Ducks Draft Day 2 Recap 2025

By Thomas Harrington

The Anaheim Ducks entered the second day of the draft with nine picks: 45th overall, 60th overall, 72nd overall, 101st overall, 104th overall, 136th overall, 159th overall, 168th overall, and 200th overall.

The Ducks chose center Eric Nilson and defenseman Lasse Boelius in the second round, center Noah Read in the third round, defenseman Drewe Schock and goaltender Elijah Neuenschwander in the fourth round, defenseman Alexis Mathieu and left winger Emile Guite in the fifth round, defenseman Anthony Allain-Samake in the sixth round, and forward Brady Turko in the seventh round. But the biggest news out of Anaheim was trading John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings for Petr Mrazek and two draft picks.

Eric Nilson, 45th Overall

Nilson is a right-handed shooting two-way center who played in several European leagues last season. He played in the J18 Region, J18 Nationell, J20 Nationell, and HockeyAllsvenskan. He spent most of his time in the J20 Nationell, playing 37 games for Djurgardens IF J20 and scoring 12 goals and 38 points. He needs to put on more muscle, but he’s a natural athlete and very intelligent player. Nilson will be coming stateside for this coming season, playing for Michigan State University of the NCAA. Hopefully by coming to North America so early in his development, Nilson will have an easier time adjusting to the AHL and NHL when he turns pro. If he develops as hoped, Nilson could become a second or third line center someday who sees time on the penalty kill and the second powerplay unit.

Lasse Boelius, 60th Overall

Boelius was the first Finnish player chosen in the 2025 NHL Draft. He’s a very good skater and puckhandler who can outskate opposing forecheckers. He played seven games in the Liiga last year, but played primarily in its junior league, the U20 SM-sarja. Boelius played for Assat U20 and scored four goals and 18 points in 34 games. Boelius is very good at walking the line and can run a powerplay. He does need to get more physical and get better overall defensively. Boelius will be staying in Europe next season, hopefully spending much of the year in the Liiga.

Noah Read, 72nd Overall

Read played for the London Knights of the OHL this past season. He’s a high-energy forward with a physical touch to his game. The Knights are known as one of the preeminent teams in the CHL, and Read was a depth player for them this past season, scoring 10 goals and 26 points in 45 games. He then scored four goals and six points in 17 playoff games and was scoreless in five games at the Memorial Cup. This coming season, he’ll be back in London and is expected to take on a much bigger role with them. Hopefully we’ll see his offensive numbers increase dramatically.

Drew Schock, 101st Overall

Schock is a smooth-skating defenseman who has a decent amount of offensive skill. He’s not overly physical and is under 6’, so he doesn’t fit the usual Pat Verbeek mold. He played in both the NTDP and USHL this past season. He played for the US National U18 Team in the NTDP and scored nine goals and 37 points in 66 games. In the USHL, he played for the USNTDP Juniors and scored five goals and 17 points in 27 games. This coming season, Schock will be playing at the University of Michigan in the NCAA.

Elijah Neuenschwander, 104th Overall

Neuenschwander played in both the U20-Elit and SL leagues this past season. In the U20, he played for HC Fribourg-Gotteron U20 and had a record of 11-5, a 2.24 goals against average, and two shutouts in 17 games. He played in five playoff games and had a record of 2-2-1 with a 2.74 goals against average. In the SL, Neuenschwander played for EHC Chur and had a 6-2-1 record with a 2.67 goals against average and a .909 save percentage in nine games. He played in two playoff games for them as well, losing both of them with a 2.56 goals against average and a.880 save percentage. He will likely play in the NL and SL leagues this coming season.

Alexis Mathieu, 136th Overall

Mathieu played for the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL this past season, playing in 59 games and scoring three goals and six points. He also appeared in 11 playoff games and recorded three assists. Mathieu isn’t known for bringing offense from the blueline; he’s much more known for his physical, almost violent play on the ice. If he can find a way to improve his offensive skills, he could become a solid bottom pairing defenseman someday. Mathieu should be back in the QMJHL this coming season.

Emile Guite, 159th Overall

Guite plays for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the QMJHL. He scored 16 goals and 30 points in 59 games this past season, down from his rookie year where he scored 25 goals and 57 points in 61 games and was named the QMJHL Rookie of the Year. Guite has a high degree of skill, but needs to improve his skating and his compete level if he wants to get to the NHL someday. He should be back in the QMJHL this coming season.

Anthony Allain-Samake, 168th Overall

Allain-Samake was one of the youngest players taken in this draft and is definitely something of a project. He played for the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL this past season, recording 14 assists in 61 games. He also played in five playoff games and recorded one assist. Allain-Samake is a good skater but needs to work on his overall defensive game. He’ll be playing at the University of Connecticut in the NCAA this coming season.

Brady Turko, 200th Overall

Turko plays in the WHL for the Brandon Wheat Kings and is teammates with McQueen. He played in 68 games this past season and scored seven goals and 26 points. He also recorded one assist in five playoff games. I expect him to return to Brandon this coming season, where he should move up the lineup and hopefully put up more offensive numbers.

Final Thoughts

Including McQueen, the Ducks chose five forwards, four defensemen, and one goaltender in this draft. Three of those forwards are centers, really adding a lot of depth to a position that has seen several players graduate to the NHL in recent years. The Ducks took two players from the QMJHL, two from the WHL, one from the OHL, two from the NCAA and USHL ranks, and three European players. I don’t expect any of these players to be in Anaheim anytime soon. McQueen is likely the closest to the NHL, but given how much time he missed this past season, he’s still a number of years away from putting on an Anaheim uniform. 

Overall, this feels like a solid draft for the Ducks. If McQueen has no lingering back issues, he could become a future power forward. Nilson feels a lot like last year’s pick of Lucas Pettersson, a smart center who has definite NHL potential. The four defensemen all bring skating and most bring size. Goaltending is notoriously difficult to predict, but Neuenschwander played well against professional competition last season and feels like a good pick for the fourth round. Guite might be the most intriguing prospect of this group. If he can rediscover the scoring touch he had in his rookie year, he could be a late round steal. Finally, hopefully a larger role for Turko will lead to a much better season from him.

Related Articles:

Ducks Draft McQueen 10th Overall

Gibson Traded To Detroit

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June 28th, 2025