Anaheim Ducks: 3 prospects who could make their NHL debut next season

Though the 2019-20 season didn’t go so well for the Anaheim Ducks, the future looks bright. Here are some young players who could make their NHL debut next season.

The Anaheim Ducks are going through a bit of a rebuild. It’s finally starting to show some results. Back in September, Corey Pronman of The Athletic had their farm system ranked 14th. Recently, his colleague Scott Wheeler had them as the sixth-best. It has been quite some time since the Ducks had such an impressive group of young prospects.

Now, it’s worth noting players like Sam Steele, Max Jones, Troy Terry and Jacob Larsson have recently graduated to the NHL, so they aren’t even considered prospects.

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Next season should be another season of growth and development for the Ducks. They’ll likely have at least one spot open on their blue line (potentially more if they trade a veteran). Though the Ducks don’t have any forward spots open, they could send down players like Nicolas Deslauriers and Carter Rowney to make room.

Which rookies could make their NHL debut next season for the Ducks? Let’s take a look at three potential options.

The Long Shot – Trevor Zegras

Back when the Anaheim Ducks drafted Trevor Zegras in the 2019 NHL Draft, many (myself included) thought he was a few years away from the NHL. He proved a lot of people wrong with an outstanding freshman season for Boston University. Zegras finished third on the team in points with 36, fourth in goals with 11, and second in assists with 25.

Moreover, he finished third in the NCAA among under-19 skaters in points. Zegras needed to improve his goal scoring, and he has clearly done so. And as scary as this sounds, he might be an even better playmaker than initially thought. That’s quite the compliment considering his playmaking was his calling card heading into the draft.

I don’t think Zegras will make the NHL roster out of training camp. Going back to college for a year makes sense since he’ll be the unquestioned number one center for Boston University. But after Zegras finishes his sophomore season, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see him get his first cup of coffee in the NHL.

The Bold Pick – Henry Thrun

Henry Thrun could be an NHL-caliber defenseman by the end of this year. Thrun had the deck stacked against him last year in the NCAA, as he had to fight to find time on a talented Harvard University blue line, featuring bluechip defensemen Reilly Walsh and Jack Rathbone.

Despite this, Thrun was still able to earn consistent playing time and with virtually no time on the power play, he put up 21 points in 31 games. I’ve always been a huge fan of him because of his all-around game and he’s already fixed one of the weaker parts of his game (his skating). If his skating continues to improve, Thrun might get a game or two in the NHL next season after he likely finishes his college career.

The Safe Pick – Benoit-Olivier Grouix

The Anaheim Ducks desperately need to add some offense to their arsenal. In the past two seasons, they have ranked 31st in goals (2018-19) and 26th in goals (2019-20). The Ducks have zero players in the top 100 in points and just one player (Adam Henrique) in the top 50 in goals.

If the Ducks prioritize adding some scoring to their roster, Benoit-Olivier Grouix would be a great internal option. Though injuries limited him to just 55 games in his final season in juniors, he still had an impressive final year, posting 29 goals and 78 points split between the Halifax Mooseheads and the Moncton Wildcats.

Patience with prospects is the name of the game in Anaheim, so Grouix probably won’t make the NHL roster right out of camp unless he blows away his competition. I think he’ll do precisely that, though.