Anaheim Ducks 2009 draft review

READING, PA – The Anaheim Ducks came into the NHL Entry Draft not expecting to make a major splash. The truth is they made the biggest wave on day one when the Ducks traded Chris Pronger to the Philadelphia Flyers and practically robbed Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren in the process. The Ducks walked off with a mini kings ransom with four first round picks, one of those picks was a Joffrey Lupol, a first round pick of the Ducks (seventh overall) in 2002. The Ducks also received the Flyers first round pick from last season, defenseman Luca Sbisa, the Flyers first round picks in this years draft (21^st overall) and next years first round pick. The Flyers, who generally treat the draft like the contagious virus, once again proved why they haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1975, and the Ducks have since than. While that might sound like harsh crisizm, the truth is, no trade can trully be evaluated until the trade is complete, so it will be a while before we can trully say who got the better of the deal.

The Ducks went into the draft needing both offense and defense. The Ducks ended up taking three forwards, three defenseman, and one goaltender. With their first pick at 15 overall, the Ducks took center Peter Holland from the Guelph Storm (OHL). The 6′ 2″, 185 pound Holland was second on the team with 67 points (28 goals, 39 assists) in 68 games and also led his team with four goals in four post-season games. According to Central Scouting “He skates very well, smooth, and he generates good speed. He has a very good shot.” With the Flyers pick at 21 the Ducks drafted forward Kyle Palmieri who played for the USA National Team. When drawing comparisions to a current NHL player the name Chris Drury with a “wicked shot”. Since he can play both center and right wing it he will prove to be a valuable player for years to come. In the third round the Ducks went for defense by taking Matt Clark of the Brampton Battalion (OHL). He was a plus 21 in 63 games. Look for him to remain in juniors for at least one more season before going pro. He should turn out to be a solid two-way defenseman. In the third round the Ducks went to Russia for a 6′ 4″ goaltender in Igor Bobkov. With the potential departure of J.S. Giguere, and the rise of Jonas Hiller, the Ducks helped shore up their week goaltending issue in their farm system. In the fourth round the Ducks stayed overseas and into Finland for defenseman Sami Vatanen. His size is a major issue at 5′ 9″ so look for him to be converted to a forward position. He was Finland’s captain in the 2009 World Junior Championships. In the fifth round the Ducks drafted a Slovakian by way of the USHL’s Tri-City Storm in center Radoslav Illo. He had 21 goals and 12 assists in 47 games. He could turn out to be a steal in the fifth round. Finally the Ducks went for defense again by taking Scott Valentine who played for the Oshawa Generals and the London Knights. He is considered a defensive-defenseman. He has decent size at 6 foot, 196 pounds. Overall outlook: Most of those questions going into the draft revolved around the Big 3 on defense: Scott Niedermayer, Francois Beuchemin and Pronger. As of this article Beuchemin is still available, Pronger is a Flyer, and Niedermayer is back in a Ducks jersey for at least one more season. The Ducks did address defense in the draft, but those picks won’t be ready for another couple of years. Going into the draft the team had some depth at defense and on left wing in their farm system, but their depth at goaltending was week. Overall this was not a bad draft and the fact that they took the Flyers picks for not only this year but for years to come says a lot about the Ducks future. Grade: B Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com