Saskatoon's Roger McQueen receives Disney welcome from Anaheim Ducks at 2025 NHL Draft

4 day_ago 12

Saskatchewan·New

The Anaheim Ducks welcomed first-round draught prime Roger McQueen successful afloat Disney fashion.

McQueen was picked successful the 1st round, 10th overall

Aliyah Marko-Omene · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 30, 2025 7:48 PM EDT | Last Updated: 21 minutes ago

Roger McQueen stands adjacent to his 2 sisters, parent and begetter successful the lobby of the Ritz Carleton edifice successful Los Angeles.

The Anaheim Ducks are embracing the sanction of their first-round prime successful the 2025 NHL Draft — Saskatoon's Roger McQueen.

After drafting the 6'5" 18-year-old McQueen 10th overall, the team presented him with a jersey numbered 95 — a tribute to the beloved Disney quality Lighting McQueen.

For his part, McQueen acknowledged their shared sanction by utilizing the song Life Is A Highway, by Rascal Flatts, as helium walked to the stage.

"His sisters Audrey and Cora thought that would beryllium truly cool," McQueen's begetter Scott said astir the opus prime Monday.

After the draft, McQueen was flown to Disneyland. It was a full-circle infinitesimal for the family, who visited the amusement parkland a mates days prior.

"We thought, like, beatified crap, what if helium gets drafted by Anaheim? And, you know, possibly we'll get a beingness walk to Disneyland," Scott joked.

Roger McQueen is wearing a reddish Anaheim Ducks jersey arsenic helium stands adjacent to a metallic railing connected a chopper pad astatine the Ritz-Carlton edifice successful Los Angeles.

The hype surrounding McQueen's past sanction seems to person lone conscionable begun. A TikTok video from the NHL of McQueen being picked for the Anaheim Ducks has already racked up implicit 1.4 cardinal views.

Scott said helium ne'er expected the transportation to Disney would beryllium arsenic large arsenic it has, but "social media is brainsick present and everything conscionable fires up and past it conscionable explodes."

At the aforesaid time, helium said each the attraction comes with added unit for McQueen arsenic helium steps into his caller relation connected the Ducks.

"I deliberation everybody benignant of wants to alert nether the radar and you know, and conscionable play," said Scott. "He wants to beryllium himself arsenic a subordinate and not truthful much, you know, arsenic a Disney character."

Scott recovered retired his lad was going to beryllium drafted to the Ducks astir "20 seconds" earlier his sanction was called. He said it was a precise arrogant infinitesimal for the family.

"It's hard to power your emotions," said Scott. "We each played hockey arsenic kids and it's antithetic erstwhile you're a subordinate than it is erstwhile you're a parent. You know, seeing your kids execute thing is rather emotional."

McQueen has played 4 seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings successful the WHL. Last year, his play was chopped abbreviated owed to a fracture successful his back, but helium managed 10 goals and 10 assists.

He volition officially articulation the Anaheim Ducks astatine improvement campy this autumn and effort to gain a spot connected the roster.

"Now there's a batch much enactment to bash to really play successful the NHL," McQueen said. "It's benignant of wherever the enactment starts."

He said he's excited astir the franchise's future.

"It's specified a bully squad to get drafted to," McQueen told CBC on Sunday. "They've got specified a bully young core. And I mean each the coaching staff, and supporting unit and improvement unit that I met person been phenomenal."