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Anaheim Ducks

Beckett Sennecke returned to Oshawa of the Ontario Hockey League on Friday, two days after the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft made his preseason debut for Anaheim.

The 18-year-old forward missed rookie camp and the first four preseason games after suffering a broken foot during offseason training.

Sennecke had four goals and three giveaways in 15:34 of ice time in a 5-2 win over the Utah Hockey Club on Wednesday at Honda Center. He played on a line with Mason McTavish and Robby Fabbri.

“It felt pretty fast out there to me,” Sennecke said. “Boys are obviously much bigger and stronger, but I held my own somewhat.”

Ducks coach Greg Cronin said he was impressed with Sennecke's confidence and vision on the ice.

“You can see the plays he made, a lot of them were unrelated, but you can see what he sees,” Cronin said. “He’s an elite thinker, like he’s one step ahead of everyone. There are people who are first pass players, like he's a second pass player, like he's already made the first pass in his head and is trying to get to where the second one happens.” The pass will be. You can tell by the way he moves the puck and the way he uses his body.

Sennecke scored 68 points (27 goals, 41 assists) in 63 games for Oshawa last season. –Dan Arritt