The Ducks liked the 18-year-old defenseman’s vision, speed and skill with the puck on his stick. They weren’t concerned about his lack of size or the absence of physicality in his game, so they selected Jamie Drysdale sixth overall in the 2020 NHL entry draft and watched him blossom.
It worked once.
Why not try it again?
The Ducks took another undersized defenseman with the 34th selection in the second round of the 2021 draft Saturday, picking Olen Zellweger of the Everett (Washington) Silvertips of the Western Hockey League.
Zellweger is 5-foot-9, 175 pounds; Drysdale is 5-11, 180.
“I think I’m really mobile,” Zellweger said via a Zoom call from his family’s home in Moose Lake, Alberta. “I’m a good skater. I think I bring a lot of offense to the table. Along with that, I also play responsible defense. I think that’s where my value is, as a two-way offensive defenseman.”
Zellweger had two goals and 11 assists in 11 games during the pandemic-shortened WHL season, serving notice to scouts after he had two goals and 10 assists in 58 games with Everett in 2019-20. He doesn’t turn 18 until Sept. 10, so it’s likely he’ll return to the WHL next season.
Zellweger was one of seven selections the Ducks made Saturday, after they picked center Mason McTavish third overall Friday. The Ducks had seven picks to start the draft and picked up an eighth in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens, grabbing a second third-round pick.
In addition to Zellweger, the Ducks also selected right wing Sasha Pastujov (third round, 66th overall), defenseman Tyson Hinds (third round, 76th, in a trade with Montreal in exchange for a third-round pick next year), center Josh Lopina (fourth round, 98th), left wing Sean Tschigerl (fifth round, 130th), goalie Gage Alexander (fifth round, 148th) and center Kyle Kukkonen (sixth round, 162nd).
The Ducks didn’t have a seventh-round selection.
“I think the day went very well,” said Martin Madden, the Ducks’ assistant general manager and longtime amateur scouting czar. “We wanted to come out of this draft with a balanced crop of prospects, both in terms of styles and positions, and we reached those objectives.”
Zellweger and McTavish were teammates on Team Canada’s U18 World Championship team, which was where each player impressed Ducks general manager Bob Murray. It also didn’t hurt that Ducks assistant coach Mike Stothers was one of Team Canada’s assistants.
“Mike was the defensive coach on our team, so that was a really good thing for me,” Zellweger said. “I had a pretty good relationship with Mike and really liked his coaching style. He was intense and held us accountable back there, so that’s definitely something I like and something I’m looking forward to.”
There were other connections, too.
Lopina was a freshman on the University of Massachusetts’ NCAA championship team this past season, playing under Minutemen coach Greg Carvel, who served as an assistant coach and video and scouting coordinator with the Ducks from 1999-2003. Lopina was over-age eligible at 20.
The Ducks hadn’t picked a goaltender since selecting Lukas Dostal in the third round and Roman Durny in the fifth in 2018. The Ducks used the second of two fifth-round selections to take Gage Alexander from the Winnipeg Ice of the WHL. Alexander is listed at 6-6, 205.
“I can tell you ‘Sudsie,’ our goalie coach loves him,” Madden said, referring to Sudarshan Maharaj. “He’s huge, athletic, just on the upswing of his development. He’s a year older than most of these guys. He would have been (Winnipeg’s) starter if the season in the WHL had been a little longer. He took the lead in the last half of the schedule. He’s going to be their starter next year. He’s just getting started.”
2021 Ducks draft picks
Mason McTavish
Pick: No. 3 overall (1st round)
Position: Center
Age: 18
Size: 6-1, 207
Olen Zellweger
Pick: No. 34 overall (2nd round)
Position: Defense
Age: 17
Size: 5-9, 175
Sasha Pastujov
Pick: No. 66 overall (3rd round)
Position: Right wing
Age: 18
Size: 6-0, 184
Tyson Hinds
Pick: No. 76 overall (3rd round)
Position: Defense
Age: 18
Size: 6-3, 178
Josh Lopina
Pick: No. 98 overall (4th round)
Position: Center
Age: 20
Size: 6-2, 195
Sean Tschigerl
Pick: No. 130 overall (5th round)
Position: Left wing
Age: 18
Size: 6-0, 189
Gage Alexander
Pick: No. 148 overall (5th round)
Position: Goalie
Age: 19
Size: 6-6, 205
Kyle Kukkonen
Pick: No. 162 overall (6th round)
Position: Center
Age: 18
Size: 5-10, 172
Leave a Reply