The Last Two Picks

DANIEL:

The Ducks rounded out their draft class by selecting Max Friberg and Josh Manson. The Ducks selected 3 centers, two defensemen, a goalie and a left wing. It's not hard to see where Murray was going with the picks. You'll find a little more information about the final two picks after the jump. I've been critical of Murray, but his scouting staff might have done really good work again this year, despite losing out on a couple of great prospects at the 30 pick.

Max Friberg:

Friberg has taken a peculiar route in his development. Rather than play high level junior hockey, he played minor hockey at the senior level. This afforded him the opportunity to have a larger role on a team in a weaker division. This story from Adam Kimelman at NHl.com details how Friberg elected to play with his hometown team to help them reach a Division 2, instead of joining the Swedish Elite League. It's hard not to like a kid who chooses the betterment of his local team over furthering his own career. Max seems to have all the tools, and was the 13th ranked European player by Central Scouting. He's a little small at 5'11", 185, but there's a chance the frame fills out a little bit. You can catch a great write up on him over at Hockey Wilderness. If he can transition well to the speed of the Swedish Elite League and keep his offensive production, 40 points in 34 games last season, this might turn out to be a great pick for the Ducks.

Josh Manson:

Another diamond in the rough pick for the Ducks, Josh started his career as a forward and was converted to defense just this season. The move has yielded brilliant results for Manson as he nearly doubled his point total. The kid already has NHL size at 6'3" and 203 lbs. He's going to play one more year with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the British Columbia Hockey league, before moving on to Quinnipiac university. He'll need time to finish learning his position, but in a few years could be a good component for the Ducks blue line.