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Tuesday, September 5
Updated: September 7, 2:08 PM ET
 
Digging deep for production

By Charles Avellino
Special to ESPN.com

 
CAMP AT A GLANCE
 Paul Kariya
There's a lot of pressure on Paul Kariya to produce.
  Coach: Craig Hartsburg
'99-00 record: 34-36-12
Camp location: Disney Ice (Anaheim, Calif.)
Report date: Sept. 9

Preseason schedule:
Sept. 16: at San Jose
Sept. 17: at Los Angeles
Sept. 18: Phoenix
Sept. 20: Minnesota
Sept. 22: Los Angeles
Sept. 24: San Jose
Sept. 29: at Minnesota
Sept. 30: at Phoenix

It's the same old story with these Ducks year after year. They rely on Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne -- and some top-flight goaltending from Guy Hebert -- to get them to the playoffs. The only problem is, if any of those three players has an off-year, the Ducks don't go anywhere ... like last season.

Here's a look at the rest of Anaheim's training camp.

Big question: Selanne to rebound?
The Finnish Flash scored scored 33 goals -- his lowest total since the lockout shortened season of 1994-95 when he netted 22 goals in 34 fewer games. Remember, there is very little margin for error in Anaheim. If Selanne is not clicking on all cylinders in '00-01, the Ducks will miss the playoffs again -- and coach Craig Hartsburg could be looking for employment elsewhere.

Biggest position battle: No. 1 center
With German Titov added to the mix, three players will battle for the honor of centering Kariya and Selanne. Prior to last season, Steve Rucchin held the job, but injuries and lack of production forced Hartsburg to move Matt Cullen into the role. Titov, Rucchin and Cullen will all get a crack at it in training camp.

If Rucchin wins his old job back, all is not lost. In fact, Titov will give the Mighty Ducks something they have been lacking since entering the NHL in '93-94 -- a legitimate second-line center.

Future watch
Here, ESPN.com looks at one or two young players who could make an impact, either now or in the future.

Vitaly Vishnevski (Defense):
The native of Kharkov, Russia was Anaheim's first choice (fifth overall) in '98 because of his solid defensive play. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder likes the physical game, as well. The Ducks hope that Vishnevski can further develop his offensive skills in order to lay claim to an NHL job. The youngster did see limited action with Anaheim last season, scoring a goal and an assist in 31 games.

Training camp roster
Goaltenders: Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Guy Hebert, Gregg Naumenko, Dominic Roussel.

Defensemen: Justin Harvey, Niclas Havelid, Dean Malkoc, Jason Marshall, Antti-Jussi Niemi, Chris O'Sullivan, Peter Podhradsky, Ruslan Salei, Patrick Traverse, Pavel Trnka, Oleg Tverdovsky, Vitaly Vishnevski.

Left wings: Maxim Balmochnykh, Paul Kariya, Mike Leclerc, Jay Legault, Marty McInnis, Maxim Rybin, Kevin Sawyer.

Centers: Antti Aalto, Marc Chouinard, Matt Cullen, Torry DiRoberto, Tony Hrkac, Andy McDonald, Steve Rucchin, Jarrett Smith, German Titov, Bob Wren.

Right wings: Dan Bylsma, Jim Cummins, Ladislav Kohn, Jonas Ronnqvist, Teemu Selanne, Petr Tenkrat.

Charles Avellino is a lead NHL researcher at ESPN.





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