Prospect Info: 2022-23 Ducks Prospects

[Hinterland]

Where's the problem?

Somebody thought Kamloops was outcoached and in my opinion, the exact opposite was the case. The Petes are not exactly poorly coached but they don't have a plan B and Kamloops had all the answers for the best part of two games. The Petes strategy isn't bad but they weren't prepared to meet a team like Kamloops and were extremely lucky to win. So if a team was outcoached I think it was the Petes, not Kamloops. The Petes won but not because they were the better team. They may have the better team but they didn't play like it.

 

[tomd]

I think the exact opposite is the case. The Petes aren't poorly coached but they're a team built with a clear plan and identity. Unfortunately for them there's no plan B. The Petes dominated the OHL via faceoff domination and a very defensive minded system where their completely overpowered forward group helps out the more fragile defense and goaltender, effectively preventing opponents from creating high danger chances. They still score enough goals to win because they have three scoring lines packed with talent who, on breakaways, regularly beat defenders with speed and skill.

The problem is, almost none of this works vs Kamloops. Kamloops is pretty much the lone CHL team with a very fast and mobile defense and they're strong on faceoffs as well. Since the Petes PP is way worse than it should be with their talented forwards, that leads to them looking awfully bad vs Kamloops. As a result, they got beaten badly in game 1 and for almost 40' in game 2 between the teams at the Memorial Cup.

I thought Zellweger was actually one of the worst players on his team. Don't want to bash him as a prospect...he played a fantastic season and has improved so much since the draft. I'm pretty sure he's an unhappy man now though. It was him who have the puck away ahead of the first Petes goal and following that and the Petes dump in, his passive/lost board battle was another part of the reason why Lockhart got to score the goal. Same story ahead of the equalizer by Zanetti. Zellweger goes to the boards but doesn't really do anything except puck watching. By doing so, he takes himself out of the play without actually getting the puck or even doing anything to prevent the scoring chance. Even more importantly, it was his rather dumb delay of game penalty that led to the momentum shift. Kamloops was up by two and dominating completely but the penalty led to the Petes PP goal and the already mentioned equalizer just seconds later. Of course this was all rather unfortunate because the Petes were incredibly lucky to be behind by just two at that point...but it is what it is. Zellweger is a great prospect but this game wasn't his finest hour. My initial thought was that he's to blame for the OT winner as well because of him skating rather casually after his chance. Probably would be an unfair verdict though because he absolutely has to take that shot and having done so he probably couldn't have caught Avon no matter what.

Can't disagree...Zellweger did not have a good tournament although he did come within an inch of being the hero in OT. He definitely needs to learn when to push the play and when not to. He was just way too aggressive in this tournament (and the U20 as well). There were times in the game last night that he played less aggressive and he was more successful as a result. His style will not work in the pros and he'll have to play with much more structure. He's an intelligent player and with good coaching should be able to make the necessary adjustments. Right now he is a young Brandon Montour on steriods.

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

Where's the problem?

Somebody thought Kamloops was outcoached and in my opinion, the exact opposite was the case. The Petes are not exactly poorly coached but they don't have a plan B and Kamloops had all the answers for the best part of two games. The Petes strategy isn't bad but they weren't prepared to meet a team like Kamloops and were extremely lucky to win. So if a team was outcoached I think it was the Petes, not Kamloops. The Petes won but not because they were the better team. They may have the better team but they didn't play like it.

Granted I only watched the third and overtime but what I was getting at was that they held to their structure and despite being a lot less talented and getting dominated in possession they limited Kamloops’ chances, whereas Kamloops was a mess on the counter and gave up the two best chances in OT despite dominating, including the winner.

 

[Hinterland]

Granted I only watched the third and overtime but what I was getting at was that they held to their structure and despite being a lot less talented and getting dominated in possession they limited Kamloops’ chances, whereas Kamloops was a mess on the counter and gave up the two best chances in OT despite dominating, including the winner.

I think you underestimate the Petes. They may have a questionable defense but their forward star power and depth is pretty unheard of. Don't get fooled by the low scoring output...that's strategy/tactics not lack of talent. All the forwards they traded for lost production despite playing for weaker teams previously. The Petes can afford to ice guys like Lockhart or Avon on the third line though which, for CHL standarts, is completely bonkers.

Having said that, you tuned in after the momentum shift. Kamloops completely dominated the Petes for an entire game and until the Zellweger penalty late in the 2nd which was punished with two goals. Those two goals caused a momentum shift. Many Petes players who played with zero confidence were all of a sudden able to make plays while Kamloops failed to deal with the fact that they've given up a 3 goal lead despite complete domination.

 

[Hinterland]

Can't disagree...Zellweger did not have a good tournament although he did come within an inch of being the hero in OT. He definitely needs to learn when to push the play and when not to. He was just way too aggressive in this tournament (and the U20 as well). There were times in the game last night that he played less aggressive and he was more successful as a result. His style will not work in the pros and he'll have to play with much more structure. He's an intelligent player and with good coaching should be able to make the necessary adjustments. Right now he is a young Brandon Montour on steriods.

I don't mind aggressive defense, especially from Zellweger who used to be a lot smaller and softer. It's usually something that's very coachable if it's over the top. Zellweger's issue vs Peterborough was being too passive though. If he decides to engage in a board battle, he has to do it properly. I may have been too harsh...his lost board battles were only part of the reasons why the two goals were scored...still. Zellweger is Kamloops top defender and that wasn't good enough.

I liked his tournament overall though, just not the last game.

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

I think you underestimate the Petes. They may have a questionable defense but their forward star power and depth is pretty unheard of. Don't get fooled by the low scoring output...that's strategy/tactics not lack of talent. All the forwards they traded for lost production despite playing for weaker teams previously. The Petes can afford to ice guys like Lockhart or Avon on the third line though which, for CHL standarts, is completely bonkers.

Having said that, you tuned in after the momentum shift. Kamloops completely dominated the Petes for an entire game and until the Zellweger penalty late in the 2nd which was punished with two goals. Those two goals caused a momentum shift. Many Petes players who played with zero confidence were all of a sudden able to make plays while Kamloops failed to deal with the fact that they've given up a 3 goal lead despite complete domination.

The portion of the game I watched was Kamloops dominating the possession, though, that’s what I’m speaking to.

 

[Hinterland]

The portion of the game I watched was Kamloops dominating the possession, though, that’s what I’m speaking to.

Yeah but that's part of the plan for the Petes. They never dominate possession. They score almost exclusively on breakaways. Quick transition, beating defenders with speed and skill is their strategy. Unfortunately for them, Kamloops had all the answers for this and the Petes were lucky to still win a game.

 

[tomd]

I don't mind aggressive defense, especially from Zellweger who used to be a lot smaller and softer. It's usually something that's very coachable if it's over the top. Zellweger's issue vs Peterborough was being too passive though. If he decides to engage in a board battle, he has to do it properly. I may have been too harsh...his lost board battles were only part of the reasons why the two goals were scored...still. Zellweger is Kamloops top defender and that wasn't good enough.

I liked his tournament overall though, just not the last game.

I just thought he played way too aggressively in pushing the play...always pinching, always looking for an opportunity to rush the puck, and getting caught several times out of position as a result. Last night was a mixed bag...I saw some really good things and some not so good things. The previous game against Seattle, however, was much worse. He was a -4 and it wasn't a statistical fluke. He could have been a -6. Really bad positioning and caught up the ice several times. Anyway, the Ducks will have to be patient with him (as will the fans) and let him learn his craft in the AHL for a couple of years. If he can learn structure then he has a good shot at a long NHL career.

 

[Hinterland]

I just thought he played way too aggressively in pushing the play...always pinching, always looking for an opportunity to rush the puck, and getting caught several times out of position as a result. Last night was a mixed bag...I saw some really good things and some not so good things. The previous game against Seattle, however, was much worse. He was a -4 and it wasn't a statistical fluke. He could have been a -6. Really bad positioning and caught up the ice several times. Anyway, the Ducks will have to be patient with him (as will the fans) and let him learn his craft in the AHL for a couple of years. If he can learn structure then he has a good shot at a long NHL career.

I certainly like the pick much better now than I did at the draft and it's not because of his scoring output.

 

[Smirnov2Chistov]

Hard disagree considering we are about to pick a forward at number 2 and have great prospect aged forwards on the roster already.

Outside of a possible Fantilli, Zegras, McTavish and Terry, what other secondary scoring forward do we have that’s exciting to you? I don’t think Henrique and some other forwards will be on this roster after draft day.

Maybe Comtois, Perrault and Tracey hit a stride.. or maybe there’s a different prospect out there that fits our team better. It looks bleak to me still

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

I just thought he played way too aggressively in pushing the play...always pinching, always looking for an opportunity to rush the puck, and getting caught several times out of position as a result. Last night was a mixed bag...I saw some really good things and some not so good things. The previous game against Seattle, however, was much worse. He was a -4 and it wasn't a statistical fluke. He could have been a -6. Really bad positioning and caught up the ice several times. Anyway, the Ducks will have to be patient with him (as will the fans) and let him learn his craft in the AHL for a couple of years. If he can learn structure then he has a good shot at a long NHL career.

I feel like hes going to be a player that is "high risk and high reward".... i guess montour was kinda seen in that light(i think his defensive game has improved greatly since his time in anaheim, but hes never going to be a stalwart defensively, thats kinda how i feel about zellweger... anything he improves on defensively/in his own end is a huge bonus for what hell become.... and if he can become not a liability defensively, its a win for us. Transition and offensively hell be great tho, just need to continue to improve his play without the puck, and decision making in terms of when to jump in and push the offense... and when to make the safe play.

I think a big part of Zellweger development and NHL start will be finding the right partner for him to really help cover the obvious flaws in his game until he can develop a fuller game, nice thing is hell have protection as right now id call him a luxury LHD in our system.

I agree with being patient with him... i have him behind Hinds + mintyukov and lacombe as far as NHL ready go.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Thanks for this.

But man, it’s hard to NOT be pessimistic about this team. None of those forward prospects that are on our reserve list excite me whatsoever.

I’m hoping for another ‘down’ year where we can draft mostly forwards in this upcoming draft and next years. Either that, or trade one of our crown-jeweled defensemen for some offensive help.

Those are the reserve lists. Aside from the college players, most of the notable forwards have already been signed.

• Reserve List: Forwards
  • RW Perbix: 2018 Rd 4, NCAA
  • RW Janicke: 2019 Rd 5, NCAA
  • RW Colangelo: 2020 Rd 2, NCAA
  • LW Galimov: 2020 Rd 5, KHL
  • C Sundsvik: 2020 Rd 6, SHL
  • C Bowen: 2020 Rd 7, retired from hockey
  • LW Kukkonen: 2021 Rd 6, NCAA (will be a sophomore)
  • C King: 2022 Rd 4, CHL
  • LW Hvidston: 2022 Rd 5, CHL
  • RW Callow: 2022 Rd 5, NCAA bound

Players on the reserve list to keep an eye on:

• 6'2 and 205 lbs Colangelo: Maybe a change of scenery to a new college team can give him an extra burst offensively.

• 6'2 and 185 lbs Hvidston: A Sept baby known for being a shutdown forward just doubled his offensive scoring and scoring rate from 0.55 to 1.10 ppg. If he can still continue to improve his offense, then he would be an ideal physical winger in the top-6 that is defensively responsible.

• 5'10 and 175 lbs Kukkonen: 5th in goal scoring for a freshman in college and 28th overall in the NCAA. Vatrano is a 5'11 shooting machine and Kukkonen could be a future replacement. Being in the NCAA program means physical development to handle playing against men.

Anaheim's top-6 Core

RW Terry​

C Zegras​

C McTavish​

2023 #2 OA (Fantilli/Carlsson)​

Anaheim's bottom-6

C Lundy​

LW Jones​

C Groulx (?)​

San Diego's top-6

LW Tracey​

RW Perreault​

RW Pastujov​

San Diego's bottom-6

C Gaucher (could be pushed to top-6 if we don't sign veteran centers)​

C Lopina​

F Wiebe​

F Caulfield​

I'd preach patience due to two factors: 1) we're spoiled with our top-10 first round picks acclimating to the NHL quickly and 2) our players picked outside the top-10 do need some development time. We are going to be developing most of our defensive prospects the next two seasons. There is no need to rush to make trades today for high end forwards, especially when we already have four out of the six already pegged. We're that spoiled and lucky.

The 2023 second round pick is the one that we really need to hit on for a potential top-6 scoring forward.

 

[lwvs84]

Those are the reserve lists. Aside from the college players, most of the notable forwards have already been signed.

• Reserve List: Forwards
  • RW Perbix: 2018 Rd 4, NCAA
  • RW Janicke: 2019 Rd 5, NCAA
  • RW Colangelo: 2020 Rd 2, NCAA
  • LW Galimov: 2020 Rd 5, KHL
  • C Sundsvik: 2020 Rd 6, SHL
  • C Bowen: 2020 Rd 7, retired from hockey
  • LW Kukkonen: 2021 Rd 6, NCAA (will be a sophomore)
  • C King: 2022 Rd 4, CHL
  • LW Hvidston: 2022 Rd 5, CHL
  • RW Callow: 2022 Rd 5, NCAA bound

Players on the reserve list to keep an eye on:

• 6'2 and 205 lbs Colangelo: Maybe a change of scenery to a new college team can give him an extra burst offensively.
• 6'2 and 185 lbs Hvidston: A Sept baby known for being a shutdown forward just doubled his offensive scoring and scoring rate from 0.55 to 1.10 ppg. If he can still continue to improve his offense, then he would be an ideal physical winger in the top-6 that is defensively responsible.
• 5'10 and 175 lbs Kukkonen: 5th in goal scoring for a freshman in college and 28th overall in the NCAA. Vatrano is a 5'11 shooting machine and Kukkonen could be a future replacement. Being in the NCAA program means physical development to handle playing against men.

Anaheim's top-6 Core

RW Terry​

C Zegras​

C McTavish​

2023 #2 OA (Fantilli/Carlsson)​

Anaheim's bottom-6

C Lundy​

LW Jones​

C Groulx (?)​

San Diego's top-6

LW Tracey​

RW Perreault​

RW Pastujov​

San Diego's bottom-6

C Gaucher (could be pushed to top-6 if we don't sign veteran centers)​

C Lopina​

F Wiebe​

F Caulfield​

I'd preach patience due to two factors: 1) we're spoiled with our top-10 first round picks acclimating to the NHL quickly and 2) our players picked outside the top-10 do need some development time. We are going to be developing most of our defensive prospects the next two seasons. There is no need to rush to make trades today for high end forwards, especially when we already have four out of the six already pegged. We're that spoiled and lucky.

The 2023 second round pick is the one that we really need to hit on for a potential top-6 scoring forward.

It's amazing the difference between the defense pipeline and the forwards. Only reason our young forwards (including NHL roster) are better are because 3 out of 4 highest picks were used on forwards and Terry absolutely exploded relative to where he was drafted.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

It's amazing the difference between the defense pipeline and the forwards. Only reason our young forwards (including NHL roster) are better are because 3 out of 4 highest picks were used on forwards and Terry absolutely exploded relative to where he was drafted.

I'll gladly take that improvement in selecting forwards in the top-10!

As for later picks exploding, I think if Kase wasn't concussion prone, then we'd have another later round forward success.

 

[lwvs84]

I'll gladly take that improvement in selecting forwards in the top-10!

As for later picks exploding, I think if Kase wasn't concussion prone, then we'd have another later round forward success.

Agreed, I really liked the way Kase played too and his story. It's too bad he just couldn't stay healthy.

 

[FiveHoleTickler]

Agreed, I really liked the way Kase played too and his story. It's too bad he just couldn't stay healthy.

Just looked to see what's going on with him and, yeesh, one game with Carolina this year and that's it. Was hoping he finally got healthy after somewhat of a bounce back year with Toronto last season (even though he got hurt then too).

 

[lwvs84]

Just looked to see what's going on with him and, yeesh, one game with Carolina this year and that's it. Was hoping he finally got healthy after somewhat of a bounce back year with Toronto last season (even though he got hurt then too).

Yeah, I'm hoping he hangs it up for the sake of his health. I'm sure he could be a good skills coach at lower levels. The guy did work hard all the time. He should have enough money to buy a nice place and make ends meet with coaching gigs from now on.

 

[Static]

 

[All Mighty]

Gaucher and Quebec will face Seattle in the Memorial Cup Final on Sunday at 4pm PDT.

 

[Goose of Reason]

 

[All Mighty]

 

[All Mighty]

 

[All Mighty]

Gaucher with a secondary assist early in the game. He won the faceoff in his own zone, then eventually helped win a puck off the boards in the neutral zone to start the rush.

 

[All Mighty]

Quebec looks to be the far superior team. They are up 3-0 with 4 minutes left.

 

[Deuce22]

Quebec 5-0. Completely dominant.