Second and Third Round Selections

Author's note: Anaheim GM Bob Murray was incorrectly referenced as Bryan Murray in the section discussing Joseph Cramarossa.

DANIEL:

The Ducks continue to take centers. William Karlsson of the Swedish U18 team, Joseph Cramarossa of Mississauga, and Andy Welnski. Each Player will have a little info after the jump.

William Karlsson:

The most encouraging news I found about Karlsson came from Hockey's Future who identified him as a riser in the draft. They even went so far as to say "Karlsson is heart and soul and will be a draft day steal". Encouraging words for Ducks fans who want to see the bottom 6 solidified in the coming years. Good news is he's great in the circle and has a solid defensive presence. He has good hands and some offensive upside. The real question going forward with Karlsson will be, is he unremarkably remarkable, or simply unremarkable?

Joseph Cramarossa:

Teammate of Devante Smith-Pelley, Joseph is trying to fulfill his Father's dream of making the NHL, and Bob Murray's dream of drafting centers with 3 of his first 4 draft picks. Jokes aside, Cramarossa was ranked as the 63 North American Skater by Central Scouting, a 5 place climb from the midterm ranking. At 6'0", 180 lbs., he's almost an NHL sized player. Cramarossa has good speed and is pretty good in the circle. He had 32 points for the Majors last season, and even got into a good tilt with Scott Valentine. There are some doubts about his ability to win 1-on-1 battles, not necessarily encouraging for a guy who's probably a bottom 6 forward

Andy Welinski:

Another Ducks draft pick that's headed for the NCAA; I think Arthur just smiled a little. Andy is headed for the University of Minnesota-Duluth to better prepare himself for life as a full time NHLer. Andy shot up the Central Scouting Rankings, going from 103rd in the midterm rankings to 48th in the final rankings. You can read a Q&A he did with The Scouting Report here. It's hard to have faith in a kid who thinks Tech N9ne is a good rapper, but a guy who gets noticed like this has to have something going for him. There were early question marks about his agility, and I haven't read anything about a physical game, not surprising for a 6 foot 188 pound defender. Still, it's a right handed shot to put on the point, and there's a chance that he could grow a little more and turn into a good defenseman for the Ducks.