The Anaheim Ducks were the only team to unveil a new jersey at the 2023 NHL Draft on June 28, showing off a new look that reprises the Mighty Ducks’ inaugural eggplant and jade color scheme and revamps the club’s old logos and uniforms.
The design is heavily inspired by the Ducks’ “Mighty” identity from the 1990s, utilizing a number of pieces from previous jerseys to create an entirely new look. The jersey’s design ethos follows that of the Ducks’ 25th anniversary jerseys, blending past and present into a fresh new design.
A remixed version of the ‘Wild Wing’ shoulder patches worn by the team from 1996 to 2006 graces the jersey’s crest, with the text altered to reflect the club’s current name. Anaheim’s current webbed-D logo is placed at the bottom of the roundel in order to tie the two eras together.
The jersey’s striping is the same as the Mighty Ducks’ original sweaters, albeit rotated a few degrees to a more traditional styling. The jade cuffs on the arms are also shortened and raised upwards in order to place another novel twist on a classic jersey design.
Embedded in the silver stripe on the right arm are the words “MIGHTY DUCKS OF ANAHEIM EST. 1993,” while the left arm reads “ANAHEIM DUCKS EST. 2006.” This is in reference to the team’s name change just over 15 years ago, though debossing the wording in the jersey’s silver stripes may be an homage to the champion Ducks team of 2006-07, who had their names engraved in the silver stripes of the Stanley Cup itself.
Another nod to the Ducks’ inaugural identity is tucked inside the jersey’s collar, with the word “MIGHTY” appearing in the same font as the Mighty Ducks’ inaugural wordmark. The jerseys further connect to Anaheim’s previous identity by utilizing the same nameplate and number fonts as the original Mighty Ducks jerseys.
The jerseys will not use the 30th anniversary patch unveiled by the team a few weeks ago, but will feature the same advertisement patch as the Ducks’ home and road jerseys.
If you ask me, this jersey’s got its heart in the right place but its delivery is a swing and a miss. The restrained striping patterns and inclusion of the tiny webbed-D logo in the roundel both give awkward, design-by-committee vibes. The best part of the jersey is its color scheme, which is broken up by an unsightly jersey ad. That said, I like that it’s a fresh new design rather than just a direct throwback to the old Mighty Ducks jerseys.
Anaheim will use the new jersey as their full-time alternate jersey during the 2023-24 season, replacing the club’s longstanding orange alternate for the year—just like their 25th anniversary jerseys did five years ago.
Editor’s note: For a closer look at this Ducks jersey along with all the other new stuff coming to the NHL in 2023-24, check out the latest JerseyWatch video on the Icethetics YouTube channel.
