The Anaheim Ducks delivered the first surprise of the 2024 NHL Draft on Friday night when they selected forward Beckett Sennecke with the No. 3 overall pick.
While Sennecke was expected to be picked somewhere in the top 20, he was consistently mocked and projected to be somewhere in the 10-20 range. Nobody had him going No. 3 overall. Including Sennecke himself, who had arguably the most shocked reaction of everybody.
A shocked Beckett Sennecke is taken third overall by the Ducks! #NHLDraft | @AnaheimDucks pic.twitter.com/XLGrlyANmv
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 28, 2024
You do not need to be an expert lip-reader to decipher what he said there, and the look on his face speaks volumes -- he did not expect that. Honestly, nobody did.
That does not necessarily mean it was a bad pick. Sennecke has great talent and skill and has a chance to be a top-line player in the NHL. It might just take him a few years before he makes an impact or makes his debut.
It is also the second year in a row the Ducks surprised everybody with a top-five pick.
In the 2023 draft, they selected center Leo Carlsson with the No. 2 overall pick instead of Adam Fantilli who was the expected pick in that spot. The early returns on Carlsson are promising as he looks like a future star and a key part of their rebuild. Time will tell if they made the right choice here.
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