Ducks Select LW Max Jones & C Sam Steelin First Round of 2016 NHL Draft
by Staff Writer / Anaheim DucksThe Ducks selected left wing Max Jones (24th overall) and center Sam Steel (30th overall) at the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo, NY. The draft resumes tomorrow beginning at 7 a.m. PDT.
“We’re very pleased to have selected both Max and Sam,” said Ducks Director of Professional and Amateur Scouting Martin Madden. “Max is a big, fast, strong and skilled player with tons of upside. Sam is a competitive, smart, skilled player that came on very strong in the second half and was excellent in the playoffs. We’re really happy with both picks.”
Jones, 18 (2/17/98), won the Memorial Cup with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in 2015-16. He was a finalist for OHL Rookie of the Year after accruing 28-24=52 points with 106 penalty minutes in 63 games. At the 2016 Memorial Cup, he posted 2-2=4 points in four games as the Knights defeated Rouyn-Noranda to win the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) title. The Knights won their final 17 games of the season consecutively in taking the OHL and CHL championships.
A native of Rochester, MI, Jones played with the United States National Development Program in 2014-15, playing with Team USA on the Under-17 and Under-18 teams. The 6-3, 203-pound winger won the Silver Medal with the U.S. at the 2014 Under-17 Hockey Challenge, leading the tournament with seven goals (7-4=11 points in six games).
Steel, 18 (2/3/98), played in 72 games with Regina of the Western Hockey League last season, scoring 23-47=70 points with 24 PIM. He added 6-10=16 points in 12 playoff games. The 5-11, 178-pound center also played with Regina in 2014-15 (five games, scoreless) and 2014-15 (61 games, 17-37=54 points).
A native of Edmonton, Alberta, played with the Sherwood Park Kings of the Alberta Midget Hockey League in 2013-14, scoring 7-16=23 points in 14 games. He also helped Team Alberta win a gold medal at the Western Canada Challenge Cup and was named to the tournament All-Star Team. Playing with Canada, Steel won a Gold Medal at the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament (1-2=3 points in four games).