Jamie Drysdale recently made the switch from his rookie number 34 to the number 6 with Anaheim. Let’s explore the history of his new number with the Anaheim Ducks.
Sean Hill (D)
Time with the Ducks: 1994
GP: 68
G: 7
A: 20
PTS: 27
PIM: 78
We would not call Sean Hill a household name among Ducks fans, however many of the original die hards know the truth. Hill was the man who scored the first ever #AnaheimDucksGoooaaalll in franchise history while on the power play in the second period of Anaheim’s inaugural game vs Detroit on October 8th, 1993. We will not talk about the final score of that game. He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 8th Round (167th Overall) in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft.
Don McSween (D)
Time with the Ducks: 1993-96
GP: 38
G: 3
A: 9
PTS: 12
PIM: 43
McSween was defenseman drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in Round 8 (154 Overall) in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. He went on to explore the various other lower hockey leagues in the United States and Canada after his tenure with Anaheim.
Doug Houda (D)
Time with the Ducks: 1998
GP: 24
G: 1
A: 2
PTS: 3
PIM: 52
Houda was a defenseman drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2nd Round (28th overall) in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. Houda went on to become an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins, Rochester Americans (AHL), Detroit Red Wings, and has since been hired by the New York Islanders to coach under Lane Lambert.
Vitaly Vishnevski (D)
Time with the Ducks: 1999-2006
GP: 416
G: 11
A: 37
PTS: 47
PIM: 403
Vishnevski was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the 1st round (5th overall) in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. Vishnevski was one of my personal favorite players growing up. He has a large number of videos listed on HockeyFights.com if thats what you’re into. He went on to play for a number of NHL teams before moving back home to Russia to play in the KHL. He struggled with the timing of retirement not unlike Teemu Selanne but did eventually make the decision in 2018.
Jason Marshall (D)
Time with the Ducks: 1994-2000, 2000-01, 2005-06
GP: 370
G: 8
A: 34
PTS: 42
PIM: 740
Marshall was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the 1st round (9th overall) in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. This man loved Anaheim so much he kept on coming back; he left or was traded twice but made his return twice as well and even retired with Anaheim. Marshall retired from the NHL in 2006 and went on to attend CalPoly to earn his degree in architecture.
Nathan McIver (D)
Time with the Ducks: 2008-09
GP: 18
G: 0
A: 1
PTS: 1
PIM: 36
McIver was a stay-at-home defenseman drafted by the Vancouver Canucks at number 254 in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. McIver retired after one year in the Elite Ice Hockey league with the Braehead Clan in 2016. He went on to become an assistant coach with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League and then joined the Newfoundland Growlers in 2021.
Kurtis Foster (D)
Time with the Ducks: 2012
GP: 9
G: 1
A: 1
PTS: 2
PIM: 8
Foster was a defenseman drafted 40th overall by the Calgary Flames in 2000. He was actually signed on to play with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the locked out 2004-05 season so he played that year with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks and even helped them reach the playoffs that season. These days, Foster is an assistant coach for the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League.
Ben Lovejoy (D)
Time with the Ducks: 2012-13, 2014
GP: 150
G: 6
A: 33
PTS: 39
PIM: 85
Lovejoy went undrafted but played for Boston College (NCAA) and Dartmouth College (ECAC) before staring his professional career with the Norfolk Admirals. He worked his way up to become a Stanley Cup Champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016. In 2017, Lovejoy announced he would be donating his brain to concussion research efforts thus becoming the first NHL Player to make this commitment. He officially retired in 2019 with the Dallas Stars after being traded there late in the 2018-19 season.
Simon Despres (D)
Time with the Ducks: 2015-17
GP: 49
G: 1
A: 9
PTS: 10
PIM: 30
Despres Was drafted 30th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He was on the bad end of an illegal hit from Colorado’s Tyson Barrie and ended up with a severe concussion, resulting in further health issues down the line. In 2017, the Ducks opted to buy him out due to the uncertainty surrounding his health. He is currently a member of Eisbaren Berlin of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) in Germany.
Erik Gudbranson (D)
Time with the Ducks: 2019-20
GP: 44
G: 4
A: 5
PTS: 9
PIM: 91
Gudbranson was drafted 3rd overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He matched his career high in goals with Anaheim after netting 4 in 44 games before the season was paused due to Covid. Gudbranson is an active support of the Canadian Blood Services and stem cell donation due to his younger brother Dennis’s battle with leukemia.
I make this comparison as hope that perhaps Jamie Drysdale can claim the number 6 in Anaheim not unlike Teemu did with the number 8 or Getzlaf with the number 15. He certainly has the potential to accomplish this rather daunting task.
