Ducks, Pens make a deal.

The Ducks have sent goaltender Mattias Modig, a 2007 fourth-round draft pick, to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the upcoming entry draft. The Penguins had originally acquired the pick from the Montreal Canadiens, so this will be the 27th pick of the sixth round and the 177th pick overall.

Modig, 23, has spent his entire career with Lulea of the Swedish Elite League. In 34 games, he posted a 2.49 goals-against average and .899 save percentage for Lulea in 2009-10. Modig has already signed a two-year entry-level contract with Pittsburgh.

The Ducks have several goaltenders already in the system, which likely made Modig expendable. Marco Cousineau and Timo Pielmeier are already signed, and soon-to-be free agents Jean-Phillippe Levasseur and Joey MacDonald could be brought back. Russian prospect Igor Bobkov was a fairly high draft pick (third round, 76th overall) in last year’s draft.

Brandon McMillan signs entry-level contract.

A third-round draft pick in 2008, McMillan broke out in 2009-10. In the midst of a 25-goal, 67-point season (both career highs) for the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, he appeared for Team Canada at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship, scoring four goals and eight points in six contests en route to the silver medal.

The 5-11, 185-pound winger also led the Rockets in postseason scoring, collecting five goals and 15 points in 12 games. McMillan had 56 goals and 169 points in 251 career WHL games.

McMillan will make $575,000 the first year, $575,000 the second and $645,000 in the third year if he makes the NHL roster.

Considering that 84 players were drafted before him in his class, McMillan is looks like a steal in Anaheim’s 2008 draft class, which included Jake Gardiner (first round, 17th overall), Nicolas Deschamps (second round, 35th overall), Eric O’Dell (second round, 39th overall), Justin Schultz (second round, 43rd overall), Josh Brittain (third round, 71st overall) and Marco Cousineau (third round, 83rd overall) all going before him.

Is Etem on Ducks’ list?

Looking ahead to the NHL draft, where the Ducks pick twice in the first round, the Mackenzie Liddell of the Sports Network speculates that Long Beach native Emerson Etem might be on the radar.

The allure of drafting a homegrown athlete is often too tempting to
pass up, especially if that talent is a hockey player from the sunny
state of California. That is the position the Anaheim Ducks find
themselves in heading into the draft.

Long Beach native Emerson
Etem of the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Medicine Hat Tigers is likely
on the radar of the Ducks, who own the 12th and 16th picks of Philadelphia Flyers’ pick in the first
round.

Aside from his California roots, Etem’s ability to play
right wing or center will be an attractive ingredient for the Ducks who
will need to replenish an aging crop of secondary scorers, with Jason
Blake (36), Teemu Selanne (39) and Saku Koivu (35) all in the twilight
of their careers.

NHL Central Scouting currently ranks Etem eighth
among North American skaters, while various mock drafts have him going
anywhere from eighth to 18th.

At 6’0″, 194 pounds, Etem is an
explosive skater who handles the puck well at full speed. In his first
WHL season, Etem compiled 37 goals and 65 points in 72 games while also
chipping in another seven goals in 12 playoff games.

Prior to his
WHL debut, Etem honed his skills in the U.S. Under-17 National Team
Development Program (USNTDP) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he racked up
45 (23-22) points in 50 games.

Mark Holick confirmed as Syracuse Crunch coach. Update.

Confirming earlier reports, the Ducks officially named Mark Holick head coach of the Syracuse Crunch, their AHL affiliate for the upcoming season. The contract is a multi-year deal; financial terms were not disclosed.

Holick said that Ducks general manager Bob Murray first encouraged him to apply for the job at the West Coast prospects camp in April.

“I was flattered,” said Holick, who had never interviewed for a professional coaching position before. He formally accepted the position Sunday.

“Being with pro athletes is a bit of a step, but at the same time, hockey’s hockey,” Holick said.

The 41-year-old has an extensive coaching resume.

He spent three seasons as head coach for the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 2007-10, compiling a 120-75-21 record for 261 points and three consecutive trips to the WHL playoffs. Last season Holick guided the Ice to a 43-25-5 record (91 points) for a second-place finish in the Central Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference. Holick also served as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championship in Fargo, North Dakota.

The Saskatoon native served 13 seasons as a head coach and assistant in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) and Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) from 1994-07. Holick began his professional coaching career as an assistant with Penticton (1994-95), Langley (1995-96) and South Surrey (1996-97) of the BCHL before becoming head coach of South Surrey in 1997-98. He also coached in St. Albert and Spruce Grove of the AJHL from 2003-06 prior to returning for his final BCHL season with Vernon in 2006-07.

Murray said in a statement that “With 16 years of coaching experience, Mark Holick has the proven track record we were looking for. He had three great seasons in the WHL, including earning Coach of the Year honors in 2009-10, and is certainly qualified to take the next step.”

Holick said he’s already spoken with Randy Carlyle and will try to install a similar system in Syracuse.

Aside from Brian Lebler, he doesn’t know who his personnel will consist of, but his mission is pretty straightforward: “Our job is to get them ready for the National Hockey League.”

Canada’s run at Worlds is over.

Corey Perry and Team Canada were eliminated from the World Championships in Cologne, Germany with a 5-2 quarterfinal loss to Russia on Thursday.

Late third-period goals by John Tavares and Matt Duchene were the only highlights for a frustrated Team Canada, which drew almost 50 penalty minutes. Perry, the Ducks’ lone representative on the team, was held scoreless and collected four penalty minutes.

Russia will play Germany, while the Czech Republic will play Sweden, in the two semifinal games.

Sami Vatanen profiled on IIHF.com.

Sami Vatnanen, the Ducks’ fourth-round draft pick in 2009, has been enjoying a 5-1 run through the IIHF World Championships for Team Finland. The soon-to-be 19-year-old has been scoring some highlight-reel goals for the Suomi, and was profiled today on the IIHF Web site:

“Everybody understands that he’s not as strong as the more
experienced and older players, but he’s just 18, that will come. All
in all, he’s a fantastic player, and probably won’t stay in Finland very
long,” [former Team Finland and NHL defenseman Reijo Ruotsalainen] adds.

Fortunately for the Finnish fans, Vatanen
recently signed a contract extension that will keep him in Jyvskyl for
another two years.

“I’m not listening to any other offers, I
signed with JYP, and that’s where I’ll play,” says the Anaheim Ducks’
fourth-round pick, 106th over all, in 2009.

“I don’t plan my
career too much, I just try to enjoy playing, and take it one season at a
time. I had a big role in Jyvskyl last year, so why not next year, as
well. All I want to do now is to keep on developing as a player,” he
adds.

Report: Ducks will name Holick head coach of Crunch.

According to a report in the Kamloops (B.C.) Daily News, Mark Holick is set to be named head coach of the Syracuse Crunch, Anahiem’s primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League next season.

The report cited “sources” at the Memorial Cup in Brandon, Manitoba; Holick is head coach of the Western Hockey League’s Kootenay Ice, which missed the tournament and finished fourth in the 12-team Eastern Conference. Writes Daily News sports editor Gregg Drinnan:

When contacted by The Daily News, Holick chose not to comment. Jeff
Chynoweth, the Ice’s owner and general manager, said he would prefer
that an announcement come from Anaheim general manager Bob Murray.

Holick
told Chynoweth of the move on Sunday.

The 41-year-old Holick has been Kootenay’s head coach since 2007. In the 72-game WHL season, the Ice won 42, 35 and 43 games in Holick’s three seasons as head coach – never missing the playoffs but never advancing past the conference semifinal round.

A veteran of three minor-league seasons, Holick also has experience coaching Canada’s Under-18 National Team in the summer of 2009.

Team USA avoids relegation with win, Canada loses. Update.

Team USA won its final game at the IIHF World Championships Tuesday, 3-2 in overtime against Italy. It wasn’t the finish that was expected for the reigning Olympic silver medalist country, but the victory allows the U.S. to compete in next year’s tournament.

Ducks forward Ryan Carter was held scoreless in just under 10 minutes of ice time, and finished the sixth-game tournament with a goal and an assist.

Meanwhile, Team Canada and Corey Perry finished round-robin play with a second straight loss, 3-2 to the Czech Republic. The loss means Canada will either face Russia or Finland in its  quarterfinal game Thursday. Ray Whitney and Matt Duchene scored for Canada, while Perry was held scoreless.

Update, 2:15 p.m.
: Russia has handed Finland its first loss of the tournament, a 5-0 shutout, and will play Canada in the quarterfinals.

U.S. wins, Canada loses at Worlds.

Nick Foligno scored twice, and Brandon Dubinsky and T.J. Oshie scored once, as Team USA beat France 4-0 in the relegation bracket at the IIHF World Championships in Cologne, Germany. Ducks forward Ryan Carter did not score in the win.

Corey Perry and Team Canada, meanwhile, dropped a 3-1 decision to Sweden in the qualification bracket. Canada will need to beat the Czech Republic on Tuesday to avoid a quarterfinal matchup against Alex Ovechkin and Team Russia, which has won 23 straight games at the tournament. Perry did not score in the loss.