:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61564803/2984077.jpg.1538065646.jpg)
In celebration of the Anaheim Ducks’ 25th anniversary, Anaheim Calling is ranking the 25 top Ducks of all time.
Honorable Mentions and No. 25-21
No. 10-8: Thursday, Sept. 27
No. 7-6: Friday, Sept. 28
No. 5: Saturday, Sept. 29
No. 4: Sunday, Sept. 30
No. 3: Monday, Oct. 1
No. 2: Tuesday, Oct. 2
No. 1: Wednesday, Oct. 1
Number 10: Steve Rucchin
While known by most longtime Ducks fans, Rucchin is the unsung hero of the deadly Paul Kariya-Teemu Selanne combo.
Taken 2nd overall in the 1994 Supplemental Draft by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, the University of Western Ontario centerman was one of the most critical pieces of arguably the Ducks greatest offensive line in franchise history.
As the pivot for Kariya and Selanne, Rucchin put up 4 consecutive seasons of 50+ points from 1996-2000, effectively driving play for the speedy and relentless counterattack of the Mighty Ducks top line.
Rucchin was also an essential piece of the Anaheim’s 2003 Cinderella Finals run, scoring 10 points in 19 games during the playoffs that year.
Number 9: Francois Beauchemin
You probably wouldn’t expect a guy who had 3 separate stints with a single team to be one of the greatest players a franchise has ever had.
Yet, that’s exactly the case with defenseman Francois Beauchemin.
Drafted 76th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 1998, Beauchemin made his debut for the Habs in 2003 playing in just one game. This is the entire extent of his career in Montreal, as he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets after success with the Canadiens AHL affiliate. He played 11 games with Columbus following the 2004-2005 lockout before being traded to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim with Tyler Wright in exchange for Sergei Federov.
Beauch immediately began producing for Anaheim in a top four role and was a significant contributor to the Ducks 2007 Stanley Cup win in what would come to be one of the greatest trades in the history of the Ducks franchise.
He left as a UFA in 2009 for Toronto before being traded back to Anaheim in 2011 where he would play until 2015. Having moderate success with the Colorado Avalanche in 2016, Beauchemin was bought out before the 2017-2018 season, where he returned to Anaheim for his retirement tour.
Beauchemin ranks 7th in games played overall, 10th in assists overall, and is in the top 5 Ducks defensemen for most of the franchise leaderboards.
Number 8: Bobby Ryan
Bobby Ryan was the Ducks consolation prize in the Sidney Crosby sweepstakes of the 2005 Entry Level Draft. Anaheim had the 2nd best odds for the number one overall pick behind the Pittsburgh Penguins in a draft that was very similar to the 2015 Draft featuring a solidified top 2 picks in Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel.
Ryan made his debut with the Ducks in the 2007-2008 season, but bounced up and down between the AHL and NHL clubs for 2 seasons, mostly due to the salary cap issues as a consequence of icing a Stanley Cup-winning team. When he was called up for good, he set the Ducks rookie points record with 46 points in 2009.
Ryan would spend most of the next 5 seasons as part of one of the most lethal scoring lines in the NHL alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry with chemistry not seen on the team since the Kariya-Rucchin-Selanne line. A model of goal-scoring consistency, he had 4 straight years of 30+ goals, joining Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya, and Corey Perry as the only Ducks to achieve that feat.
Unfortunately, Ryan played himself out of Anaheim as the signing of Getzlaf and Perry to long term deals meant that a trade needed to be made. On July 13th, 2013, Ryan was traded to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Jakob Silfverberg, Stefan Noesen, and a 1st round pick in the 2014 Draft (10th overall).
Ryan currently ranks 6th all-time in goals and points, and 7th in power play goals for the franchise.