Anaheim Ducks Select Pavol Mintyukov and Nathan Gaucher In The First Round of the 2022 NHL Draft

Jul 7, 2022

The Anaheim Ducks announced today the National Hockey League (NHL) club selected defenseman Pavel Mintyukov (10th overall) and center Nathan Gaucher (22nd overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft. The draft resumes tomorrow (July 8) beginning at 8 a.m. PT (NHL Network, ESPN+).

“We added two highly competitive players with size and skill, each with great hockey sense.” said Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek. “Both players will be great additions to the core of our future moving forward.”

Mintyukov, 18 (11/25/03), led the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in scoring with 17-45=62 points and 28 penalty minutes (PIM) in 67 games during the 2021-22 season, finishing third among OHL defensemen in points while ranking fifth in goals and sixth in assists. He was named to the OHL Third All-Star Team in 2021-22. 
 
The 6-1, 197-pound defenseman helped Russia to a gold medal at the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, scoring 0-5=5 points in six tournament games, leading Russian blueliners and finishing third among all defensemen in tournament scoring. 
 
A native of Moscow, Russia, Mintyukov did not play during the 2020-21 season due to the cancellation of the OHL’s return to play plan. He appeared in 33 games in 2019-20 with Dynamo Moscow 2 of the Russian junior league. 
 
Gaucher, 18 (11/6/03), earned the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s (QMJHL) 2021-22 Mike Bossy Award as the QMJHL’s Best Professional Prospect after scoring 31-26=57 points with a +30 rating and 74 PIM in 66 games with the Quebec Remparts. He also collected 3-6=9 points in 12 postseason games. 
 
The Chambly, Quebec native combined for 58-54=112 points with a +21 rating and 120 PIM in 155 games with Quebec from 2019-2022. The 6-3, 207-pound forward represented Canada at the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, tying for Canada Red’s scoring lead with 2-3=5 points in five games. 
 
His brother, Jacob, captained Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL in 2021-22, posting 35-33=68 points in 66 games to lead the team in goals and tie for the team lead in points.