Ducks Assistant GM Madden Recaps Club's Selections in 2020 NHL Draft

Ducks Assistant General Manager Martin Madden recaps the selections the club made in the 2020 NHL Draft.
How was the marathon that was the second day of the draft?
Had a good day. A long day. Longest day every at a draft table, but we're happy.
Can you give an assessment of the guys you selected?
Last night we ended up with a great defenseman [Jamie Drysdale] at the top of the draft. We saw a clear demarcation between the two defensemen at the top of the draft and the rest of the them. We're really happy to get our hands on Jamie. Super smart, mobile, agile, skilled. He's a great player.

Jacob [Perreault] is a pro-level sniper. He's physically ready. He's powerful. He can shoot and score from anywhere in the offensive zone. He also fills a need in our prospect pool. We've got nobody that plays like him, looks like him or scores like him. Super happy with those two picks.
We came in today with all kinds of plans to go up and down. It turned out the opportunities we were looking for - the guys we might've been excited to trade for - were either gone or the trades vanished right in front of us. We happily picked guys with high upside, huge talent, still not physically mature in terms of the first three. We added two really solid pros in [Artyom] Galimov and [Albin] Sundsvik. Really excited to add those two guys where we got them.
Galimov was rookie of the year in the KHL last year. Extremely smart, skilled two-way hockey player. We've bene watching him since the start of the KHL season this year. First line, first power play on a top KHL team.
Sundsvik has taken great strides this year with his skating, especially. He's always been a really smart, skilled, hard-working physical player. He switched teams to a great program in Skelleftea over the summer. Clearly it impacted the power in his legs. Really excited to get him.
Tall, fast scorer at the end of the draft with Ethan Bowen, who is going to the University of North Dakota next year.
We're really excited about our draft.
Did you think Perreault would be available at 27?
We thought he was in a grouping on players we had a real shot at getting. You can never say that one particular player is going to be there, but before the draft, when I was talking about being excited with our first three picks with a little luck, we got a little luck. We're really excited with our first three picks.
Can you tell us a little more about the Sam Colangelo pick in the second round?
First of all, he's a late '01 [birth year], but a December 26th birthday. He's a 2002. He's not older than most of these other players. There was a period of adjustment for him early in his first USHL season. Going back to his minor hockey in the New England area, he was a creator. He was a scorer on his own and a leader of his teams growing up. What you saw from him in the second half of this year is what we're expecting from him going forward at the college level and pro level. Big frame. Powerful. He can really shoot the puck. I think he'll snipe in college and in the NHL. I don't think he was just a beneficiary of being on a good team. He's a playmaker as much as any of those guys on Chicago. He contributed to their success as much as anybody on that team.
Colangelo says he's a confident player, but also very coachable. Did you and your staff pick up on that during your viewings?
[Amateur scouts] Steve Lyons and Kevin Murray known him a lot more intimately than I do. Steve coached him in summer tournaments. Kevin saw him play in his hometown throughout the season. They would absolutely agree with the way he characterized himself. It's a good organization, the Chicago Steel. They have a great GM, good coaches and a support staff of skills and power skating instructors. Those guys and him, in particular, grew a lot during the year because he's able to listen and take coaching.
You grabbed a few defensemen in the draft, but also some high-end scorers. What was the mindset heading into the draft?
As I've said in the past, when we're at the draft table, we've assessed their talent and we rely on the passion we feel for the players at our pick. We're passionate about every one of these players. There are some right-shot defensemen that fit in area where we didn't have many of those on our depth chart. At the end of the day, its about what we think these guys are going to do at the pro level. We believe in their upside for various reasons going through the draft.
How did the Galimov pick come to be?
We first saw him play four years ago with the under-18 team. He was slight, but smart. Reports showed he was an effective player at that time, but not super explosive or super productive. He's gotten better every year. Last year, he got on KK's [European scout Konstantin Krylov's] radar once again because of his rookie-of-the-year-type season in Kazan. When the season started, KK was sure to put him on our radar. The whole staff watched him play every one of his games to date. He's a leader in the KHL. He's a first-line center, first power-play guy. He stands out. You don't have to look for him at that level. Really excited for that selection.
What is his contract status like with Kazan?
He's got a contract. More than a year. We'll deal with that in due time. It's not a concern is all I'll say at this point.
What kind of advice can you give these prospects during a time like this?
Todd Marchant [Director of Player Development] and the development staff have been doing that with our own guys. This is a great time to improve in all technical areas and strength/power areas. You're not competing in games for most North American kids at this time, but there is still lots to do in the gym and on the ice. Don't worry. Todd's got plans for every one of these guys.
Can you give some insight on Ian Moore?
Raw talent. Lanky, smart, naturally athletic kid who's just coming out of a huge growth spurt. Stands out at the prep-school level like a sore thumb because he can think the game at a different level. He has the skills to execute. But when he was promoted to the national development program for a weekend, he adjusted to that very well. Very quickly. In a different role, which was really nice to see. The hockey sense in there. He'll play in Chicago [USHL] this year. Really good program. Great kid, as well. Lifelong friends with Henry Thrun, so we know this is a character kid.