Ducks Lose Their Way Into Lottery : Hockey: By missing the playoffs, they get to try out the new system for the July 8 NHL Entry Draft.

With the Mighty Ducks’ second season history after Wednesday’s game against Toronto, they turned their attention to playing the lottery.

No, they’re not going to dump Disney’s billions buying scratchers cards at the local mini-mart.

This is the NHL’s first crack at an NBA-style lottery to determine the first 10 picks in the July 8 entry draft.

The 10 teams that missed the playoffs will learn their draft order in early June. The date has not yet been determined. The Ottawa Senators, with the NHL’s worst record, aren’t guaranteed to have the top pick in the nine-round draft, but the odds are weighted in their favor. On the other hand, the best finisher of the 10 can’t get the No. 1 pick; the best that team can do is pick sixth. A team can’t move up more than four spots.

Another change pushed the eligible draft age from 18 to 19, although 18-year-olds can petition the league to enter the draft.

The new system is intriguing and could pay dividends for the Ducks, if not now then later, according to General Manager Jack Ferreira.

The Ducks’ top priority is acquiring a strong, skillful forward capable of camping out in front of the net, batting in all manner of point-blank goals. They needed only a quick glance at St. Louis’ Brendan Shanahan, who tipped in two goals in Monday’s 5-3 Blues victory, to be reminded of their lack of such a player.

The Ducks could get a Shanahan-type player through a trade or free-agent signing, but Ferreira also instructed his scouts to unearth prospects for the upcoming draft.

“I think it’s a good draft,” Ferreira said. “There are about nine guys and any one of them could be No. 1. We’re dealing with 18-year-olds and we’re not sure any of them could play for us next year, so we’re going for the best guy available.”

Ferreira glanced at the midseason rankings by the NHL’s Central Scouting Service, pointed at the top 12 players and said there were at least three he would not pick.

Scouting is an inexact science. What’s right for the Ducks might be wrong for Ottawa. Ferreira and David McNab, director of player personnel, used the league’s rankings as a guide to heights, weights, strengths and weaknesses. They scouted top prospects repeatedly, compiled their rankings and updated them once a week.

Coach Ron Wilson then weighed in with his recommendations.

“We need a big, skilled forward to help on the power play,” Wilson said. “I can count on one hand the number of screened shots we’ve scored on in front of the net. The best way (to satisfy that need) is through the draft. That’s the way we’re thinking. A big winger, a big center would greatly enhance our team.”

So who will the Ducks select?

Ferreira won’t, or more accurately, can’t say for sure. Without an immediate-impact player as the clear-cut top pick and the draft order in doubt for another month, he won’t know exactly who he wants for a while.

On draft day, he will have at least three names to pick from on each round.

“It makes it easier if you’re picking fifth or sixth and you have five names in mind, but if you’re picking ninth or 10th and you only have five names it’s tough,” Ferreira said. “You’ve got to scout for nine rounds. Our list is pretty well done.”

Bryan Berard, a defenseman for the Detroit Jr. Red Wings of the Ontario Hockey League, was the top-rated player in the NHL’s midseason rankings. He patterns himself after Brian Leetch of the New York Rangers and attended the same Rhode Island high school that has produced 12 NHL picks, including the top selection in 1983, Brian Lawton.

Rated second is another defenseman, Wade Redden of Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League.

With young defensemen such as Oleg Tverdovsky already in the fold and their need for scorers up front, the Ducks wouldn’t figure to draft Berard or Redden.

“I love this part of the game,” said Ferreira, a scout for much of his career.

Today, he leaves to scout junior players, watch the minor league playoffs and the Stanley Cup playoffs. His season is far from over.

“I like what we’ve got now, but we’ve got to get better,” he said.