The Ducks selected forward Beckett Sennecke with the third overall pick in the NHL draft on Friday, snagging a fast-rising prospect whose ascent continued through draft day.
“Beckett is an impact player that plays with high-end skill and intelligence, and has the potential to be a dynamic player,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement. “He plays with purpose, drives to the net, has incredible hands and vision. In our many viewings, his drive to be successful was evident. He will fit in well with our current group of elite young players already in the NHL and support our goal to build a perennial contender.”
Though the Ducks had been linked in murmurs to Sennecke, who said his game was similar to that of Nashville’s Filip Forsberg, he was widely projected to go several slots below No. 3. The broadcasters at the draft and even Sennecke himself were surprised to hear his name called so early at the 18,000-seat Sphere in Las Vegas.
Sennecke could be seen mouthing “Oh, my God,” to his father upon hearing former Ducks star Scott Niedermayer announce the pick.
“I didn’t think it was a possibility even, but obviously I’m super happy,” Sennecke told ESPN’s Leah Hextall during the broadcast.
The 18-year-old said he was especially surprised since he told reporters that had not met with the Ducks during pre-draft interviews and only briefly at the scouting combine.
Verbeek didn’t see Sennecke’s reaction right away, but he said they had their eye on him for much of last year despite the minimal contact.
“He had no idea,” Verbeek said. “It certainly brings back really good memories to see an authentic reaction like that.”
Sennecke was, however, an increasingly attractive prospect as he first underwent a 5-inch growth spurt, sprouting from 5-10 to 6-3, leading him to describe himself as “a small person’s player in a big person’s body.” Then, he turned in a scorching stretch run and postseason in the Ontario Hockey League last season. He recorded 10 goals and 22 points in the playoffs after pouring in 10 multi-point games during the final nine weeks of the season, including six performances of three or more points.
“I think it was probably the driving factor, they want someone that’s going to produce in the playoffs and show up when it matters most,” Sennecke told reporters. “I do think that I’m a playoff performer and I do think that that definitely weighed on their decision.”
The Ducks traded up later in the opening round, packaging picks No. 31 and 58 overall and shipping them to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for the 23rd overall pick, which they used to select Norwegian left defenseman Stian Solberg.
He was just the second Norwegian to be drafted in the NHL’s first round, and the first had come just eight picks prior when the Detroit Red Wings selected forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygård.
Solberg is a very physically mature prospect at 6-2 and more than 200 pounds with strength beyond his 18 years of age. His outright nastiness surely appealed to Verbeek when evaluating perhaps the biggest hitter and certainly the most enthusiastic one in this draft. His rough-and-tumble style might also prove tailor-made for bright lights and high stakes.
He showed talent on the soccer pitch but might have been just as well suited for the MMA octagon. Checks and reverse checks, hits with the shoulder or the hip, in open ice or close quarters, it all matters not to the nasty Norwegian. He relishes contact and often leaves dents in his opponents.
“It’s fun to be in the opponent’s face and to annoy them and say ‘shut the (expletive) up,’ or say anything to them, to make them mad. Hopefully they get mad at me. I just love it. It’s perfect,” Solberg told EP Rinkside. “That’s just how I’ve been playing for the last three years. I was probably more of an offensive guy, and then I realized that’s a part of my game I can build.”
Last season, the Ducks got decidedly grittier, with acquisitions like Radko Gudas and Ross Johnston set to return next season following the departure via trade of Ilya Lyubushkin. Solberg gives the Ducks some more youthful sandpaper, as well as shot-blocking and sound gap control.
Gudas and New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba have appeared in scouting reports as comparables for Solberg, a throwback defenseman who kills penalties and destroys wills.
The Ducks moved up to select Solberg, reflective of rising stock similar to that of Sennecke.
The draft concludes with the second through seventh rounds on Saturday, beginning at 8:30 a.m. PT.
VIBRANT SETTING
The draft featured the added spectacle of being held at the year-old Sphere, the globe-shaped venue that overlooks the Las Vegas strip and features video screens on the inside and outside of its structure.
The 32 teams were gathered at tables beneath the wrap-around screen covering almost three-quarters of the curved wall broadcasting scenes from the draft to the sold-out crowd of 14,220 in the multi-deck facility. The draft opened with the screen featuring pictures of more than 100 of the eligible prospects.
A small stage was erected in the middle of the floor, where NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was joined by teams to announce the selections.
