While it does seem as though Anaheim would possibly benefit more from drafting a forward, there are quite a few defenders who could go early in the draft that the Ducks should heavily consider taking.
I didn’t include Owen Power in this preview, given that he’s projected to be selected first overall and even if he did manage to slide, he’d likely just be scooped up by Seattle at second overall. With that, here are three defensemen the Ducks could consider taking with the third-overall pick.
BRANDT CLARKE
Clarke had to head overseas to play in Slovakia during his draft year, based on the cancellation of the OHL season. There, he posted an impressive five goals and 15 points in 26 games, playing in the country’s top professional league.
There’s no doubt that Clarke can provide offense from the back end, and for comparison, his 0.67 points per game average in the OHL during the 2019-20 season was slightly higher than what Ducks defender Jamie Drysdale posted in his first OHL season. Clarke can lead a rush and is very comfortable controlling the puck along the blue line in the offensive zone, and will look to skate down from the line to get into better position to make a play.
As the only right-shot defender projected to go early in the draft, Clarke presents an interesting option for the Ducks. If selected, he and Jamie Drysdale could provide a pretty outstanding one-two punch of the right side of the Ducks’ defense group for years to come.
SIMON EDVINSSON
Edvisson is a 6-foot-5, left-handed defenseman from Sweden. He split this past season pretty evenly between the country’s highest professional league, second-highest professional league and top junior league.
The defender is a good skater and is very agile, especially for a player his size. Edvinsson is also strong in his own end and is able to use his body to angle players to the outside or bump them off the puck.
Edvinsson is well-rounded as a player and could go on to be a top-pairing defender. If the Ducks were to take a defenseman, Edvinsson might be my pick.
LUKE HUGHES
The brother of former first-overall pick Jack Hughes and dynamic Vancouver Canucks defender Quinn Hughes, Luke Hughes seems destined to be a top-10 pick as well.
The defenseman spent the year with the U.S. National Team Development Program, scoring 34 points in 38 games and 15 points in 18 USHL games. Hughes is committed to the University of Michigan for next season.
He’s a very good skater and has possibly the highest offensive ceiling of any defender in the draft. If the Ducks were looking for another high-end offensive defenseman, Hughes could be a good option.
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If the Ducks were to draft a defenseman (other than Owen Power), who would you want it to be?
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