Draft Prospects: Who Could the Ducks Target in Round 1?

It's almost time to put down the lottery simulators and start talking prospects.

The Ducks will find out their draft order fate on Monday at 5 p.m. PT, when the NHL officially announces the winner of the draft lottery. Anaheim owns the best odds at selecting first overall, what would be the franchise's first ever top pick, but are also guaranteed to select no lower than third.

Regardless of how the ping pong balls fall on Monday evening, here's a look at five prospects Anaheim could consider to join an exciting group of future Ducks.

Connor Bedard

Position: Center
Height: 5-10
Weight: 185
Team: Regina Pats (WHL)
Stats: 71 goals, 72 assists, 143 points, +39 rating in 57 games
Central Scouting Rank: No. 1 North American Skater

Bedard is universally considered the best player in the draft class, a rare offensive talent with the upside to become one of the NHL's top forwards.

The North Vancouver native etched his name all over the Western Hockey League's record books in his three years with Regina, totaling 271 points in 134 games. His 1.00 goals-per-game across his WHL career is the fourth-best in league history and his 2.02 points-per-game ranks tenth all-time.

This season, despite playing in only 57 of Regina's 68 games due to his participation in the World Junior Championship, Bedard finished 36 points clear of the WHL's second-leading scorer. He was held off the scoresheet in just four of his 57 regular-season appearances.

Bedard, who will likely begin his NHL career in the fall at 18 years old, also dominated at the international level, winning two gold medals and becoming Canada's all-time WJC leading scorer in the process.

Adam Fantilli

Position: Center
Height: 6-2
Weight: 195
Team: University of Michigan (NCAA)
Stats: 30 goals, 35 assists, 65 points, +31 rating in 36 games
Central Scouting Rank: No. 2 North American Skater

In a normal draft year, Fantilli would be the apple of many fanbase's eye and a deserving first overall pick. The 2023 Hobey Baker Award winner as the top player in college hockey, Fantilli was a truly dominant force in his first (and only?) season in Ann Arbor.

The 6-2 center led the NCAA with 65 points in 36 games and was one of two players to hit the 30-goal mark. He also became just the fourth draft-eligible freshman to reach the 60-point mark in his debut collegiate campaign, joining Paul Kariya, Jack Eichel and Joe Murphy.

He followed up that big regular season with a record-setting Big Ten Tournament, helping Michigan capture the conference title with seven goals and 10 points in four tournament games, both Big Ten records.

Along with his Hobey Baker Award, Fantilli was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, First-Team All Conference and to the All-Freshman Team.

He will represent Team USA at the upcoming World Championship in Finland and Latvia.

Will Smith

Position: Center
Height: 6-0
Weight: 181
Team: United States National Team Development Program U-18 (USNTDP/USHL)
Stats: 15 goals, 27 assists, 42 points, +18 rating in 20 USHL games. 51 goals, 76 assists, 127 points, +71 rating in 60 USDP games
Central Scouting Rank: No. 3 North American Skater

Smith has shot up the draft rankings throughout his pre-draft year, establishing himself as one of the top scorers in USNTDP history.

Centering a line of three projected first-round picks, alongside Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault (the younger brother of Ducks prospect Jacob Perreault), Smith has led the trio to post gaudy numbers, forming what The Athletic's draft guru Scott Wheeler called "the most productive line in the history of the program."

Smith was the pivotman of that line, tallying 107 points in 53 games with the U-18 U.S. National Team and 40 points in 22 games against NCAA competition. He became one of nine players in NTDP history to eclipse 100 points in a season, a list that includes Patrick Kane, Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes and Clayton Keller.

Smith, along with both Leonard and Perreault, is committed to play at Boston College next fall.

Leo Carlsson

Position: Center
Height: 6-3
Weight: 198
Team: Örebro HK
Stats: 10 goals, 15 assists, 25 points, -5 rating in 44 games
Central Scouting Rank: No. 1 European Skater

It's not hard to tell why many NHL talent evaluators are big fans of Carlsson. The Swedish native stands at 6-foot-3, moves well for his size, displays impressive hockey IQ on both sides of the ice and has already succeeded one of the world's top professional leagues at 18 years old.

Carlsson is the top-ranked European skater by NHL Central Scouting after leading all junior-aged players in the Swedish Hockey League with 25 points in 44 games, the most points in the SHL by a draft-eigible player in the last decade. All-time, he trails only the Sedin brothers, Elias Lindholm and Nick Backstrom in SHL scoring among draft eligibles.

Carlsson then added nine points in 13 playoff games and was named Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year.

The 6-3 center also represented Sweden at the 2023 World Junior Championship, finishing third among team leaders with three goals and six points. Carlsson also won gold with Sweden at the 2022 U-18 World Championship.

Like Fantilli, Carlsson will participate in the upcoming World Championships in Finland and Latvia.

Matvei Michkov

Position: Right Wing
Height: 5-10
Weight: 172
Team: SKA St. Petersburg
Stats: 9 goals, 11 assists, 20 points, +1 rating in 30 KHL games. 10 goals, 4 assists, 14 points, -5 rating in 12 VHL (Russia second division) games.
Central Scouting Rank: No. 2 European Skater

In terms of an offensive skillset, Michkov has just about every tool in the box. The dynamic winger is an elite puck-handler, excellent playmaker and has already shown an ability to find the back of the net against Russian professionals.

Buried on the depth chart earlier in the season on a stacked SKA St. Petersburg team, Michkov excelled after a midseason loan to Sochi, where he tallied 20 points in 27 games. His .67 points-per-game in the KHL led all draft eligible players.

At the Russian junior level, Michkov scored over one point-per-game in each of his three seasons. He also earned MVP honors at the 2021 U-18 World Championship.

By raw talent, Michkov stacks up with the best of the class, but questions regarding his contract status in Russia and arrival in North America may affect how high he goes in this summer's draft.