The 2010 All-Time Free Agency Thread (The Undrafteds)

[Hedberg]

So the real reason you didn't want to have the A draft was so you could do it all yourself

I missed Rocket because I was only looking at overall stats (all I could find).

 

[seventieslord]

With the #8 pick in A2010, The Rosemont Mintos are pleased to select:

Joe Benoit, RW

Benoit was a pretty damn good goalscorer for a little while, as shown by TDMM:

-Played on the Punch Line before Maurice Richard

1940-41: 13th in goals, 19th in points.
Tied with Toe Blake for 2nd on the team with 32 points, 2 points behind John Quilty

1941-42: 7th in goals, 15th in points
2nd on the team with 36 points (Toe Blake had 45)

1942-43: 2nd in goals, 17th in assists, 11th in points.
4th in the team with 57 points, but only 2 behind 1st place Toe Blake

Benoit is one of those rare available players with three 30+ point seasons before expansion. And his were attained when seasons were 40-50 games long, not 70. Although the NHL is thought to have been weaker when be peaked, his three best seasons were not in 1944 or 1945, the two years that were by far the worst thanks to WW2.

Benoit was also a key player for the Trail Smoke Eaters for 4 seasons before coming to the NHL, winning the Allan Cup in 1938. He also won a world championship in 1939, placing 2nd on Canada with 11 points, two behind Jesef Malecek. (this is the best example we have of Malecek playing against a top-level player)

The 24-year-old right winger clicked almost immediately, becoming a Forum fan favorite with his spectacular scoring exploits. After a 16 goal rookie regular season, Benoit bulged the twine four more times in the 1941 postseason, scoring more playoff goals than the rest of his teammates combined.

A 20-goal campaign followed, with Benoit improving the mark to 30 in 1942-43, a season that saw him play alongside Toe Blake and Elmer Lach on a precursor to the legendary Punch Line. The line’s top marksman, Benoit finished second only to Chicago’s Doug Bentley among NHL scorers that winter.

With three full seasons under his belt, Benoit had 66 goals and 125 points to his credit before duty to his country cost him what were potentially the best years of his career and a Stanley Cup Championship, won by the Habs in the spring of 1944.

 

[seventieslord]

So the real reason you didn't want to have the A draft was so you could do it all yourself

Jeez, tell me about it. I didn't want this urge to come over me, but it did.

 

[VanIslander]

Not a big fans of the skaters yet (even Martyntuk is so Single-A level, doesn't belong anywhere near Svetlov or Yakushev from the Double-A, was more a domestic league guy - not a big fan of Soviet non-internationals), but the goaltending (Forbes) and the coaching (Sutter) were square on my longlist and viable picks that were never made, love that they are profiled here. I'll be keeping my eye out for more historical references to Forbes and expect I'll be drafting him someday to do a more extended bio on.

 

[VanIslander]

Penalty killer extraordinaire Dave Hannan, C:

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=10604

Loved this guy! The only reason I didn't pick him this year was difficulty getting rav enough quotes about him (almost did anyways). In fact, every time I thought of him, I had one or two more who could fill in his 4th line more who brought more to the table. He seems like a great bottom-6 role player that history is forgetting. Admittedly, I only spent a couple of hours looking, will note for the future.

 

[seventieslord]

Not a big fans of the skaters yet (even Martyntuk is so Single-A level, doesn't belong anywhere near Svetlov or Yakushev from the Double-A, was more a domestic league guy - not a big fan of Soviet non-internationals.

I definitely realize that Martynyuk's international achievements aren't great. But at the same time, you gotta respect what he did domestically. his array of elite soviet league finishes is more impressive than those of:

Drozdetzky (3rd, 3rd)
V.Yakushev (1st)
Loktev (2nd, 4th, 5th)
Kapustin (2nd, 4th)
Bykov (4th, 4th)
Svetlov (5th, 5th)
Zhluktov (5th)
Shadrin (4th)

Now I realize that with all things considered, those guys are much better and should be taken sooner. And they were. But if you're looking at Soviet forwards now, he's pretty much next in line.

All you have to do is imagine him in the NHL during his prime years of 1969-1974. The highest scoring undrafted winger in this six-year period had 253 points, an average of 42 a season. can't the guy who's 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in the soviet league in scoring get 42+ points in the NHL those seasons? If not, we have to rethink how good guys like Kharlamov and Petrov are, because we put them on the same level as consistent 80-100-point players.

Loved this guy! The only reason I didn't pick him this year was difficulty getting rav enough quotes about him (almost did anyways). In fact, every time I thought of him, I had one or two more who could fill in his 4th line more who brought more to the table. He seems like a great bottom-6 role player that history is forgetting. Admittedly, I only spent a couple of hours looking, will note for the future.

He will not be overlooked. It's just a matter of when and by whom.

 

[seventieslord]

With the #9 pick in A2010, The Rosemont Mintos are pleased to select:

Dan Hamhuis, D

Simply put, Hamhuis is a penalty killing beast. He's also underrated in other areas of the game.

Hamhuis has killed 59% of his team's penalties in his 6-year career. Over that time, his teams have been, on average, 8% better than the league average at penalty killing. No available defenseman has been such an effective penalty killer.

Hamhuis has been used in all situations, though - extensively at even strength, and a little bit on the PP too. It's difficult to ignore that Hamhuis was the #1 defenseman for a 106-point Nashville squad, and then the #2 the following year when they had 110 points. This makes it impossible to argue that he hasn't had a large part in contributing to a lot of success.

What's missing? A lengthier career. Getting out of the first round a few times. Getting some PP time to give his scoring stats some glitz will also go a long way; his ES scoring numbers say he can handle it: His 0.30 adjusted ESPPG is the same as guys like Mike McEwen, Randy Carlyle, Jeff Norton, Norm MacIver, Garry Galley, Barclay Plager, Phil Russell, Serge Savard, Rod Seiling, and Teppo Numminen.

Ranked 6th among blueliners with 46 takeaways... an astute, well-rounded blueliner who plays a spirited game despite modest size... displays a talent for open-ice hip checks... handled much of the PK duty in Nashville... actually produced the same amount of ES points as Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, who received most of the PP time... agile, all-compass skater, supported by excellent balance and deft footwork... assertive and confident with the puck... must continue to focus on developing patience and execution...

 

[overpass]

With the #4 pick in A2010, The Wascana View Millionaires are pleased to select:

Parker MacDonald, LW

MacDonald was a journeyman forward who was fortunate enough to play with Delvecchio and Howe for a season – 1962-63, when he finished 5th in goals and just out of the top-10 in points. Two years after that, he made his mark as a playmaker, putting up 33 assists, good for 10th in the league. He never won a cup, but he went to four finals with Detroit – 1961, 1963, 1964, and 1966. He finished with 323 points in 676 games and 28 more in 75 playoff games.

It may look like MacDonald's offensive exploits are unimpressive - and they are, compared to the guys who were already drafted. But MacDonald's three 30+ point seasons prior to expansion (actually, 46+ points each) are the 2nd-most among available players and no one else put up three 40+ point seasons prior to expansion. In fact, just five who put up two are available!

In his three best seasons, he finished 11th, 16th, and 21st in points.

MacDonald was nothing special physically or defensively, but was a good complementary offensive player for a while, at a time when there were just 18 jobs for such players.

From the HSP records, MacDonald led the NHL in power play goals in 1962-63 (the season before they were official stats) with 14 PPG. His 22 power play points were second to Gordie Howe, and Detroit's 47 PPG was 11 more than the next best team that year.

I don't know if he's been drafted, but I suspect there's at least one more available player who led the league in power play goals.

 

[VanIslander]

Drozdetzky (3rd, 3rd)
V.Yakushev (1st)
Loktev (2nd, 4th, 5th)
Kapustin (2nd, 4th)
Bykov (4th, 4th)
Svetlov (5th, 5th)
Zhluktov (5th)
Shadrin (4th)

Now I realize that with all things considered, those guys are much better and should be taken sooner. And they were. But if you're looking at Soviet forwards now, he's pretty much next in line.

Agreed.

And for the first time in ATD history I actually feel the Soviet greats have had their due, with no outstanding players left undrafted that deserved much higher status in an all-time context. There is ONE Soviet still undrafted I think arguably a Double-A pick (I'll profile him if you don't pick him), but all the guys you list above I think arguably a MLD pick, within the top-1000 of all time. Soviet internationals of the 70s and 80s proved themselves against the best of their era at the highest level of competition. The Soviet league performers are question marks on par with the Romanian, Swiss and Czech league stars. I think there's a place for them, but clearly a step down from the ATD (and down from the MLD imo, though a potential superstar question mark is tolerated, even respected in the MLD these days, ie. Malecek).

 

[seventieslord]

Agreed.

And for the first time in ATD history I actually feel the Soviet greats have had their due, with no outstanding players left undrafted that deserved much higher status in an all-time context. There is ONE Soviet still undrafted I think arguably a Double-A pick (I'll profile him if you don't pick him), .

I've got three coming up, so one of them better be the guy, or else I'm stumped!

 

[seventieslord]

With the #10 pick in A2010, The Broder's Annex Marauders are pleased to select:

Yevgeny Groshev, C

Apparently, one of these players is Groshev...

- World Championship Silver (1959)
- Olympic Bronze (1960)
- Russian League Champion (1957)
- Russian League Leading Scorer (1962)
- Russian League All-Star (1959, 1960, 1962)
- Was Also 7th in scoring in 1964
- 10 goals, 18 points in 15 international contests
- 236 goals in 450 Soviet League Games
- 6th in 1959 Worlds in scoring, led Russia with 10 points, no one else had more than 5
- 35th highest all-time Russian Scorer; in the Bobrov Club

Rn. | Player | Nat Team | Euro Cups | National Championships | National Clubs | transcontinental | Total
*1 | Boris Mikhailov | 203 | 25 | 428 | 34 | 6 | 696
*2 | Vladimir Petrov | 189 | 32 | 370 | 15 | 4 | 610
*3 | Vyacheslav Starshinov | 149 | 2 | 406 | 28 | - | 585
*4 | Sergey Makarov | 190 | 59 | 322 | 5 | - | 576
*5 | Aleksander Maltsev | 212 | - | 329 | 16 | 1 | 558
*6 | Valery Kharlamov | 193 | 24 | 293 | 21 | 7 | 538
*7 | Aleksander Yakushev | 145 | 2 | 339 | 25 | 2 | 513
*8 | Anatoly Firsov | 134 | 14 | 345 | 12 | 4 | 509
*9 | Veniamin Aleksandrov | 117 | - | 351 | 22 | - | 490
10 | Vladimir Krutov | 152 | 34 | 288 | 6 | - | 480
11 | Aleksandr Guryshev | 70 | - | 379 | 30 | - | 479
12 | Vladimir Vikulov | 109 | 13 | 283 | 39 | 6 | 450
13 | Helmut Balderis | 72 | 3 | 333 | 19 | - | 427
14 | Sergey Kapustin | 118 | 5 | 278 | 12 | - | 413
15 | Vsevolod Bobrov | 94 | - | 254 | 31 | - | 379
16 | Viktor Shalimov | 66 | 3 | 293 | 17 | - | 379
17 | Nikolay Drozdetsky | 64 | 34 | 253 | 11 | - | 362
18 | Andrey Khomutov | 101 | 43 | 197 | 2 | - | 343
19 | Vyacheslav Bykov | 101 | 28 | 195 | 3 | - | 327
20 | Boris Majorov | 63 | - | 255 | 8 | - | 326
21 | Igor Larionov | 80 | 19 | 204 | 7 | - | 310
22 | Konstantin Loktev | 84 | - | 213 | 8 | - | 305
23 | Aleksander Almetov | 78 | - | 212 | 15 | - | 305
24 | Vladimir Shadrin | 71 | 4 | 214 | 13 | 2 | 304
25 | Viktor Zhluktov | 78 | 13 | 197 | 8 | - | 296
26 | ******* ********* | 3 | - | 263 | 26 | - | 292
27 | Alexaner Skvortsov | 41 | - | 244 | 7 | - | 292
28 | Viktor Shuvalov | 40 | - | 222 | 21 | - | 283
29 | Vyacheslav Fetisov | 96 | 28 | 153 | 5 | - | 282
30 | ********* *********** | 28 | 1 | 243 | 7 | - | 279
31 | Alexander Golikov | 42 | - | 225 | 8 | - | 275
32 | ******** ******** | 26 | - | 239 | 9 | - | 274
33 | ******** *********** | 17 | - | 252 | 4 | - | 273
34 | Alexander Martynyuk | 24 | 2 | 212 | 26 | - | 264
35 | Yevgeny Groshev | 12 | - | 236 | 15 | - | 263

Yes, there are four undrafted players ahead of him on this list, but those seven players have a combined ONE all-star team selections. Groshev alone has THREE. Clearly he was doing something right. As a comparison, Yevgeny Babich was a nine-time all-star and is very highly regarded, though he peaked at 5th in the league in goals. Babich is known as a good all-around player which surely earned him his All-star selections - his offense has little to do with it. I believe this is partially the case with Groshev, although having placed 1st and 7th in the league and doing very well internationally, I believe him to be very strong offensively.

 

[seventieslord]

With the #11 pick in A2010, The Cathedral Bohemians are pleased to select:

Larry Cahan, D

Cahan was BIG. 6'2", 222 may be par for the course for an NHL defenseman nowadays, but in 1965, in the middle of Cahan's career, just Beliveau, Jarrett, Hay, and McDonald were an inch taller, and Bucyk (215) and Hodge (210) were the only players within 16 pounds of Cahan.

Using offensive stats to justify a defensive defenseman's worth is futile, so I'll use GP as a proxy. As of expansion, Cahan's 383 GP as a defenseman in the NHL ranked him 71st all-time, 2nd among available players. Of course, expansion lengthened his career but you can say that about a lot of guys. He squeezed out another 283 games in the expansion division, serving as Oakland's #1 defenseman in 1968, then LA's #4, 2, 3 before heading to the WHA. He put in one full season there, and then a few more games the next season before retiring, with only older players Howe, Horton, Howell, Fonteyne, Nesterenko, Delvecchio and Mohns outlasting him.

Cahan was a very intimidating physical player and a good fighter. His two seasons spent as an NHL captain make him historically significant enough in addition to his value as a player. But what you may not know is that he was also a captain in the WHA. This is a distinction that only Gordie Howe, Ted Hampson and Terry Ruskowski share. He was also a captain in the WHL.

Speaking of his WHL career, Cahan was a four-time WHL all-star: 2nd team in 1960 and 1966, 1st team in 1961, and in 1967 he was on the 1st team and won the top defenseman award. Constantly getting this kind of minor league award recognition was a symptom of being among the very best defensemen not in the NHL. (see, Al Arbour, Larry Hillman). So where did that put him? About 25th-35th on an annual basis, with a few Europeans considered, perhaps? Extrapolate that out to modern terms and that's 50th-70th, or a middling #2 or good #3 defenseman for a good decade.

Larry was a rock'em sock'em type of defenseman. He could deliver some very punishing hits with his large frame. It hurt to play against him.

"I used to be mean when I was young," Larry once said late in his career. "I used to fight at the drop of a hat. But you play about 10 years and I guess you mellow a bit. Besides, I don't think that I have to prove myself. I've fought the biggest and the best guys around in three leagues."

"It's a funny thing, if I were a little bit smaller, maybe I would be going out of my way to be rougher. Or maybe it's just my nature. But I still don't think I have to prove anything."

...Cahan lasted two seasons in Toronto until he was claimed by NY Rangers for $ 15,000 in the intra-league draft 1956. NY Rangers were looking for a tough blueliner and Cahan fit the bill perfectly. He had previously split his time between Toronto and AHL's Pittsburgh Hornets. While in the AHL he picked up 160 PIMs in only 39 games.

NY Rangers GM Muzz Patrick was excited to get Cahan:

"He's good enough to make our team right now, and there's no reason in the world why he shouldn't improve with experience. He should make our defense a little tougher than it used to be."

Cahan sure made them tougher...when he was up to it.

Like on December 3, 1961 when he toyed with tough guy Ted Green of Boston.

"I could have busted his head on the ice," Cahan said. "But I was too tired and besides the referee kept yelling that he would give me another misconduct."

Or on December 29, 1964 when he took on Montreal's Jean Beliveau, Jean-Claude Tremblay and Jacques Laperreire all at the same time. Larry was slapped with major, misconduct and game misconduct penalties.

Swedish import Ulf Sterner who was the first European trained player in the NHL and a teammate of Cahan in New York once told him: "If you played in Sweden, they would put you in jail."

Bill Davidson, a former teammate of Larry in the WHL once said: "It's a good thing that Larry wasn't born mean. He'd kill somebody."

Talk about great foreshadowing. More about that later.

Cahan played for the Rangers until 1965. He then played three seasons in the WHL for Vancouver Canucks. There in his final season (1967) he won the Hal Laycoe Cup (WHL's top defenseman) , was a 1st team All-Star and set a new WHL record for defensemen in the playoffs with 16 points in 7 games.

That All-Star season gave Larry a new chance to play in the NHL as Oakland Seals claimed him in the 1967 Expansion draft. He played one season in Oakland putting up career highs for goals (9), assists (15) and points (24), but he is best remembered for one big hit that led to a revolution in hockey.

In the first period of a game on January 13, 1968, Cahan and partner Ron Harris combined to cleanly take out 29 year old rookie Bill Masterton. Masterton, who like virtually all players at that time, was not wearing a helmet. He fell backwards and cracked his head on the ice, resulting in significant damage to his brain stem. Two days later the injury proved to be fatal, as Masterton died in Minneapolis hospital. He is the only player to die as the result of on-ice injury.

The following season (1968-69) he was let go by the Seals, claimed by Montreal in the Intra-League draft only to be traded to Los Angeles a few weeks later.

Larry played three seasons in California and was LA's captain between January and April 1970. He eventually finished his career in Seattle (WHL) and Chicago (WHA) where he was a captain for both teams.

Larry was no big scorer but he was a devastating hitter.

"My favorite. He was a comedian. He had a quick wit and is fun to be around. He was a guy you want on your team"

Larry Cahan was one of the more popular players on the Seals that season, especially among his teammates. He was 34 years old when the Seals selected him from the Rangers organization in expansion draft.… He was a big man, an imposing 6'2" tall, and although he was listed at 220 pounds, many of his teammates thought he was closer to 250. Cahan also possessed great strength. Seals goalie Gary Smith, who played both with and against Cahan, recalled, "he was so strong, like Tim Horton once. If you are 5 feet from the boards, he could flick his wrist and you hit the boards. He was a super guy and really old school."

Despite his imposing appearance, he was a gentle giant and practical joker off the ice… He was mean and nobody wanted to mess with. He was the Seals designated policeman in 1967 – 68, according to Charlie Burns here it "… If he decided to take you out, you were out." Tracy Pratt acknowledged that he was "a total leader in the sense that he taught you how to recognize authority, respect your teammates and your coaches. He was fun to be around and kept the guys loose. He was the biggest grizzly bear you ever saw in your life but he was tame. His heart was as big as the moon."

 

[seventieslord]

With the #12 pick in A2010, The Wascana View Millionaires are pleased to select:

Alexander Kozhevnikov, C

- Need an offensive ringer? Here's your guy. Kozhevnikov had great size, 6'3", 195 lbs, and was a big-time scorer. With the KLM line as his competition, Kozhevnikov finished 2nd in Russian league scoring in 1982 and 1983, and 5th in 1984 and 1988. He finished with 243 goals and 188 assists in 525 Russian league games. He had 18 points in 24 important international games, and was among Russia's leaders at the 1982 World Championships and the 1984 Olympics. Kozhevnikov was 5th in MVP voting in 1982, one of very few remaining players to achieve this.

Kozhevnikov places 30th on the above list of the "Bobrov Club", in the spot just ahead of Golikov.

He placed 10th in scoring at the 1984 Olympics, tied with Ed Olczyk, Pelle Eklund and Pat Lafontaine. In the 1982 Worlds, his 6 goals were exceeded by only Bill Barber and Viktor Shalimov, matched by the likes of Lala, Shepelev, Gretzky and Makarov.

 

[seventieslord]

With the #13 pick in A2010, The Wascana View Millionaires are pleased to select:

Cesare Maniago, G

Maniago had good size (6'3", 190) and toiled for years on the mediocre Minnesota North stars. He finished his career with a 190-257 record and 15-21 in the playoffs. His GAA was certainly nothing special, but he did manage, over the course of his career, to post a sv% (.901) slightly above the league average over that time. He placed 5th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th among NHL goalies in sv% in his best years, indicative of a good goalie getting pelted with a lot of rubber.

Some of Maniago's best seasons came when he was paired with Gump Worsley in the Minnesota nets. As a good point of reference, this 41-44-year old HHOFer posted a .918 sv% for Minnesota in these seasons while taking on a light workload (29.4% of the minutes). Maniago posted a .910 sv% while playing 53% of the minutes. Who was outperforming whom? Tough to say.

Maniago retired after playing 46 games in the 1977-78 season. At the time, only the ageless Eddie Johnston (42) was older among goalies in the NHL or WHA.

As one of only five NHL goalies who played 150 games in the 1960s and 250 games in the 1970s, Maniago was an unsung hero who personifies all the greatness and change of pro hockey during his time... renowned as a superb ‘team’ player who was both a throwback and a pioneer, a workhorse and a stalwart.

When he flops to the ice to block a shot, he looks like a whooping crane in extemis, and when he removes his mask he carries the long-faced look od a man who has just lost his dog or his best friend. It could only be Cesare Maniago, veteran cager of the Minnesota North Stars.

...after expansion, proved he was something more than a sub goalie...

The 1969-70 season would prove to be particularly difficult as the mounting defensive problems and the lack of support from a proven backup led to him seriously contemplating retirement...

Workhorse goalie who was Minnesota's first expansion draft choice...

Agile for a big man and uses legs well to block shots but looks somewhat unorthodox...

"Hail Cesare" has become a familiar cheer around the Met center...

Has aged well... after abandoning thoughts of retiring, carried bulk of North Stars goaltending... reflexes are still sharp...

Ability is often overlooked because he has played with more losers than winners...

Fun with stats:

Minnesota Goalie sv%, 1968-1976:

Worsley (107 GP) .919
Maniago (420 GP) .906
All others (239 GP) .881

If you don't count Worsley as a usual replacement-level backup, then Maniago was 27% better than his backups over his Minnesota tenure. In ATD2010, I showed that Parent outperformed his backups by 21%, exceeded only by Hasek among elite goalies (29%). If you lump Worsley in with the rest, Maniago outperformed them as a group by 14% - still Dryden/Esposito-level dominance.

 

[seventieslord]

With the #14 pick in A2010, The Cathedral Bohemians are pleased to select:

Matti Hagman, C/LW

Based on the numbers Hagman was able to put up as a little-used 21-year old rookie in 1977, and then in the WHA at age 22, and then as a scoring line player in the NHL at 25-26, he's got the goods to have been a productive NHLer for a long time - it's just not the path he chose:

Matti Hagman was the first ever player trained in Finland to play in the NHL. He played a full season with the Bruins in 76/77. Next year, he switched to the WHA where he produced at PPG pace. However, he was unhappy with his life in the Northern America and he returned to Finland for two seasons. He scored a record of 87 points in just 35 games. The record wasn't broken until the number of games player was increased by 9. It was clear that he was way too good player to play in Finland and he received an offer he couldn't refuse. He joined the Edmonton Oilers in 1980 where played the next two seasons. In 1981 he played left wing on a line with Messier and Anderson.

Bookending his two NHL seasons with Edmonton are two seasons as the Swedish league's first all-star center. Hagman was just 19 when he placed 6th in the Finnish league in points, kicking off a string of excellent seasons there, finishing 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 3rd, and 5th in points.

Mixed in with all of this is a stellar international resume. In 56 major international games, Hagman had 39 points for a team that was often outclassed. Among these performances are a 10th in scoring at the 1976 Worlds and 11th in the 1976 Canada Cup. Both times he led the Finns in scoring.

While names like Jari Kurri and Teemu Selanne are household names in North America, Finnish hockey fans are quick to point out Matti Hagman as one of the best players the small Scandanavian country has produced.

 

[seventieslord]

With the #15 pick in A2010, The Broder's Annex Marauders are pleased to select:

Adam Brown, LW

"Players: The Ultimate A-Z Guide of Everyone Who has Ever Played in the NHL” says Adam Brown “made the Red Wings immediately due to his superb skating and unwillingness to back down from rough play”. Brown was top-20 in goals twice, including once in the top-10. He had 217 points and 378 PIM in 391 games over 9 NHL seasons. In 1946 he was 9th in goals and in 1947 he was 6th in assists, showing he could do both effectively. He was top-10 in PIMs twice, won the 1943 cup with Detroit and lost the finals the year before with them. When he was sent down to the AHL after his rookie season, he rebounded by being named to the first All-Star team down there. LOH.net describes him as a “reliable goal scorer who could stand his ground in front of the net and win battles for the puck along the boards” and notes that he “was a solid defensive player for nearly five years in Chicago” – Brown makes a good first line glue guy at this level with all that he brings. He and Groshev make a good tandem.

Brown was one of just 10 players who had scored 30+ points in a season three times before expansion. He was also one of just five remaining who had scored 40+ points twice in that time.

Bill Gadsby was one of the fiercest checkers in hockey. Gadsby's personal favourite bodycheck was administered by Adam Brown... Brown hit Montreal's Norm Dussault about 1/3 of the way in from the boards. "Dussault's stick flew into the crowd", Gadsby said. "So did one of his gloves. And the other glove flew about 30 feet down the ice. The best thing about it was the way Brown stood over him with his chest out, looking like Tarzan, and Dussault laying flat on the ice."

I can't remember the source, but I know that just recently I read he was called "one punch Brown" because of his proficiency at fighting.

With Brown's offensive resume being excellent for an available pre-expansion player, and his other skills (hitting, fighting, defense), there is no reason he couldn't be an effective MLD 4th liner, like Pete Horeck.

 

[seventieslord]

With the #16 pick in A2010, The Rosemont Mintos are pleased to select:

Frank McCool, G

- 6'0", 170 lbs
- Stanley Cup (1945)
- Calder Trophy (1945)
- Tied with Harry Lumley for 2nd-best GAA in 1945 with 3.22, well behind Durnan but well ahead of 4th-place Mike Karakas (3.90)

Aside from McCool's brief NHL career in which he backstopped a cup winner, he competed for the Memorial Cup and the Allan Cup, ultimately failing to win either trophy.

McCool has taken a beating in the drafts since being selected 909th to be an MLD10 backup. He was an AAA backup in AAA11 (pick 1150), then Leaf Lander selected him to be a backup in ATD12 (pick 620). This only drew more attention to how painfully mediocre his record was in comparison to that caliber of goalie, and no one has selected him since. It's time to stop minimizing what the guy did. He backstopped an NHL team to the Stanley Cup. This is pick #1,504 and he is more than worthy by now.

The high point of the season seemed to be McCool's Calder winning season, but when the playoffs got underway Toronto amazingly beat Montreal and then Detroit in the finals, mostly due to McCool's shutting out the Red Wings for an amazing 180 consecutive minutes.

McCool was very prominent in the 1945 playoffs and would have been a worthy Smythe winner:

(round 1 game 2) - Frank McCool was sensational and robbed the Habitants on many chances.

(round 1, game 6) - The Leafs, backed by the superb goaling of Frank McCool and the great play of Sweeney Schriner, eliminated the Montrealers in a closely-fought game.

(finals, game 1) - McCool was given excellent support by his defence and deserved his shutout.

(finals, game 2) - McCool shut out detroit for the second time being supported by a fiercely-checking team.

(finals, game 3) - McCool came up with his third successive shutout, handling 29 shots during the course of the game.

(finals, game 2) - Protected, as he was in the first game, by an alert mass of defenders who forced the Red Wings to waste their shots on long distance drives, McCool held off every attack and made diving saves when threatened.

(finals, game 3) - McCool made several brilliant saves.

 

[EagleBelfour]

Amazing work 70's, keep them coming! Extremely interesting to read, and most, if not all of them should of been taken higher in the AAA or AA draft. If you make a single team out of those picks, there's no doubt in my mind they could win the AA draft.

 

[VanIslander]

Derek Roy

* four straight 40+ assist NHL seasons
* 376 points in 463 games
* World Championship Silver (2009) 5 goals, 10 points
* World Championship Silver (2008) 4 goals, 8 points
* Memorial Cup MVP (2003)

Has a never-say-quit mentality and an impeccable work ethic. Sees the ice well and has a knack for racking up impressive point totals. Can make his teammates around him better.

 

[VanIslander]

Alexander Frolov

* 6'2, 210 lbs.
* five straight 50+ point NHL seasons
* played in 2004 World Cup, 2006 Olympics
* 11 goals, 20 points in three World Championships (2003, 2007, 2009)

Has excellent size and reach. Can be an impact forward at both ends of the ice. Is great at maintaining possession of the puck in tight spaces.

 

[VanIslander]

Dennis Ververgaert

* NHL All-Star Game (1976, 1978)
* 392 points in 583 NHL games

He is best known for his time with the Vancouver Canucks, where he was one of the club's top players in their first decade of existence.

Blessed with size and skill together with a booming shot, Ververgaert was thought to have the potential to be the first true star player in the history of the young franchise.

In his first NHL season, Ververgaert didn't disappoint, stepping straight into the Canucks' roster and recording a team-leading 26 goals along with 31 assists for 57 points. He led all rookies in goals and was second in points to Tom Lysiak, and finished 4th in Calder Trophy voting as the league's top rookie. His 26 goals remained the Canuck rookie record until broken by Trevor Linden in 1988–89.

In 1974–75 Ververgaert was even better, recording 51 points in 57 games despite missing substantial time due to a serious shoulder injury. His production was a key factor in the team's improvement, as they won their division and made the playoffs for the first time. He would have his finest season in 1975–76, leading the Canucks with 37 goals and 71 points. He was also selected to play in his first NHL All-Star Game and proceeded to score two goals in 10 seconds to set an All-Star record, since broken by Owen Nolan.

After the success of his first three seasons, Ververgaert appeared to be on the verge of stardom. However, his career would go sideways after 1976 as his production dropped off and he came under increased criticism for his poor defensive play. His greatest success had been with center André Boudrias, and after Boudrias left for the WHA, he was never able to find the same sort of chemistry with later linemates. In 1976–77, he slumped to 27 goals and just 45 points, while recording a dismal plus/minus rating of -35. He rebounded slightly in 1977–78 to tally 21 goals and a career-high 33 assists for 54 points, and was selected to play in his second All-Star game.

In 1978–79, he started the season slowly with just 9 goals in his first 35 games, and was facing stiff competition for icetime from star rookie Stan Smyl. Mid-way through the season, he was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers

 

[VanIslander]

Ryan Suter

* more ice time than Weber or Hamhuis last two seasons (24 minutes/game)
* 159 points over 409 NHL games
* 4 assists for Team USA in 2010 Olympics (Silver)
* scored a goal and had assists in 2006, 2007, 2009 World Championships

Possesses an excellent all-around game. Can rack up points on the power play, mainly due to a heavy point shot. Loves to hit people. Owns a projectable frame.

 

[VanIslander]

Marc Bergevin

Since making his NHL debut in 1984-85, defenceman Marc Bergevin has played over 1,000 regular season games for eight different clubs. He was respected for taking the body in his own end and moving the puck up ice effectively.

The Montreal native excelled with the Concordia squad in the city's amateur league before catching on with the QMJHL's Chicoutimi Sagueneens. The rugged blueliner solidified the defence corps and contributed 75 points in two seasons. Chosen 60th overall by the Chicago Black Hawks in 1983, Bergevin played a handful of games in the minors before suiting up for 60 games in 1984-85. The rookie looked solid and later played six games in the post-season when the Hawks reached the semi-finals.

The steady rearguard continued to toil on the Chicago blueline until he was traded to the New York Islanders in November 1988. New York was rebuilding and trying to add flashier players to keep the fans' waning interest. Bergevin was traded to the Hartford Whalers and set a personal best with 24 points in 1991-92. His impressive play was noticed by the expansion Tampa Bay Lightning who signed him as a free agent in July 1992.

Bergevin anchored the young Lightning defense corps for three seasons. He was a favourite of coach Terry Crisp who convinced his team to play sound defensive hockey to remain competitive.

In August 1995, the veteran blueliner was acquired by the powerful Detroit Red Wings. Bergevin kept the front of the Wings' net clear for 70 games and played 17 playoff games when the team reached the semi-finals. Following the season he was signed as a free agent by the St. Louis Blues and played four seasons there as the club rose to the upper echelons of the league. Part way through the 2000-01 season he was picked up by the Pittsburgh Penguins to add some defensive awareness to the fast-skating club.

 

[VanIslander]

Mario Lessard

* NHL Second All-Star Team (1981)
* AHL Second All-Star Team (1978)
* IHL First All-Star Team (1977)
* named as alternate for Canada's 1981 Canada Cup team (did not play)
* twice top-10 in wins: 1978-79 NHL 23 (8), 1980-81 NHL 35 (1)
* four top-10s in Games Played: 1978-79 NHL 49 (8), 1979-80 NHL 50 (9), 1980-81 NHL 64 (2), 1981-82 NHL 52 (8).

Lessard started his National Hockey League career with the Los Angeles Kings in 1978. He would play his entire NHL career with the Kings. He retired after the 1984 season. Lessard was a NHL Second Team All-Star in 1981. He may be best known as the Kings goalie in the Miracle on Manchester playoff game in April 1982 in which the Kings rallied from a 5-0 deficit to beat the Edmonton Oilers, 6-5 in overtime.

 

[VanIslander]

This would be my team's starting line-up.

Alex Frolov - Derek Roy - Dennis Ververgaert
Ryan Suter - Marc Bergevin
Mario Lessard

The team would draft coach Dave King.

a Canadian hockey coach who has been head coach in the National Hockey League, the Russian Super League, the Winter Olympics, and the IIHF world junior championships. He later coached the Billings Bighorns of the Western Hockey League and returned to Saskatchewan, winning three conference championships and being named 1980 Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union coach of the year. He led Saskatchewan to the CIAU national title in 1983. At the same time, he was the head coach of Canada's national junior team, and helped guide the team to a gold medal at the 1982 IIHF world junior championships and a bronze medal at the 1983 world junior championships. He was head coach of the Canadian national team at the 1984, 1988, and 1992 Winter Olympics, finishing fourth in 1984 and 1988, and winning a silver medal in 1992. He also coached the Canadian national team at five IIHF world championships. In 1987 he coached Canada to the gold medal in the Isvestia Cup tournament in Moscow, becoming the first Canadian team to defeat the Soviet national team in U.S.S.R. since the 1972 Summit Series.

King was hired by the Calgary Flames in 1992 and coached there until 1995. He was assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens from 1997 to 1999 and then became the first coach of the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets in their inaugural 2000–01 season until his firing on January 7, 2003, in the middle of the 2002–03 season.

Outside of the NHL, King coached the Hamburg Freezers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga from 2003 until March 2005[1], Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Russian Super League and in 2006, was the head coach of the Swedish team Malmö Redhawks of the Swedish Elite League.

Based on his experiences in Russia, King co-authored a book with sports journalist Eric Duhatschek. Titled King of Russia: A Year in the Russian Super League, the book was released in October 2007.[2]

He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1992[3], was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1997 [4] and the IIHF Hall of Fame [5] in 2001.