LOS ANGELES – Continuing to add layers of depth to one of the best farm systems in the NHL, the Anaheim Ducks completed a haul of 10 selections in the 2025 NHL Draft with nine second-day picks on Saturday at Peacock Theater.
Martin Madden, the Ducks assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting, said that passion from Anaheim’s scouts on certain players drove their picks, and before getting to the day two selections on the post-draft media call, there was no more effusive praise than for the Ducks’ first-round pick Roger McQueen.
“It comes down to upside,” Madden said. “It’s not every year that you have a chance to select a 6-foot-5, somebody will be over 220 (pounds) with his type of skill, his type of hockey sense, generally good edges, skating ability that will keep getting better at 10 overall. It doesn’t happen.”
Madden said they’re confident McQueen will make up for lost time due to last season’s spinal fracture and will have a fully healthy and productive follow-up season. Part of that confidence was drawn from his playoff performance with the Brandon Wheat Kings’ first round series.
“We’d seen a few games live last year, but I watched the whole (series). He was their best player,” Madden said. ”He was the best player on the ice against the top team in the league for three of those games. He was a play driver. He was so strong on the puck. He carried his team. And what we liked the most is that even in games where they were behind by two or three goals, he kept competing and pushing and getting his team back into it.”
“I think that that speaks to his character, that speaks to his resilience, and that’s why we like him so much.”
Building off the selection of McQueen, general manager Pat Verbeek confirmed yesterday that the Ducks had looked at trading back into the late stages of the first round. A deal couldn’t be had, but Madden said they still got their guy at pick No. 45 in Swedish forward Eric Nilson.
“He reminds us a lot of (former Ducks draft pick and current Vegas Golden Knight) William Karlsson at the same age,” Madden said. “Really, really smart. Really competitive. Great skill, great edge work, and he’s 165 pounds. So he’s got some work to do in the gym, and he understands that, and that’s why he’s taking the path to go to Michigan State.”
Nilson agreed that his biggest room for improvement was the physical side of his game when speaking to the media at Peacock Theater. Madden said Nilson chose Michigan State for the best program off the ice, and Nilson also said he wanted to use his time with the Spartans to adjust to the American style of game
Nilson also has high ambitions for himself and what he wants to bring to Anaheim.
“I want to win the Stanley Cup,” Nilson said. “I want to do everything to win the Stanley Cup.”
The Ducks closed out the second round by selecting Finnish defenseman Lasse Boelius, a mobile puck-moving defenseman that Madden cited as the best player on Finland’s U-18 squad.
Boelius was one of four left-handed defenseman selected by the Ducks on Saturday, along with fourth-rounder Drew Schock, who’s headed to Michigan, fifth-rounder Alexis Mathieu of the QMJHL and sixth-rounder Anthony Allain-Samaké, who is headed to UConn.
It’s a position Anaheim is already stacked on and with youth, as Jackson LaCombe (24), Pavel Mintyukov (21) and Olen Zellweger (21) patrol the left side in Anaheim. Five of the Ducks eight other defensemen in their development system are also left-handed.
“What we want to do is draft players our scouts are passionate about, and you can’t be too sticky on shooting side or position,” Madden said. “Yes, we try to balance things out and not make it so one sided, but at the end of the day, the odds are already so much against most of these kids. It’s tough to make it to the NHL, and you need somebody pushing hard for you, supporting you all throughout the process.”
Jack Haslett — The Sporting Tribune
Defenseman Alexis Mathieu was selected by the Anaheim Ducks with the 136th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft June 28 at the Peacock Theatre.
Standing out among the rest of the selected defenseman was Mathieu, a 6-foot-4 defensive defenseman that was a highlight in the fifth round for Madden.
“He is a naturally aggressive, mean defender. He makes you pay the price,” Madden said. “As a whole, I wouldn’t say this draft was very deep, but it was very big.”
Madden, a Quebecer who isn’t shy about grabbing QMJHL players in later rounds, also spoke excitedly about another fifth-round value find in winger Émilé Guité.
“He had a hell of a season at (age) 16, 60 points with super high expectations to be a first round pick this year,” Madden said. “Probably put a little too much pressure on himself. The team might have put a little too much pressure on him. He had a setback season, but we are convinced, and so is Chicoutimi, that he’ll bounce back. He’s got outstanding hockey sense, a great shot, really good hands.”
Another notable find for the Ducks staff was fourth-round Swiss goaltender Elijah Neuenschwander, who was another passion selection for Anaheim’s director of goaltending Sudarshan Maharaj.
There are plenty of similarities between Neuenschwander and current Ducks prospect Damian Clara, the 6-foot-6 20-year-old just named to the provisional Italian Olympic roster. Neuenschwander is not quite as tall at 6-foot-4, but Madden sees a comparable long runway of development for the lanky 18-year-old.
Here is the full listing of the Ducks 2025 NHL Draft selections:
1st Round, No. 10 overall: Roger McQueen, center, Canada, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
2nd Round, No. 45 overall: Eric Nilson, forward, Sweden, Michigan State (NCAA)
2nd Round, No. 60 overall: Lasse Boelius, defenseman, Finland, Ässät (Liiga)
3rd Round, No. 72 overall: Noah Read, forward, Canada, London Knights (OHL)
4th Round, No. 101 overall: Drew Schock, defenseman, USA, Michigan (NCAA)
4th Round, No. 104 overall: Elijah Neuenschwander, goalie, Switzerland, HC Fribourg-Gottéron (Swiss National League)
5th Round, No. 136 overall: Alexis Mathieu, defenseman, Canada, Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)
5th Round, No. 159 overall: Émilé Guité, winger, Canada, Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)
6th Round, No. 168 overall: Anthony Allain-Samaké, defenseman, Canada, UConn (NCAA)
7th Round, No. 200 overall: Brady Turko, forward, Canada, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)