Introduction
Emerson Albert Spratlen Etem (born June 16, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey right winger currently playing with the San Diego Gulls in the American Hockey League while in his second tenure for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally selected in the first round, 29th overall, by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He has also played for the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks.
Early life and family
Etem comes from a family where rowing is very popular, and his African-American mother Patricia made the U.S. Olympic rowing team, though due to the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott, did not participate at the 1980 Games in Moscow. Continuing with his family's rowing tradition, Emerson's elder brother Martin rowed four years for Syracuse University where he was team captain his senior year. After graduation he became an elite rower who trained to compete for the U.S. National Rowing Team, and he placed third in the men's double in the Olympic trials prior to the London Olympic Games. Emerson has an older sister Elise who also has had a successful athletic career. She was nationally ranked in the butterfly from age 10 and was Wilson High School's Most Valuable Swimmer her senior year. She swam for one season at University of California, Berkeley and then walked on to the Women's Rowing team at the university ultimately becoming captain of the PAC 12 champion team her senior year.
Etem and his wife, Danette, have a son named Laulo who was born on September 30, 2016.
Playing career
Junior
Etem followed his older brother Martin into roller then ice hockey. While watching Martin play with the Long Beach Jr. Ice Dogs in the 2003 National Tier II Championship tournament, he saw Sidney Crosby lead the Shattuck-Saint Mary's Sabers to the Tier I 17 under National Championship (held concurrently at The Gardens Ice House in Laurel, Maryland). Inspired by the caliber of players, coaching and winning tradition of Sabers hockey, Etem moved to Faribault, Minnesota, at age 14 to play at Shattuck-Saint Mary's, where he led the Bantam team to a third-place finish at the Tier I 14&under 2007 National Championship at Amherst, New York, in his freshman year. As the only sophomore on the Shattuck-Saint Mary's 2007–08 Midget Minor AAA team, Etem helped the Sabers win their second consecutive Tier I 17&under National Title, the first time in the school's history.
In 2008–09, Etem then moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to play for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program (NTDP).
Etem was drafted into the Western Hockey League (WHL) 115th overall by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the 2007 Bantam Draft. While playing for Medicine Hat in 2009–10, he led all WHL rookies in goals.
Professional
Despite reaching the eighth spot in the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's rankings ahead of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Etem saw his draft day go on longer than expected; he was ultimately selected 29th overall by the Anaheim Ducks. He scored his first career NHL goal on March 18, 2013, against Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks.
On June 27, 2015, Etem, along with a second-round draft pick, was traded to the New York Rangers in exchange for Carl Hagelin and two draft picks in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. After his first training camp with the Rangers, Etem made the opening night roster for the 2015–16 season. Used as the a depth forward, Etem was unable to cement a role and in 19 games provided 3 assists. On January 8, 2016, Etem was traded by the Rangers to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Nicklas Jensen and a 6th round pick in the 2017 draft. As a result, Etem was reunited with former junior coach with Medicine Hat in Willie Desjardins. He scored his first goal as a Vancouver Canuck on February 6, 2016, against the Calgary Flames. In 39 games with the Canucks, he tallied 7 goals, 5 assists (12 points).
On June 27, 2016, Etem re-signed with the Canucks to a 1-year contract worth $775,000. However, he did not make the opening roster for the 2016–17 season and was placed on waivers at the start of the season. Etem was picked up by the Anaheim Ducks off waivers on October 13, 2016, reuniting him with the organisation that drafted him.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2008–09 | U.S. National Development Team | NAHL | 40 | 19 | 14 | 33 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 | ||
| 2009–10 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 72 | 37 | 28 | 65 | 26 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 65 | 45 | 35 | 80 | 24 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 7 | ||
| 2011–12 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 65 | 61 | 46 | 107 | 34 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 13 | ||
| 2011–12 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Norfolk Admirals | AHL | 45 | 13 | 3 | 16 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 38 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 29 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
| 2013–14 | Norfolk Admirals | AHL | 50 | 24 | 30 | 54 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 45 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Norfolk Admirals | AHL | 22 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | New York Rangers | NHL | 19 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 39 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | San Diego Gulls | AHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 173 | 22 | 24 | 46 | 30 | 23 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 14 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | United States | WJC | 03 ! |
6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2012 | United States | WJC | 7th | 6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | ||||