The Ducks parted ways with longtime defenseman Josh Manson yesterday, sending him to the Avalanche for a prospect and a 2023 second-round pick.
That prospect is Drew Helleson, a defenseman selected by the Avalanche in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft. The 20-year-old just completed his junior season at Boston College and the Ducks wasted no time, signing Helleson to his entry-level contract less than 24 hours after the trade.
He has been one of the best two-way defensemen the last two seasons at the NCAA Division I level, building his stock with impressive performances with the Eagles, as well as with the United States at the 2021 World Juniors tournament. It's there, along with his time with the U.S. National team Development Program (USNTDP), that he played alongside Ducks budding star Trevor Zegras.
With the acquisition of Helleson, the Ducks add to an already deep prospect pool as the team builds for the future.
MORE: NHL trade rumors tracker: Jakob Chychrun's injury has trade deadline impact
Helleson's background
Helleson was born on March 26, 2001 in Farmington, Minn.
At 14, he went and played for the powerhouse hockey program at Shattuck-St. Mary's, competing on their 14U AA and 16U AA teams for two seasons, recording 71 points in 98 games.
He was then invited to play at the USNTDP in 2017, splitting time his first season with their USHL junior team as well as competing on the United States National U17 team. Helleson did the same the next season, playing on the USHL and U.S. National U18 team.
In total, he played in 62 games for the USHL Juniors team, recording 29 assists. With the national teams, he recorded 40 points in 61 games with the U17 team before following it up with 23 points in 64 games with the U18 team.
Helleson enrolled at Boston College in the fall of 2019, skating in 28 games for the Eagles as a freshman, posting six points. In his sophomore campaign, he improved on his point total despite playing in fewer games, recording 15 points in 22 games. He was named Hockey East's Best Defensive Defenseman, as well as finishing in the top 20 in the nation in points among defensemen.
Avs prospect Drew Helleson just scored this gorgeous buzzer beater for BC 👀 pic.twitter.com/mYfPTTBwaA
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) February 6, 2021
That season, he also was selected to the U.S. World Juniors team, helping the team to a gold medal where Helleson had four points in seven games.
The defenseman enjoyed his best season to date with Boston College in 2021-22, posting a career-high of 25 points in 31 games. With the NHL not sending its players to the Olympics, Helleson was also named to the U.S. Olympic roster, skating in three games for Team USA in Beijing, recording an assist.
Marc McLaughlin sets up Drew Helleson for the Battle of Comm Ave winner as our Connection of the Game@Staples // #ForBoston🦅 pic.twitter.com/eCsVqlTTcG
— BC Men's Hockey (@BC_MHockey) March 1, 2022
MORE: 2022 NHL trade deadline: Biggest expiring contracts that could be moved
What experts say about Helleson
The BC Eagle already has the size of an NHL defenseman. He's listed at 6-foot-3, 204 pounds, and he uses his frame to leverage opponents along the wall, especially in his own zone.
He's always been defensively sound and has evolved his offensive game to become a more well-rounded defenseman. The Athletic's Corey Pronman sees him as a potential everyday defenseman for the Ducks on either the second or third pairing.
"He’s a tall, mobile, right-shot defenseman with a strong skill level. The toolkit is clearly NHL quality. His puck-moving and decision-making can be inconsistent which is why I don’t see him as a power play type at the NHL level. He defends well enough due to his length and feet that I could see him being a long-term 4/5 defenseman for Anaheim."
The Athletic's Scott Wheeler ranked Helleson as the Avalanche's No. 8 prospect in this year's prospect rankings. Like Pronman, he doesn't see Helleson as a top-pair defenseman, but someone who can fill in a role on the back end and play a consistent game.
"He now involves himself regularly in the Eagles’ attacks, looking to activate off the line consistently (with the puck to attack and without it to get open). That complements his longstanding ability to defend the rush, maintain good positioning in the defensive half, rarely make the wrong choice with the puck or on a read, and just sound instincts and intuition in all four corners of the rink. He projects as a steady, reliable No. 5-6 defenceman."
How does Helleson fit in with the Ducks?
The Ducks are already down one right-shot defenseman with Manson off to Denver. The other right-handed blue liners on the roster are veterans Kevin Shattenkirk and Andrej Sustr, as well as rookie Jamie Drysdale.
There is certainly a path for Helleson on the right side of the Ducks' blue line. Drysdale is an offense-first defender, so playing Helleson behind him will give the Ducks some relief in their own zone. And looking at the rest of the prospects, the top three defenders the Ducks have in the pipeline are all left-handed — Olen Zellweger, Henry Thrun and Jackson LaCombe.
Right-shot defensemen are a rarity and grabbing Helleson in the deal for Manson gives the Ducks a replacement on that side that will be under team control at a cheap cost for the next few years.
