Prediction: With The 27th Overall Pick, The Anaheim Ducks Will Select…

By Thomas Harrington

After my prediction of drafting Lucas Raymond 6th overall, Anaheim will step back up to the podium with the 27th overall pick. They acquired it from Boston, along with David Backes and Axel Andersson, when they traded Ondrej Kase to the Bruins. The Ducks have a number of options with the 27th pick.

First, they can package it with something else to try and move up in the draft. It’s usually easier to trade up in the first round if the other team can still keep a first-round pick. Having two first-round picks gives the Ducks a lot of flexibility in this regard. Second, if the Ducks think there will be enough quality prospects a little later in the draft, they could trade down and try and pick up another second-rounder or two this year. Finally, the Ducks could choose to keep the pick and make their second selection of the first round. For this post, I’ll be assuming that they keep the pick.

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Just as I did for the 6th pick, I have examined several mock drafts and read over scouting reports of players likely to be available when the Ducks pick again. Unsurprisingly, the 27th pick of the draft is much harder to predict than the 6th. By the time we get towards the end of the first round, there will inevitably be some players available who some people thought were locks to go earlier. There are also a large number of players who could be considered good enough to go at the end of the first round or beginning of the second.

One thing that is very apparent in looking through several mock drafts and prospect rankings: the draft really opens up once it gets to around 20 or so. Initially, I had almost 30 players that various lists had going either at 27th overall selection or just before or after. All of which means I’m about to take a shot in the dark here.

Some of the players who I think that Anaheim will be interested in when they make their second first-round selection include defenseman Justin Barron, defenseman William Wallinder, winger Noel Gunler, winger Tyson Foerster, center Brendan Brisson, winger Lukas Reichel, center Jan Mysak, and winger John-Jason Peterka. Some of these players will likely be gone when Anaheim makes their selection, but I think there’s a good chance that some of them will still be available when the Ducks make their pick.

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Barron missed a lot of last season with a blood clot but is known to be a good skater and he possesses a strong point shot. He likely won’t become a top-pairing player but could become a solid third or fourth defenseman. Wallinder is 6’4” and is an excellent skater for his size, however, he does need to work on his puck handling. Gunler is an excellent passer and shooter who played in the SHL last year. He plays physical hockey but does need to work on his discipline. Foerster’s greatest strength is his incredibly hard shot, and he has a lethal one-timer. The biggest area he needs to improve on is his skating.

Brisson is an incredibly creative player who is an excellent passer. He does need to shoot more and he is a little on the small side at 5’10”. Reichel has a high hockey IQ; he sees the ice incredibly well and almost never takes a penalty. However, he brings very little physical play to the ice. Mysak is a skilled player with a strong two-way game but is more of a complementary player than a game-breaker. Peterka is a smart player who played on the top team in the DEL. However, because he was playing professionally, he didn’t get a ton of playing time.

27th Pick Prediction

With the 27th overall pick, the Anaheim Ducks will select defenseman William Wallinder. After taking a winger with their first pick, Anaheim will dramatically improve their defensive prospect depth with their second first-round pick. Along with Jackson Lacombe, Henry Thrun, and Andersson, the Ducks will have done a good job of rebuilding their defensive prospect pipeline over the last couple of seasons. However, if a prospect like Hendrix Lapierre, Jacob Perreault, or Dawson Mercer fall in the draft and are available when Anaheim makes their second pick, the Ducks should choose one of them.

After making these first two picks, the Ducks will have five more picks in rounds two through six; they currently do not have a seventh-round pick. While not every pick will work, Bob Murray, Martin Madden, and Anaheim’s scouting staff have shown that they know what they are doing and I trust in the choices that they will make during the draft. Hopefully, they’ll be able to find some late-round gems like Josh Manson or Kase, though that’s something we probably won’t know for a number of years.

Related Articles:

6th Draft Pick Prediction

Draft Prospect Profile: Lucas Raymond

Draft Prospect Profile: Tim Stutzle

Draft Prospect Profile: Marco Rossi

Draft Prospect Profile: Alexander Holtz

Draft Prospect Profile: Jamie Drysdale

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October 5th, 2020