Ducks Hope to Get Maximum Scoring by Signing Prospect

The Mighty Ducks introduced a fuzzy-cheeked, goal-scoring phenom during a press conference Thursday afternoon, but his name wasn’t Paul Kariya.

Maxim Bets, 20, signed a three-year contract believed to be worth about $325,000 per year. Bets, of Chelyabinsk, Russia, had 116 points (46 goals and 70 assists) in 63 games this season for Spokane of the Western Hockey League.

He was acquired in the March 21 trade that sent defenseman Alexei Kasatonov to St. Louis.

“The reason we made the deal was that we could have got a third-round pick from Pittsburgh, but we couldn’t get a player as good as Max,” Duck General Manager Jack Ferreira said. “He was one of the guys we had rated in the top 25 going into last year’s entry draft.”

With the Kariya contract talks apparently stalled at least until the World Championships April 25-May 8 in Italy, the Ducks worked quickly to get Bets into the fold.

Ferreira liked what he saw of Bets--the WHL rookie of the year in 1992-93 and a teammate of unsigned draft pick Valeri Karpov with Traktor Chelyabinsk in 1991-92--during a scouting trip to Spokane earlier this week.

“The way we look at it, from the blue line in he really has a nose for the net,” Ferreira said. “Whether or not he’s ready (to play in the NHL) in September we’ll have to see.”

The Ducks plan to have Bets practice with the team and travel on next week’s three-game trip to Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Whether he plays is up to Coach Ron Wilson, who will evaluate Bets’ progress. It’s then likely he’ll join the San Diego Gulls for the International Hockey League playoffs.