Ducks Bringing Top Draft Pick to North America

The Anaheim Ducks are still within postseason contention in the Western Conference. Despite being two games under .500, the Ducks are only eight points back of the final playoff spot in the West. The organization knows it's unlikely they jump the four teams in front of them to earn a postseason berth. Justifiably, they've turned their attention towards developing their young core.

Part of the Ducks' plan is to give their top draft picks ample opportunity to improve, including making bold choices for their development. The Ducks announced that 2024 first-round pick Stian Solberg is coming to North America and has been assigned to the organization's American Hockey League affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.

Solberg played the beginning of this season in Sweden's top professional league, the SHL, with Farjestad. In 47 games with the club, he recorded three goals and nine points for 12 points and 16 penalty minutes.

He's improved greatly since the Ducks selected him with the 23rd overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft. After impressing in Norway's top professional league in his draft year, he made a seamless jump to the SHL and was one of his country's top players in international competition.

The Ducks hope this move will be another positive step in his development. According to reports around the SHL, Solberg's ice time dropped over the latter half of the season and into the playoffs in favor of more veteran players. Anaheim wants him to play as much as possible, and now they can control that more closely with him in the AHL.

Solberg's scouting profile projects him to be a top-four, two-way defender. Standing at 6'2" and 205 pounds, he's a stout blue liner who skates well and has some latent offensive upside. Alongside fellow 2024 first-round pick Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Solberg is the second-highest selected player ever out of Norway.