It’s hard to believe it’s been more than 30 years since Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) helped turn around a struggling peewee hockey team. Critics didn’t exactly love The Mighty Ducks (1992) at the time, but audiences flocked to theaters to watch the charming underdog story unfold, leading to multiple sequels, TV shows, and a real-life Anaheim hockey team.
So what have Estevez and his pint-sized costars been up to since 1992? It’s time to check in with the original cast of The Mighty Ducks, many of whom have led fascinating careers into adulthood.
01 of 11
Emilio Estevez (Gordon Bombay)
Emilio Estevez as Gordon Bombay in ‘The Mighty Ducks’; Emilio Estevez attends the Santa Barbara Wine Auction 2014: A Benefit for Direct Relief at Bacara Resort & Spa on Feb. 22, 2014, in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Credit: Disney; Amy Graves/Getty Images
Emilio Estevez plays Gordon Bombay, the arrogant defense attorney who, after a night of celebratory drinking, gets slapped with a DUI and sentenced to community service: coaching a peewee hockey team.
The ’80s Brat Pack alum went on to lead the Mighty Ducks sequels — D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994) and D3: The Mighty Ducks (1996) — star in a few TV movies, and guest on The West Wing (with father Martin Sheen) and Two and a Half Men (with brother Charlie Sheen). In 2006, he directed and starred in the feature film Bobby (he also carved out a niche as a television director), and, in 2010, he played alongside his father again in The Way. Estevez is set to direct The Way: Chapter 2, as well as a threequel to the Western Young Guns (1988), in which he and some of his former ‘80s costars are expected to star.
Estevez reprised his role of Gordon Bombay in the first season of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, a Disney+ original series that follows the Ducks film trilogy.
02 of 11
Joshua Jackson (Charlie Conway)
Joshua Jackson as Charlie Conway in ‘The Mighty Ducks’; Joshua Jackson attends Virginia Black’s Summer Sixteen party at the Nice Guy Restaurant on Sept. 29, 2016, in Los Angeles, Calif
Credit: Disney; Earl Gibson III/Getty Images
Charlie is the wholesome heart of the Mighty Ducks team. He refuses to cheat, and, at the beginning of the film, stands up to Gordon, who slowly becomes more of a father figure to Charlie and gives him the confidence to take the championship-winning shot.
Joshua Jackson has had a robust career in TV and film since playing Charlie all those years ago. Most notably, Jackson starred as Pacey Witter on Dawson’s Creek from 1998 to 2003, Peter Bishop on Fringe from 2008 to 2013, and Cole Lockhart on The Affair from 2014 to 2018. He also appeared in Netflix’s When They See Us and Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere.
Jackson made his Broadway debut in 2017, leading the revival of Children of a Lesser God. In 2021, Jackson starred in the true crime podcast–turned–Peacock series thriller Dr. Death as a spinal surgeon who doesn’t quite follow the whole “First, do no harm” aspect of the Hippocratic oath. He followed this up with a starring role in the Paramount+ miniseries remake of Fatal Attraction and on the ABC cruise ship/medical procedural Doctor Odyssey.
Jackson was married to Jodie Turner-Smith from 2019 to 2025; they have a daughter together.
03 of 11
Elden Henson (Fulton Reed)
Elden Henson as Fulton Reed in ‘The Mighty Ducks’; Elden Henson arrives for the Netflix premiere of Marvel’s ‘The Defenders’ on July 31, 2017, in New York
Credit: Disney; Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images
Fulton Reed, played by Elden Henson, is a tough outsider who reluctantly joins the Mighty Ducks after slap-shotting a puck through Gordon’s van window.
Henson went on to play smaller roles in She’s All That (1999), Cast Away (2000), and Dumb and Dumberer (2003). He also played the mute character Pollux in both Hunger Games: Mockingjay movies and Duke Burkhart in Killers of the Flower Moon (2023).
Henson starred as Foggy Nelson on Marvel’s Daredevil, The Defenders, and Daredevil: Born Again, with appearances on Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. He had a guest spot on The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, reprising his role from the films.
04 of 11
Shaun Weiss (Greg Goldberg)
Shaun Weiss as Greg Goldberg in ‘The Mighty Ducks’; Shaun Weiss attends day 2 of the Chiller Theater Expo at Sheraton Parsippany Hotel on April 25, 2015, in Parsippany, N.J
Credit: Disney; Bobby Bank/WireImage
Food lover and serial farter Greg served as the Mighty Ducks’ goalie, but was terrified of being hit by pucks. With the help of Gordon and his team, he is able to overcome his fear and help get the Ducks to the championship.
Shaun Weiss, who portrays Greg in the movie, also starred in the Disney movie Heavyweights and booked roles on the TV series Mr. Rhodes, The Tony Danza Show, and Freaks and Geeks. Since those ’90s titles, he has mainly played small roles in B comedies.
In August 2017, Weiss was arrested for alleged possession of methamphetamine, and, in January 2020, he was arrested again for residential burglary and being under the influence of a controlled substance, allegedly methamphetamine. In January 2022, Weiss celebrated two years of being sober. He also appeared in the 2023 Christian film Jesus Revolution, 2024’s Huggin Molly, and 2025’s Deformelody: An American Nightmare.
Weiss hit the ice in 2024 for the first time in 28 years, sharing a picture of himself in a hockey helmet on Instagram.
05 of 11
Marguerite Moreau (Connie Moreau)
Marguerite Moreau as Connie Moreau in ‘The Mighty Ducks’; Marguerite Moreau attends the premiere of Netflix’s ‘The Do Over’ at the Regal LA Live Stadium 14 on May 16, 2016, in Los Angeles, Calif.
Credit: Disney; Michael Boardman/WireImage
Connie, or as her teammates referred to her, “the Velvet Hammer,” was one of the few women players on the Mighty Ducks — and she was proud of it.
Marguerite Moreau (who shares a last name with her character) plays the kind but tough hockey player. Besides starring in D2 and D3, Moreau did stints on the ’90s series Boy Meets World, Blossom, and Amazing Grace. She hit it big when she starred in the cult classic Wet Hot American Summer in 2001. She has enjoyed regular movie work, as well as recurring roles on The O.C., Parenthood, Grey’s Anatomy, Shameless, and The Pitt.
Moreau also starred in two WHAS follow-ups: prequel series First Day of Camp and sequel series Ten Years Later. She came back as Connie in one episode of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers and reunited with Joshua Jackson (both in Ducks jerseys) to announce the Anaheim Ducks’ 2025 NHL Draft first-round picks.
06 of 11
Brandon Quintin Adams (Jesse Hall)
Brandon Quintin Adams as Jesse Hall in ‘The Mighty Ducks’; Brandon Quintin Adams attends day 2 of the Chiller Theater Expo at Sheraton Parsippany Hotel on April 25, 2015, in Parsippany, N.J.
Credit: Disney; Bobby Bank/WireImage
Brandon Quintin Adams plays Jesse, the Ducks’ sarcastic forward, who is skeptical of everyone, especially Gordon.
Adams went on to star in The Sandlot (1993) and landed guest spots on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air; Sister, Sister; and Moesha. Since then, his acting credits have been sparse, save for voiceover work in the Kingdom Hearts video game series.
07 of 11
Jussie Smollett (Terry Hall)
Jussie Smollett as Terry Hall in ‘The Mighty Ducks’; Jussie Smollett attends the Build Series to discuss ‘Empire’ at Build Studio on Sept. 25, 2017, in New York City
Credit: Disney; Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage
Jussie Smollett portrays Jesse’s little brother, Terry, who also plays for the Ducks.
After The Mighty Ducks, he starred in the ’90s NBC sitcom On Our Own. He booked guest roles on The Mindy Project, Underground, and Revenge, and played Langston Hughes in Marshall (2017) and Ricks in Alien: Covenant (2017).
Smollett is best recognized for his role as Jamal Lyon on the hit Fox drama Empire. However, in January 2019, Smollett became embroiled in controversy since what initially appeared to be a racial and homophobic attack against him came under question, resulting in his eventual arrest. The charges have subsequently been dropped, though he was sentenced to 150 days in jail. A 2025 Netflix documentary, The Truth About Jussie Smollett, features an interview with the actor where he tells his side of the story.
08 of 11
Matt Doherty (Les Averman)
Matt Doherty as Les Averman in ‘The Mighty Ducks’; Matt Doherty attends day 2 of the Chiller Theater Expo at Sheraton Parsippany Hotel on April 25, 2015, in Parsippany, N.J.
Credit: Disney; Bobby Bank/WireImage
When the resident goofball of the Ducks wasn’t getting knocked down on the ice by bigger players, he was playing pranks.
Matt Doherty played the trickster in 1992 and soon starred in 1993’s So I Married an Axe Murderer opposite Mike Myers. Since 2000, he has regularly booked stints on shows like ER, Felicity, CSI: Miami, Grey’s Anatomy, and Rosewood. Doherty is another Ducks alum who briefly appeared in season 1 of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. He has also written, directed, and stars in an upcoming showbiz comedy, Failed State.
09 of 11
Aaron Schwartz (Dave)
Aaron Schwartz as Dave in ‘The Mighty Ducks’; Aaron Schwartz attends the ‘This Is LA’ premiere party at Yamashiro Hollywood on May 3, 2017, in Los Angeles, Calif.
Credit: Disney; Tara Ziemba/Getty Images
Aaron Schwartz plays sarcastic prankster Dave, the Ducks’ defenseman.
After The Mighty Ducks, Schwartz recurred on The Adventures of Pete & Pete as Clem and led the Disney movie Heavyweights opposite Ben Stiller and his Mighty Ducks costar Shaun Weiss. He has booked guest roles on Law & Order, Suits, Elementary, The Originals, The Young and the Restless, and CIA, but is probably best recognized as Vanya the doorman from Gossip Girl, a role he played for three years and later reprised on the reboot.
10 of 11
Joss Ackland (Hans)
Joss Ackland as Hans in ‘The Mighty Ducks’; Joss Ackland in London on Sept. 24, 2013
Credit: Disney; Ben Pruchnie/FilmMagic
Joss Ackland played Hans, the sporting-goods store owner and hockey expert who helps Gordon and his underfunded team defeat the Hawks.
Other than appearing in D3, Ackland has a long list of credits in B movies like Decline of an Empire (2014), Amy Foster (1997), Passion of Mind (2000), and A Different Loyalty (2004). Though Hans did not physically appear on The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, he was still very much present — Gordon Bombay owned and ran Hans’ ice rink, the Ice Palace.
Ackland died in 2023 at the age of 95.
11 of 11
Lane Smith (Coach Reilly)
Lane Smith as Coach Reilly in ‘The Mighty Ducks’; Lane Smith at ‘The Contender’ premiere on Oct. 5, 2000, in Los Angeles, Calif.
Credit: Disney; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
The hyper-competitive Coach Reilly leads the Ducks’ rival team, the Hawks, and is also the childhood coach of Gordon.
Lane Smith played the overbearing coach in 1992, and went on to book main roles on Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, in the 1998 miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, and in the 2003 Showtime limited series Out of Order. Smith died in 2005 of ALS at the age of 69.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly