With the Anaheim Ducks celebrating their 30th anniversary this season, now is the perfect time to look back. In the last 30 years, the Ducks have made history — from the Disney days to winning the first Stanley Cup in California and the decade of contention that followed – and now is the time to look back at the players that made these moments possible.
Related: Anaheim Ducks: Counting Down the 30 Greatest Moments (5-1)
After counting down the 30 most memorable moments in Ducks history, we’re going to look at the 30 greatest players in franchise history. This list is subjective, and judging across eras is obviously an inexact science. This first segment will feature players 30-21, with future entries being done in smaller groups. The final group of players will be revealed before Anaheim’s opening night on Sunday, Oct. 15.
30. Josh Manson
Josh Manson was drafted by the Ducks in the sixth round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. The 6-foot-3 defenseman played his way onto the roster by the end of the 2014-15 season and was a quality top-four option in his eight seasons with the Ducks. For several years, he and Hampus Lindholm formed the team’s top pairing, and a 37-point campaign in 2017-18 even garnered him some Norris Trophy votes.
One of Manson’s most endearing qualities was his defense of teammates. In a late-season game against the Calgary Flames in 2017, Mark Giordano collided with Cam Fowler’s knee, leading to Fowler being helped off the ice. The Honda Center crowd was frustrated to see Anaheim’s eventual first-round opponent taking runs in a regular season game, and Manson answered their call. He got into a fight and clearly got the best of Giordano, much to the delight of the crowd. The game devolved into a series of line brawls after this, but the point was already made – it’s a bad idea to hurt someone on Manson’s team.
Manson was traded to the Colorado Avalanche prior to the 2022 Trade Deadline. He scored 113 points and registered 1,083 hits in 453 games in Anaheim.
29. Oleg Tverdovsky
Oleg Tverdovsky had a fascinating career in Anaheim. The Mighty Ducks selected him second overall in 1994, making him the highest-picked player in their brief history (he’ll eventually be joined by Bobby Ryan and Leo Carlsson in this capacity). He played in 87 games for Anaheim before being involved in the blockbuster trade with the Winnipeg Jets that saw Teemu Selanne arrive in Southern California.
After another three years in the Winnipeg/Phoenix organization, Tverdovsky returned to the Mighty Ducks for the 1999-00 campaign. He put together a string of solid seasons, averaging north of 23 minutes per game and receiving Norris votes in 2000 and 2001. After the 2001-02 season, he was traded to the New Jersey Devils in a package that included Petr Sykora. While Anaheim was able to leverage him in packages that brought in high-profile players, Tverdovsky won a Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2003. He finished his career with 173 points in 324 games in Anaheim.
28. Ryan Kesler
Ryan Kesler was acquired by the Ducks in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks during the 2014 offseason. He had developed a reputation as a high-end two-way center in Vancouver, and he didn’t miss a beat in Anaheim even as he entered his 30s. Kesler was essentially Anaheim’s second top-line center after Ryan Getzlaf and acted as a defensive specialist in specific matchups.
Kesler had a lot to do with Anaheim’s status as a contender during the mid-2010s. His shutdown line with Jakob Silfverberg and Andrew Cogliano was responsible for keeping Connor McDavid in check in their 2017 playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers. The 32-year-old Kesler gave it everything against the 20-year-old phenom, limiting McDavid to five points in the seven-game series. He didn’t earn many fans outside of his team’s fanbase because of his edgy play that often teetered on pestering. Oilers fans already had gripes with how he was handling McDavid, but his role as Cam Talbot’s potential interferer during the Comeback on Katella only added gasoline to the fire.
Kesler underwent major surgery on his hip after the 2017 postseason. He appeared in 104 games over the next two seasons, just enough to play 1,000 games, before spending the duration of his contract on long-term injured reserve.
27. Travis Moen
Even though Travis Moen didn’t have the longest tenure in Anaheim, he was a key player during a pivotal time for the franchise. Moen was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2005 offseason. After a modest 39 games in his first year in Anaheim, he appeared in all 82 games in 2006-07 and was on the team’s shutdown line with Samuel Pahlsson and Rob Niedermayer in the postseason. In addition to his defensive responsibilities, he added 12 points in 21 playoff games, including the eventual Cup-clinching goal in Game 5 of the Final against the Ottawa Senators.
Moen scored only 45 points in 261 regular season games with the Ducks but upped his scoring rate to 15 points in 36 playoff games.
26. Samuel Pahlsson
Another member of Randy Carlyle’s shutdown line in 2007, Samuel Pahlsson was another key contributor for Anaheim throughout the 2000s. The former seventh-round pick was acquired from the Boston Bruins during his rookie season in 2000-01 and appeared in 59 games for the Ducks in his first year. Despite falling out of favor, he played his way onto the roster permanently in the latter stages of the 2002-03 season, just in time for the Ducks’ surprise run to the Stanley Cup Final (from ‘Pahlsson Will Stay Cautious,’ Los Angeles Times, Feb. 21, 2003).
Pahlsson was never much of an offensive threat, but his exceptional defensive play earned him some Selke Trophy consideration, including a second-place finish in 2007 after a career-high 26 points.
25. Trevor Zegras
It’s difficult to find the right place to put Trevor Zegras. He’s only 22 years old and has only 180 NHL games under his belt, but his brief time has revealed him to be one of the most talented players to enter the organization. With a full career in Anaheim, there’s little doubt he’d make his way into the Mount Rushmore conversation of greatest Ducks players.
Even though he’ll finish his career better than the 25th greatest player on the Ducks, what he has accomplished so far justifies his spot on the list today. His highlight-reel goals have helped keep the Ducks somewhat entertaining during their multi-year rebuild.
24. Petr Sykora
Acquired in the previously mentioned second Tverkovsky trade, Petr Sykora arrived in Anaheim and scored one of the franchise’s most iconic goals in his first year. In Game 1 of the second round of the 2003 Playoffs, the Ducks and Dallas Stars were locked in a five-overtime marathon. In the opening minute of the eighth period of play that evening, Adam Oates found Sykora in the slot and the Czech buried the puck to end the fifth-longest game in NHL history.
Sykora’s brief stint in Anaheim lasted three seasons, registering 131 points in 197 games. He was traded to the New York Rangers in 2006.
23. Chris Kunitz
While he may be better remembered as a Pittsburgh Penguin, Chris Kunitz started his career in the eggplant and jade during the 2003-04 season. His production in Anaheim peaked in 2006-07, where he scored 60 points in the regular season, as well as an additional six points in the postseason to help the Ducks capture their first Stanley Cup.
Kunitz’s tenure with the Ducks is a testament to perseverance. Anaheim signed him in 2003 after going undrafted only to be placed on waivers after 21 games. The Atlanta Thrashers claimed him, and he appeared in two games for them before being placed on waivers once again. Anaheim claimed him back, and he stayed in Southern California for four productive seasons. He was sent to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Ryan Whitney during the 2009 Trade Deadline, where he went on to be a favorite linemate of Sidney Crosby.
22. Andrew Cogliano
While he wasn’t the most frequent contributor to the scoring column, Andrew Cogliano endeared himself to Ducks fans as a hard-working winger on a shutdown line.
Through most of his tenure in Anaheim, Cogliano was the league’s active iron man having appeared in 830 consecutive games. His quest to reach Doug Jarvis’ record of 964 games was cut short after he was suspended for committing an interference penalty on the Los Angeles Kings’ Adrian Kempe. His return to the lineup fittingly came against the Kings, and he was met with many of the Honda Center faithful waving signs reading “831.” He recorded an assist on the game-winning goal and was named the third star of the night.
21. Jonas Hiller
As fondly as Jonas Hiller is remembered, the “what could have been” would have had him so much higher on this list. He had the unenvious task of being the guy to replace franchise darling Jean-Sebastian Giguere in net. He made his first appearance for the Ducks during the 2007-08 season and performed admirably as a backup, slowly eating into Giguere’s starts. He eventually got the nod as the starter heading into the 2009 postseason.
Hiller’s domination of the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the 2009 Playoffs ensured it was his net to keep. He frustrated the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Sharks, posting two shutouts and a .957 save percentage as the Ducks won the series in six games.
Hiller’s star continued to rise during the 2010-11 season. He was a serious Vezina contender when he was invited to the 2011 All-Star Game. However, a head injury during the exhibition game left him dealing with vertigo symptoms which derailed his season. After never getting back to his pre-injury form, he eventually lost the net to the young nucleus of Frederick Andersen and John Gibson. His ranks among goaltenders in Anaheim include second in save percentage (.916), third in goals against average (2.51), and fourth in shutouts (21).
Our countdown of best players in Ducks franchise history will break into the top-20 next week, including one of Hiller’s eventual successors.
