Anaheim Ducks Select Max Jones #24 Overall

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With the 24th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft the Anaheim Ducks have selected Max Jones of the London Knights in the OHL.

About Max Jones

A 6-foot-3-inch, 203-pound power forward, Max Jones has high levels of intensity and grit, paired with good scoring ability in around the net. Those assets have led to him being an Ontario Hockey League Rookie of the Year finalist, and now a first-round draft pick in the NHL.

As a rookie with the OHL and CHL champion London Knights, Jones was able to net 28 goals and tally 52 total points in 63 games played. He also racked up a staggering 106 penalty minutes while maintaining a +30 plus/minus rating. Jones is an in-your-face player who isn’t afraid to lay the body. This has gotten him in trouble in the past as he was suspended 12 games by the OHL last season for a vicious hit on Justin Brack of the Owen Sound Attack.

How Jones fits into the Ducks’ future

Max Jones will join fellow power forward Nick Ritchie in the group of Anaheim’s top forward prospects.

The Anaheim Ducks will hope that Jones’ offense can continue to develop so that he can turn into a top-six forward. Some scouts aren’t convinced that his offense will be able to bloom over the next few years, but one thing is certain — Max Jones is a big, strong power forward who can bang bodies and make things tough on opposing teams. Those traits alone will be enough to get him into the NHL in due time, and hopefully, by that time, his offense will be able to carry him up the lineup with the Ducks.

Anaheim now adds Jones to a good group of prospects, including the aforementioned Ritchie, Shea Theodore, Brandon Montour and Jacob Larsson. The Ducks have five remaining picks in the 2016 NHL Draft, including four picks in rounds two through seven on Saturday.