Ducks Sign Davidsson After Four-Year Wait

Four years after drafting him, the Mighty Ducks finally signed Swedish center Johan Davidsson on Monday.

“One-hundred and one phone calls later . . . “ said David McNab, Duck assistant general manager, of at last completing a two-year contract with Davidsson. “The way I look at it, it really was the right time to get it done.”

The Ducks drafted Davidsson in the second round of the 1994 draft, then waited impatiently while he played four seasons in leagues in Finland and Sweden. Past attempts to sign Davidsson failed for one reason or another, most relating to his desire to continue honing his skills in Europe.

Davidsson had 10 goals and 40 points in 43 games and was the second-leading scorer for his Finnish club team, HIFK Helsinki, last season.

Davidsson, 22, was 5 feet 11 and 170 pounds when he was drafted. Now, he’s 6-1 and 190.

“He’s ready to come over,” McNab said.

But McNab couldn’t say whether Davidsson will play in the NHL next season or spend the year with the Ducks’ minor league affiliate at Cincinnati.

Steve Rucchin centers the Ducks’ top line with Paul Kariya on left wing and Teemu Selanne on right wing. Second-year player Matt Cullen is expected to center the second line. Davidsson, Josef Marha and Ted Drury are among those competing for spots on the third and fourth lines.

The Ducks haven’t had the best of luck with their recent European imports. They signed Norwegian center Espen Knutsen to a contract last summer, but he failed to produce offensively for the Ducks and spent the second half of the season in Cincinnati.

“He’s always been better than [Knutsen],” McNab said of Davidsson. “He’s a much higher-caliber forward than Espen.”