Ducks tabbed as having No. 1 farm system in the NHL

The Anaheim Ducks have picked in the top 10 of the NHL Draft for five straight years.

So, it should come as no surprise that they have the best farm system in hockey, according to The Athletic’s Corey Pronman, who ranked the Ducks in the No. 1 spot in his 2023 NHL pipeline rankings. Pronman ranked the group No. 4 last year. 

“They have a plethora of high-end talent at center and defense, which is typically how you build winners,” Pronman wrote. “They have skill, size and compete throughout their pipeline … It’s been some dark days in Anaheim in recent years but I think within five seasons they will be a good team again.”

Led by 2020 No. 6 overall pick Jamie Drysdale, six of Anaheim’s top prospects are defensemen. The remaining four players are centers, led by 2019 No. 9 overall pick Trevor Zegras, followed by 2023 No. 2 overall pick Leo Carlsson. Just five of the team’s top 10 prospects were first-round picks.

There’s much debate about whether Zegras is still a prospect given his 180 games of NHL experience and the fact that he’s been a full-time player on Anaheim’s roster since May 2021.