Prospect Update: Josh Mahura

By Thomas Harrington

A third-round pick from 2016, Josh Mahura completed his third season in juniors and it was an incredibly successful one.

The Ducks took a bit of a gamble on Mahura when they selected him 85th overall. He had only played in two regular season games in the 2015-2016 season because of a torn MCL. He returned for the playoffs and suited up for 17 postseason games. Still, a torn MCL is the type of injury that can potentially derail a player’s career. Thankfully, Mahura had a healthy 2016-2017 season and was a force all over the ice.

Mahura started the season with the Red Deer Rebels, the team that he had been with since the 2014-2015 season when he broke into the WHL. After tallying two goals and nine points in the previous two seasons combined, Mahura exploded with nine goals and 33 points in 39 games with the Rebels. A mid-season trade saw him go from Red Deer to the Regina Pats where he joined fellow Anaheim prospect Sam Steel. Regina paid a huge price to acquire Mahura, and it’s safe to say that they haven’t regretted it. With the Pats, Mahura played in 34 games and scored eight goals and 20 points. In the playoffs, he was even better, as Mahura played in 23 games and scored eight goals and 21 points.

Mahura’s point totals last year were great, but the bigger story is his health and how quickly he recovered from such a devastating injury. By being healthy all season long he’s shown that Anaheim was right to pick him when they did. His point totals from last season were just a bonus, but a bonus that speaks to his future potential in the NHL.

This coming season, Mahura will be back in Regina. His superb play last season has put him on Team Canada’s radar for the upcoming World Junior Championships. My first goal for Mahura will be to make that roster and help Canada compete for gold. A year ago, I didn’t think he would be on their roster, but right now, he’s got an excellent chance of making it. When he’s in Regina, I’d like to see him continue putting up the points, but, even more importantly, I want to see his defense improve. He’s good defensively, but I want to see him become great defensively. If he can do that, his NHL future could be incredibly bright. Mahura has also been named one of Regina’s alternate captains. Hopefully, the added leadership responsibilities will further help his development this season. Finally, and most importantly, I want him to stay healthy. I want that for every Anaheim prospect, but since Mahura has already missed a season of development, it’s even more important for him.

If Mahura can continue to develop and improve on last season, he could become a legitimate top four defensemen. When he was drafted, I thought his ceiling would be a fourth or fifth defensemen. However, given how much he improved last year, I think he has the potential to be a solid number three guy someday. However, he will need to improve in his own end and prove that his offensive burst was more than just a one season flash in the pan. This past season has certainly vaulted him up Anaheim’s defensive depth chart among their prospects.

We won’t see Mahura in Anaheim for at least a couple of seasons. I think he’ll likely get some time in San Diego before he gets the call to Anaheim, but there’s a chance he could make his NHL debut in the 2018-2019 season. However, Bob Murray has done a great job of building Anaheim’s defense and there’s no reason to rush him. Personally, I think the earliest we see Mahura in Anaheim is in the 2019-2020 season, and a shot at a full-time job in the 2020-2021 season.

Given how strong Mahura’s season was, it was unsurprising to see Anaheim sign him to a three-year entry-level contract back in May. That contract won’t begin until he turns pro, and he’ll be in juniors for at least one more season before that happens. So Anaheim has absolute control over his rights for the next four seasons, at which time Mahura will be a restricted free agent. If he progresses as I hope, the Ducks will certainly look to extend him when the time comes.

The next prospect update will be on Troy Terry.

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September 16th, 2017

 

Filed under: Ducks News Tagged: Anaheim Ducks, Ducks, ducksnpucks, josh mahura, Prospect update