size allows him to shut-down wrap-arounds while still covering the top corners. Knocks on his game center on his skating which see’s him beat on breakaways and contributes to poor rebound control. Again – I think he probably could have been had in the sixth round but time will tell as to whether he proves everybody wrong and shows he was worth taking late in the second.
Third Round
With two picks in the third round the Ducks continued to supplement their weak depth on the right side by taking two right wingers.
Kicking off the round with the first selection they took the 6’1″ 170lb Coulson Pitre of the Flint Firebirds in the OHL. Another “small” – by Verbeek standards anyway – speedy winger who put up good numbers (44 points in 52 games) in his underage year and then followed that up with even better ones this past season – contributing 60 points in 59 games. Draft bios and write-ups were of the general consensus that he would be taken in either the second or third round but that due to his above average skating, physical game and underrated shot he could turn out to be a steal. Comparables that I have seen for him include Tanner Jeannot and Brandon Tanev – which seems about right; depth middle six forwards with speed, finish and an edge to their games. Pitre has a high hockey IQ that loves to create on the rush and is good on both sides of the puck as well as in transition. The only knock as far as I can see is his tendency to try to force a play that isn’t there – lacking patience when the game is getting away from him. Overall he reads as having the potential to be a very good versatile forward. I am sensing a trend with the forwards taken in this draft which I will summarize in the conclusion.
Using the Minnesota pick acquired in the Nic Deslaurier trade the Ducks took a different kind of winger, the Belarusian sniper Yegor Sidorov playing with the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL. The 6’0″ 183lb left shot can play either wing but seems to prefer his off-side on the right. After being selected by the Blades 20th overall in the 2021 CHL import draft he had a so-so year, netting 35 points in 58 games for the Blades and getting passed over for last years NHL entry draft before exploding for 76 in 53 this season. As a 2004 birth year he can join the Gulls a lot sooner than the others in this draft class – as soon as next season in fact. From all reports and just looking at his numbers – he is a shooting machine with a strong, quick shot that he uses as much as possible and in all situations. He was in the top 20 in shots in the WHL this season. He is also a clutch scorer – with eight game winners this year, trailing only Connor Bedard and one other player. As always seems to be the case with pure snipers – the knocks on his game are directed at his foot speed and skating which also limits his ability to properly backcheck. The same was said about Sasha Pastujov and the Kings Arthur Kaliyev in their draft year – but they appear to be doing fine. The Ducks still desperately need goal scoring so seeing them select another pure sniper makes this my favorite pick of the draft – I am excited to see him with the Gulls next year.
Fourth Round
With just the one selection in the fourth round the Ducks went the defensive rout and selected the imposing 6’6″ 209lb Konnor Smith of the Peterborough Petes. This one feels like a pick along the same lines as the Noah Warren selection last year just with much less offensive upside. This kid is a stay at home defender through and through and he loves to hit. Write ups I have read describe him as mean, giving no quarter in his own zone and based off of those hits I linked above – gives off a Scott Stevens patrolling the blue line vibe. He is also noted as being a great shot blocker which only adds to his defensive defenseman label. He had 15 points in 65 games for the Petes and just the two assists in 23 games in the postseason. Knocks on his game vary from poor skating and a tendency to make a bad pass that leads to a critical turnover. As mentioned – he joins Noah Warren in the Ducks pipeline in the special category of mean defensive blue-liner while also fulfilling the age old but not quite relevant of recent times label of “lol Ducks are goons” given his two suspensions this season. Anaheim clearly sent a message when they signed Radko Gudas – they want to get meaner – and if Smith can develop into a Gudas type; he would be another crucial ingredient in a Stanley Cup contending squad.
Fifth Round
Staying with the blue line the Ducks next took the Swiss-American Rodwin Dionicio of the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL. The 6’2″ 207lb left shooting defender reads as a shifty puck rushing defender that loves to create, drawing in opponents with his soft play making skills before finding a team-mate in open ice. As a converted forward as of four seasons now, he had 31 points in 57 games in his first year in the OHL with Niagra before getting traded earlier this season to Windsor where he surpassed all expectations with a 43 points in a final 33 game run. His puck skills and high hockey IQ assure he has a lot of potential but concerns over his foot speed and initial acceleration temper those expectations as to how well he will do at the pro level. As to be expected of a converted forward – his defensive game still needs some improvement but he isn’t the first Ducks prospect to have that said about him and won’t be the last. Like Sidorov – he was eligible for last years draft but was passed over meaning he is able to play for the Gulls next season.
Sixth Round
With their final selection in the 2023 draft (owing to the fact that they dealt their seventh rounder to Tampa in the Morand trade) the Ducks took one more defender, the 6’2″ 176lb Czech – Vojtech Port of the Edmonton Oil Kings. One of the youngest prospects available to be selected the smooth skating blue liner grabbed the attention of Ducks scout Glenn Cochrane earlier this year and stayed firmly on his radar. His numbers don’t immediately scream legit NHL prospect – 17 points in 46 games – but that was because he played on a very very bad Edmonton team that finished dead last this year, losing eleven more games then the next closest cellar dweller. He also suffered a season-ending upper-body injury in mid-February. He was ninth on the team in scoring and was the only Oil King to be selected at the draft. He has a lot of intriguing attributes – including how much he loves to fake out opponents with speed change ups and diversionary direction adjustments. His play-making and ability to quarterback a Power Play as well as his strong transition game are also skills the Ducks need. Defensively he is noted as being good at opposing a rush – forcing puck carriers wide or using good gap control to force them to make a play under pressure. The knocks on his game focus on his in-zone defending – needing to build up more strength and experience in winning puck battles but that is long-term teachable. He also needs to use his long-reach more to his advantage to break up plays. He plays a completely different position but the long range potential he has reminds me of his fellow countrymen Ondrej Kase, the Ducks have done well with late round czech selections and I am most excited about this one.
In Conclusion
This was a bit of a weird one in that it felt like there were a lot of reaches and some players were taken much earlier than they needed to be. That said – it also feels like Verbeek and the Ducks scouting staff had a shopping list of the kind of players they wanted and they grabbed each and all of them when they could; which in a way proves it is always a good thing to stockpile draft picks when you are in a rebuild so that you have a better chance of ticking off those items on the list.
Here is how I envisioned their list looking like after seeing the results of this draft.
- Franchise Center
- Middle six depth forward for the playoffs x 2
- Speedy play driving winger
- Big athletic goaltender
- Sniper
- Big mean defensive defenseman
- Puck rushing offensive defenseman x 2
Once again it is hard to judge so early in the process but if I were the GM – I’d have focused more on play driving forwards but that’s me. Perhaps GM’s have noticed a trend forming that proves that versatile playoff performing depth forwards are becoming harder to come by and fetch premium prices at the deadline so would be better developed in-house. That is the only thing that really sticks out to me as odd about this draft class for the Ducks, the reach for Myatovic and then following that up with Pitre later – where both are projected to be depth middle six forwards.
All negatives aside – I am happy with the other selections mostly (again not sure about taking a goaltender in the second round but I believe I was right in that the Ducks panicked because they saw the run of others being selected) and have absolute faith that Leo Carlsson will be the redeeming factor if none or little of the others pan out. I can see hope in the plan here – drafting to build out pieces that fit around a core and selecting players that fill certain needs that may not be there yet but will be once this team starts to make the playoffs again.
Overall I give this draft a grade of “C”.
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