Ducks' First-Round Picks: Bridging Gap to Contenders

0:00It's April 23rd, I'm Corey with the story, and this is NHL News today, your AI-powered team report. Back in the day, before the ducts hot new prospects like Leo Carlson and Cutter Gothie took over, there was this middle chapter full of hope. Pinned on two first round picks from the 2016 draft, Sam Steele and Max Jones. Steele went 30th overall, a speedy, skilled center with killer vision from his junior days. Jones, pick 24th, was the big 6 foot 3 power forward meant to crash the net and compliment that finesse game perfectly. Steele dazzled early with a hat trick at just 21, the youngest inducts history back then. But his smaller frame couldn't handle NHL battles, along the boards. He topped out around 20 points of season and got let go as a free agent in 2022, bouncing to Minnesota, then Dallas. Jones flashed physicality with the London Knights alongside future stars, but injuries, turnovers, and spotting consistency kept him from clicking.

1:02The ducts passed on qualifying him last year too. Meanwhile, the ducts were stuck in limbo, fading from their Corey Perry and Ryan Getslap glory days into a rebuild with aging vets and shaky coaching. Under Randy Carlisle, young guys like Steele and Jones got benched for mistakes instead of nurtured, playing on a squad that missed playoffs and ranked near the bottom. Fast forward, and Anaheim's flip the script under new GM Pat Verbeak, building around high-end youth like Carlson, Goffier, Menteew, Cove, and Mason. McTavish, they're in the playoffs now with real structure. Ironically, Steele's grinding bottom 6 minutes for contending Dallas and Jones adds depth to Edmonton when healthy, though he's sidelined with a lower body tweak for a couple weeks. These guys weren't total busts. They bridged the gap, teaching the ducts to commit to development in youth without half measures. That lost core paved the runway for the contenders flying high today.