2013 NHL Draft: New York Rangers Finish The Third Round With Anthony Duclair
The Rangers have taken three forwards in the third round. The final pick was Duclair.
The New York Rangers used their third and final third round pick on Anthony Duclair, a winger for the QMJHL.
Sticking with the way we've been doing these fast-paced picks, here is some analysis from some other sites. As always, here's his Elite Prospects page.
In 2011-12, a 16-year old Duclair put up an impressive point per game pace with Quebec. To put that in perspective, only one U-17 player in the "Q" outscored Duclair that season: Nathan MacKinnon. However, in 2012-13, Duclair didn't play as much, the points weren't as prolific, and so he finished tied for twelfth among U-18 players in scoring. Had the production improved last season, I'm sure he'd be more highly touted in the draft.
It is worth noting that Duclair began the 2012-13 season with an injury, which delayed his scoring contributions. Based on this article at Buzzing the Net by Neate Sager, Duclair missed several weeks with a sprained ankle. When he came back, it took some time for the points to come. Sager's article also notes a little controversy when then coach and GM Patrick Roy suspended Duclair and leading scorer and potential first round prospect Adam Erne for "indifferent play" after a blowout loss to Halifax. Aaron Vickers had a post about the suspension at Future Considerations that goes into more detail, including Roy's rationale. That said, Duclair and Erne were reinstated quickly so it's all in the past.
Duclair possess one of the best skating strides in the entire 2013 draft class. The first thing that jumps out about him is the high speed he plays at. He consistently beats defensemen out wide. His acceleration is very impressive and he gets to his top speed very quickly. He's incredibly agile and a very shifty skater. He has very impressive puck skills considering he's constantly at high speeds. Duclair has the puck on a string at times, and can make defensemen and goalies alike look silly. He's very creative with the puck on his stick and is incredibly dangerous 1-on-1 or on a breakaway. His shot is accurate and comes off with a good release. He has the ability to make crisp, accurate passes and find open teammates but is considered more of a finisher.
2012-13: Duclair had an up-and-down season in his second year with the Remparts after skating for Canada's gold medal team at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial U18 tournament in August. He had a hat trick in his first game of the year but then missed nearly five weeks due to an ankle injury. He endured a one game team "suspension" along with teammate Adam Erne in January (both were reinstated before the next game) but rebounded to finish as Quebec's fourth-leading scorer. Duclair scored 20 goals with 30 assists and was +23 with 22 penalty minutes in 55 games. Quebec finished third in the East Division and reached the second round in the playoffs. Duclair scored 3 goals with 5 assists and finished with an even plus/minus with 12 penalty minutes in 11 playoff games. In five games at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament he scored 1 goal with 1 assist and had 8 penalty minutes. Duclair was ranked 57th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting's final rankings prior to the 2013 NHL Draft.
Thoughts guys?
