LOS ANGELES – Friday night was a literal whirlwind for Roger McQueen, the No. 10 overall selection of the Anaheim Ducks at the 2025 NHL Draft.

The 6-foot-5 18-year-old center from Saskatoon Saskatchewan went directly from the Peacock Theater stage to his media availability and was swiftly whisked away via helicopter from the roof of the next door hotel to his new home: Disneyland.

“That's awesome when I got two younger sisters that'll love that coming as well,” McQueen said. “I think there’s 30 of us here, there’ll be so many. It’s awesome that they do that.”

Everything around McQueen’s selection had a Disney flair, from Mighty Ducks movie stars Joshua Jackson and Marguerite Moreau announcing his selection to Anaheim to McQueen choosing “Life is a Highway” from the animated film Cars–a tribute to main character Lightning McQueen.

A moment Roger McQueen will never forget, as original Mighty Ducks cast members Marguerite Moreau and Joshua Jackson announce he was selected 10th overall by the Ducks. #NHLDraft | @Honda pic.twitter.com/gb8VxGMYZJ
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) June 28, 2025

It all added up to a perfect storybook fit for McQueen and the Ducks.

“It's unbelievable,” McQueen said. “Something you've always dreamed of as a kid, so it's kind of a crazy feeling. There's not even feelings right now for me. I'm shocked. So excited. Such a great organization… I'm so pumped.”

What stands out immediately from the two-way power forward is his size, but he’s deceptively fast with a sensational set of puck skills. At the draft combine and again on Friday, McQueen compared his game to that of Ducks legend Ryan Getzlaf, but also offered current comps to Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres and Brady Tkachuck of the Ottawa Senators.

Despite playing just 17 games last season due to a back injury the year before, McQueen’s complete package with a huge frame was the choice for Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek.

“Roger is an extremely unique player with his combination of size, skating, vision and talent,” Verbeek said in a statement. “We are confident he brings a versatility in his game matched with raw skill that will translate to being a top player in the NHL. Roger had a difficult season with an injury, but has matured through adversity and will be a better player and person for that. We are excited for Roger to join our organization and welcome him to Orange County.”

Earlier in the week, Verbeek said that the Ducks were comfortable with their depth and that there were plenty of slots filled up to supply the Anaheim line-up in the future. This allowed Verbeek to take “an aggressive swing at the player that we think has the most upside.”

McQueen put up 10 goals and 20 points in his 17 games for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League this season, and two years ago, he scored 21 goals with 51 points in 53 games with Brandon.

McQueen had dinner with Ducks brass at the draft combine in Buffalo last month and sensed a fit.

“I was really hoping to go here and I was so happy to get chosen here,” McQueen said, “but I think I figured a little bit depending on what they were going for, but I was, like I said, so, so excited.”

There are some familiar faces in the Ducks organization for McQueen, who trains with Ducks 2024 third-round pick Tarin Smith–a fellow Saskatchewan native who plays for the Everett Silvertips in the WHL–and participated in Team Canada camps with 2024 No. 3 overall pick Beckett Sennecke.

For as striking as his 6-foot-5 frame is, it’s also where McQueen sees his biggest need for improvement to continue his development toward the NHL.

“Just growing into my body. I'm pretty tall and kind of built like the branches of a tree and not like the trunk there,” McQueen said. “I think that's a big thing that just comes with time and I'm excited for that. But I think another thing is just always getting stronger and more explosive in skating is another thing, just being lanky. Quickness is stuff you can work on.”

“So, just lots of little stuff and just waiting for my body to catch up.”

Roger McQueen Mixtape:

A fluid 6-foot-5 centre, McQueen is one of the biggest wildcards leading up to the draft. His ideas on-puck are high-end, & he possesses the tool blend to create advantages. He missed most of the year due to injury, but is now 100%.#2025NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/KFalVa6hVk
— Daniel Gee (@DanielGScouting) June 25, 2025

McQueen learned plenty about taking his time in the past year, as he recovered from a lower spinal fracture as he missed 64 games over the course of two seasons.

“I think the other side of the game of the mental side really got a lot sharper for me in the sense of just having five months off to take that upon myself and work on that,” McQueen said. “I think just being able to stay positive and stay resilient really helped me out… Watching our team play you learn a lot, too. I stuck to the same routine as I was playing.”

McQueen will get his first taste of the Ducks organization over the next few days, as he goes from Disneyland tonight to the team’s draft headquarters in Newport Beach tomorrow, throwing out the first pitch at Angel Stadium and development camp at Great Park Ice starting Monday.

The whirlwind tour continues for McQueen, and he’ll ride it all weekend long.

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ANAHEIM DUCKS

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