Grading Ducks’ 2025 NHL Draft class

The 2025 NHL Draft is officially behind us, and there were several interesting picks this season. Ultimately, many teams found the right player for their team’s needs, and some even found an absolute gem that may help them thrive for years to come. The Anaheim Ducks had 10 overall picks, including two from the first round. The Ducks made some swift decisions during the 2025 NHL Draft and may have secured the best value possible with their first pick. The 2025 NHL Draft class offers some promise.

The Ducks hope the players they drafted will give them some stability down the line. Additionally, this is the first draft Anaheim has produced since hiring Joel Quenneville as its new head coach. There is hope for the future after notching what is seen as one of the best picks in the first round by a few, especially at the value.

The Ducks are still attempting to extend Mason McTavish, and still have a lot of work to do. However, this article examines their performance in the 2025 NHL Draft, the future outlook in Anaheim, and whether the Ducks did well.

Roger McQueen provides the lightning for the 2025 NHL Draft

Roger McQueen is a top-5 talent who has fallen to 10th due to recent injury issues. This pick so enamored the fanbase that it garnered a lot of attention when the club flew McQueen to Disneyland in a helicopter immediately after the draft. Of course, that is because he shares the last name with a beloved character from the movie ‘Cars’.

As noted before, McQueen fell to 10th in the draft because of a serious back injury he had last season. McQueen had 10 goals and 10 assists over 17 games. In the previous season, he played 53 games, a full slate at that level, tallying 21 goals and 30 assists. The Ducks believed that he was a solid selection, and they drafted him with that pick.

The belief is that he could evolve into a player similar in skillset to Ryan Getzlaf. Currently, Anaheim is looking to get tougher, and adding a big and powerful forward to the group of young players is a plus.

The ceiling is incredibly high for McQueen. Therefore, drafting McQueen alone gives Anaheim an excellent grade in the first round because he is a player who would have gone sooner had the injury not lowered his value. While McQueen is primarily a center, he can also play right wing. Once the Ducks call him up, he will likely start as the third center behind Leo Carlsson and McTavish. Of course, that will likely not be for 2-3 years.

Ducks get 4th-round value in the 2025 NHL Draft

The Ducks made some decent picks in the next few rounds, including the selection of Eric Nilson, who may become a bottom-six contributor down the line. Notably, the Ducks will aim to develop players into defensive stars who can make effective checks. However, the most underrated selection likely goes to Elijah Neuenschwander.

After trading John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings, the Ducks will lock in with Lukas Dostal as their starting goalie. This means that Ville Husso and Petr Mrazek will be the backup options for now. Yet, neither is signed after the 2026-27 season. This means the Ducks had to look for another goalie. While they have a few options down in the pipeline, the Ducks still drafted Neuenschwander with their second fourth-round draft pick.

Neuenschwander joins a deep pipeline and an organization that has had an almost impeccable track record in developing goalies. For now, he will continue to play in Europe until the Ducks are ready to call upon him. He is a big goalie who covers the majority of the net. When the time comes for the Ducks to call him to the NHL, he may be an intriguing player, especially if he backs up Dostal.

Final Ducks draft grades

The Ducks struck gold with two players who could very well catapult them into a recurring playoff spot in a couple of seasons. Overall, the drafting of McQueen is seen as one of the best picks the organization has made in a while, and their second-round picks look solid on paper.

The best part about this NHL draft class is that there are a few players who can provide great depth, and the Ducks likely snagged a few of them. For now, time will tell. In the meantime, the Ducks will coach their young players and prepare them for life in the NHL, setting them up for success for years to come.

Anaheim Ducks draft grade: A-