The 2024 NHL Entry Draft is less than a week away. The Anaheim Ducks have the third-overall pick in this year’s draft, where they will have a choice between a few high-end prospects. Despite the high pick, it’s difficult to gauge who will be available — the San Jose Sharks will presumably select Macklin Celebrini with the first-overall pick, but the Chicago Blackhawks will be on the clock next with the draft’s first real decision.
Related: Ducks 2024 NHL Draft Targets: Cayden Lindstrom
In the final days leading up to the draft, we’ll explore players who could be available to Anaheim at third overall. Previously, we’ve looked at Anton Silayev, Ivan Demidov, and Cayden Lindstrom. Today we’re going to try something a little different — instead of going with the “best-player-available” mentality, we’ll look at the Ducks’ positional needs. While much of the roster is still a work in progress, they’re least developed among right-shot defensemen. Trading away Jamie Drysdale for Cutter Gauthier has exacerbated the depth issue, and suddenly this bottomless defensive prospect pool’s only NHL-ready right-shot defenseman is Tristan Luneau.
With the growing consensus that top right-handed defense prospect Artyom Levshunov won’t make it past the Blackhawks at second overall, we’re looking at the position’s next tier of prospects. Carter Yakemchuk of the Calgary Hitmen in the Western Hockey League (WHL) and Zayne Parekh of the Saginaw Spirit in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) are widely considered to be the next two right-handed defensemen to go after Levshunov. While it may be a reach for Anaheim to grab one of them with the third-overall pick, right-handed defensemen are highly coveted at the NHL level, and the Ducks have been excellent at identifying defensive talent in the Canadian Hockey Leagues.
Yakemchuk and Parekh are Skilled Play-Drivers
Like many of the top defensemen in this blueline-heavy draft class, Yakemchuk and Parekh profile as offensive-minded puck-movers. At 6-foot-3, Yakemchuk can use his frame to protect the puck, which allows him to flow through traffic and find space in the offensive zone. The Hitmen were middle-of-the-road in scoring in the WHL this season, but Yakemchuk finished second on the team with 71 points, including the WHL’s first 30-goal season from a draft-eligible defenseman in more than 20 years.
At 6-foot-1, Parekh surrenders a…
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