The Anaheim Ducks selected forward Beckett Sennecke from the Oshawa Generals with their third-overall selection in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
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The pick was one of the larger surprises at the top of the draft in recent memory, as most media outlets projected him to be selected several spots later.
Nobody seemed as surprised, however, than Sennecke himself.
Following the draft weekend, Sennecke headed to Anaheim to participate in the Ducks’ development camp in the first week of July.
He suffered a stress fracture in his foot during offseason training over summer, forcing him to miss Generals’ training camp, Ducks’ rookie camp, and most of Ducks’ training camp.
Beckett Sennecke to Make Ducks Preseason Debut
Sennecke suited up for one preseason game for the Ducks before the team sent him back to the OHL to join the Generals four games into their season.
He was held scoreless in his first three games of the season after rejoining his team but has since produced at an eye-popping rate.
In the 12 games since, he’s scored 12 goals and 11 assists, good enough for 15th in OHL scoring and 11th in points-per-game. He’s on pace to score 51 goals and 98 points in 64 games.
Sennecke has notably gone through a dramatic growth spurt over the course of his CHL career. He came into the 2022-23 season listed at 5-foot-10 and 150 pounds. He’s now listed at 6-foot-4 and 194 pounds and plays like he’s nearly or fully adjusted to his new frame.
He might have the best hands outside of professional hockey. He protects pucks down low, flies in transition, and has worked tirelessly to improve his shot.
However, his most impactful qualities may be his anticipation and involvement. He instinctively knows how pucks will come away from battles and where teammates are looking for him throughout the ice surface. He always seems to have the puck on his stick, and when he doesn’t, he’s ensuring he soon will by properly reading the developing play.
This is Sennecke’s second shift, and while he doesn’t do anything spectacular, one of his biggest attributes (my opinion) is involvement. He’s like a puck magnet; if he doesn’t have the puck on his stick, he soon will. pic.twitter.com/MmnpCFXBvY
— Patrick Present (@PatrickCPresent) October 3, 2024
“I saw a young guy that’s extremely confident,” Ducks head coach Greg Cronin said. “You can see the plays he made, and many of them didn’t connect, but you can see what he was looking at. He’s a step ahead of everybody.”
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The taste of preseason hockey Sennecke received in the Ducks’ penultimate preseason game and training camp seemed to register with him, and the areas to improve his game became clearer.
“The wall play,” Sennecke said when asked what the biggest difference was playing against NHL players. “(Defensemen) come down hard when pinching, so keep working on that wall play.”
Though he wins battles regularly and has a knack for breaking up opposing opportunities, he intends to improve on the defensive side of the puck, especially in one-on-one situations.
“Defending,” Sennecke said when asked what his biggest takeaway from training camp was. “It’s something you don’t really focus on in junior, but it’s an important part of the game.”
After a 1-2-1 start, the Generals are 10-5-0 since Sennecke’s return to the lineup and sit in third place in the Eastern Conference of the OHL. They feature a roster consisting of five NHL draft picks (Sennecke, Ben Danford, Calumn Ritchie, Colby Barlow, and Luca Marrelli), including four first-round picks.
Sennecke will likely make Team Canada’s World Junior Championship roster in Dec. before looking to finish the OHL season as productive as he’s started.
It will be curious to monitor how he arrives at development camp, rookie camp, and training camp in the summer of 2025 and if he’ll have done enough to earn a roster spot with the Ducks to start the 2025-26 season.
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