Anaheim Ducks: Kiefer Sherwood Should be a Line-up Regular

The 6’0″ 194 lbs. Ohio native is one of many young players to crack the Anaheim Ducks line-up this season. And with the way he has played since opening night, he has almost certainly locked down a roster spot and may make some other players expendable.

As the 2018-19′ season was looking to start many prognosticators and fans knew the Anaheim Ducks line-up would have a number of kids in it. Whether it be the plethora of injuries once again or the fact some kids have gained everything they possibly could from the lower levels they were going to be here. The likes of Sam Steel and Troy Terry were the obvious choices to be excited about and who looked most NHL ready with Max Comtois and potentially Isac Lundestrom paying dividends as well. But wouldn’t you know a month into the season and the most surprising rookie could be someone most fans didn’t even know was in the system.

Mid West to West Coast

Kiefer Sherwood, from New Albany Ohio, never strayed far from his home through his hockey career. Playing for elite teams as a kid in Ohio to then join the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL who play just two and a half hours from Sherwood’s home. Sherwood played for the Phantoms for three seasons, his final two saw him really put up good numbers as posted 88 points in 115 games. Those stats were good enough for the University of Miami, no not the one in Florida but the one in Ohio to come calling. Sherwood would suit up for the Miami Red Hawks from 2015-2018 playing this time two hours in the opposite direction of his childhood home.

Sherwood was a good player for the Red Hawks posting 18, 30 and 38 points respectively improving each season as he went. Miami is a good college hockey school, however, those stats while good, aren’t eye-popping. So he would go undrafted in college but that didn’t mean NHL teams didn’t take notice. His final season in college he was a better than a point per game player which is hard to do at any level. And that skill along with the skill and tenacity that Sherwood plays with caught the attention of a team much further away than two hours from Ohio.

Settling in on the Pond

Sherwood came to Ducks rookie camp and training camp a long shot to make the roster. With the amount of young talented guys poised to make the jump it looked as though he would get lost in the shuffle. Well, Sherwood was there opening night and has been for all but one Ducks game this season. He has moved up and down the line-up, he has come to play and made great plays every night, he already has a 2-3-5 line and maybe most impressively is a +6 on the year. That is no small feat with the way the Ducks have been playing of late and shows he is capable of scoring just as much as playing sound in his own end of the ice. And on top of it, he may be the most impressive rookie so far on the season. I will grant you saying that honor should go to Comtois but Comtois was expected to produce when he made his appearance. Sherwood wasn’t expected to necessarily perform in San Diego. And now he is doing it on hockey’s biggest stage.

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Now the likes of Steel and Terry though in San Diego will be back and this is no knock on them. Steel is there because of numbers and Terry needed to get a confidence boost which he seems to have received. But Sherwood has been as advertised all season long. He is constantly pursuing pucks, hard on the forecheck, makes fast smart decisions, and is responsible in his own end. Now with the likes of the inevitable return of Terry and Steel, though Steel is a center. And the fact the Ducks still have Ondrej Kase and Corey Perry set to return this season as well as Brian Gibbons, Ben Street and Lundestrom on top of a plethora of other wings something will need to give.

The way Sherwood has played it should make the likes of Ben Street and Brian Gibbons expendable. Gibbons hasn’t done much but be fast at times and yes while Street has been a heartwarming story and I have nothing against him, he is an average 4th line player nothing more. I know fans have fallen for him just like Derek Grant last year, but he is not needed when everyone is back. If there is a choice between he and Sherwood it will be Sherwood every time for a multitude of reasons.

It wouldn’t be surprising if at some point Sherwood struggles, all players go through that especially young ones. But the experience he is gaining now is vital and will be huge for the Ducks going forward. His style of play is perfectly suited for the post-season and he has the skill set an make-up of that clutch playoff performer that no one sees coming. And if the Ducks can figure their stuff out enough to get there, Sherwood could be a vital piece of a deep playoff run.