Ducks Top 20 prospects, Fall 2007

Bobby Ryan remains atop the Anaheim Ducks Top 20 prospects list.

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Just some notes on some of the other prospects:

Matt Auffrey will remain a Ducks prospect for another season. I believe I may have originally reported that he was no longer a prospect in error. His rights do not expire until August 15th, 2008. Basically, he'll be looking to sign an AHL deal with the Pirates and play either in Portland or Augusta this season. A very interesting situation for sure as he'll have a shot at proving himself in the minors in order to get his first NHL contract.

Maxime Macenauer is currently out continuing to rehabilitate his injuries from last season. He underwent surgery over the offseason. I'm not completely sure when he's due back as I've heard both the end of September and the end of October. With that said, he is also on the roster for the Rookie Games.

Both MacMillan and Swan were dinged up a bit in QMJHL pre-season prior to leaving for Anaheim. Neither injury is expected to limit their play and they were kept out of the lineup more as a precaution then anything else.

7 out of the top 20 prospects were signed as free agents by the Ducks.

Brett Skinner and Ryan Dingle were teammates with the University of Denver Pioneers and are now reunited with the Ducks. In fact, there are a number of former teammates throughout the organization with connections like Ebbett-Mitera-Kampfer, Levasseur-Macenauer, Beleskey-Tangradi, Mikkelson-Festerling and Swan-MacMillan.

Maxim Kondratiev, Brandon Segal, Joe Callahan and Matt Keith are all no longer listed as prospects due to their age. Matt Christie was unsigned after the August 15th deadline and has been moved off the list. He has been invited to the Rookie Games and if he earns a contract there, he will re-appear like magic.
Ville Mantymaa was a 2003 draft pick from Europe who wasn't signed and has been moved off. Vladimir Korsunov has been moved off due to his age although technically the Ducks still own his rights because of a lack of a transfer agreement with Russia.

Great list Kevin! :) :yo: Great read as always! :teach:

Things are looking pretty good (especially on the goaltending side of things). :)

Great read as always, Mr.Forbes.

Both MacMillan and Swan were dinged up a bit in QMJHL pre-season prior to leaving for Anaheim.

I'm shocked...

I'm shocked...

Depending on who you ask, it wasn't unintentional that the Mooseheads went on a road trip to Cape Breton and a few of their top players ended up getting injured. But then again, depending on who you ask, it wasn't unintentional that the next game the two teams played, James Sheppard was targeted by the Mooseheads.

Bobby Ryan remains atop the Anaheim Ducks Top 20 prospects list.

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I'm disappointed that many of the profiles were not updated, even though they say they were. :(

Great read Kev, had been looking forward to that list for a while. Smashing job!

Great read Kev, had been looking forward to that list for a while. Smashing job!

This stretch of three articles (the Top 20, the training camp preview and the AHL preview) is probably my favorite part of the writing schedule, simply because it generates so much discussion about where everyone fits in in the organization.

Tangradi should not be higher than Beleskey. Id switch there places. Beleskey is physical and will in all likely hood put up 70+ points next year. I say Matty should be 9 and Tangs should be 11. Remember Tangradi was a pretty big surprise.

Depending on who you ask, it wasn't unintentional that the Mooseheads went on a road trip to Cape Breton and a few of their top players ended up getting injured. But then again, depending on who you ask, it wasn't unintentional that the next game the two teams played, James Sheppard was targeted by the Mooseheads.
Are you saying depeding on who you ask, some lunch money was taken?

Solid list, not too surprised Modig didn't make the 20 - he should next year though. Surprised he doesn't have an updated profile either.

Solid list, not too surprised Modig didn't make the 20 - he should next year though. Surprised he doesn't have an updated profile either.

Profile updates are the next thing on my list.
It's usual HF policy to keep newly drafted players in the same order they were drafted in, simply because that's the best indication of how the organization views the prospects.

I'm suprised Brett Skinner didn't make the top 20.

Tangradi should not be higher than Beleskey. Id switch there places. Beleskey is physical and will in all likely hood put up 70+ points next year. I say Matty should be 9 and Tangs should be 11. Remember Tangradi was a pretty big surprise.

tangradi is the man, i love that kid. go bulls wow he is 9th?? awesome

tangradi is the man, i love that kid. go bulls wow he is 9th?? awesomeI agree go Bulls. But at this point Matty has more potential until Eric can pull through with a great year.

I'm suprised Brett Skinner didn't make the top 20.

He is just outside. Basically, it boils down to Skinner being unable to crack a Portland defence, that like the rest of the team, was in a state of flux for most of the season. He was eventually sent to another AHL team so he could get some time in. That speaks a lot about the player, especially considering the situation he was in.
Then you look at two other prospects that Anaheim have in similar situations: Brian Salcido and Clay Wilson. They're all similar ages, all have an NCAA background and all are offensive defensemen. Skinner's struggles places him behind these other two.
Finally, he struggled in his first season in the AHL with Manitoba at times, being unable to stand up to the physical play and not being fast enough to avoid it. He didn't progress much in his second season in the AHL with Portland. Although he'll still be counted as a prospect for a little while long due to HF's criteria clauses regarding NCAA grads, at 24, the "things he needs to work on" from a few years ago are quickly becoming "things that will hold him back."
It should be little surprise that Skinner just signed a one year deal. He needs to step up his play to remain a viable prospect with the organization.

I wonder how much emphasis the Ducks will have on making Mikkelson a strong defender, while taking advantage of his great skating ability and offensive potential. Could he be a poor man's Scotty? Or does he not have the hockey IQ for it?

Bobby Ryan remains atop the Anaheim Ducks Top 20 prospects list.

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I'm a little surprised at the Bobby Ryan "future"

Anaheim too often found themselves pushed around?

Edit: After reading some of the other player info, it appears that the information was posted when Bobby Ryan was drafted.

I agree go Bulls. But at this point Matty has more potential until Eric can pull through with a great year.

I actually had Beleskey and Tangradi switched on my first list (Beleskey 9th and Tangradi 11th) but after some consultion with a few HF writers who cover the OHL, I chose to switch them. Basically, the thinking is that Tangradi has an excellent chance to take the bull by the horns (bad turn of phrase, I know) the next two seasons and become a rather dominant power forward in the OHL. Meanwhile, Beleskey is a bit more of a complementary player and will grow into a character-type guy as he advances.
With them being on the same team, tracking their progression compared to one another over the next season should be interesting. The difference of two spots on the list is not a great distance, especially in an organization that has so many of this mid-level guys.

I wonder how much emphasis the Ducks will have on making Mikkelson a strong defender, while taking advantage of his great skating ability and offensive potential. Could he be a poor man's Scotty? Or does he not have the hockey IQ for it?

Probably doesn't have the hockey IQ. Plus he needs to still improve his physical play and decision making. He's a very raw prospect as it stands but has the chance to be a top four guy in the NHL.

I'm a little surprised at the Bobby Ryan "future"

Anaheim too often found themselves pushed around?

Edit: After reading some of the other player info, it appears that the information was posted when Bobby Ryan was drafted.

A lot of the profiles are sadly out of date (my fault!). I'm working on updating them over the next few weeks.

Probably doesn't have the hockey IQ. Plus he needs to still improve his physical play and decision making. He's a very raw prospect as it stands but has the chance to be a top four guy in the NHL.

That's good to know. I've always been pretty high on skating defensemen in the new NHL. They just seem to fit the game right, but this is the NHL, afterall, and being hesitant to get involved physically would definitely be a bit of an issue. Good decisions speaks for itself.


A lot of the profiles are sadly out of date (my fault!). I'm working on updating them over the next few weeks.

No worries. It just caught me by surprise at first. Personally, I'm very interested in seeing Bobby Ryan at the training camp. It appears, to me, that it's not his talent that is questionable, but whether he has the drive to succeed in the NHL, where things won't come easy. Is that a fair assessment?

Are you saying depeding on who you ask, some lunch money was taken?

If lunch money was taken, then it was taken by Sheppard from Swan and MacMillan. In two preseason games against the Mooseheads, Sheppard had six goals and eleven points. Most of the QMJHL guys I've talked to don't expect to see him in the league this year, they figure he'll stick with Minnesota.

No worries. It just caught me by surprise at first. Personally, I'm very interested in seeing Bobby Ryan at the training camp. It appears, to me, that it's not his talent that is questionable, but whether he has the drive to succeed in the NHL, where things won't come easy. Is that a fair assessment?

I wouldn't say that. I've never heard too many problems about Ryan's attitude or motivation. After all, Burke was widely quoted after the draft as saying one of the reasons why he liked Ryan so much was his pre-draft interview. I think Ryan is competitive and really wants to win (as can be seen from his last season in Owen Sound where he over-extended himself and tried to carry the team and do too much, which didn't work out in the end). But I would say that the questions with Ryan are more whether he can put all his tools together.
Can he play a consistent game, night in, night out?
Can he just as easily go through a defender as around him?
Can his offensive talents transfer easily over to the increased defensive pressure of the pro game?
Can he resolve his skating issues enough that they do not inhibit his play?
Power forwards are known for taking longer to develop, due to both the physical maturity needed from the player and the myriad of skills that a power forward brings to the table. Look at Bertuzzi for an example, he was 24 (I believe) before he really started scratching the surface of his abilities. While I don't think it will take Ryan that long, I do think that he's not going to be a player who they can just throw on the second line right away and expect 50 points. But I believe Anaheim is well aware that they could have something special with Ryan and protecting their investment (so to speak) and taking it slow would be in their best interests.

I actually had Beleskey and Tangradi switched on my first list (Beleskey 9th and Tangradi 11th) but after some consultion with a few HF writers who cover the OHL, I chose to switch them. Basically, the thinking is that Tangradi has an excellent chance to take the bull by the horns (bad turn of phrase, I know) the next two seasons and become a rather dominant power forward in the OHL. Meanwhile, Beleskey is a bit more of a complementary player and will grow into a character-type guy as he advances.
With them being on the same team, tracking their progression compared to one another over the next season should be interesting. The difference of two spots on the list is not a great distance, especially in an organization that has so many of this mid-level guys.He has a chance but so does Beleskey. Matt is just waiting to break out and apparently is finishing is amazing this year which was a big weakness in the past. At this point id say Matt at 9 and Tang at 11 but it isnt a huge difference.

Good job Kevin. I hear great things about that MacMillan kid :P