This summer marks the 25th anniversary of the Anaheim Ducks organization. To commemorate, Pucks of a Feather will bring our readers the best of the franchise all season long.
The Anaheim Ducks are set to take part in their 25th Entry Draft later this month. I wanted to take a look back at the best draft classes in the Ducks quarter-century history. Teams are built through the draft more than anywhere else.
The Ducks are a classic example of how to build from within. They have four picks in the first three rounds this year, we can only hope the 2018 Draft can be added to this list one day.
Honorable Mention: 1993, 2016 Entry Drafts
It would be remiss to not have the 1993 Entry Draft on here since the Ducks found the original face of their franchise. Paul Kariya was the leader of their team every second he sported the Wildwing masked jersey. No one could have asked more from a 1st round pick, captain, and player.
Kariya made an impact from the second he stepped on the ice and led the Ducks to their first Western Conference Crown and all the way to the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals. It’s marvelous that he’s back in the hockey world and around the team again and I for one am hoping the Ducks will raise his #9 to the rafters this season.
2016 also deserves to be included here. Picks such as Max Jones, Sam Steel, Josh Mahura, and Jack Kopacka show immense potential. All of these prospects have yet to make a name for themselves in the NHL, but they have been lighting up Juniors. They should arrive in Anaheim in the next few years. Only time will tell if they’ll be added to the list in the future. As of now, it looks like this group could potentially usurp number one on this list.