MVN - Most Valuable Network

2008-2009 Wild Wingers Kids Club

Applications for this year’s Wild Wingers Kids Club are now being taken. The Anaheim Ducks have had the Kids Club in place for the past three years. It continues to grow in popularity.

This year the Club is sponsored by Red Robin restaurants and Ryan Getzlaf will be this year’s honorary captain. Previous captains have included Chris Kunitz, Andy McDonald and Scott and Rob Niedermayer. Price of membership remains at $20 for the year.

Membership, valued at $300, includes 1 free ticket voucher to select Anaheim Ducks games, a voucher for one free hot dog and soda, a 12-month hanging calendar, beanie, long sleeve shirt, 26 oz. water bottle, light-up slapshot shaker, and a Duck tag with membership benefits. During the year, members are invited to two parties at various locations and an annual end of the year party. Last year one of the parties included a private viewing of the Stanley Cup, newly engraved with the Ducks names, as well as the ability to see George Parros get his annual haircut for Locks of Love. The other was an exclusive watch party at the Honda Center and the opportunity to tour the locker rooms and benches.

“We’re excited about another season of the Wild Wingers Kids Club,” said the Ducks Director of Fan Development, Matt Savant. “The response from local families over the past few years reaffirms that our goals of promoting education and youth hockey in the community is taking hold.”

Last year the Kids Club reached an all-time high of 10,100 members, the most of any NHL club in the United States. It experienced a 66% growth rate from the previous year when membership totaled 6,100. Ducks players personally handed out 100’s of kits during their annual Christmas visit to the kids in CHOC (Children’s Hospital of Orange County), and many more were donated to other hospital facilities and to needy kids.

Applications have already been sent out to previous members. They can also be purchased on-line at www.wildwingerskidsclub.com , at various Wal-Mart locations in Southern California (Foothill Ranch, Laguna Niguel, Huntington Beach, Pomona and Riverside), as well as at Hockey Giant in Anaheim, Ultimate Skate at Anaheim Ice and the Ducks Team Store at the Honda Center. For more information, call 714/940-2801.

Ducks Sign Lindstrom

After acquiring winger Joakim Lindstrom from the Columbus Blue Jackets in July for a draft pick, the Ducks have announced that they have signed him to a one year contract. Lindstrom will be fighting for a spot in the line-up when training camp officially begins on September 20. Lindstrom spent most of last year in Syracuse with the AHL, but may finally get a chance to shine with the Ducks.

Ducks Rookie Camp Schedule

As reported earlier, the Ducks will hold their rookie camp at Anaheim Ice with rookies reporting on September 11. Practices open to the public are scheduled for Friday, September 12 at 4:00pm and Saturday, September 13 at 9:00am.

After the initial practices at Anaheim Ice, the rookie camp will move to Las Vegas for the remaining time, culminating in a game against the San Jose Sharks rookies on September 16 at the Orleans Arena. Tickets are now available for this game, priced at $15, $22.50 or $35 and are available at www.orleansarena.com or by calling 888/234-2334.

Featured players on Anaheim’s rookie roster include seven of ten selections from the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, including Nicolas Deschamps, Eric O’Dell, Justin Schultz, Josh Brittain, Marco Cousineau, Brandon McMillan and Stefan Warg. Also scheduled to participate are Logan MacMillan, Eric Tangradi and Maxime Macenauer. All of these players also made an appearance at the prospect camp held by the Ducks in early July.

 

Ducks Rookie Camp - September 11

The Ducks will have their rookies report to camp at Anaheim Ice on September 11. The rookies will work hard in Anaheim for the next two days before heading to Las Vegas, where they will continue their camp from September 14-17. During that time in Vegas, they will also hold an evening scrimmage on September 15 and have games with the San Jose Sharks rookies on September 16. The location will be at the Orleans arena which is located in the Orleans Hotel.

In years past, the Pacific Division has held rookie tournaments featuring rookies from the Kings, Sharks and Coyotes. Only Dallas has not participated. The host of the rookie tournament changed from year to year. This year, only the Sharks were interested in continuing games, so the format as well as the location has changed. The Kings and Coyotes will hold similar games in Glendale, Arizona, also on September 16 and 17.

While it is difficult to think of Las Vegas as a hockey hotbed, and keeping ice conditions there must be a phenomenal challenge, Vegas is home to the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL. If nothing else, sitting in a cool ice rink is a refreshing change from the desert heat, which is relentless in the summer.

“We would like to expand this, Burke said. “Our goal in going to Vegas is to turn this into a tournament, on a permanent basis, for as many as six teams.” For now, it is two teams, Ducks and Sharks, and an opportunity to watch the rookies in action before the big boys start their training camp later in September.

Rookies expected to be at training camp include Logan MacMillan, Eric Tangradi and Maxime Macenauer. Nicolas Deschamps, Eric O’Dell, Josh Brittain, Brandon McMillan and Marco Cousineau, all drafted this past June, also participated in the Ducks prospects camp in July. Stefan Warg, Stu Bickel, Jason Bailey and John DeGray are also expected to participate.

Ducks veterans are scheduled to report to training camp Sept. 19 and practice for the first time Sept. 20 at Anaheim Ice. Many of the rookies participating in this camp will also be asked to attend the main training camp and possibly earn a position on next year’s team.