Anaheim Ducks 2025 Draft and Future Prospects Report

Credit: Anaheim Ducks (Instagram)

With the 2025 NHL Draft quickly approaching, we connected with one of the top independent scouts online, known as @BCProspect, to get insight on the players Anaheim Ducks fans should keep their eyes on.

From physical wingers and creative playmakers to potential second-round steals and development updates on current prospects like Tarin Smith and Stian Solberg, he gave honest, detailed breakdowns of what’s coming—and who might actually fit in Anaheim's loaded system.

Q: Are there any Tom Wilson or Brady Tkachuk-type players to look for in this draft?

“There’s none with the same level of offense and shit disturbance,” said @BCProspect. “Even Porter Martone doesn’t have that shift-after-shift, night-after-night type of attitude. He’s more like a Mark Stone type than a Tkachuk—physical and rugged, but not an asshole.”

Still, a few names stood out for their physical edge:

“Brady Martin is smaller for sure but by far the best hitter in the draft. Farm boy strength and skills. Very interesting package, but I think he’s more like a Sam Bennett type than a Tkachuk. I don’t think he has that level of offense.”

“Shane Vansaghi’s skating took a step but it’s still rough. But he’s a heavy, rugged, physical forward.”

“Daniil Prokhorov is a huge 6'5" hard-hitting winger with decent skills. Hits everything but far from the NHL.”

“Ethan Czata is very physical. Leaves everything on the ice every single shift but probably has limited offense.”

“Arvid Drott is a solid skater, physical, drives the inside—but has limited offense. More of a checker.”

Q: Do you have a favorite right wing or right-shot defenseman expected to go in the second round?

“Shane Vansaghi is one I already mentioned, and still one of my favorites.”

Other right-wing options included:

“Vaclav Nestrasil is big, fast, skilled—high upside but raw.”
“Jakob Ihs Wozniak is big, skilled, and somewhat creative. Very good shot but also inconsistent.”
“Mason West is another very athletic 6'6" forward with good skills. Made the choice to stick to hockey over football yesterday.”
“Ryker Lee has incredible skills, vision, and IQ. Like top-15 level offensive tools. But the skating has to come a long, long way for the NHL.”
“Shamar Moses has NHL-level offensive skills—but not on a consistent basis.”

On defense:

“Max Psenicka is in the same situation as Mrtka. He moved mid-season from Czechia to the WHL. Didn’t find the same level of consistency on both sides of the puck but I think he has upside.”
“Alex Huang is more offensively inclined and not 6'4" like Psenicka, but he moves the puck at a high level on the breakout and in the offensive zone.”
“Linus Funck is another 6'3" defenseman who can move the puck. There’s work to be done but I like him.”

He also mentioned: Peyton Kettles, Carter Amico, Quinn Beauchesne, Karl Annborn, and Maxim Agafonov.

Q: Would you prefer Roger McQueen or Beckett Sennecke—and why?

“Tough question. Sennecke’s soft skills are incredible! He is one of the most impressive players to watch outside the NHL. His handling skills around players and through traffic are unmatched in this draft.”

“He also had a good D+1 season, but I wouldn’t say it was a great D+1. I think there’s a chance he can become a Matt Boldy type of player for Anaheim.”

“McQueen is not as skilled but he blends more power into his game and he’s a center. Skating is similar, and if we don’t consider the injury, I think it’s close enough.”

“But Sennecke was so dominant in some games—on both sides of the puck—forechecking, disrupting plays, backchecking, and immediately turning mistakes into offense.”

“Even if my mind says there’s a chance for McQueen to be as good as Sennecke and as a center, my eyes tell me it’s Sennecke all day!”

“There are not many players who look like Sennecke. He’s seriously impressive! I think he would be #3 in this draft.”

Q: Of the players that you thought were good fits for the Ducks, who’s closest to being NHL-ready?

“The only real answer is none.”

He broke down each name with honesty:

“Mrtka is still raw. Still needs to find consistency and find the limits of his skill set on the breakout and in the offensive zone. Needs to get heavier too. He’s tall but not necessarily solid right now.”

“McQueen missed too much hockey. Even if he’s physically mature, he needs to play.”

“O’Brien has to learn to play with less puck touches. Bring up the tempo and make quicker decisions with the puck on his stick. Normal stuff, but it needs to happen. He’s an incredible passer but his game as it is, is not translatable.”

“Martin would probably be the most NHL-ready, but that would not be ideal. I think he would handle the NHL speed and physicality, but outside of trying to finish plays at the net, he wouldn’t be able to do much. He has skills, but the execution in the NHL is much faster than what he’s ready for.”

“Eklund is 161 pounds but plays like he has Slafkovsky’s body. He wouldn’t be able to keep playing the way he does at this weight. And I don’t think you can flip that switch off—and I don’t think any team drafting him would want him to.”

Q: Any insight on previously drafted Ducks prospects and how they’ve progressed?

“I don’t think I have much to add that hasn’t been said. But outside of Sennecke, I really like Stian Solberg and Tarin Smith, who both have potential to play up in the lineup.”

On Tarin Smith:

“Smith could run a power play at the NHL level. He shared power play time with Ladon DuPont, who looks like a generational 15-year-old, and Smith wasn’t as good—but pretty close. Probably not as dangerous, and he kept the play a little more to the outside compared to DuPont, who wired every pass to the inner slot.”

“But Smith has vision and skills and keeps pushing the pace. His skating took a step too—but probably needs another step for him to do what he does at the NHL level.”

“Where does he fit in the lineup? He looks more like a future trade chip in my opinion. Ducks are loaded on the left and he’s not as good as Zellweger, Mintyukov, or LaCombe. And Solberg is probably above Smith in the depth chart. Good problems to have, but I don’t see Smith playing for the Ducks—there’s just no space.”

Q: Do you have any NHL player comparisons for the prospects you listed?

“Radim Mrtka is like Colton Parayko—with maybe a touch more offense if it clicks.”

“Roger McQueen reminds me of Gabe Vilardi, but with better skating.”

“Jake O’Brien is similar to Robert Thomas.”

“Brady Martin is a mix of Sam Bennett and Mike Richards.”

“Victor Eklund is some kind of Seth Jarvis. Same type of attitude and skill set, but Jarvis was stronger. I’m not sure Eklund can get there. But if there’s one 5'11" guy who can become a Jarvis 2.0, there’s a fair chance it’ll be Eklund.”

Follow @thepondpress for more Anaheim Ducks draft coverage and exclusive interviews leading into the 2025 NHL Draft.
Special thanks to @BCProspect — follow him on Twitter and YouTube for elite prospect coverage and NHL Draft analysis.