Ducks Pick Marcus Pettersson 38th Overall

The Basics: Marcus Pettersson, D, 6'3", 160 lbs, from Skelleftea, Sweden

Junior Team: Skelleftea in SHL

Pre-draft Rankings: 31st in NHL Combine; Central Scouting:  7 (Among European skaters); TSN:  36

Stats:

Scout Blurbs:

• Hockeysfuture.com: "A very tall, intelligent defenseman who has a long reach and rarely allows opponents to get around him, Pettersson has really arrived on the scene this year after only having switched to defense at 16. Coming from the talent-rich Skelleftea system, Pettersson just gobbles up opposing forwards as they try to pass him or enter his defensive zone. He uses his sizes effectively in orchestrating a very effective pokecheck. Despite his size and lankiness, he’s got both good east-west as well as backwards mobility. His first pass is almost always on the money and he doesn’t hesitate to curl the puck back into his zone to regroup when necessary, showing the type of awareness you’d expect of someone who’s been a forward for the majority of his life."
• Goran Stubb, NHL Central Scouting's Director of European Scouting, at flames.nhl.com: "He is used in all game situations and has grown up to become a leader on the team. He's tall and uses a long stick and has a very good reach. He's difficult to pass against and his passing game is very good. He has good size; but needs more weight and physical strength. His dad (Daniel) played in the Swedish league with Skelleftea."
• TSN Scouting Report: "Upside, upside, upside. Needs physical maturing but with it, could be a top defenseman. Excellent thinker with poise, good feetwork, competes, reads play well and will assert himself. Could be a 'steal' in this draft."
• Ryan Kennedy at TheHockeyNews.com: "One scout said Pettersson has the most upside of any European in the draft. A big kid who covers a lot of ground, Pettersson has an edge to his game and can move the puck pretty decently. He has a ways to go, but he’s already playing up with the men in Skelleftea after a successful start to the campaign in junior."
• Anaheim Ducks: "He models his game after Jonas Brodin of the Minnesota Wild: "He’s so smart and can handle almost every situation on the ice."

Video Resume:

Initial Reaction: Ranked at the top among European defenseman by Central Scouting (7th overall), Marcus Pettersson is a tall gangly kid with tow-way skating ability and a good shot. His skating ability and positional awareness allows him to be excellent in defending against the rush. In addition to his defensive skills, he also has a quick wrister and a blue-line slap shot.

He strikes me as a Hampus Lindholm-type of defensemen, leaning more towards the defensive side. He shows promising hockey sense with dependable positioning. While he is notably tall, he still has a ways to go to grow into his frame to improve his game and prepare for the physicality of the NHL game. He is definitely a work in-progress, but the defensive

Looks like the Ducks are continuing their newfound tradition of scouting and cultivating young, skilled defensemen into bona fide NHL blue-liners.

Update: Pettersson spoke with EJ Hradek on NHL Network, just after being selected