Ducks sign first-rounder Pavel Mintyukov to entry-level deal

Per his agent, Dan Milstein, Anaheim Ducks draft pick Pavel Mintyukov has signed his three-year entry-level deal. The official announcement from the Ducks has not yet been made, but it should be coming soon, along with the financial details of the deal.

Mintyukov, 18, was the No. 10 overall pick at last week’s draft and comes to the Ducks organization after a successful debut season in the OHL. Mintyukov was one of the lone bright spots on the Saginaw Spirit, one of the worst teams in the OHL. Mintyukov led Saginaw with 62 points in 67 games, including 17 goals.

Mintyukov was the Spirit’s No. 1 defenseman, and head coach Chris Lazary utilized him heavily in all situations. Mintyukov ate significant minutes on the Spirit’s penalty kill, power play, and handled the Spirit’s toughest defensive matchups. He was a true all-situations defenseman and it’s his overall skill and versatility that got him drafted so high.

Mintyukov signing his entry-level deal so quickly is relatively significant since Mintyukov is a Russian player and had spent most of his career before this past season climbing the developmental ladder with Dynamo Moscow of the KHL. With the suspension of the NHL-KHL agreement and NHL teams having more and more difficulty getting their Russian players into the United States, cementing Mintyukov’s place within their organization and keeping him on North American ice ensures the Ducks will have maximum control over Mintyukov’s entire development process.

Mintyukov could return to Saginaw immediately for next season, or the Ducks could opt to give him a nine-game trial run at the NHL level if he impresses at training camp. If Mintyukov’s draft-year performance is any indication, the Ducks won’t be left waiting for too long before their prized prospect makes their big-league roster.