Atd#10 - THE AAA DRAFT (a full edition)

[Triffy]

Willie Mitchell D.

 

[Know Your Enemy]

Larry Patey C

 

[seventieslord]

Regina rounds out their second scoring unit with some size, physicality and goalscoring ability in RW Glen Murray, and some goalscoring, playmaking, and clutch scoring in LW Carl Liscombe.

 

[VanIslander]

The Spokane Canaries draft a player who had four great offensive NHL postseasons including three trips to the Stanley Cup Finals, the second as the Red Wings top scorer, the third time also as an impact player in the championship victory, yet who is truly a third line type player in an all-time context, a defensively responsible left winger known for killing penalties as much as for playing on a scoring line

Don Grosso

204 points in 336 NHL games between 1939-1947
(an impressive 170 pts in 235 games as a Red Wing, including an amazing - for that era - 28 points in 34 playoff games his four best postseasons)

"... a good scorer and checker who rarely found himself in the penalty box...a solid role player ... a top playoff performer... "

http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=12790​

The Count" was his nickname, which seemed appropriate, because Don Grosso was a guy Detroit could count on in the big games.

Signed away from the senior Kirkland Lake, Ont. Blue Devils late in the 1938-39 season, Grosso scored once and assisted on the game-winner in a 3-2 victory over Chicago.

"Gosh," Grosso exclaimed after the heady debut. "I'm so happy I can hardly speak."

The pesky left-winger's best years came while he skated with center Sid Abel.. on Detroit's "Liniment Line." "It was called that because one of us was always hurt," Grosso explained. "That's because we got so much ice time on our regular shift, killing penalties and on the power play."

Grosso's best regular-season performance came in 1941-42, when he registered 23-30-53 totals to finish third in NHL scoring and establish a new Detroit single-season mark for points. Three other times, he netted 15 goals and Grosso garnered 47 points in 1943-44.

Known as a money player, Grosso saved some of his best hockey for the playoffs. During the 1942 post-season, Grosso tallied a Stanley Cup-record 14 points, eight of them coming in Detroit's seven-game loss to Toronto in the finals.

His hat-trick in Game 3 of the 1943 finals at Boston paved the way for Detroit's 4-0 win and left the Bruins down to their last gasp.

Grosso, whose colorful nickname was the result of his uncanny resemblance to Dracula, was finally counted out by the Wings in 1944-45, traded to Chicago in mid-season as part of a package which allowed Detroit to grab perennial all-star defenseman Earl Seibert.

HONORS:
Led Detroit in scoring, 1941-42;
Set a Stanley Cup scoring record with 14 points, 1941-42;
Shares club record for points in a game with seven, 1943-44

http://redwings.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=NHLPage&bcid=his_wol_wol-dongrosso

Late in the 1938-39 season the young forward joined the Detroit Red Wings and scored two points in his debut. He also impressed with three points in the semifinal loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

After missing the first part of the 1939-40 season to injury, Grosso was a solid role player in his rookie season. After another year spent as a checker, he burst out with 23 goals in 1941-42 while playing with Eddie Wares and Sid Abel. During the post-season he was brilliant with 14 points in 12 matches while helping the Wings reach the finals. That year they blew a 3 games to 0 lead to Toronto but rebounded the next season to sweep Boston in the championship round. Once again Grosso was a top performer with four goals and some determined checking.

In January, 1945, Grosso was dealt to the Chicago Black Hawks as part of the package for Earl Seibert. He was a solid two way performer for his new club but the Hawks were humiliated in the semifinals by Montreal in 1946.

http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=12790

 

[VanIslander]

I should note: Grosso's regular season scoring prowess came during the war years, but two of his four great postseasons were before America joined the war effort. He is drafted more for his ability to check with skill and determination and some playoff moxy, on the Canaries third line, so that's why I didn't mention him having finished third in NHL scoring one season. He is a secondary, opportunistic scorer and a good checker in an all-time context. The Spokane shutdown line will be its fourth, Yelle line, Grosso being the lesser offensive talent on a two-way third line.

 

[MXD]

EB gave me two names to pick... Can I pick'em for him now?

 

[VanIslander]

EB gave me two names to pick... Can I pick'em for him now?

Yes you can.

 

[MXD]

Victorias picks.

C Ivan Boldirev
RW Wildor Larochelle

 

[Triffy]

My second pick today will be G Seth Martin.

 

[VanIslander]

The Spokane Canaries draft a 6'3 215-lbs. passing pivot whose 5-year peak was great and whose injuries were not due to being prone to them but instead were the result of vicious attacks: knee on knee, wrist slashing, neck injury and concussion. Say all you want about his lack of speed, or his play outside of his 5-year peak, but the fact is he thrived for several years in the upper echelon of NHL point getters

Jason Allison

... An impressive combination of size and skill...

http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=15021

1997-98 Boston Bruins NHL 81 33 50 83
1998-99 Boston Bruins NHL 82 23 53 76
1999-00 Boston Bruins NHL 37 10 18 28
2000-01 Boston Bruins NHL 82 36 59 95
2001-02 L.A. Kings NHL 73 19 55 74​

356 points in 350 NHL games over a 5-year span, including 20 GWGs over that period and 25 pts in 25 NHL postseason games over that stretch, four times top-10 in NHL assists, twice top-10 in NHL points; 485 in 552 NHL career games, 55th all-time in career total assists per game with 0.6 average. Before all that he was a legend in the WJC with 24 points in two world junior championships, 2nd most all time, and was a Canadian Major Juniors player of the year.

 

[Spitfire11]

I'll take a couple Czech stars

LW Bohuslav Stastny - "Excellent 2-way forward, played very well defensively and positionally." -chidlovski

He was also an offensive star scoring 73 goals in 188 WC games, and played a big part of Czechoslovakia's 2 Gold medal over the Soviets playing on a line with Martinac.

D Miroslav Dvorak - also won 2 World Championship Golds with Czechoslovakia in the 70's. He didn't play in the NHL until he was 31 years old, yet in his first season he still scored 37 points and was named the Flyers Best Defenseman over Mark Howe, McCrimmon, and Wilson.

"Miroslav was a tough defenseman who was very hard to get by. He excelled in one on one situations and was excellent positionally. Miroslav played the body very well but he didn't pick up many penalties. He was aggressive but not stupid." -Joe Pelletier

 

[Hedberg]

Daytona selects

LW Yuri Blinov

21 Goals in 37 National Team Games
1972 Olympic Gold Medal
Participated in the 1972 Summit Series

Chidlovksi:

Yuri Blinov was a graduate of the Red Army club youth hockey program. In the early 1970's, Blinov earned the reputation of one of the top ranking scorers in CSKA. His most successful year on the international level was in 1972 when he became an Olympic champion in Sapporo and played against team Canada in September 1972. According to Kharlamov's autobiography, Tarasov was experimenting with the so-called "systema" and Kharlamov was teamed with Anatoly Firsov in a new line. As a result, Blinov joined Boris Mikhailov and Vladimir Petrov and was able demonstrate his great scoring talent. Aside from this, Blinov was known for his very good physical conditioning, strong wrist shot and fast skating.

RW Yevgeny Zimin

1968 Olympic Gold Medal
1968 World Championship Gold Medal
1969 World Championship Gold Medal
1970 World Championship Gold Medal
1971 World Championship Gold Medal
1972 Olympic Gold Medal
Participated in 1972 Summit Series

Chidlovski:

Evgeny Zimin was one of the most talented and promising Soviet forwards. At 21, he won the Olympics. At 22, he captured his second USSR gold with the Moscow Spartak that managed to challenge mighty CSKA powerhouse in the 1960’s. Zimin didn’t have an impressive size but he established himself as a fast skater, slick puck carrier and a sound scorer. By 1972, he was a 2-time Olympic champion and one of the top guns of Team USSR. He is an author of the first goal scored by Team USSR in the Summit. Unfortunately, his career in the top level hockey wasn’t long. Drafted to the Soviet Army, Zimin never played for the CSKA, the biggest rival team of his Spartak.

 

[EagleBelfour]

C Ivan Boldirev
RW Wildor Larochelle

Thank You MXD.

----------------------------------------------
Ivan Boldirev – (Center) A very talented center, Boldirev is recognize as one of the better stickhnadler of his generation. A slick playmaker, he played for 6 NHL team in his 15 years career.

Stanley Cup Final (1982)
Played in NHL All-Star Game (1978)
9 – 20 goals season

Wildor Larochelle - (Right Wing) A good goal scorer in the 1930's, Larochelle was also a superior checker. He played most of his career with the Montreal Canadiens, were we won two Stanley Cup.

Stanley Cup (1930, 1931)
4 - 10 goals season

--------------------------------------------------------

Todd Bertuzzi

- Clarence McKerrow (C)

-
XXX - Ivan Boldirev

- Wildor Larochelle

XXX - Terry Crisp

- Paul Holmgren

XXX - XXX - XXX

Weldy Young

- XXX
Doug Lidster

- XXX
Gary Nylund

- XXX

Vladimir Myshkin

XXX
XXX


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

 

[chaosrevolver]

LW - Greg Gilbert

Left-winger Greg Gilbert played over 800 NHL games with four different clubs in the 80s and 90s. He possessed above average offensive talent but carved a niche for himself as a big leaguer based on stellar defensive work and leadership skills.Gilbert looked solid while playing ten playoff games to help the Islanders win their fourth straight Stanley Cup.

C - Art Jackson

A slick playmaking centre, Art Jackson had a fine eleven-year NHL tenure in the 1930s and 40s. Statistically his finest years came with the Boston Bruins in the mid-1940s when they lost some of their top skaters to military service. Art was the youngest member of the famous hockey family that included star Harvey "Busher" Jackson.

In Boston, Jackson became a solid playmaker and checker playing as the third centre behind Bill Cowley and Milt Schmidt. He was on hand when the "black and gold" won their second Stanley Cup in three years in 1941. When the Bruins lost the "Kraut Line" of Schmidt, Dumart, and Bauer to military service, Jackson assumed a key role in keeping the team competitive. He registered consecutive 20-goal seasons in 1942-43 and 1943-44 playing on a line with Cowley and Herb Cain.

 

[seventieslord]

Some thoughts on recent picks:

- Bertuzzi and Allison (yes, I know Bert was a few days ago) - I told VCL when sending a list, that these were a couple of the best at their positions. I had Bertuzzi first and Allison near the top of the centers. I said not to be in a hurry to get them, but if they drop, take them. I just didn't want to be the one defending their attitudes and work ethic and stuff like that. I coud have taken Allison as a #2 center, but Bodnar was.... safer. They are both ballsy picks due to the malignment (some fair, some unfair) but I always say there is always a right time to pick any player. Eventually the good outweighs the bad. Heck, if this went 1000 picks deeper, there may come a time when Alexandre Daigle is the best option left. And right now there is still a supremely talented center out there - could be the best goalscoring center in the draft and a good playmaker too. But who's gonna risk upsetting their chemistry? Not me. maybe in the Midget AA draft.

- Patey is a good defensive player. We had him rated very highly for a bottom-6 role.

- Seth Martin. Damn! I thought he would slip through the cracks. Would have made an outstanding backup.

- I like the Willie Mitchell pick. A nice plan B for Triffy who was after Regina's Chris Phillips.

- The count! I was wondering when he'd be selected. Leave it VI to grab a playoff performer like him. Was he a plan B after Regina took Liscombe? Maybe. If Grosso is destined for a 2nd-line role it's doubtful they'd overlook his more skilled teammate Liscombe. If Grosso is going to be a 3rd-liner, then they made the right call.

- I can't say I like the Boldirev pick at this time. He ended up with some nice career totals but he is the classic case of a guy getting the career numbers without ever being that good. He was never even in the top-15 in goals (he made the top-20 twice). I think it would be 100-200 more picks before he's the best offensive center left.

- Art Jackson is a good #2 center. If we weren't able to get Bodnar he was close to the top of our list.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Old No. 7 selects:

Tood Marchant (C)

A nice fit at third line center. While he flew relatively under-the-radar in Edmonton for a decade, Marchant was a very good checking centerman. He was gritty, a great penalty killer, and had pretty good offensive instincts for his role, typically averaging 30-40 points, and topping out at 60 in his career year. Had a really solid playoff run with Anaheim in 2006, and won the Cup the next year.

Jude Drouin (C)

Maybe a surprise pick here. Drouin was decent offensively with Minnesota and the Islanders in the 1970's, usually good for around 60 points. He was also a solid two-way player, especially later in his career. But I'm taking him based on the playoffs. 68 points in 72 career playoff games, off the top of my head I think he had three top 10 finishes despite never playing for that great of a team (Islanders weren't yet a dynasty). Not sure what line I'll use him on yet

 

[VanIslander]

Jude Drouin (C)

Maybe a surprise pick here. Drouin was decent offensively with Minnesota and the Islanders in the 1970's, usually good for around 60 points. He was also a solid two-way player, especially later in his career. But I'm taking him based on the playoffs. 68 points in 72 career playoff games, off the top of my head I think he had three top 10 finishes despite never playing for that great of a team (Islanders weren't yet a dynasty). Not sure what line I'll use him on yet

I looked long and hard at Drouin because of his playoff stats and noticed that he racked up points against expansion teams in the seventies, especially in two series wins against the Sabres and two series wins against the Blues, not so much against the Canadiens his team lost to twice in the postseason, though he was noteworthy in helping push the Stanley Cup Flyers to seven games and in upsetting a touted Rangers team in the first round.

So, to put it plainly: his playoff scoring deserves an asterix just as my pick Grosso does. Racking up playoff points against expansion teams is like doing so in the war years.

Take him based on his checking, as I took Grosso. Drouin did kill penalties and was a two-way performer, on right wing a bit but mostly as a passing pivot who skated with effort and backchecked, a decent 3rd or 4th line center in this draft but a subpar 2nd liner imo.

 

[seventieslord]

G Richard Brodeur

- Stanley Cup Finalist (1982)
- Avco Cup (1977)
- Avco Cup Finalist (1975)
- WHA 2nd All-Star Team
- 6th in Vezina Voting (1982)
- 2nd All-time in career WHA wins
- 6th all-time in career WHA GAA
- 2nd All-time in WHA playoff wins and WHA playoff GAA (among goalies with 15+ playoff games)
- Posted .917 sv% in 1982 playoffs (cup winner Billy Smith had .899 and league average was .883)
- Career weighted playoff perseverance rating of 1.01717 (3rd in his "weight class", goalies with 1500-2500 playoff minutes - this means that he was generally outperforming other NHL goalies in the playoffs by about 17 save percentage points, give or take a few after shots against adjustments - Drafted goalies he beats: Resch, Meloche, Burke, Edwards, Crozier. Drafted goalies who beat him: none.)

...Canucks fans, and for that matter early Nordiques fans, can tell you that the stats are not truly indicative of "King" Richard Brodeur's stellar play.

Brodeur played most of his NHL career in the early to mid 1980s. Those years featured horrible Canuck teams in the same division as Wayne Gretzky's high scoring Oilers, Lanny McDonald's Calgary Flames, Marcel Dionne's LA Kings and Dale Hawerchuk's Winnipeg Jets. That's a whole lot of offensive firepower gunning at the poor Canucks, who relied on Brodeur to keep them in most games, and sometimes just to keep the score respectable.

Brodeur was, literally, the Canucks saving grace. He was an exciting goalie to watch, pretty acrobatic and had lots and lots of shots against. His career 3.85 GAA his grossly inflated by the high scoring Smythe division of the 1980s. His win/loss record is very respectable considering how bad the Canucks were in comparison to their divisional foes.

Brodeur's career highlight, like that of most Canucks and their fans of that generation, was the improbable 1982 Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup finals. Brodeur backstopped the Canucks with an 11-6 record and a 2.70 GAA. While the Canucks were lucky to have the LA Kings upset Gretzky's Oilers, The Canucks handled their opposition quite handily until they reached the Finals. Once there, the dynastic New York Islanders tore apart the Canucks, winning easily in 4 games. Dubbed "King Richard" for his fine play during the '82 playoffs, Brodeur's fine play couldn't stack up against the likes of Bryan Trottier, Denis Potvin, Clark Gillies and most noteably - Mike Bossy.

...it wasn't until the 1987-88 season that Brodeur was ousted out of that spot as the Canucks starting goalie. The arrival of a young Kirk McLean meant that Brodeur was now being asked to be a backup....

Brodeur's career actually started 8 years before he made the NHL. Drafted by the Islanders in 1972, Brodeur opted to skip out on the NHL and jump at the chance to stay in his home province by playing with the Quebec Nordiques of the World Hockey Association. Brodeur ranks as one of the best goalies in the WHA history. His 165 wins ranks second all time, only 2 wins behind Joe Daley. Brodeur also set a record for wins in 1975-76 when he had 44. That same season the Nordiques won the Avco Cup championship, symbolic of WHA supremacy.

 

[Know Your Enemy]

Kelly Hrudey G

 

[Kyle McMahon]

I looked long and hard at Drouin because of his playoff stats and noticed that he racked up points against expansion teams in the seventies, especially in two series wins against the Sabres and two series wins against the Blues, not so much against the Canadiens his team lost to twice in the postseason, though he was noteworthy in helping push the Stanley Cup Flyers to seven games and in upsetting a touted Rangers team in the first round.

So, to put it plainly: his playoff scoring deserves an asterix just as my pick Grosso does. Racking up playoff points against expansion teams is like doing so in the war years.

Take him based on his checking, as I took Grosso. Drouin did kill penalties and was a two-way performer, on right wing a bit but mostly as a passing pivot who skated with effort and backchecked, a decent 3rd or 4th line center in this draft but a subpar 2nd liner imo.

I was thinking fourth line center. Possibly a RW on Marchant's line if I need more offense out of the shut-down unit.

 

[MXD]

Drouin? 3rd liner with an offensive touch. Physicality?

BTW, Art Jackson was a great pick at this point. Scored during the war, but was a very competent checking center with a strong passing bias. Could be useful with a Danny Gare-like guy.

 

[VanIslander]

Drouin? 3rd liner with an offensive touch. Physicality?

Drouin and J.P. Parise were crash and bang linemates in Minnesota, the fan favourites of some North Stars and Isles fans, traded to the Islanders together, where Drouin's playoff success grew even more.

You of course heard about his 3-game suspension for taking a stick to a ref and the ref tried to claim assault charges. Drouin is one of those guys we all knew about at the end of the seventies but whose legacy quickly got overshadowed by the dynasty Isles and by the end of the eighties I heard hockey fans go "Drouin who?" Forgotten.

He could skate, pass, go through checks along the boards, recover pucks in the corner on the forecheck. He is one of the few non-Habs I remember from the seventies.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

You of course heard about his 3-game suspension for taking a stick to a ref and the ref tried to claim assault charges. Drouin is one of those guys we all knew about at the end of the seventies but whose legacy quickly got overshadowed by the dynasty Isles and by the end of the eighties I heard hockey fans go "Drouin who?" Forgotten.

He could skate, pass, go through checks along the boards. He is one of the few non-Habs I remember from the seventies.

Until recently I had never even heard of him. When I was compiling a year-by-year playoff scoring leaders chart a while ago, his name jumped right out at me.

 

[Spitfire11]

I will be drafting another player who isn't talked about any more... a bona fide long time star who was alternate captain with four teams and one of the leading scorers on several NHL teams with playoff performances on three different clubs and a hall-of-fame type career for his first eight seasons until something happened off the ice and outside of hockey to stunt what was a brilliant career.

Have I said too much? I don't think so... He is THAT forgotten. We shall see tomorrow.

You got me. I can think of one guy that sort of fits the bill, but I don't think he ever wore an 'A'...but maybe he did.

 

[seventieslord]

D Chris Phillips

-6'3, 219 lbs
- Stanley Cup Finalist (2007)
- Career +101

Has exceptional tools, including a heavy point shot, long reach, wide body and surprising skating speed.

A two-time gold medal winner with Canada's World Junior team, Phillips was selected first overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. Upon completion of his two-year junior career, he went straight to work for his new NHL employer in the nation's capital. In a Senator's sweater, Phillips didn't leap out of the starting gate as a blueline stallion. Instead, he brought his assets to the table and has had to work hard to translate his junior dominance to the bigger, tougher, and more talented NHL.