AAA10 Draft Review & Assassination Thread

[VanIslander]

Reflect on the draft picks and on your team's development and post your line-up here for review by the rest of us.

Click to read more...

 

[VanIslander]

Pick(s) stolen from Spokane's long list (BOLDED short list):

Day 1:

Vyacheslav Bykov (Huskies)
Billy McGimsie (Sharks)
Craig Janney (Pat Habs)
Vladimir Myshkin, Todd Bertuzzi (Victorias)

Day 2:

Pelle Eklund (Killer Whales)
Fred Scanlan (Breakers)
Butch Keeling, Tony Tanti (Ice Cream Men)

Day 3:

Willie Huber, Pat Flatley (Killer Whales)
Serge Bernier (Sharks)
Doug Lidster (Victorias)
Richard Brodeur, Don Smith (Pat Habs)

Day 4:

Gordie Roberts (Killer Whales)
Nils Nilsson (Huskies)
Gus Bodnar (Pat Habs)
Arturs Irbe (Breakers)
Martin Straka (Ice Cream Men)

Day 5:

Seth Martin (Huskies)
Larry Patey, Kelly Hrudey (Ice Cream Men)
Glen Murray (Pat Habs)
Ivan Boldirev (Victorias)
Tood Marchant, Jude Drouin (Old No. 7)

Day 6:

Ted Hampson (Killer Whales)

Day 7:

Felix Potvin (Ice Cream Men)
Risto Siltanen (Sharks)
Alexei Guryshev (Pat Habs)
Nikolay Puchkov, Fred Maxwell (Victorias)

Day 8:

Art Gagne (Pat Habs)
Roland Stoltz (Sharks)
Bert Lindsay (Breakers)
Andre Boudrias (Killer Whales)
Al Dewsbury (Ice Cream Men)
Harold Snepsts (Victorias)

Day 9:

Ville Peltonen, Nikolai Makarov (Huskies)
Lasse Bjorn, John Mayasich (Sharks)
Allan Shields (Breakers)
Reggie Fleming (Old No. 7)
Brian Campbell (Ice Cream Men)
Mikael Renberg (Victorias)
Jocelyn Guevremont, Miroslav Satan (Killer Whales)

Day 10:

Ronald Pettersson (Sharks)
Tomas Vokoun (Pat Habs)

Day 11:

coach Darryl Sutter (Pat Habs)
Armand Mondou (Victorias)

Day 12:

Scott Young (Breakers)
Sami Kapanen (Huskies)
Craig Rivet (Killer Whales)

Spokane Draft Summary:​

The Sharks blueline duo of Bjorn-Stoltz was also my idea! Before the draft I pondered whether to draft them as a second or third pairing and decided to get them as 7/8 extra dmen because of their question marks against the best in the world of their era given the NHL existed but didn't play against them (Stoltz had a little NHL experience); the Swedish IIHF HOFers played together and I flirted with the idea of a 5-man all-Swede unit including one of Tre Konor's great lines ever: the Sharks' Pettersson, the Huskies' Nilsson and the undrafted left winger of that Swedish legendary line, all three inducted into the IIHF hall of fame.

Mayasich of the Sharks was also an idea of mine (uncovered predraft in researching fellow American, team USA captain Lou Nanne, a Canaries pick), though I heemed and hummed whether to play him on the blueline or as an extra pick versatile to play forward or d, leaning toward the latter because of the question mark, but certainly a worthy pick. Bravo spits.

The Huskies' Bykov and Pat Habs' Janney were desired pivots, 1-2 in that order in the plans for Spokane but Gradin-Allison was seen as just as demonstrably talented though less accomplished when it mattered most against top level competition. Both were first round options at one point but the father-son Fogolin duo was just too valuable to pass up in the first round.

The Sharks' Bernier, Pat Habs' Murray and Gagne, Victorias' Renberg and Killer Whales' Satan were all worthy picks but the depth at right wing is staggering, several undrafted guys I think worthy of selection among top-1000 of all-time. Ice Cream Men's Tanti offers versatility on the left side though I think Victorias' Bertuzzi should be a right winger in an all-time context given how very much more successful he was playing that position in Vancouver, and Bert was having his Canaries jersey made along with Killer Whales' Flatley as third and fourth line right wing starters but the jerseys simply weren't ready in time: the picks went earlier than priorities dictated.

Old No. 7's Marchant was a number two option for Spokane's backline left wing/centre and penalty killing specialist, the spot going to the team's number one on the shortlist for that position: Henning.

Victorias' Myshkin was to be the Spokane backup, as mentioned before, with Zinger as the top backup plan for the backup position, so there was no hurry, the two netminders about equivalent but Myshkin has less question marks: indeed proved himself against the best in the world. The Breakers' Irbe I actually wanted as my starter (but had Victorias' Puchkov ahead of him), having a sentimental soft spot for the little guy I've watched his whole career; Ice Cream Men's Hrudey and Potvin were too talented not to have on my shortlist and the Pat Habs' Vokoun I flirted with, his save percentage is stellar and I've seen him play so many good games being overlooked since he's played in a secondary NHL market (along with another just as talented and accomplished goalie who remains undrafted and really ought to be picked except for his luck to have played for a poor team in a secondary market).

 

[chaosrevolver]

Japan Killer Whales

Al MacNeil (HC)
Brent Sutter (AC)

Darcy Rota - Pelle Eklund - Haviland Routh
Miroslav Satan - Art Jackson - Steve Sullivan
Greg Gilbert - Ted Hampson (A) - Pat Flatley (A)
Andre Boudrias - Alexei Zhamnov - Glenn Brydson
Alexei Yashin

Allan Cameron (C) - Willie Huber
Gordie Roberts - Gord Lane
Jocelyn Guevremont - Craig Rivet
Pat Quinn

Tom Paton
Alfie Moore

1939 or earlier
1940-1965
1966-1979
1980-1989
1990-1999
in 2009​

 

[Hedberg]

Daytona Beach Breakers:

Arturs Irbe
Bert Lindsay

Bob Murray - Bruce Driver
Haldor Halderson - Eric Brewer
Allan Shields - Warren Godfrey
Anders Eldebrink

Fred Scanlan - Cliff Ronning - Arthur Farrell
Yuri Blinov - Sergei Shepelev - Yevgeny Zimin
Thomas Vanek - Shorty Green - Joe Benoit
Bob McDougall - Jaroslav Holik - Scott Young
Gordon Pettinger - Kelly Buchberger​

 

[seventieslord]

Hey fellas, I'm back from my honeymoon. I'll be doing mini-bios for everyone I picked in the last few days, and I will update the roster thread to the AAA draft's standard. Please don't negelct my team when I'm done! This time I will actually have time to do an assassination or two... or three.

 

[VanIslander]

The Killers Whales roster is first to be posted here but only 8 of the 24 pick descriptions have been written on the roster thread (to date) so I'll return to them later.

Which brings us to the 24 described picks of the next team posted here, the Breakers of Daytona Beach:

Daytona Beach Breakers

coach: Peter Laviolette

Fred Scanlan - Cliff Ronning - Arthur Farrell
Yuri Blinov - Sergei Shepelev - Yevgeny Zimin
Thomas Vanek - Shorty Green - Joe Benoit
Bob McDougall - Jaroslav Holik - Scott Young
Gordon Pettinger - Kelly Buchberger

Bob Murray - Bruce Driver
Haldor Halderson - Eric Brewer
Allan Shields - Warren Godfrey
Anders Eldebrink

Arturs Irbe
Bert Lindsay
​

Who will be the Breakers captains? With coach Laviolette at the helm you'd expect it to be a hard-working offensive-minded guy like Ronning, in fact, I'd bet the farm Peter would pick Cliff to wear the 'C'. But the GM of Daytona Beach may have other ideas given the leadership experience of his more defensive-minded players. Buchberger certainly has the worth ethic to be a Laviolette guy, but he is indeed an extra forward and not captain material in an all-time context simply because he's marginal as a player, ought to sit as many nights as he starts, an alternate at best, an energy guy who everybody loves. Pettinger was an NHL captain for the length of time it took brass to find out he crapped in the cup. Murray with his stable, veteran presence on the blueline, is probably a decent choice as an alternate; Driver a not bad choice either. Farrell seems to have been a team-building kind of guy but without more details I'd say he seemed more bookish, enough so to have written one of the first books on hockey. Dunno any more than one cryptic general statement about him. Which takes us to a guy who has got to be at least alternate captain, Shorty Green, with his Tigers captaincy experience, NHL off-ice leadership and two Allan Cup heroics.

What's with the Soviet line? Blinov had speed, hard work and a wrist shot but was a disappointment overall, certainly not on anyone's list of top-50 Soviets of all time (not even an honorable mention, more like a footnote), underappreciated in the '72 Summit Series, which was his career year! bumped off lines, certainly had his chance to play on top lines for the national team but only lasted 37 games with the national team and in the Soviet league scored only 119 goals. If he is ON, he will have a decent season, but his career isn't long and his peak isn't impressive, but he was good enough to have earned the chance a few times on top Soviet lines and so is a roll-the-dice kind of performer here. The other Soviet winger on that line also had a relatively short career on the national team but his talent level and impression were world class. Zimin might have been hyped beyond measure if not for an injury in the Summit Series, and the little guy's 'individualist' style of play ought to generate chances at the AAA level of an all-time context. (There is another right winger from the '72 Summit Series who remains undrafted but who WAS both impressive in the Summit Series AND went on to a long fruitful career on the national team, and brought a toughness to go along with his scoring, a much better pick imo and a better fit for this line. Consider an add/drop.) The Soviet centreman on the line, Shepelev, is a bona fide all-time context star in terms of peak performance, and is expected to win games with his clutch scoring. He might be frustrated by not having legends on his wings, but both linemates at least were promising and of talent. Vanek or McDougall might see some time on this line. I'd expect McDougall - Green - Young to have the most regular season success if they were to play together, and McDougall - Shepelev - Zimin a hail mary attempt to tie up games when trailing (in addition to the team's first line of course).

The I-formation of Breakers forwards. The top line is stellar, the back line is reliable offensively and defensively and the second and third line centers are clearly good. But those 2nd and 3rd line wingers just haven't the career length nor peaks to be counted on, though indisputably they provide talent.

Training camp competition for positions? Could McDougall challenge Blinov for second line duty? and if so, perhaps Pettinger might win the fourth line left wing spot alongside Holik, which would strengthen the already decent defensive ability of that line and help the penalty kill tremendously. Or a midseason adjustment might be more natural. If Young replaced Benoit on the third line and Benoit sat then a fourth line of Pettinger-Holik-Buchberger could provide the energy and checking this team seems to need. A rock and roll line that won't score much but could shake things up for the opponents and energize the home ice troops. An idea.

A Breakers blueline of bullets. Daytona Beach sure can shoot from the point on the powerplay with Driver, Halderson, Eldebrink, Murray and even Brewer all able to unleash shots. But will these guys get time to set up without the man advantage? This team is not built with forecheckers to chase pucks into corners to get past defenders and push the play deep to give the backend time to press. Instead, it'll be a puck possession game and the wingers may have to play above themselves.

Ice in Irbe's face. Daytona Beach's defense is not built to protect the goalie and the little guy might face more odd man rushes and netcrashing than he can handle. Three of the team's four top defensemen want to shoot the puck, and really one of them should move down to the third pairing and either Shields or Godfrey move up in the pairings to stay back a bit and provide more muscle more often at the back end. Offensively, the blueline is above average; defensively at best average, in this draft, though to be fair: steady, lacking boneheads.

Overall, the Breakers is memorable for its top line, for its goal-scoring defenders, for its nice match of style with an offensive-minded coach, and for its decent centers.

 

[Triffy]

Jim Riley - Vyacheslav Bykov - Lasse Oksanen (A)
Matti Hagman - Nils Nilsson - Vlastimil Bubnik
Ville Peltonen (A) - Raimo Helminen (C) - Pentti Lund
Bill Warwick - Mikko Koivu - Grant Warwick

Extras: David Vyborny, Sami Kapanen

Sergei Babinov - Nikolai Makarov
Tapio Levo - Willie Mitchell
Pekka Marjamäki - Petteri Nummelin

Extra: Sami Salo

Seth Martin
Urpo Ylönen

Coach: Kalevi Numminen​

 

[VanIslander]

Let me start off by saying how much I respect Finnish hockey: the tenacity and work ethic reminds me a lot of how Canadian hockey can be like, and I root for Finland over Sweden every time, the Swedes having many 'sublime' stars and less physical play traditionally, Sundin being more typical than Alfredsson, of the Swedish hockey I've watched over the years. Anyways...

Helsinki Huskies

Coach: Kalevi Numminen

Jim Riley - Vyacheslav Bykov - Lasse Oksanen (A)
Matti Hagman - Nils Nilsson - Vlastimil Bubnik
Ville Peltonen (A) - Raimo Helminen (C) - Pentti Lund
Bill Warwick - Mikko Koivu - Grant Warwick
David Vyborny, Sami Kapanen

Sergei Babinov - Nikolai Makarov
Tapio Levo - Willie Mitchell
Pekka Marjamäki - Petteri Nummelin
Sami Salo

Seth Martin
Urpo Ylönen​

You picked the right time to join the ATDs Triffy. Traditionally, the drafts discount players who excelled in lesser leagues, that is, who didn't play in the NHL with Soviets respected only insofar as they've had success internationally against NHLers (read: post-1972). Then pre-NHLers started getting more respect in the draft, because, after all, the NHA and PCHA were the best leagues of the era. Then Bobrov started getting respect, and the WHA, and pre-NHL amateurs and... the floodgates have opened to what had been - and still are - huge question marks. Many stars in juniors, in the AHL and in Europe simply haven't been able to raise their game to the NHL level. Of course, some have. Figuring out which is which in a hypothetical contest of best of all time players is difficult. But GMs in these drafts are willing to give superstars of other leagues the benefit of the doubt in terms of the history of hockey. So...

The Helsinki Huskies is a team of question marks, but not as many as may first seem! The BOLDED players in the line-up above are NOT question marks in an all-time context as they demonstrated themselves against the best of their era.

Bykov and Riley of the first line certainly aren't question marks. They are clearly among the best of their era. The right winger of that line, Oksanen, played over 250 games for team Finland internationally but I'm unaware of his performances in those contests against, say, the Soviets. How did he do in those games? He played in three Olympics and his team never finished better than fifth. Did his star shine whereas his teammates didn't? I will hesitate to call this clearly one of the best lines in the draft, though I suspect it might be.

I can't believe second line left winger Hagman is touted as perhaps the most talented Finn ever when he couldn't score 60 points in any of three full NHL seasons, nor more than 21 goals a season in his prime. Then he left the NHL at age 27 and put up gaudy numbers back in Finland. I cannot believe he's anywhere close to Kurri or Selanne in talent against the best of his era let alone in an all-time context!

Nilsson outperforming Tumba head to head seals it: He is the real deal. No question mark here.

Bubnik is the sort of small question mark we don't seem so concerned about any more: he did well in world championships, even though fifty years ago, and he's considered one of the top Czechs of all time. 'Nuff said. Could have been a solid extra forward pick in the MLD or even a starter.

Peltonen I loved watching before he came to the NHL, and while I'd hoped he'd score more, there's no doubt he does a lot of the little things to help a team and is a third or fourth liner in an all-time context if you consider the totality of his career. No question mark here.

Helminen had a few kicks at the NHL can and showed that while he could not score goals at that level, his passing was decent and an injury prevented him from showing more. His longtime experience internationally is significant, and I'd like to see some footage of games against Canada's best, Russia's, etc in the '80s and '90s. I don't recall him much from games I've seen of team Finland.

Lund simply was an awesome pick I'd totally overlooked. If he can win the Calder, score int he playoffs and shutdown the Rocket then what the hell is he doing in the AAA draft? He is MLD quality.

This third line center is miscast I think unless Helminen is shown to be great defensively. Peltonen and Lund certainly are on wing.

Grant Warwick, another Calder trophy winner, I'd researched well for a previous draft. He can score, skate, lead, check and take penalties. No question mark there. I'd suggest moving him from the back line up to the top line: Jim Riley - Vyacheslav Bykov - Grant Warwick and get speedy, defensively-sound Kapanen into the starting line-up, benching one of your two question mark right wingers.

Now let me quibble about a great blueline. Levo proved himself an NHL quality offensive defenseman so no need to risk so much on unproven but potentially great Makarov. I'd switch their positions. Ditto with Mitchell and Salo because, frankly, the Mitchell I've seen play as a Vancouver Canuck is not as good as the Salo I've seen, not even close in terms of play with the puck and overrated defensively imo. Maybe get other GMs opinions on the matter, but this looks better to me:

Sergei Babinov - Tapio Levo
Sami Salo - Nikolai Makarov
Pekka Marjamäki - Petteri Nummelin
Willie Mitchell

The goaltending duo of Martin and Ylonen is proven and of quality.

Vyborny is used to losing in Columbus and is a marginal offensive performer at the NHL level so in an all-time context is negligible. He and Koivu ought to be dropped and some undrafteds added. But if you are sold on their intangibles against all-time competition then so be it.

Overall, the Huskies impress with six to seven of its forwards, its defense, its netminding and the line-up's potential to rock! or roll over. If I was its coach I'd shorten the bench - as Finnish teams are used to doing in international competition - and play a lot of
Jim Riley - Vyacheslav Bykov - Grant Warwick
and maybe makeshift
Ville Peltonen - Nils Nilsson - Pentti Lund/Sami Kapanen
the team needs another proven center and left winger imo

 

[Triffy]

The right winger of that line, Oksanen, played over 250 games for team Finland internationally but I'm unaware of his performances in those contests against, say, the Soviets. How did he do in those games? He played in three Olympics and his team never finished better than fifth. Did his star shine whereas his teammates didn't? I will hesitate to call this clearly one of the best lines in the draft, though I suspect it might be.

The point is, he was the best Finnish player of his generation. He was a bit of an artist. Always looking for a pass. He was the first ever player trained in Finland to attend to an NHL training camp. He could have stayed had he wanted, but decided to come back to Finland as the salaries weren't as attractive back then.

When Finland won Sweden in 1970 a Swedish coach went mad about it. He insulted basically everyone in Finland's lineup but finished saying: "They've got three good players. Two goalies and Lasse Oksanen."

A former WHA player said that of all the Finnish players he played with, Oksanen was the number one.

I can't believe second line left winger Hagman is touted as perhaps the most talented Finn ever when he couldn't score 60 points in any of three full NHL seasons, nor more than 21 goals a season in his prime.

A short story: http://oilerslegends.blogspot.com/2008/02/matti-hagman.html

Matti Hagman is one of the best playmakers Finland has ever produced. Four times lead the league in assists. I need my second line left winger to be able to keep up with Nilsson and Bubnik. Hagman is skilled enough. I'm not asking you to see him equivalent to Selänne and Kurri. No one in the draft is.

Helminen had a few kicks at the NHL can and showed that while he could not score goals at that level, his passing was decent and an injury prevented him from showing more. His longtime experience internationally is significant, and I'd like to see some footage of games against Canada's best, Russia's, etc in the '80s and '90s. I don't recall him much from games I've seen of team Finland.

Asking for a Helminen clip? This is a classic.

Look at the players in the rink. Koivu, Selänne, Timonen. And who does Koivu pass the puck to when time is running out? Yeah, Helminen of course. Helminen is #14 in the clip.

Helminen was good defensively. He had elite hockey sense which made it possible for him to have such a great career. He was used as a fourth line center, in a defensive role, in the last two Olympic games he participated. He was also one of the best penalty killers even at the sunset of his career. He was always good at faceoffs, too.

Now let me quibble about a great blueline. Levo proved himself an NHL quality offensive defenseman so no need to risk so much on unproven but potentially great Makarov. I'd switch their positions.

I really want Makarov to play as many minutes as he can. He's clearly my best skater (with Kapanen). I'm willing to take the risk.

Vyborny is used to losing in Columbus and is a marginal offensive performer at the NHL level so in an all-time context is negligible.

I think Vyborny is an excellent spare forward because he can play center or wing. He's also disciplined and has some leader abilities in him. He's one of the most important players the Czechs national team has had in the past 10 years.

Thanks for the comments.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Old No. 7

Coach: Barry Trotz

Jack McDonald -- Herb Jordan -- Tony Gingras (C)
Dolly Swift -- Don Raleigh -- Ken Mallen
Ethan Moreau -- Todd Marchant (A) -- Chico Maki
Hib Milks -- Jude Drouin -- Jimmy Ward

Extras: Dave Semenko, Andrei Lomakin

Art Moore (A) -- Roy Rickey
Eric Weinrich -- Brad Marsh
Keith Brown -- Reggie Fleming
Mark Streit

Billy Nicholson
Hal Winkler


Hopefully I can do some good assassinatin' later on.

 

[VanIslander]

I have not been this impressed with an ATD newbie's drafting since nikjr's Lada Togliati.

Lynchburg Old No. 7

Coach: Barry Trotz

Jack McDonald - Herb Jordan - Tony Gingras (C)
Dolly Swift - Don Raleigh - Ken Mallen
Ethan Moreau - Todd Marchant (A) - Chico Maki
Hib Milks - Jude Drouin - Jimmy Ward
Dave Semenko, Andrei Lomakin

Art Moore (A) - Roy Rickey
Eric Weinrich - Brad Marsh
Keith Brown - Reggie Fleming
Mark Streit

Billy Nicholson
Hal Winkler

The pre-NHL first line is solid offensively, all with clutch performances at the highest level, though it might be a line with two finishers and a puck-hogging rover: Who's the playmaking passer? The second line are also all scorers. It's hard to get a clear sense of how these lines could mesh. They are just good offensive picks, little detail about their style.

Which brings us to a very distinctive stylin' line, the Old No. 7's third line, which makes me pause because I was all ready to declare my Canaries fourth line of Henning-Yelle-Bell as hands down the best shutdown line in the draft. Now I'm not so sure. Certainly the Lynchburg third line can play more regular shifts because of Marchant and Maki's scoring abilities, whereas Spokane's fourth line is primarily defensive, with just Henning as a noteworthy shorthanded goal and playoff scorer.

The fourth line pivot is likely the team's fourth penalty killing forward and he certainly IS a passer, and the wingers are old era scorers, this line giving the team even more general scoring depth.

So, Old No. 7 is full of offensively talented forwards (except for Moreau). Yet, not only doesn't there seem to be a pure passer per se, but otherwise it seems short on role players. Yes, there's enforcer Semenko to keep the other teams honest and minimize cheapshots against - a good pick for THIS line-up - but where are the forecheckers off of the third line? the energy guys? the hitters? the guys who will do more than just wait to get the puck back. It seems like the team has two or three too many generally offensively skilled forwards. The first two lines and the fourth line wingers comprise an 8-forward bunch of indistinct puck handlers. More info desired on how they'd play. Throw a Victorias' Bertuzzi or Sharks' Chamberlain onto one of the scoring lines, even a hustlin' Killer Whale like Sullivan, and this team would be improved as a team. This is quibbling a bit since, after all, it's a well-drafted list of picks in any event.

Without mincing words: the Old No. 7 blueline is below average for this draft. Moreover, in terms of team chemistry, the defense in Lynchburg ought to be more like the Breakers but instead are a less offensive stay at home bunch. Husky Moore and plodding Marsh certainly are and they're on the top two pairings. Rickey is pretty unknown: what does he bring to a blueline? Sources please. Yes, he played a longtime and so did the Old No. 7's Weinrich, but that is no reason to have them on the top-4 unless they were on dynasty teams, which they weren't. The third pairing is quality, and perhaps ought to be the second pairing. Brown is physical and can pass; Fleming is gritty and can score though gets into penalty trouble. To ice a comparable blueline to the other teams in this draft:

Art Moore (A) - ADD DMAN
Keith Brown - ADD DMAN
Reggie Fleming - Brad Marsh
Roy Rickey

DROP Weinrich, Streit

Streit has one great NHL season, and his career as a whole suggests he may be a decent extra skater but this team needs two top-4 defensemen and in an all-time context Streit ain't gonna help that. Rickey might, depending on what information is known about him other than career longevity.

Goaltending is interesting with Nicholson as a decent starter, maybe even a very good one, though Winkler played in a lesser league and in net that could be a huge difference, though as backup this is a minor point. A third netminder might have alleviated any questions about the backup.

Overall, this is a team with more question marks than the Huskies, surprisingly enough. Not about talent or performance against the best as much in terms of details about style and team chemistry. While one expects such with pre-NHL era players, on a team with so many of them, it can be disconcerting. There is a lot written about many old era greats, so I wonder if more could be provided about the guys drafted here in terms of style of play. Maybe Kyle could enlighten us on how the line-up meshes together, other than the obvious play of the third line and third defensive pairing.

 

[VanIslander]

Okay, I see chaosrevolver has updated his roster thread with completed 2-3 line descriptions of his picks. And he's posted his line-up here. Time to assassinate:

Japan Killer Whales

Coaches: Al MacNeil, Brent Sutter

Darcy Rota - Pelle Eklund - Haviland Routh
Miroslav Satan - Art Jackson - Steve Sullivan
Greg Gilbert - Ted Hampson (A) - Pat Flatley (A)
Andre Boudrias - Alexei Zhamnov - Glenn Brydson
Alexei Yashin

Allan Cameron (C) - Willie Huber
Gordie Roberts - Gord Lane
Jocelyn Guevremont - Craig Rivet
Pat Quinn

Tom Paton
Alfie Moore​

As it stands now, clearly one of the weakest first lines in the draft. Rota has one good scoring season, Eklund four good passing seasons but Routh does seem like a bona fide first liner in an all-time context. But that could all change. It's funny that Zhamnov and Yashin are fourth line/extra when they are clearly this team's top two offensive pivots. Yeah, they are lesser picks, but they should be on the top two lines or on the bench. And this team needs them playing. The forward lines could be:

Darcy Rota - Alexei Zhamnov/Alexei Yashin - Haviland Routh
Andre Boudrias - Pelle Eklund - Steve Sullivan
Miroslav Satan - Ted Hampson (A) - Pat Flatley (A)
Greg Gilbert - Art Jackson - Glenn Brydson

Notice how Gilbert and Satan drop a bit to allow room on the second line for Boudrais to play with Eklund on a two-way excellent second line.

The Killer Whales is a team deep with role players and intangibles. Japan could create a lot of turnovers and capitalize on them in transition and outwork many an opposition.

The Japanese defense is a good pairing of offensive-minded with defensive-minded, with a bonafide #1 in Cameron as the team captain and a great third pairing. Lane might have too many PIMs and have played too few full seasons to be reliable on the second pairing, in fact, I'm surprised he's been drafted. Quinn seems like a better option, Lane a bench extra. And if the Killer Whales wants to ice its best two defensemen it'd be a Cameron - Roberts pairing, which seems perfect, though splitting them up does ensure some excellence on each pairing. In terms of ice time, what dman will be the #3? It's not clear that Huber would be any better than Guevremont, Rivet or Quinn. In fact, this team needs a third great defenseman to be at the level of several other teams in this draft. But as a core, the blueline has the tools to hold its own and contribute offensively. At worst, it's average. At best, one of the best fits in terms of team chemistry.

The goaltending is first rate and Moran will benefit greatly from there being defensively responsible skaters up and down the line up. It wil be hard to score against the Killer Whales, be assured.

The coaching duo combines attention to detail and lack of ego with hard work and a defensive conscience. An ideal fit.

Overall, this team is scary to play against. The scoring is spread out, the checking constant, the goaltending solid. All the Killer Whales really need to adjust in terms of the lines to put in a bona fide first line pivot to maximize Routh and give the team front end elite offensive skill; Boudrias ought to move up; Huber and Lane may be overplayed on the backend, in the all-time context of this draft.

 

[Know Your Enemy]

Lynnmour Ice Cream Men

Coach:Glen Sonmor
Asst Coach:Larry Robinson

Martin Straka - Mike Walton - Bud Poile
Butch Keeling (A) - Ed Olczyk - Tony Tanti
Jorgen Pettersson - Larry Patey - Bobby Gould
Bep Guidolin - Dave Creighton - Kevin McClelland
Henrik Sedin


Dale Tallon - Pierre Bouchard
Oleg Tverdovsky - Hugh Bolton
Al Dewsbury - Moe Mantha
Brian Campbell


Kelly Hrudey
Felix Potvin​

Martin Straka - Outstanding offensive player with good defensive insticnts. placed 4th in points in 2001 and 9th in ES goals in 1998 with his strong accurate shot. Was used extensively on the PK in his prime when playing with the Penguins. Had consistency issues in the regular season, but always brought his game in the playoffs. Scored 60 points in a stretch of 66 playoff games. Won an olympic gold medal in 1998. His playmaking abilities will work well playing along side Mike Walton.


Mike Walton - Two time Cup champion. Beat Bobby Hull, arguably the best goal scorer in NHL history, in goals in the 1973-74 WHA season. scored 20 goals and 15 assists in a stretch of 23 games. Will be a big powerplay threat having placed 4th,5th in PP goals in the NHL.

established himself as a solid NHL sniper. - LOH

Bud Poile - Stanley Cup champion in 1947. Named to the 2nd All-star team in 1948. Placed 7th,10th in goals, 5th in points. Was a big man for his era.

Born in Fort William, Ontario, Poile was a local hero with a fine scoring touch and a deadly accurate shot. He was leading the Thunder Bay League in scoring when the Toronto Maple Leafs signed him to a professional contract in November 1942. He led Toronto in playoff scoring in 1943 and formed the effective "Flying Forts" line with fellow Fort William natives Gus Bodnar and Gaye Stewart. - LOH

Dale Tallon - Outstanding offensive peak value. Placed 3rd,5th,7th in points by defensmen.

Defenceman Dale Tallon possessed unquestionable skill with the puck and was a superior quarterback on the power play. He was also a rugged competitor whose solid career was overshadowed by Gilbert Perreault, the man picked just ahead of him in the Amateur Draft. - LOH

Pierre Bouchard - 5 time Stanley Cup champion. Solid stay-at-home defender.

Although he was the team's policeman, he preferred to play it clean, handling the rough stuff only when it came knocking at his door. Otherwise, he earned his bread and butter as a rugged, stay-at-home defender in the mold of his father. - LOH

Butch Keeling - Stanley Cup champ in 1933. Durable and dependable goal scorer, who had his share of solid playoff performances. Placed 3rd in goals in 1937, 1 away from 1st. Was very big for his era. Plenty of Cup finals experience

Left-winger Butch Keeling was a fine goal scorer who also competed well in the playoffs. He spent a dozen years in the NHL, mostly with the New York Rangers, and won a Stanley Cup in 1933 with the Blueshirts.Keeling became a constant in the Blueshirts' line-up over the next decade and some of his linemates included Babe Siebert and Murray Murdoch. On March 21, 1929, he scored only the second overtime goal in Rangers history when he accounted for the winner in the quarter-finals versus the New York Americans.- LOH

Ed Olczyk -

He was gifted playmaker with speed and a quick release. He was also solid on his skates and not easy to bump off the puck. His big league career was one of the most productive ever by an American player. - LOH

Career high of 42 goals, was a point-per-game player during the prime of his career. Played very well on the international stage.


Tony Tanti - Consitent 40 goal scorer with great speed and slick hands. Placed 2nd,9th in power play goals.

At the height of his game, Tanti was one of the most feared snipers in the league. At just 5 ft 9 in 180 pounds, he had a knack for eluding opposing checkers and darting around defensemen. - Wiki

Oleg Tverdovsky - Two-time cup champion. great offensive defenseman in all aspects. placed 4th,7th,9th in scoring and placed 10th,14th in Norris voting.

Since making his NHL debut in 1994-95, Oleg Tverdovsky has developed into a dangerous offensive force. His smooth skating, puck handling, and lethal shot have made him a dangerous foe on the power play as well as five-on-five. - LOH

Hugh Bolton - Was a huge hard-hitting defensive defenseman, but had some offensive ability. Placed 5th in Norris voting in 1955, played in the 1956 all-star game and finished 6th,9th,11th in scoring before unfortunatley suffering a career ending injury during the prime of his career.


Jorgen Petterson - Outstanding all-around player. Had several succesfull seasons in the Swedish elite league before and after his NHL career. Scored 35+ goals three times in the NHL. 70+ point potential. Played with Larry Patey.

Jorgen Pettersson had skated six seasons in the Swedish Elite League with Vastra Frolunda before he was finally enticed to cross the Atlantic to take on the NHL.
The enticement came from St. Louis Blues GM Emile Francis. He personally flew to Stockholm to verify that the stylish, speedy Swede was the real deal. Impressed with his disciplined play and puck handling skills, Francis brought him to St. Louis and placed him on a line with Blake Dunlop and Joe Mullen. The fit was right as Pettersson made a mark on the league by registering 73 points in 62 games.
Over succeeding seasons, he continued to develop into a more complete package as an outstanding penalty killer and above-average defensive player who was willing to bump with the opposition.

Larry Patey - 3rd,6th in selke voting. 1st,3rd,5th,9th in SH goals. good playoff performer. 20-25 goal potential during late 70's early 80's

Patey dropped his studies and joined the Seals for one game before being dispatched to Salt Lake City for a year of seasoning. He then returned to Oakland and was given an offensive role, including power plays and extra ice time. He netted a career-high 25 goals during his only full season with the Seals. He was then traded to St. Louis early in the next campaign. Once in the Blues' fold, he was remolded into a defensive specialist. He joined Mike Crombeen as collective gadflies to the oppositions' top lines. In the process, Patey became and accomplished short-handed scorer, pumping home eight goals in 1981?a Blues' team record. He also finished as a runner-up to Canadiens' Bob Gainey for the Frank Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward.

Bobby Gould - 3rd,3rd in Selke voting. 20 goal scorer during 80's

Right-winger Bobby Gould played nearly 700 NHL games between 1979-80 and 1989-90. He was an excellent two-way worker who could create scoring chances with diligent fore checking while embracing defensive responsibilities.
Gould scored 18 goals for the Caps in the last 60 games of the 1981-82 season and remained with the club the rest of the decade. He topped the 20-goal mark three times and was a key forward on the club as it shed its laughing stock image and became one of the top clubs in the NHL. Prior to the 1989-90 season he was traded to the Boston Bruins for Alain Cote. He was a solid worker on his new club and helped them reach the Stanley Cup finals that year.

Al Dewsbury - Stanley cup champion in 1950. 5th,7th,8th,8th in scoring by D-men

Al Dewsbury was one of the giants of the game in the 1940s and 1950s. By today's standards, he would be considered just an average-sized player, but back then a 6'2" 202-pound rearguard was a very imposing figure to many of the smaller players in the game. One of the main reasons he was so attractive to the Wings was his aggressive style of play

Moe Mantha - 8th,15th,18th in scoring by defensemen during 80's. averaged 50 points a season as a powerplay specialist. solid playoff numbers

Moe Mantha was an offensive-minded defenceman who came in handy with five different organizations in a career that lasted over 650 games. He was a fine quarterback on the power play whose confidence moving up ice with the puck was a boost to his team's transition game.
Mantha fit in well on the fast-skating team that was developing around rookie sensation Mario Lemieux. The talented rearguard scored 51 points his first year in Pittsburgh and scored twice while helping the U.S. finish fourth at the 1985 World Championships.

Bep Guidolin - finished 9th in points, 2nd,2nd,7th in PIM. Was a big part of the Bruins when they reaching the finals in 1946 scoring 5 goals 2 assists in 10 games.

In his second season, he tallied 42 points in 47 games. By then he'd become known as "Bep" because broadcaster Foster Hewitt didn't want to tangle his tongue around Guidolin's birth-given name. But by 1944, his eligibility for military service brought a one-year break from his NHL career.
In 1945, Guidolin picked up where he left off this time against stronger lineups across the league. But his 175-pounds of raw muscle was up to the task. He continued to score at a respectable pace for two more seasons with the Bruins before trades took him to Detroit and on the his final NHL stop in Chicago.

Dave Creighton - 20 goal scorer during the 1950's. finished 9th in points in 1956 and 7th in gpg in 1952. Lengthy career in the AHL where he was named MVP in 1968 after being traded from the NHL. had some solid playoff years.


Kevin McClelland -

Rugged, tough, fearless. Those are the types of words that come to mind when the name Kevin McClelland is mentioned. Growing up in Oshawa, Ontario McClelland always had the natural scoring talent which was combined with a tough grittiness, often resulting in fisticuffs.
In December, 1983 McClelland was traded to the Edmonton Oilers where he enjoyed the bulk of his success in the NHL, playing on four Stanley Cup championship teams in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988. The biggest goal of his career came in Game One of the 1984 Stanley Cup finals against the New York Islanders when McClelland scored the game's only marker, giving the club a 1-0 lead in the series.
McClelland's presence was a definite asset in the 1995 Stanley Cup finals against the rough and tough Philadelphia Flyers. With Dave Semenko moved on in those later years, McClelland took on an increased role as team policeman in the mid 1980s, which he performed admirably. The Oilers and Flyers met again in the 1987 finals, with the Oilers coming out on top. Edmonton defended its title in 1988, sweeping the Boston Bruins in four straight games.

4 time cup winner.


Henrik Sedin - finished 4th,4th in assists, currently 8th in assists this season. great on the cycle, with outstanding on ice vision.


Brian Campbell - one of the best skaters in the league today. 2nd all-star team last season. finished 5th,10th in Norris voting and 3rd 18th in scoring.


Kelly Hrudey - plenty of playoff experience, made the cup finals in 1993. most wins out of any goalie in the draft.
2nd,5th,5th in save percentage. 4th,6th in GAA. 11 all-time in saves


Felix Potvin - Strong playoff performer. finished 1st in GAA and 2nd in save% in 1993. made the cup finals in his rookie season

He was chosen as the CHL Goaltender-of-the-Year; and, he made the Memorial Cup All-Star team and took home the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the top goaltender of the tournament. He then joined Team Canada to win a gold medal at the World Junior Championships.
In his early years with the Leafs, Potvin was a workhorse who, in his first big-league campaign, carried his club to the semi-finals where they eventually lost to Wayne Gretzky and his Los Angeles Kings. By the time he'd completed his six-year run with the Blue and White, Potvin had more games played and wins than all other Leafs stoppers except for Turk Broda and Johnny Bower. He set a club record, leading the league in games played with 74 during the 1996-97 season. During that campaign, he faced more shots than any goaltender in league history.

Glen Sonmor - Went far in the playoffs with teams that werent supposed to. such as the 1980 and 1981 north stars.

Sonmor coached at various levels in Junior ice hockey, at Ohio State University, and at the University of Minnesota. He joined the fledgling Minnesota Fighting Saints of the World Hockey Association as coach and general manager in 1972. Sonmor gave up coaching duties in the middle of the 1972–73 season, but continued as GM. After the original Fighting Saints folded in 1976, the WHA's Cleveland Crusaders moved to St. Paul and changed their name to the New Minnesota Fighting Saints. Sonmor was hired as the New Saints' coach and general manager. The New Saints folded in January 1977. Sonmor later coached the WHA's Birmingham Bulls. Sonmor was head coach for the Minnesota North Stars of the National Hockey League for four seasons, leading the team to the 1981 Stanley Cup Finals, only to lose in five games to the New York Islanders.

Larry Robinson - cup winner in 2000 after taking over as coach with 8 games left in the reg season. made the cup finals again the following year. playoff record of 31 wins 21 losses.

 

[Spitfire11]

China Sharks
Coach: Red Berenson

Fred Whitcroft - Billy McGimsie - Cecil Blachford (C)
Murph Chamberlain - Ryan Getzlaf - Serge Bernier
Bohuslav Stastny - John Mayasich (A) - Ronald Pettersson
Nick Libett (A) - Pete Stemkowski - Dallas Drake

Miroslav Dvorak - Risto Siltanen
Niklas Kronwall - Pavel Kubina
Roland Stoltz - Lasse Bjorn

Peter Lindmark
Cam Ward​

 

[EagleBelfour]

The Montreal Victorias

Coach: Fred Maxwell

Todd Bertuzzi - Clarence McKerrow (C) - Mikael Renberg
Petr Klima - Ivan Boldirev - Wildor Larochelle
Ted Irvine - Terry Crisp - Paul Holmgren
Armand Mondou - Alf Pike - Martin Lapointe
Mike Sillinger

Weldy Young - Fred Maxwell
Doug Lidster - Harold Snepsts
Gary Nylund - Patrice Brisebois
Benny Woit

Vladimir Myshkin
Nikolay Puchkov
Jimmy Foster

 

[seventieslord]

I thought the same thing about Yashin and Zhamnov. I was planning on making mention of this when doing an assassination of that lineup.

 

[seventieslord]

The AAA Regina Pat Canadians

Don Smith - Craig Janney - Cully Wilson (A)
Carl Liscombe - Gus Bodnar - Glen Murray
Patrik Sundstrom - Craig Conroy - Jack McIntyre
Nick Mickoski - Alexei Guryshev - Joe Carveth (A)

Alex Smith (C) - Albert Langlois
Chris Phillips -Jim McKenny
Joe Reekie - Uwe Krupp

Richard Brodeur
Tomas Vokoun

Coach:
Darryl Sutter

Extras:
LW George Richardson
Rover Frank Rankin
RW Art Gagne

LW Don Smith - One of the finest goalscorers of the NHA. A clean player who rode shotgun for some fine players like Lalonde, Pitre, Hall, Roberts, and Hyland. Had an excellent PCHA season as well as three great years before the formation of the NHA. 10th All-time in NHA goals. Playoff success eluded the unlucky Smith.

C Craig Janney - A brilliant playmaker, Janney was top-10 in assists four times and seventh in assists over the span of his prime years. Performed brilliantly in the 1988 and 1990 playoffs when the Bruins went to the finals both times.

RW Cully Wilson - Wilson was a tough mother who went to four cup finals over 11 years, winning twice. He was frequently on the leaderboards in every league he played in, and made the All-Star Team twice. During his teams' cup wins, he was an offensive and physical leader on those squads.

LW Carl Liscombe - A talented and clean Left-winger who was top-20 in goals four times, and top-10 twice. He won a cup in four shots at the finals, and was top-6 in playoff goals four times, leading once, top-11 in playoff assists four times, and top-10 in playoff points four times, leading once. After leaving the NHL, Liscombe was an AHL MVP twice.

C Gus Bodnar - A two-time cup winner who made the top-12 in assists five times. A clever passer and very clean player. Bodnar was actually the setup man for Bill Mosienko's three goals in 21 seconds.

RW Glen Murray - Twice top-5 in goals and two more times in the top-20. A big winger with a knack for getting open for a clever passer like Joe Thornton (or Gus Bodnar). Great on the powerplay.

LW Patrik Sundstrom - An excellent offensive and defensive player who was always great in both ends, but never elite. The Brian Rolston of the 1980's. A large, crease crashing forward who had a huge playoff with the 1988 NJ Devils. Top-15 in Selke voting twice.

C Craig Conroy - A great two-way forward who went to the finals with the 2004 Flames. A two-time Selke finalist and two other times in the top-12. 519 career points in a long and solid career.

RW Joe Carveth - Affectionately known as "Dad" by his teammates. An old teammate of Liscombe's, he won two cups, one with Liscombe, and another without. Also got to the finals two other times. Top-20 in goals four times including 6th place once. Led the NHL in playoff goals and assists in 1943 and 1945, and was top-10 in playoff points three times, leading in 1945.

LW Nick Mickoski - A big, strong left winger who can skate like the wind. Difficult to knock off the puck. A 1950 Cup Finalist who was top-15 in goals four times. Came within a goalpost of being a Stanley Cup hero.

C Alexei Guryshev - Was called The Russian Phil Esposito. A big goalscorer who was successful parking himself in the crease and scoring garbage goals. Led the Russian league in goals five times. Olympic Gold winner, and World Championship Gold winner. 11th all-time in Russian goals scored.

RW Art Gagne - A three-time western postseason all-star who led the WHL in goals in 1926. Also performed very well after entering the NHL, finishing top-15 in goals three more times.

D Alex Smith - An outstanding defenseman who helped the Senators to the 1927 Stanley Cup. Always among the league's top-scoring defensemen, and was rugged to boot.

D Albert Langlois - A rugged stay-at-home defenseman who could also lug the puck. Won three cups with the Habs while buried on their depth chart. Took on a more offensive role with the Rangers, finishing 7th in the league in points by defensemen. Could throw devastating bodychecks.

D Chris Phillips - A top shutdown defenseman of the past decade, especially post-lockout. Phillips has great size, speed, and smarts. A great positional defender who came close to the Cup in 2007.

D Jim McKenny - If not for Bobby Orr, Jim McKenny would have led NHL defensemen in points in 1970. In all, he was in the top-15 among defensemen seven times. Played on the sad-sack leafs for most of his career.

D Joe Reekie - Reekie was a plus player for 12 straight years, during which he was on a sub-.500 team seven times. Despite minimal offensive production, Reekie is well over +100 for his career and has an adjusted +195, highest among all players in this draft. Killing penalties and clearing the crease are second nature to Reekie.

D Uwe Krupp - A solid All-around defenseman, Krupp was good offensively, toppng 30 points a few times, solid defensively, and possessed massive size (6'6", 235). Krupp was a smart player who sipped from the cup twice and had the good fortune to score a cup winner.

G Richard Brodeur - A reflex goalie who stoof on his head in leading Vancouver to the 1982 Cup Finals. Also won an Avco cup and went to another Avco cup final. An excellent long WHA career followed by another decent decade in the NHL with flashes of greatness.

G Tomas Vokoun - Won silver in two best-on-best tournaments as a starting goalie. One of the NHL's top starting goalies of the past 5 years. Top-8 in Vezina voting twice. Always has a very strong save percentage.

LW George Richardson - A staunch amateur, sportsman, and war hero. Winning followed him around. One of the finest wingers of his day, described as a great skater, stickhandler, and shooter. Stats available show him to be very dominant in the amateur ranks in the early 1900's. Showed he could play against top competition when he played for Queens in their 1906 Cup Challenge. Ridiculous playoff numbers. Hall of famer.

Rover Frank Rankin - One of the finest rovers of his time. 53 goals in 17 senior league games where stats are available. A postseason all-star six straight years. Went to the finals of his league 7 times in 9 years. Hall of famer.

LW/RW/D Jack McIntyre - A great utility player who could chip in on offense, be a defensive forward, a tenacious checker, or fill in on the blueline as required. Top-20 in goals twice. Stanley Cup Finalist.

Coach Darryl Sutter - over 400 wins and 47 more in the playoffs. A remarkable string of improvements in San Jose and Calgary. 2004 Cup Finalist. Stresses hard work and loves to ride his top goalie.

 

[chaosrevolver]

Okay, I see chaosrevolver has updated his roster thread with completed 2-3 line descriptions of his picks. And he's posted his line-up here. Time to assassinate:



As it stands now, clearly one of the weakest first lines in the draft. Rota has one good scoring season, Eklund four good passing seasons but Routh does seem like a bona fide first liner in an all-time context. But that could all change. It's funny that Zhamnov and Yashin are fourth line/extra when they are clearly this team's top two offensive pivots. Yeah, they are lesser picks, but they should be on the top two lines or on the bench. And this team needs them playing. The forward lines could be:

Darcy Rota - Alexei Zhamnov/Alexei Yashin - Haviland Routh
Andre Boudrias - Pelle Eklund - Steve Sullivan
Miroslav Satan - Ted Hampson (A) - Pat Flatley (A)
Greg Gilbert - Art Jackson - Glenn Brydson

Notice how Gilbert and Satan drop a bit to allow room on the second line for Boudrais to play with Eklund on a two-way excellent second line.

The Killer Whales is a team deep with role players and intangibles. Japan could create a lot of turnovers and capitalize on them in transition and outwork many an opposition.

The Japanese defense is a good pairing of offensive-minded with defensive-minded, with a bonafide #1 in Cameron as the team captain and a great third pairing. Lane might have too many PIMs and have played too few full seasons to be reliable on the second pairing, in fact, I'm surprised he's been drafted. Quinn seems like a better option, Lane a bench extra. And if the Killer Whales wants to ice its best two defensemen it'd be a Cameron - Roberts pairing, which seems perfect, though splitting them up does ensure some excellence on each pairing. In terms of ice time, what dman will be the #3? It's not clear that Huber would be any better than Guevremont, Rivet or Quinn. In fact, this team needs a third great defenseman to be at the level of several other teams in this draft. But as a core, the blueline has the tools to hold its own and contribute offensively. At worst, it's average. At best, one of the best fits in terms of team chemistry.

The goaltending is first rate and Moran will benefit greatly from there being defensively responsible skaters up and down the line up. It wil be hard to score against the Killer Whales, be assured.

The coaching duo combines attention to detail and lack of ego with hard work and a defensive conscience. An ideal fit.

Overall, this team is scary to play against. The scoring is spread out, the checking constant, the goaltending solid. All the Killer Whales really need to adjust in terms of the lines to put in a bona fide first line pivot to maximize Routh and give the team front end elite offensive skill; Boudrias ought to move up; Huber and Lane may be overplayed on the backend, in the all-time context of this draft.

Rest assured, the fix will be made. But I dont agree with your comment on Lane. I never saw him play, but LOH credits him greatly during the 4 year playoff run. He and Langevin shut down the offenses they faced and although he will take some penalties..his contribution on ice will be greatly needed. He's ahead of Quinn by far in my opinion. It's not like Quinn never was in the box. He had 950 PIM in a little over 600 games.

He was paired with Dave Langevin and as a duo the two played solid, kitty-bar-the-door defense that laid the necessary foundation to help lead the club to four-straight Stanley Cup victories. Lane has been credited as being the team's most effective defender during that era.

Every championship team needs that one player to do the little things that may go unnoticed, but certainly not unappreciated. Gord Lane was the defender the Islanders needed to help bring greatness to Long Island.

Paired with Dave Langevin, Lane flourished in his new role with the Islanders. He was the tough stay at home defender that the Islanders had been looking for. It turned out to be a match made in heaven, as the Islanders won their first of four straight championships that season.

Now I wonder...considering his role with the Islanders..would it be best to pair him up with a defensive defenseman to be apart of a shutdown line (like Rivet/Quinn), be with the large, effective defender who had alot of offensive ability in Huber, or stay where he is with a very good puck moving defenseman in Roberts?

Possible Options

1
Allan Cameron - Willie Huber
Gordie Roberts - Jocelyn Guevremont
Gord Lane - Craig Rivet/Pat Quinn

2
Allan Cameron - Gordie Roberts
Gord Lane - Willie Huber
Jocelyn Guevremont - Craig Rivet/Pat Quinn

 

[seventieslord]

CR, use Yashin as your #1. Zhamnov should be a #2, or a #4 if you want it to be a pure offensive line. Yashin is your most talented player. Top-3 in the draft, too. I don't need to tell you the reasons you were able to get him at such a discount. Now that he's yours, you sink or swim with him. He doesn't do you any good an a pouty extra. Base your offense on him. just don't expect him to be the team's source of leadership.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Thanks for your comments, I'll try to address them all, time permitting.

The pre-NHL first line is solid offensively, all with clutch performances at the highest level, though it might be a line with two finishers and a puck-hogging rover: Who's the playmaking passer? The second line are also all scorers. It's hard to get a clear sense of how these lines could mesh. They are just good offensive picks, little detail about their style.

McDonald and Jordan played together in Quebec for four seasons, so chemistry shouldn't be an issue between them. I envision Gingras as the grit of the line. Going by memory from what I read in The Trail, he could take his lumps and get under the skin of the opposition. His agility and stickhandling were said to be first rate. I wish I could tell you more about playing style. The downside of drafting lots of pre-NHL players is that there's little information about them. I don't have hours upon hours to dig through newspaper archives et al, so basically it's The Trail, LOH, and anything else that might pop up on the first page of a google search.

The second line is not all scorers. Don Raleigh had twice as many career assists as he did goals. I know little about Swift, I chose him based almost entirely on his scoring finishes. He was captain of Quebec, and there is one documented incident of him and Weldy Young sparky a brawl between their clubs. So from what I can gather, he had very good offensive skill and was not soft. Ken Mallen was one of the fastest skaters of his time. He should be able to keep opposing defences on their heels.

Some of these players may have been very good playmakers, it's hard to tell since assists were not recorded in many cases. So you're correct in that I've basically assmebled six good offensive players with little regard for playing styles. In general, guys like McDonald and Jordan were better relative to their competition than most remaining modern players who we are better acquinted with, so I felt it was worth the gamble.

So, Old No. 7 is full of offensively talented forwards (except for Moreau). Yet, not only doesn't there seem to be a pure passer per se, but otherwise it seems short on role players. Yes, there's enforcer Semenko to keep the other teams honest and minimize cheapshots against - a good pick for THIS line-up - but where are the forecheckers off of the third line? the energy guys? the hitters? the guys who will do more than just wait to get the puck back. It seems like the team has two or three too many generally offensively skilled forwards. The first two lines and the fourth line wingers comprise an 8-forward bunch of indistinct puck handlers. More info desired on how they'd play. Throw a Victorias' Bertuzzi or Sharks' Chamberlain onto one of the scoring lines, even a hustlin' Killer Whale like Sullivan, and this team would be improved as a team. This is quibbling a bit since, after all, it's a well-drafted list of picks in any event.

Most of these problems you point out are due to the fact that we just don't know a lot about how those early 1900's players played the game. I can say fairly conclusively that Gingras can be an enery guy/hitter on the top line, and I'd cautiously speculate that Swift might do the same on the second.

You declare the forward bunch a group of "indistinct puck handlers". Do you know this based on something you've actually read? Or is it simply you concluding that they're indistict due to uncertainty about their styles? I'm mean, it's pretty easy to throw out Bertuzzi or Sullivan since we all know exactly how they play. Perhaps speedster Mallen was in fact the Sullivan of his era. Maybe Gingras was the Bertuzzi of his. As I said above, I knew I was taking a gamble by selecting so many players I only had a limited knowledge of. And I'm not going to ask people to assume anything either. If my team places low in the standings because the voters just aren't sure, that's absolutely fine by me. Getting those old names out there and giving them their due is, IMO, more important than just selecting guys I think the voters will look favorably upon.

Without mincing words: the Old No. 7 blueline is below average for this draft. Moreover, in terms of team chemistry, the defense in Lynchburg ought to be more like the Breakers but instead are a less offensive stay at home bunch. Husky Moore and plodding Marsh certainly are and they're on the top two pairings. Rickey is pretty unknown: what does he bring to a blueline? Sources please. Yes, he played a longtime and so did the Old No. 7's Weinrich, but that is no reason to have them on the top-4 unless they were on dynasty teams, which they weren't. The third pairing is quality, and perhaps ought to be the second pairing. Brown is physical and can pass; Fleming is gritty and can score though gets into penalty trouble.

I'm not overly impressed with my defense either. It's a servicable group of lunch-pailers for the most part. I felt I could get away with a stay-at-home group due to the offensive depth up front. On Rickey: Essentially there were a dozen defensemen in the PCHA each year during Rickey's career. He was good enough to be one of those dozen for a number of years, regardless of what skills he actually possessed. That was the basis for the pick. He was paired with Bobby Rowe (who went in the ATD) for a long time. I get the impression that he was in the Ted Green/Charlie Huddy mould. A guy who hung back so that their more offensive defenseman teammate could jump up into the play.

Not sure why you're down on Weinrich. Always a guy I recognized as one of the other team's two or three best defensemen when he went up against my team. I think arguing over whether he's second or third pair is splitting hairs. I didn't put a great deal of though into which # pairing a guy should be on. As I see it, the coach can roll the three pairings one after another, 20 minutes apiece.

Streit was a guy that myself and MXD considered as our 7th d-man in the MLD. He finished 4th in d-man scoring last year, and is sitting in 4th again this year. Who's left that you can say that about? (I'm not being sarcastic, I simply can't think of anyone else right now.)

Overall, this is a team with more question marks than the Huskies, surprisingly enough. Not about talent or performance against the best as much in terms of details about style and team chemistry. While one expects such with pre-NHL era players, on a team with so many of them, it can be disconcerting. There is a lot written about many old era greats, so I wonder if more could be provided about the guys drafted here in terms of style of play. Maybe Kyle could enlighten us on how the line-up meshes together, other than the obvious play of the third line and third defensive pairing.

I don't doubt that there is, but it becomes a matter of free time at this stage. As I stated, I'm not going to kill an entire Saturday trying to figure out if Herb Jordan was a great passer. If it's not stated on a website or book that i'm familiar with, I'm probably not going to search long enough to find it. You have provided lots of info about your old-timers though, so one of these days I want to go back and check out some of those sources you cited in greater detail. Perhaps then I will find the coveted playing-style descriptions.

 

[VanIslander]

I'm not going to kill an entire Saturday trying to figure out if Herb Jordan was a great passer. If it's not stated on a website or book that i'm familiar with, I'm probably not going to search long enough to find it. You have provided lots of info about your old-timers though, so one of these days I want to go back and check out some of those sources you cited in greater detail. Perhaps then I will find the coveted playing-style descriptions.

I personally do research the hell out of old era picks and there IS much more available on the Internet than seen at first blush on google. Most people don't have the free time or interest to dig it up. I certainly have made it a hobby of mine. When I began the all-time drafts back in ATD3 I chose mostly modern era guys who I knew or could easily research. I think I - like many others - stretch out their horizons over time in the drafts. That's why YOU are so surprising. You come in and reach right back to the earliest eras and choose some great picks, and some "interesting" picks screaming for more. I won't take the time now, but trust I'll be spending a Saturday or two researching your old era picks when the next MLD comes around.

 

[Hedberg]

What's with the Soviet line? Blinov had speed, hard work and a wrist shot but was a disappointment overall, certainly not on anyone's list of top-50 Soviets of all time (not even an honorable mention, more like a footnote), underappreciated in the '72 Summit Series, which was his career year! bumped off lines, certainly had his chance to play on top lines for the national team but only lasted 37 games with the national team and in the Soviet league scored only 119 goals. If he is ON, he will have a decent season, but his career isn't long and his peak isn't impressive, but he was good enough to have earned the chance a few times on top Soviet lines and so is a roll-the-dice kind of performer here. (There is another right winger from the '72 Summit Series who remains undrafted but who WAS both impressive in the Summit Series AND went on to a long fruitful career on the national team, and brought a toughness to go along with his scoring, a much better pick imo and a better fit for this line. Consider an add/drop.)

I think at the AAA level, picking someone based on talent is acceptable. I would rather have Blinov's talent level than a less talented player who had a longer career.

In comparison to the other winger you are comparing Blinov to, Blinov had only one less goal on the Soviet National Team in significantly less games. Blinov also outscored the other winger in the Summit Series. Yes, his peak on the national team was short, but 21 goals in 37 games isn't bad. His Soviet League career wasn't terrible (better offensively than the undrafted winger).

While he may not be a good fit for Zimin and Shepelev, I believe his talent level makes him worthy of AA selection. Blinov strikes me as the type of player who probably did not fit well with the Soviet system, which is why he was left off the national team.

Daytona's new lines are:
Fred Scanlan - Cliff Ronning - Art Farrell
Thomas Vanek - Sergei Shepelev - Yevgeny Zimin
Bob McDougall - Shorty Green - Scott Young
Gord Pettinger - Jaroslav Holik - Joe Benoit/Kelly Buchberger
Yuri Blinov

I will comment on other teams a bit later...

 

[VanIslander]

I think at the AAA level, picking someone based on talent is acceptable.

I disagree. The MLD and AAA isn't about lowering standards it's about finding players who meet the higher standards of the ATD or close to it, the overlooked greats from hockey's history, the guys who could have been drafted in the main ATD, a resource guide for future ATDs as indeed they've been. We are not talking about first line ATDers as much as about depth picks, third and fourth liners, deserving extra skaters, backup goalies in an ATD context.

Here are some picks from the main ATD10 that made me think of undrafted guys who went in MLD10 and AAA11 who were better or at least as good picks:

Round 14
Vitali Davydov, D
Edward Ivanov, D
Valeri Kamensky, LW
Dave Burrows, D
Lorne Chabot, G
Rogie Vachon, G
Orland Kurtenbach, C
John Ferguson, LW
Curtis Joseph, G

Round 15
Helmut Balderis, RW
Marcel Bonin, LW
Dany Heatley, LW
Stan Smyl RW
Jason Spezza C
Teppo Numminen D
James Patrick D
Ken Daneyko D

Round 16
Jiri Holik LW
Mike McPhee LW
Tom Anderson, D
Frantisek Tikal, D
Andre "Moose" Dupont, D
Mike Keane, RW

Round 18
Keith Magnuson, D
Ab McDonald, LW
Tomas Holmstrom, LW/RW
Ryan Walter, C/LW

Round 19
Herb Brooks, Coach
Bob Davidson, LW
Alexei Kovalev, RW/LW
Phil Russell, D
Bernie Morris, F
Calle Johansson, D
Ian Turnbull, D
Tomas Kaberle, D
Dave Balon, LW

Round 21
Barry Ashbee, D
Doru Tureanu, C
Jack Adams, C
Eddie Oatman, RW
Roy Worters, G
Normie Smith, G

Round 22
Gary Bergman, D
Chris Osgood, G
Erich Kühnhackl, C
Fred Stanfield, C
Jiri Bubla, D
Randy McKay, RW
Tim Hunter, W
Yuri Liapkin, D
Georges Mantha, LW/D
Bob Dailey, D

Round 24
Andre Lacroix, C
Bob Turner, D
Hakan Loob, RW

The fact is, after the first 12-13 rounds of the main draft, a lot of 'role' players and defensemen especially are not clearly ANY better in talent, any more accomplished in terms of peak or career, than players who aren't drafted and are available and indeed picked up in the MLD and AAA.

I think there are still now undrafted guys that will go in the Double-A draft that are arguably as talented, as career accomplished, as good at their peak and as praised as some (a few at least, and close in other cases) of the main ATD picks.

THAT is why I wanted to begin the minor league drafts back in 2004 (after ATD3). And it is why I still am involved in them today.

The building of teams themselves is secondary, a fun extra imo.

 

[Hedberg]

I disagree. The MLD and AAA isn't about lowering standards it's about finding players who meet the higher standards of the ATD or close to it, the overlooked greats from hockey's history, the guys who could have been drafted in the main ATD, a resource guide for future ATDs as indeed they've been. We are not talking about first line ATDers as much as about depth picks, third and fourth liners, deserving extra skaters, backup goalies in an ATD context.

The building of teams themselves is secondary, a fun extra imo.

I'm not really lowering standards, what I was trying to say is I would rather pick a talented player with a shorter career than a player who is less talented, but played longer. The ideal ATD pick had both talent and longevity, but it's tough to find scoring fowards in the AAA draft who accomplished both.

 

[VanIslander]

The ideal ATD pick had both talent and longevity, but its tough to find scoring fowards in the AAA draft who accomplished both.

talent, career and peak... finding players who had 2 of those 3 isn't so hard, finding all three is

longevity per se is only valuable in certain contexts (not in post-expansion 32 team NHL! but is in O6 era where AHL awaits so many, and is on the Soviet national team of the 70s and 80s)

there are some average to a bit below average, career 5/6 slot guys who played 1000+ games in the NHL the last couple of decades... brought something to the table on average teams in a 32-team NHL but would be entirely lame as an all-time context pick