Looking ahead to the NHL draft, where the Ducks pick twice in the first round, the Mackenzie Liddell of the Sports Network speculates that Long Beach native Emerson Etem might be on the radar.
The allure of drafting a homegrown athlete is often too tempting to
pass up, especially if that talent is a hockey player from the sunny
state of California. That is the position the Anaheim Ducks find
themselves in heading into the draft.
Long Beach native Emerson
Etem of the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Medicine Hat Tigers is likely
on the radar of the Ducks, who own the 12th and16th picks ofPhiladelphia Flyers’ pick in the first
round.
Aside from his California roots, Etem’s ability to play
right wing or center will be an attractive ingredient for the Ducks who
will need to replenish an aging crop of secondary scorers, with Jason
Blake (36), Teemu Selanne (39) and Saku Koivu (35) all in the twilight
of their careers.
NHL Central Scouting currently ranks Etem eighth
among North American skaters, while various mock drafts have him going
anywhere from eighth to 18th.
At 6’0″, 194 pounds, Etem is an
explosive skater who handles the puck well at full speed. In his first
WHL season, Etem compiled 37 goals and 65 points in 72 games while also
chipping in another seven goals in 12 playoff games.
Prior to his
WHL debut, Etem honed his skills in the U.S. Under-17 National Team
Development Program (USNTDP) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he racked up
45 (23-22) points in 50 games.