Yardbarker
x
Watch: Ducks draft pick has incredible reaction to being picked
Jun 28, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Beckett Sennecke is selected with the 3rd overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft by the Anaheim Ducks at The Sphere. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Ducks draft pick has incredible reaction to being picked No. 3 overall


A view of a hockey stick and the face-off circle and an NHL hockey puck. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

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. 

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. 

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!