Getzlaf, here skating for Team Canada in the 2005 World Junior Championships, was coveted by the Ducks in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Perry, Getzlaf, Smid top
Mighty Ducks' prospects
By John McGourty | NHL.com
March 23, 2005

The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim liked two players in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft but, with the 19th and 36th picks, weren't sure they could get them. They were relieved when 6-foot-3, 215-pound center Ryan Getzlaf was available with the 19th pick, then approached the Dallas Stars, who had the 28th overall selection, with an offer to trade up in exchange for Anaheim's 36th and 54th picks in the second round.

Dallas agreed and the Mighty Ducks used the selection to take right wing Corey Perry. That deal is looking awfully good after Perry led the Ontario Hockey League in points this season, eclipsing the London Knights' all-time scoring record. Perry had 47 goals and 83 assists for 130 points. He also played very well on the first line for the gold-medal-winning Canadian team in the World Junior Championships.

So, how did such a talented player fall to the bottom of the first round of the draft?

"In his draft year, Perry was a prolific major-junior scorer and top offensive talent, but, he lacked strength and was not a good skater," said Chuck Fletcher, Anaheim's assistant GM and manager of hockey operations. "That scared some teams off. During the draft, he was the last player available still on our charts. After him, there was such a drop off in talent. Our scouts really made that point to Bryan Murray, then the GM.

"What's remarkable about Corey is he's had a couple of very successful years, so teams playing against London know he is dangerous and assign their top checkers and defensemen to play against him. He is going against the best night after night and is still far and away the leading scorer in the OHL. Seen in those terms, it's very impressive what he is doing.

"He has worked hard the past two summers. He was much improved at the World Juniors training camp. We were very pleased with the way he kept up against the best players his age in the world. It looks as if his skating isn't going to be a detriment. He's closed the gap. He'll have to keep working at it."

Getzlaf led the WHL Calgary Hitmen with 29 goals and 25 assists for 54 points, despite missing 21 games. Getzlaf had seven power-play goals and two shorthanded tallies.

"Getzlaf is a very naturally gifted athlete. When we tested his natural strength, he rated very highly in his peer group," Fletcher said. "He has a great vertical jump and he's a good runner. He will be a very big man. We project he'll play at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds. As he continues to gain strength and fill out, he should be a powerful player. That great size is a tremendous complement to his skill level.

"He has very soft hands. The size, the skill, the good hands, give him the potential to be a very good offensive player. We see him as the NHL prototype power forward. That's a hard commodity to find."

"Getzlaf is going to be a big, strong power forward, a center iceman with very good skills and offensive instincts," Director of Player Personnel Tim Murray. said. "He showed that when he played with better players in the World Juniors. I think he rose to the occasion and showed at a higher level what kind of player he is going to be."

Czech defenseman Ladislav Smid was the Mighty Ducks' top pick in 2004. He's showed a great deal of maturity in the Czech Elite League this season.

Perry tallied 130 points in the OHL this season and skated on the first line at the World Juniors.

"Smid hasn't put up a lot of points while playing in the Czech Elite League," Fletcher said. "But we kind of expected that. He started the season as an 18-year-old so he was one of the youngest defensemen in the league. He hasn't been used in an offensive role, either. He's been used a lot more for penalty killing. That's not an unusual situation for a teen playing in a European professional league. As he matures, he will be a player able to put up points."

"I saw him at the World Juniors in North Dakota and then with the Czech national team at the Swedish games," Murray said. "He was the youngest player in that tournament and didn't look out of place at all. He just turned 19 in February and he's playing a regular shift on his team's blue line rotation. He has very good hockey sense and instincts for the game. He just has to mature and get stronger. That's the easiest thing a prospect can do."

The Mighty Ducks liked Tim Brent enough to draft him twice during his four strong seasons with the Toronto St. Michael's Majors. He had five goals and 12 assists through his first 35 games with the AHL Cincinnati Mighty Ducks.

"We drafted Tim in the second round in 2002, but we were unable to come to agreement on a contract by the deadline," Fletcher said. "We lost his rights and he went back into draft. So, we took him in the third round in 2004. It was never a reflection of our opinion of his talent level. We just couldn't agree. We continued to like him. He's one of those players whom coaches appreciated more than scouts.

"From a scouting viewpoint, Brent's not the biggest man or the fastest skater and we emphasize those traits in scouting. A coach sees in Tim a player with determination, intelligence, the ability to win faceoffs, the ability to forecheck and the knowledge and willingness to do the little things that win games. He's a very mature player who knows how to play the game. He has a bright future. He needs to get as strong as he can. Strength and quickness are the things he needs to improve."

Penner wasn't afraid to mix it up in front of the net for the University of Maine.

Left wing Dustin Penner started his college career at Minot State University-Bottineau, then transferred to Maine, where he helped the Black Bears to the NCAA championship game last spring, scoring the game-winning goal against Boston College in the semifinals. Penner had nine goals and 15 assists through 64 games this season.

"He's 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds," Fletcher said, "and another player who took an unorthodox route to the AHL. Dustin played Division III when he wasn't able to get a Division I scholarship. He's a late bloomer and a huge man who continues to get better and better. He has a nice combination of brute strength and good hockey skills. He has a hard shot and he plays in the power forward mold. It took him a long time to get recognition at the Division I level. He's our most improved player in the AHL and he's knocking on the door."

In his second season in Cincinnati, forward Joel Perrault had nine goals and 18 points in his first 46 games.

"Joel Perrault is another player who can play center or right wing," Fletcher said. "He has good size, good skating speed and he's very intelligent. Joel can play many different roles for a hockey team. We use him as an offensive center, a right wing, the point on the power play and as a penalty killer. He brings a lot of versatility and that will help him get to the NHL. He has the offensive skills and knows how to check and play away from the puck. His coach, Brad Shaw, loves to have him in the lineup because he can use him in many different situations. He's similar to Tim Brent in that regard."

The Mighty Ducks like the dedication of center Zenon Konopka, including his 16 goals and 21 assists in 62 games, to go along with his 199 penalty minutes and plus-7 rating.

Perrault, a versatile forward, is in his second season with Cincinnati of the AHL.

"Zenon Konopka is an interesting kid, a young man who has taken the long, circuitous route to the highest level of minor-league hockey," Fletcher said. "He was on an ECHL contract and had to earn a professional tryout with Utah last year to get his first exposure. We signed him to an NHL two-way contract and he's done well at Cincinnati. He has truly climbed the ladder and battled his way up and is now knocking on the door of an NHL opportunity. Zenon is a physically strong man and a competitor who can play both ends of the rink. He handles the puck well and is very determined in his own zone. We describe him as relentless.

"We talk a lot about Getzlaf and Perry, the high-end drafted players, but the best organizations find a way to get players later in the draft or through free agency," Fletcher continued. "Konopka had nothing handed to him. It's been a different road than for most prospects. Sometimes, those players are inspirations to the higher-end players who may have had some things handed to them. It's a great message to send to other players and it improves the depth of your club."

The Mighty Ducks appreciate the hard work of right wing Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau, the fourth-leading scorer at Cincinnati. Parenteau was 5-foot-6, 156 pounds when he was drafted in the ninth round in 2001. He's up to 5-foot-9 and 194 pounds.

"He's a highly skilled offensive player, but his size will always be a bit of an obstacle to overcome. He's very effective on power plays. He sees the ice well and makes creative plays. He has a good shot and a good touch around the net. If he can continue to improve, he will have a chance to play an offensive role in the NHL."

The Mighty Ducks have a nice corps of less-heralded defensive prospects who have progressed nicely.

Jordan Smith is finishing his fourth season with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the OHL, under the direction of former NHL defenseman Craig Hartsburg.

Smith plays for former NHL defenseman and coach Craig Hartsburg with the OHL's Soo Grayhounds.

"Jordan Smith is a very aggressive, physical defenseman who battles hard down low, " Fletcher said. "He's a very hard defenseman for opposing forwards to play against. We've been pleasantly surprised because we knew about his toughness and competitiveness, but he also has an understated offensive side to his game. He passes the puck well and skates well for a young player. We like him because of the physical edge but he can handle the puck and make the pass to get out of our zone."

"Jordan is a big-time character kid," Murray said. "He's got a great work ethic. He's very gritty, determined and tough. He's getting a lot of ice time. He plays a lot of second-unit power play and first-unit penalty kill. He's the assistant captain and a very important part of that hockey team."

Shane O'Brien, an eighth-round pick in 2003, had a second strong season in Cincinnati. This is a kid who "kind of" liked hockey while playing at a high level who finally awoke to the possibilities the game held for him, some say.

"We really like Shane," Fletcher said. "He wasn't drafted until he was 20. His conditioning in juniors wasn't good and he was always overweight. He didn't take hockey seriously, but he is a big, strong guy with a good skill level. He can shoot and pass and has some offensive talent. After the draft, the light went on. He could have a pro career if he committed to it and he did. In the AHL, no one has improved as much the past two years as Shane. Now, he's a 225-pound defenseman who can skate and handle the puck. Two years ago, no one would have projected him for the NHL within the next two years. Now, that's a definite possibility.

"Aaron Rome was originally drafted in the fourth round in 2002 by Los Angeles but they weren't able to come to terms, like us with Brent," Fletcher said. "He was too old to go back into the draft last year so we signed him as a free agent. He's one of our top-end defense prospects, along with Shane O'Brien. In his first AHL season, he showed good quickness and agility for a defenseman, along with a high competitive level and toughness. He passes the puck well and has a heavy shot from the point. He plays well in both ends and has good skating ability. He'll have a chance to play in the NHL within two years."