Ducks Awarded 3rd Pick in 2024 NHL Draft Lottery

Pat Verbeek will have a top-three selection for the second time in his three years as general manager of the Anaheim Ducks.

After Tuesday night’s draft lottery, Anaheim will have the third-overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. The Ducks, who had an 11.5% chance of winning the lottery’s first draw, have never selected first overall in the franchise’s 31-year history. The lottery was won by the San Jose Sharks, who have the first opportunity to select the presumptive top choice Macklin Celebrini.

This is only the ninth time in the organization’s history that the Ducks have a top-five pick. Despite an ongoing playoff drought stretching to a franchise-record six seasons, this is only their third top-five pick in the last 19 years. Along with the third pick, the Ducks will have an additional first-round pick somewhere near the end of the round depending on when the Edmonton Oilers’ postseason run concludes. The draft will be held on June 28-29 in Las Vegas.

Ducks’ History with 3rd Overall Pick

The Ducks have only selected third overall one other time in franchise history — Mason McTavish in 2021. At 20 years old, McTavish is still in the infancy of his NHL career. However, he’s established himself as a capable center, helping spur Frank Vatrano’s 37-goal breakout season. He’s recorded 88 points in 153 NHL games, and is one of the frontrunners to be the club’s new captain.

Related: 2024 NHL Draft Guide

This year’s third overall pick joins a roster loaded with recent top-10 picks, including Trevor Zegras (2019), McTavish, Pavel Mintyukov (2022), Cutter Gauthier (2022), and Leo Carlsson (2023).

Names to Look for at 3rd Overall

The Ducks secured a top-five pick in the draft well before the regular season ended, so there’s been a general idea of the players that will be available to them. In April, we looked at three players who will likely be available in this range, and how their skills would help Anaheim. There’s at least one high-end player at just about every position in this draft class, so the Ducks will have a chance to shore up a weak spot on the roster, like Cole Eiserman on the wing, or simply draft based on the best player available, including their pick among defensemen like Artyom Levshunov or Zeev Buium.

As the draft date draws closer, we’ll run multiple mock drafts with some of the players likely to be available at third overall.