Prospect Info: 2022 Ducks Prospect Rankings #7

[MMC]

It's time for our annual Ducks prospect rankings. Each poll will run for 48 hours except in the case of a clear landslide. I will go to the top 25 and include a final poll where you can pick 5 honorable mentions. Please tell me who you want me to add in the replies. In the seventh poll, I am voting for Sasha Pastujov.

As always the list will define prospects as hockeysfuture does: NHL Prospect Criteria - Hockey's Future.

2022 Ducks Prospect Rankings

1. C - Mason McTavish (+2)
2. D - Pavel Mintyukov (2022 draftee)
3. D - Olen Zellweger (+3)
4. G - Lukas Dostal (no change)
5. RW - Jacob Perreault (no change)
6. D - Urho Vaakanainen (first year with organization)

Our graduates and departures are:

Trevor Zegras
Jamie Drysdale
Alexander Volkov
Josh Mahura
Brendan Guhle
Jack Badini
Roman Durny​

Click to read more...

 

[MMC]

I suspect these threads will be very interesting from here on out

 

[Deuce22]

Gaucher, again.

 

[Gliff]

Thrun again.

 

[Sean Garrity]

Thrun, again. Someone questioned his offense but he was near PPG last year. Also, in the Zegras highlight that is not a Sanderson pass that the announcers orgasm over, it’s a Thrun deception/pass.

 

[AngelDuck]

Gaucher, then LaCombe

 

[Kalv]

I have not decided yet on the vote, but definitely NOT Gaucher. His offense is very limited, he seems as a good future 4th liner, or 3rd liner if all goes well.

I think we have better options to pick

 

[Smirnov2Chistov]

I have not decided yet on the vote, but definitely NOT Gaucher. His offense is very limited, he seems as a good future 4th liner, or 3rd liner if all goes well.

I think we have better options to pick

This is a weird take. He was showing (at least to me) some offensive ability during this junior tournament. He was even centering Bedard and often moving up and down the lineup.

He seems to be a great skater, all the other tools can be worked on

 

[Kalv]

This is a weird take. He was showing (at least to me) some offensive ability during this junior tournament. He was even centering Bedard and often moving up and down the lineup.

He seems to be a great skater, all the other tools can be worked on

I wasn't seeing it. It felt his mind was limiting him in many plays. He did some good plays as well, but I didn't saw consistency with it.
Just worried that in the next level it will be even more problematic for him.

To sum it up, I think he looks good without the puck, and with the puck he looked questionable at times

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Gunna go Tracey…. Much improved on ahl last year and seems to be putting in the work. Considered thrun/luneau/clang also

I wasn't seeing it. It felt his mind was limiting him in many plays. He did some good plays as well, but I didn't saw consistency with it.
Just worried that in the next level it will be even more problematic for him.

To sum it up, I think he looks good without the puck, and with the puck he looked questionable at times

I think it’s an obvious fix for him… if he can add some offensive to touch to his game it will certainly raise his stock a bit.

But right now… he seems like a ceiling of 3rd liner

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Thrun, again. Someone questioned his offense but he was near PPG last year. Also, in the Zegras highlight that is not a Sanderson pass that the announcers orgasm over, it’s a Thrun deception/pass.

Thrun lead his team in scoring for a long minute. He was also scoring over a point per game until January. It had me questioning who was supposed to be the offensive guy between Thrun and Moore as Moore had the better plus/minus rating.

 

[TheGoodShepard1]

Went with LaCombe. Think he has the most dynamic skill set of the bunch

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Gunna go Tracey…. Much improved on ahl last year and seems to be putting in the work. Considered thrun/luneau/clang also

Luneau goes further down the rankings for me until his skating improves. There was a reason why he dropped out of the first round and a DFD like Warren was selected over him... it's his skating. Now, his skating needs improvement not because he sucked at it, but rather because he had knee surgery done, iirc, that cost him his D+0 off-season and early season. On some reports, they cited it took Luneau a while to have confidence in his knees/skating.

There is massive upside for Luneau if he can regain or regain+improve his skating. The silver lining for Luneau is that there's a huge log jam ahead of him so he can take his time to develop and improve his skating.

===

At dev camp, LaCombe's skating is just silky smooth in drills. For an offensive defenseman, he often is leading the team or 2nd in blocked shots for the past three seasons. Not bad for a converted D, who also plays on his off-wing at RD as a left-hand shooter. The hang up on Lacombe is his offense doesn't show up to start the season.

LaCombe 2021-22

First 12 games: 3 pts (0.25 ppg), +2 rating​

Last 27 games: 27 points (1.00 ppg), +21 rating​

I'm hoping his senior year is when he can put it all together from the start of the season.

 

[TheStuntman]

I voted for Tracey. He played well in the AHL this past season after a terrible 12 game stint last year. He has 2nd line potential but will most likely be a 2-way winger on the 3rd and play on the 2nd PP unit at times. He needs to bulk up more to stay in the NHL.

 

[OCSportsfan]

It is really looking like we have 13 or so players that could be regulars in the NHL within 3-5 years. That is also considering Drysdale and Zegras are not included. Cant imagine many other teams have this many projected.

 

[Duck Off]

Went with Gaucher here. I think he's got the best chance of the remaining to be an impact player in the NHL. I almost went Helleson though, I think he's underrated, and I'd have him over Thrun personally.

 

[Goose of Reason]

Initially voted Gaucher but changed my vote to Thrun. Thrun I still have questions about as a guy that seems pretty good at everything but maybe doesn't have an elite skill (I think of Luneau in a similar way) which can sometimes be a kiss of death for defenders but there is a ton to like in his game and I think his upside is decently high if he hits. Gaucher I like a lot but think his upside is a little more limited.

I also thought a lot about Warren in this spot, who I really like.

 

[bsu]

This is the spot where any vote moving forward is viable.

 

[Gliff]

I'm really surprised Gaucher is getting so much love over Thrun and Pasta. Pasta was better in a more limited role in the WJC, he had a good rookie year in the OHL, and is only like 5 months older then Gaucher.

 

[McDonald19]

I'm really surprised Gaucher is getting so much love over Thrun and Pasta. Pasta was better in a more limited role in the WJC, he had a good rookie year in the OHL, and is only like 5 months older then Gaucher.

Pasta is very boom or bust and Gaucher is a safe pick to be a middle 6 forward.

 

[bsu]

Pasta is very boom or bust and Gaucher is a safe pick to be a middle 6 forward.

He's a semi-safe pick to make the NHL but he is not a "safe" pick to be a middle 6 forward IMO. He does have size and north/south speed which will help him find a role I'm sure but that may be in the bottom 6.

 

[McDonald19]

He's a semi-safe pick to make the NHL but he is not a "safe" pick to be a middle 6 forward IMO. He does have size and north/south speed which will help him find a role I'm sure but that may be in the bottom 6.

I mean in comparison to a Pasta type of prospect. No 18 year old is guaranteed a 2nd or 3rd line NHL career, even Shane Wright.

 

[bsu]

I mean in comparison to a Pasta type of prospect. No 18 year old is guaranteed a 2nd or 3rd line NHL career, even Shane Wright.

Pasta could also be the next Terry who knows, that's the whole point of these votes is weighing upside vs floor vs projections vs observations on what you've seen of a player. Anyone voting for literal any prospect at this stage could be right everyone is similarly ranked IMO moving forward. We got a lot of depth.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

I voted for Tracey. He played well in the AHL this past season after a terrible 12 game stint last year. He has 2nd line potential but will most likely be a 2-way winger on the 3rd and play on the 2nd PP unit at times. He needs to bulk up more to stay in the NHL.

2021-22 Season Review: Brayden Tracey Takes Positive Steps Forward

"It kind of sounds cliché, but bigger, faster, stronger," Tracey said regarding his mentality last offseason. "I think that’s the three biggest points., I mean, I came in last year, I weighed about 175 and I realized I was kind of getting pushed around out there and getting knocked off the puck real easy. Same thing this summer - just bigger, faster, stronger. I think if I can maintain that over the next few summers that can really progress my game."​

Some players have a challenging time finding consistency upon entering the professional level. Tracey could not sustain that high-end production in his first professional season. His numbers slipped in the final 23 regular-season games, earning just 2-3=5 points. That stretch is being used as a learning tool heading into the offseason. After all, Tracey is only one season into his career and playing in a premiere developmental league. This is the most important time to grasp the issues and apply the newfound knowledge; even if it takes looking into the mirror.​

​

"I’m pretty hard on myself," Tracey stated. "I think I have a lot of expectations for myself and for the team. Just that little push on myself; I think I need to get rid of. I beat myself down a bit and that can pull me away from my game. If I can mentally fix that, I think it will go a long ways for me."​