Anaheim Ducks Select Jacob Perrault 27th Overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft

The Anaheim Ducks have selected Jacob Perrault with the 27th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

The 5’11” 198 lb Canadian right winger put up 70 points in 57 games last year in the OHL with the Sarina Sting.

Perrault is a bit of a divisive player with a lot of criticisms reminiscent of Los Angeles Kings 2019 draft pick Arthur Kaliyev: not a great skater, lack of compete-level, very inconsistent, but great shot and raw offensive skills. That makes the selection of Perrault in the first round a risky pick.

But the potential offensive skill is just too good to pass up. Perrault has one of the best shots in the draft. He’s capable of turning defenders inside out with some incredible deking. He can fly when we wants to. Put him in a position to succeed and in a system that encourages him to work on his flaws, and you have a potential first line winger with 70-80 point potential.

There is definitely a chance that his head gets the best of him, however, and that he doesn’t try to address his flaws and work ethic. If that happens, well then we could be looking at a bust pick. But this is the nature of high-upside, risky picks like this one. Ducks General Manager Bob Murray has a history of making safe, low-ceiling/high-floor picks. This is definitely not that kind of move, and Murray should be commended for getting more aggressive with his drafting.