Ducks Draft Boom and Bust (since 2000)

[LastWordArmy]

Welcome to Last Word’s Draft Boom and Bust series. As the 2020 NHL Entry Draft approaches, we decided to examine each team’s best and worst pick since the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. The biggest boom is a player that had the best value relative to where they were selected. Meaning, no one in the first round will be considered a team’s best value pick. However, the biggest bust picks will almost always be in the first round. We will examine each player, why they were picked where they were, and what their NHL career was like. Today, we look at the Anaheim Ducks draft, and their biggest boom and bust.

Anaheim Ducks Biggest Draft Boom and Bust Since 2000

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[Frosted Tips]

I guess when Ritchie ends up as an honorable mention for a bust, it means you're drafting fine. Not sure if someone else should be mentioned instead of him?

 

[GreatBear]

For biggest bust I vote for Logan MacMillan. He never made it to the Ducks, got traded for I believe a 7th round draft choice, and still didn't make it. Mark Mitera would be a close second, but at least he had the excuse of a bad knee injury while he was still in college.

 

[Paul4587]

I guess when Ritchie ends up as an honorable mention for a bust, it means you're drafting fine. Not sure if someone else should be mentioned instead of him?

MacMillan, Mitera, Etem, Holland and Holmqvist all belong on the list of busts before Ritchie. He’s also likely going to end up a more effective first round pick than Smid and Kilger. Compared to your average number 10 pick Ritchie is actually doing better than most, to call him a bust like the article does is lazy, especially considering he’s likely not done developing.

 

[Smirnov2Chistov]

For biggest bust I vote for Logan MacMillan. He never made it to the Ducks, got traded for I believe a 7th round draft choice, and still didn't make it. Mark Mitera would be a close second, but at least he had the excuse of a bad knee injury while he was still in college.

I always wondered what Mitera could’ve become.. like a shutdown top-4 guy? Sucks scouting reports weren’t as readily available as they were now. Same with McMillan. I don’t know if any scouting report based off of what was projected from him.

Always feel like Chistov gets a bad rep. He did have a bad sophomore slump, but I do remember seeing reports that Burke wanted him to come over from Russia after the lockout. Just one or two games and Burke was ready to ship him off? Made no sense to me.

 

[Terry Yake]

no mention of smirnov yet?

i'd say he's #1 with chistov and macmillan behind him. chistov showed flashes in 02-03 but that was it. he was pretty bad the next season

 

[Paul4587]

no mention of smirnov yet?

i'd say he's #1 with chistov and macmillan behind him. chistov showed flashes in 02-03 but that was it. he was pretty bad the next season

Smirnov was listed as 2 behind Chistov. I agree he’s probably number one. Him or MacMillan.

 

[Los Patos de Anaheim]

This article shows that Ducks had some horrible drafting in their history

 

[Terry Yake]

This article shows that Ducks had some horrible drafting in their history

aside from ryan, the ducks drafts under burke were nothing short of pathetic

 

[Paul4587]

aside from ryan, the ducks drafts under burke were nothing short of pathetic

Beleskey, Gardiner and Schultz were all good picks. The misses on Mitera and MacMillan were awful though.

 

[JabbaJabba]

Ritchie isn't a bust, he's a disappointment. He is an NHL player still and he possibly has his best days ahead of him. So while he didn't turn into a 30 goal scorer it is difficult to call him a bust. Worst busts are Chistov, Smirnov, Mitera and MacMillan. I was surprised to see that Holland played over 200 games, he was a major disappointment. Etem is another big disappointment. We had so big expectations for him.

 

[Los Patos de Anaheim]

Ritchie isn't a bust, he's a disappointment. He is an NHL player still and he possibly has his best days ahead of him. So while he didn't turn into a 30 goal scorer it is difficult to call him a bust. Worst busts are Chistov, Smirnov, Mitera and MacMillan. I was surprised to see that Holland played over 200 games, he was a major disappointment. Etem is another big disappointment. We had so big expectations for him.

Etem was their best player in the 2013 series against Detroit. He became my favorite player and I had such high hopes for him.

 

[Terry Yake]

Etem was their best player in the 2013 series against Detroit. He became my favorite player and I had such high hopes for him.

yup, i thought that series was his coming out party

aside from that sweet goal he scored against the jets in the '15 playoffs, he did nothing after the detroit series

 

[Anaheim4ever]

Etem was their best player in the 2013 series against Detroit. He became my favorite player and I had such high hopes for him.

If i recall after that playoff series, he didn't even make the opening night roster the following season as though he was in Boudreau's doghouse.
Eakins would have definitely let Etem play if he was the coach then.

 

[Paul4587]

I wouldn’t say he was ever in BBs doghouse so much as he was just never that good. A couple of good games against Detroit and everybody wanted him penciled in on the first line even though he hadn’t even excelled in the AHL at that point.

He was fast and strong so was able to surprise dmen every now and then and beat them on the rush with a great burst but no other attribute he had was above average at the NHL level. His hockey IQ was non existent.

 

[Goose of Reason]

He wasn't in Boudreau's doghouse, Torres wrecked his knee in preseason and he never got back to the level he played at in that Detroit series.

 

[Paul4587]

He wasn't in Boudreau's doghouse, Torres wrecked his knee in preseason and he never got back to the level he played at in that Detroit series.

I think the hit by Torres was irrelevant in how he turned out, he only missed three games and came back just as good of a skater post injury that season. His issue was he had tunnel vision, no hockey IQ and for a fairly one dimensional goal scorer had average hands and an average shot.

 

[Terry Yake]

etem had speed going for him and that was it

everything else about him was below average

 

[Los Patos de Anaheim]

yup, i thought that series was his coming out party

aside from that sweet goal he scored against the jets in the '15 playoffs, he did nothing after the detroit series

That goal vs Winnipeg was so exciting

 

[Los Patos de Anaheim]

He was a lot Ike Max Jones is now. Honestly I think that’s a near perfect comparison. Etem was used as a penalty killer as well as Jones is

 

[JabbaJabba]

Etem was their best player in the 2013 series against Detroit. He became my favorite player and I had such high hopes for him.

I had high hopes for Etem as well based on how he performed in the WHL. He seemed like a good kid. Born in Long Beach and playing for Anaheim would have been cool thing. If I remember correctly, he was from a poor family and had to take like two busses to get to a hockey rink to train or something. Really wanted him to succeed. Last season he spent in White Mud Hockey League, which I have never heard of. He actually scored the most points in the league and his team won the championship.

 

[Terry Yake]

etem is now the HC/GM of the missoula jr bruins of the NA3HL

 

[Los Patos de Anaheim]

I had high hopes for Etem as well based on how he performed in the WHL. He seemed like a good kid. Born in Long Beach and playing for Anaheim would have been cool thing. If I remember correctly, he was from a poor family and had to take like two busses to get to a hockey rink to train or something. Really wanted him to succeed. Last season he spent in White Mud Hockey League, which I have never heard of. He actually scored the most points in the league and his team won the championship.

He had a great documentary about his journey through Roller hockey into the LA jr Kings and eventually getting drafted into the WHL. WMHL is a senior men’s league!