Ducks Target Top Prospects

For the third year in a row, the Mighty Ducks have one of the top four picks at the NHL entry draft, which will be next Saturday in Edmonton.

The Ducks were knocked from third overall to fourth when the Kings won the NHL’s first draft lottery last month, moving from seventh to third.

Defenseman Bryan Berard of the Detroit Jr. Red Wings is generally considered the top prospect. The Ducks, who select after Ottawa, the New York Islanders and the Kings, are eyeing a group of prospects that includes defensemen Wade Redden of the Brandon Wheat Kings and Aki-Petteri Berg of Kiekko-67 in Finland, as well as forwards Chad Kilger, Daymond Langkow, Shane Doan and Petr Sykora.

The Ducks’ selections in their first two drafts were Paul Kariya, who was fourth overall in 1993, and defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky, second overall last season.