Anaheim Ducks 2005 Draft Recap
Way late to the party...
1st Round, 2nd Overall - Jack Johnson, D
NHL: Went 3rd overall to Carolina. Has put up 58 points in 200 NHL games. A top-three defenseman on his way up.
Notes: With Sidney Crosby being the obvious #1 pick, the #2 pick was a little less so. Most mock drafts had Johnson as being the #2 pick in the draft, but Ducks' GM Matt Gledhill was known to be drawn to hometown boy Bobby Ryan. In the end, however, the Ducks went with Johnson, and while they had to wait a little longer than expected, the dividends are starting to pay off. Prospect hounds became a bit impatient with Johnson's development, first because he spurned the NHL Hurricanes during their Cup run to stay at Michigan, and later because his star became somewhat obscured behind Drew Doughty's meteoric rise. This season, though, Johnson really started to come into his own. His maturation as a defenseman was best evidenced during the Olympics, when he was relied upon in all situations, and formed a punishing physical pairing with Brooks Orpik. Johnson made the US Olympic team, in part, because of his perception as a "home-run hitter". His career arc will likely be defined by this characteristic, as well as his ability to temper it.
2nd Round, 59th Overall - Pier-Olivier Pelletier, G
NHL: Went 59th overall to Phoenix. No NHL team currently holds his rights.
Notes: Complete bust. When Brian Boucher failed to pan out as a #1 goaltender, the Ducks struggled for years to fill their "goaltender of the future" role. In this draft, after Price, Rask, and Pavelec, there really was no consensus #4 goaltender. The Ducks entertained the notion of trading up to take Rask. However, wary of taking goalies in the first round, the team instead opted to stand pat and select Pelletier, who never got signed by Phoenix, and is now league-hopping to wherever anyone needs a fill-in goalie.
3rd Round, 62nd Overall - Teemu Laakso, D
NHL: Went 78th overall to Nashville. Appeared in 7 games (0 points) at the start of the season for the Preds.
Notes: Despite a somewhat checkered injury history, Laakso is still very willing to do the thing which first led the Ducks to draft him: Lay the body. Laakso spent 4 seasons honing his game in the SM-Liiga before coming to the AHL, where he adjusted seamlessly. Initially, the Ducks thought Laakso had a bit more two-way upside to his game, perhaps because he was the best defenseman on a few rather weak Finnish bluelines at the WJCs. Now, Laakso appears to be more of a "solid first pass" guy. Laakso is now property of the Carolina Hurricanes, as he was traded close to the deadline in a deal for Jay McClement.
5th Round, 123rd Overall - Perttu Lindgren, C
NHL: Went 75th overall to Dallas. Appeared in 1 game this season for the Stars.
Notes: The year after he got drafted, Lindgren's production shot through the roof, as he put up 37 points in 51 games for Ilves. After that, Lindgren appeared to be a prospect treading water. His numbers in the SM-Liiga went backwards a bit, then he came over to the AHL where he had a solid 2007-08 season. 2008-09 saw Lindgren back in Finland, which wasn't so much a step backwards (Lindgren was fulfilling a service requirement, I believe) as it was a lost year of development. Then came the 2009-10 season, which saw Lindgren back in the AHL, where he finished 3rd on his team in scoring in both the regular season and the playoffs, and played well enough to earn himself a brief NHL call-up. Lindgren's MO hasn't changed - he's still a slick playmaking center (led the Texas Stars in assists). More importantly, he's back on the radar.
6th Round, 185th Overall - J.D. Watt, RW
NHL: Went 111th overall to the Flames.
Notes: Watt is still in the Flames system, where he spent the entire season with the new Abbotsford franchise in the AHL. There he racked up 13 points and a hefty 267 penalty minutes in 70 games. Watt is without a doubt trying to fashion his game in the mold of the modern superpest. To that end, he does have a bit of touch, and certainly the willingness to go after people. However, questions about his skating could keep him from ever serving in a 4th line role at the NHL level.
7th Round, 194th Overall - Kevin Lalande, G
NHL: Went 128th to the Flames. Now in the Blue Jackets' system.
Notes: Nothing has ever come easy for Kevin Lalande, and nothing likely ever will. He was never really highly regarded during his time in Belleville, yet he put up good numbers. He did his time in the ECHL, where he put up even better numbers. Then, when his AHL call-up finally came, he put the numbers up, but encountered a sizable roadblock in Quad City in the form of Leland Irving. That earned Lalande a ticket out of the Flames organization to the Syracuse Crunch, Columbus' AHL affiliate. Lalande's reaction? Put up good enough numbers to steal fellow prospect Dan LaCosta's starting job. Now, with one full season as an AHL starter, Lalande at least appears to have the chops to get a sniff of an NHL backup job at some point. Certainly, Lalande's done a good enough job of bucking the odds thus far...
Summary: Right after the NHL Draft, I was probably patting myself on the back because Lalande, Watt, and Lindgren all went much higher than I drafted them. Five years later, the 2005 Draft was a solid, if unspectacular, draft for the Ducks. Johnson's development was frustrating at times, but young defensemen are funny creatures, and I think it's clear now that he's the best out of that year's crop. Laakso could step into a full-time 5/6 role as soon as this coming season. Lindgren and Lalande are still legitimate NHL prospects. Watt's a fringe prospect, and Pelletier's a bust. Add all of that up, and I guess you've got yourself a B-.