Top Prospects: The NHL System Rankings

#4: Anaheim Ducks

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Number of Ranked Prospects: 40

Number of Forwards in the Top 50: 3

Number of Defensemen in the Top 50: 3

Average Rank of Top 10 Prospects in Pool: 38th

Top Forward Prospect in The System: Beckett Sennecke (10th)

Top Defenseman Prospect in The System: Olen Zellweger (14th)

System Score: 4.75

After a decade-long run as one of the NHL's top teams, the Anaheim Ducks in 2018 entered a major rebuilding phase. In 2019 the Ducks drafted the hyper-creative center Trevor Zegras from the US development squad and Jackson LaCombe from Shattuck-St. Mary's. In 2020 they drafted the offensive blueliner Jamie Drysdale (since traded to Philadelphia for Cutter Gauthier), and in 2021 center Mason McTavish. The 2022 and 2023 drafts brought in defender Pavel Mintyukov and Swedish center Leo Carlsson. Each of these top-round picks have become full-time NHLers and comprise a solid core for the Anaheim team (save for Drysdale, but more on his return below). Those players have already combined for over 700 NHL games,  140 goals and 250 assists despite. Further picks have yielded several promising prospects (some already in the NHL) as Anaheim has been slowly but steadily creating not only a solid, young team but one of the best prospect pools in the league. 

The Top of The Pool:

With the third overall pick in the 2024 draft, Anaheim selected Beckett Sennecke, the big right winger from the Oshawa Generals (note that Hockey Prophets had Sennecke ranked 16th). Sennecke was listed at 6'2 and 181 pounds last season, but is now shown at 6'4, 195 pounds. Not only has he grown a couple of inches and added 15 or so pounds since last season, but he has also nearly doubled his offensive production with 28 goals and 35 assists in just 35 OHL games so far--currently good enough for fifth overall in OHL scoring. 

Sennecke uses long, powerful strides and surprisingly good edgework to generate speed and agility. He is well-balanced on his skates, allowing him to make difficult passes and hard shots regardless of his body position or direction of travel. He shows excellent vision and reads plays well, and he has a high-level work rate and competitive drive. He can often be seen making the extra effort to keep the puck in play, create pressure on the forecheck or backcheck, or outhustling the opponents to win puck battles. With his upward offensive trajectory this season, his stock continues to rise and what initially looked like like an overreach by the Ducks in picking Sennecke third overall may ultimately not seem as curious as originally thought.

Cutter Gauthier was brought in from the Flyers in the trade for Jamie Drysdale. Gauthier wanted out of Philadelphia, and Anaheim was able to add him to a stable of top young forwards. Gauthier will graduate from the prospects list in the spring edition of the ranking after already becoming a full time member of the Ducks' lineup. In his first 45 games in Anaheim (and in NHL play), Gauthier has 7 goals and 13 assists and is getting around 14 minutes of ice time per game. Despite the third-line ice time and 58-percent defensive zone starts, Gauthier is third on the team in points per 60 minutes and has been a major contributor in all phases of play.

Another top prospect in the system who is now a full-time NHLer is defenseman Olen Zellweger. The 34th overall pick in 2021 (Hockey Prophets ranked him 26th) has become a staple on the Anaheim blue line this season and is the team's second-leading scorer from the blue line. Zellweger is a smaller (5'10, 187 pounds) defender with excellent skating and offensive skills, but who has also proven himself at just 21 year old to be a capable NHL defender. 

Zellweger is followed in the Ducks pool ranking by two other defensemen, Stian Solberg and Tristan Luneau. Solberg is fluid granite, a menace on the ice and perhaps one of the hardest blueliner prospects to play against. At 6'2 and 205 pounds, the bruising Norwegian terrorizes forwards with solid body checks and intense play around the net. He moved from the top Norwegian league to the top Swedish league this year, where he plays for Farjestad BK. Luneau is an offensive, transition defender currently playing in the AHL for San Diego. So far this season in 23 games, Luneau has 2 goals with 11 assists. At 6'2, 215 pounds, he could become a solid two-way defenseman as he develops.

Forwards Sasha Pastujov, Sam Colangelo and Maxim Masse help add depth up front. Pastujov was drafted 66th overall in 2021 (ranked 34th by Hockey Prophets) as a shooter who likes to get to the high danger areas. Pastujov is currently in his second season at San Diego, and his 21 points in 22 games has him second overall in team scoring. Just ahead of him (with 22 points in 24 games) on the team scoring list is Sam Colangelo. He is a 6'2, 212-pound right-handed shooter who drives the slot and plays a high-vision game. He already has seen a handful of games at the NHL, and both he and Pastujov look as though they could get a chance to make the roster this fall.

Return to the Team System Rankings

Below is the full list of the Anaheim Ducks' ranked prospects.

Top Forwards 

Top Defensemen