Edging Into the Spotlight

Garrett Burnett and Cam Severson have drawn far less attention through much of the Mighty Ducks’ training camp. With Sergei Fedorov and Vaclav Prospal around, there has been little spotlight left for two blue-collar workers.

But Burnett and Severson will fill vital roles this season.

Burnett, a mountain of a left winger, probably will handle the enforcer role. Severson appears to have a spot on the fourth line and will handle some of the rough-housing as well.

“This was the first time in five or six years that I felt I had a chance to make an NHL team,” said Burnett, who played at Hartford in the American Hockey League last season.

Burnett replaces Kevin Sawyer, who suffered a concussion last December and will sit out this season. He displayed his skills against Florida on Friday, winning three fights and picking up a game misconduct penalty.

He is hardly new to this role. He had six goals and 346 penalty minutes with Hartford last season -- a hefty number but well short of his 506 minutes with Kentucky in 1999-2000.

“There is more to this role than just fighting,” said Burnett. “You have to be a good guy in the dressing room, and you have to play smart.”

Severson got a taste of the NHL late last season, when he was recalled from the Ducks’ minor league team in Cincinnati. He played two games at the end of the regular season and one in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Watching free skaters such as Paul Kariya and Petr Sykora was fine. But being a meat and potatoes player, Severson learned more from Sawyer, who also had kicked around the minor leagues before making the Ducks in 2001-02.

“I learned a lot from Kevin,” said Severson, who scored 11 goals with Cincinnati last season. “I saw how hard he worked off the ice, and I knew how hard he worked to earn a spot on the team.

“[Coach Mike Babcock] told me my skating needed to be better. So I got a personal skating coach and we worked out all summer. You didn’t have to do the math to see that there was a job I could win this year.”