The 2015 C Draft (open/closed edition) - Draft is on and open to anyone.

[VanIslander]

The Weyburn Beavers completes its second line with right winger Howie Meeker, the junior scoring sensation who went of to WWII and took a grenade between his legs, recovered, and went on to start a remarkable NHL career that after the first couple of seasons was severely hampered by a career-stunting collarbone injury he never fully got past. Still, he won the Calder trophy in 1947, set the NHL record for most goals in a game by a rookie (5) and won four Stanley Cups! He might have become a hall of famer as a player, not just as a broadcaster, if it wasn't for injury.

The puck was in the Montréal zone. Meeker had put it there. Meeker, always a player of hustle and speed, chased after the puck behind the Montréal net and to the right of the goalie… Tom Johnson, Montréal's tall defenseman, fought Meeker for the puck. Meeker won. He popped it in front. Harry Watson, two McNeil left, took a crack at the puck. Nobody's certain whether Watson's shot forced McNeill to make a save or whether the puck bounced off the poster off another Montréal player. What is sure is that, in the next millisecond, McNeil went down, diving to the left corner of the net, while the puck caromed in the opposite direction, in front of the goal to the right side. It was at this point that Bill Barilko seized the moment...

For a lot more great bio info, click on his name for the link.

 

[seventieslord]

Hey, before we pick....

if there's any team where Guy Charron would fit right now, it would be Weyburn. He can go to the 2nd line and move Nilsson up, and Seibert to a spare spot. Seibert probably deserved to get taken, just due to the respect factor of being a HHOFer, but it's hard to have him in a scoring line role when you don't even know if he could score and you have other options who you know actually could.

what do you guys think?

(the other place he could go is on Flin Flon, the better overall but less potent Andy Blair could easily take a 3rd line spot, bumping Niedermayer down or to the wing)

edit: too late. this can wait till next time.

 

[seventieslord]

The Weyburn Beavers completes its second line with right winger Howie Meeker, the junior scoring sensation who went of to WWII and took a grenade between his legs, recovered, and went on to start a remarkable NHL career that after the first couple of seasons was severely hampered by a career-stunting collarbone injury he never fully got past. Still, he won the calder trophy in 1947, set the NHL record for most goals in a game by a rookie (5), played in three all-star games and won four Stanley Cups! He could have become a hall of famer AS A PLAYER, not just as a broadcaster, if it wasn't for injury.

For a lot more great bio info, click on his name for the link.

one of my favourite lower draft bios. A real sparkplug, but I don't know if the upside is there for a scoring line. He would look so awesome as an "energy" player.

He was never in an ASG on merit, though - only as a member of the cup-winning Leafs.

edit: now that I think about it, haha, this line already had the modern howie meeker on it - did it need another?

 

[seventieslord]

Yorkton selects 4th line center Andre Savard, who scored 482 points in 790 games, only 33 on the powerplay.

Here's a guy who flew under the radar but was a very good player for an undistinguished 790-game NHL career. He was a very consistent 2nd-tier offensive player who had between 38 and 44 points seven times, plus 60 and 74-point seasons. He killed a very respectable 20% of his team's penalties, for teams that were outstanding on the PK (not sure how much of that can be credited to him, though) - He scored 0.49 ajdusted ESPPG which is outstanding for a guy available now. Having been on the ice for just 11% of his team's powerplays, practically all his points were even strength. Suddenly, 482 points in 790 games doesn't look so pedestrian, does it?

Savard was never a minus player until his final NHL season. Always a solid secondary contributor to good teams, he never missed the playoffs in his 12 NHL seasons. His career adjusted +/- of +14 is remarkable considering he started with Orr and Esposito as off-ice comparables, then Perreault and the Ramsay line in their heyday.

A definite option for an underrated two-way second line center at the AAA level.

Give Punch Imlach credit for bringing him to Buffalo... survived demotion to minor leagues to reach full potential last season as outstanding defensive center and penalty killer who cost veteran Don Luce his job... strong forechecker... skilled at winning faceoffs...won Charley Barton Memorial Silver Stick for his love of the game, and Tim Horton Memorial Unsung Hero award last season.

Tough little guy who comes to play... underrated as a good two-way forward... will score a big goal or make a big defensive play... will try, try, and try again... biggest problem is consistency... will be up for two weeks and down for three... was groomed as penalty killer, eventually succeeding Don Luce... does all the little things well - faceoffs, defense , backchecking... never quits... showed up at training camp two years ago without a job and was a starter opening night.

I don't do full bios this low if I can help it, but a quick look at a google search for the backs of Andre Savard cards describes him as tough, a good bodychecker, a good penalty killer, and a guy who plays against the opposition's best players.

 

[VanIslander]

The Moose Jaw Millers select Ken Schinkel, the penalty killing defensive-minded right winger who played in three NHL all-star games in 1968, 1969, and 1971 for the expansion Pens (though injured so didn't play in '71) after being a star offensively as an AHL all-star right before being used as a checking line role player and penalty killer for the New York Rangers.

... a reputation as a skilled two-way forward and penalty killer. In 1959 he led the AHL in goals with 43 and scored 85 points, earning a place on the league's Second All-Star Team, and his rights were dealt to the New York Rangers of the NHL.

He played the 1960 season with the Rangers and split the 1961 season between New York and Springfield - returning to the AHL just in time to be part of the Indians' second consecutive Calder Cup championship - before playing as a third-liner with the Rangers in 1962 and 1963. By 1964 he was back in the minors, however, and spent the next four years starring for the Rangers' farm team, the AHL Baltimore Clippers. Despite playing with future Hall of Famers such as Jean Ratelle and Doug Harvey, Schinkel led the Clippers in scoring two of those seasons.

Expansion changed all that, as Schinkel was drafted in 1967 by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Named an assistant captain by the club, he was an immediate impact player and noted penalty killer for the offensively-thin Penguins, finishing first or second in team scoring the franchise's first three seasons and being named to play in the NHL All-Star Game in 1968 and 1969; he was named again in 1971, but did not play due to a broken arm. He played six seasons in all before retiring to become the team's coach.

Schinkel retired as the Penguins' career leader in games and points (both since surpassed)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Schinkel

 

[seventieslord]

The Moose Jaw Millers select select Ken Schinkel, the penalty killing defensive-minded right winger who played in three NHL all-star games in 1968, 1969, and 1971 for the expansion Pens (though injured so didn't play in '71) after being a star offensively as an AHL all-star right before being used as a checking line role player and penalty killer for the New York Rangers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Schinkel

I had him slotted in as a sure checking line winger, there was no way he was going to slip past us both. The all-star games are a nice achievement too. And I'm sure there are some quotes out there about his two-way play.

But as for penalty killing, he sure didn't do a lot of it post-expansion. He was on the ice for just 14% of the PPG his teams allowed. He was #1 for Pittsburgh in 1968, but was sub-2nd unit in 69 and 70, then never played on the PK at all in 71. In 72 and 73 it was back to spot duty.

he had 4 SHP in 158 games in the 62-67 seasons, so there was some penalty killing going on.

In '62 he was one of 6 rangers with 1 SHP, so it's anyone's guess who was doing the heavy lifting (in the absence of goals against data it's all we have)

In '63 he was one of 3 with a single point.

In '67 he was one of two with 2 points.

That's three seasons of tying for the "team lead" in SHP so it's a decent indicator that he was a big part of the PK. But strangely, post-expansion, he was not. Probably because Pittsburgh needed him to score.

Anyway, just correcting legendsofhockey, because he definitely was not a noted penalty killer for the Penguins, unless they're specifically referring to his 57 games in 1967-68.

 

[seventieslord]

As far as "glue guys" go for scoring lines, you managed to grab possibly the one with the most scoring line cred, as little as there is to be found among grinders in this draft.

 

[VanIslander]

As far as "glue guys" go for scoring lines, you managed to grab possibly the one with the most scoring line cred, as little as there is to be found among grinders in this draft.

J.P. Dumont - Josef Malecek - Ken Schinkel

That works. Dumont certainly needs a responsible linemate as he's a risk taker, getting caught up ice at times.

 

[Rob Scuderi]

As far as "glue guys" go for scoring lines, you managed to grab possibly the one with the most scoring line cred, as little as there is to be found among grinders in this draft.

Meaning Meeker? I'd have Nathan Horton and Glenn Brydson higher for RWs. Adam Brown is still out there for LWs.

 

[Rob Scuderi]

I made a bio on Schinkel a few years back that had a quote saying he strengthened the Rangers defensively, and two quotes talking about him shadowing Hull.

 

[seventieslord]

OK, so Rob Niedermayer took anywhere from no faceoffs in a season to 900 (about half what he used to take as a full time center), starting in the 2002 season, so it's clear he was mostly a winger for the second half of his career, and that's the time that he was a checker, so it makes sense to put him on the wing for Flin Flon instead.

Andy Blair would make a good linemate for him, and there's still a center who can come in and play ahead of him in the lineup in a pure scoring role - Guy Charron, C.

- Guy Charron, C, who had four 70+ point seasons for bad teams in the 1970s. Charron went to one all-star game and led his teams in points by margins of 28, 18, and 8 points. No available players have four 70 point seasons. Just six even have two right now. Charon also had two more 53+ point seasons in 1974 and 1975 as a LW. His six 50-point seasons are well ahead of other available guys as well. I see just five that have even four.None have five. Charron was one-dimensional but at the AA level he might be the premier offensive player.

smooth skater with good shot who can play any forward position... scouts are delighted with the deal that brought this swift skating center over... gave club much-needed experience at middle... biggest rap has been defensive play, but he denies it... most valuable KC player... succeeded ***** as team captain... overcame criticism that he was weak defensively... has gained wide respect...injured in first game of world championship but typical of attitude, asked to dress for final game just so he could be a cheerleader... exceptionally good team man... handles puck well and vastly improved defensive play, which used to be a weak point... only Capital to play all 80 games last season, despite starting with an ailing knee... slick, offensive catalyst, he has improved his checking but is not a defensive standout... absence was dearly felt on offense when he was injured... a polished playmaker with a sizzling shot... anticipation is his best weapon...

He's not as one-dimensional as you might imagine.

 

[VanIslander]

I made a bio on Schinkel a few years back that had a quote saying he strengthened the Rangers defensively, and two quotes talking about him shadowing Hull.

Click on his name in the post and there's a link to your bio.

 

[seventieslord]

Meaning Meeker? I'd have Nathan Horton and Glenn Brydson higher for RWs. Adam Brown is still out there for LWs.

I meant Schinkel.

Brown will not go without getting picked for sure, but I think he's got a tad less upside. Meeker even less. But injuries were a factor there.

Horton I kinda pigeonhole as just a scorer, since he never made the physical impact he was supposed to. But I guess, even despite that, he's more physical than most of the scorers we're taking now.

 

[Rob Scuderi]

Click on his name in the post and there's a link to your bio.

missed that

I meant Schinkel.

Was his AHL scoring that good? He's a good 30 points off Brydson and 40 off Horton in terms of six year VsX sums.

 

[VanIslander]

The Bombers select "Hound Dog" Bob Kelly, an all-time great at what he does, in terms of talent, peak, career and championship experience, one of the great support players and a significant part in the history of hockey: two-way talented, tough, hardworking, fast, feisty, ferocious, competitive, clutch, forechecking, team-first leader, deserving of going in earlier drafts as a quality depth pick in an all-time context. The four-time Stanley Cup finalist, two-time champion scored 362 points in 837 NHL games with 1454 PIM and 23 GWGs. He played in 101 NHL playoff games with 23 points and 172 PIMs earned.

one of the toughest and the most tenacious... True to his nickname, Kelly bounded across the ice like an unleashed bloodhound, throwing his body around with abandon. A consummate team player, Kelly did whatever it took to win. He'd be the first in line to fight to defend a teammate.
He'd sacrifice offense for defense. He'd chip in timely goals. Off the ice, Kelly's good-natured sense of humor and outgoing personality made him a favorite of teammates, fans, and reporters alike.
A consummate team player, Kelly was a sparkplug in the Flyers Stanley Cup engine.

http://flyers.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=NewsPage&bcid=2920

The ‘Houndog’ brought plenty of bite to his game as one of the Broad Street Bullies, but Bob James Kelly could also hurt the opposition in plenty of other ways, too.... “The kid has lots of polish and is definitely hard to ignore,” praised the ex-Flyers coach, of the rugged rookie, who appeared in 76 games in 1970-71. “He can also add some offensive punch to our lineup.” In his first year at the pro level, Kelly, when he wasn’t bowling over opponents or dropping the gloves, provided 14 goals and 18 assists, making him a valuable asset at both ends of the ice. He duplicated that goal total in his sophomore campaign, reaching the double-digit mark in tallies in three of his first four NHL seasons. And as Kelly became more comfortable in his contributions, he began to elevate the physical side to his game, part of an intimidating group that would eventually earn the well-deserved ‘Broad Street Bullies’ moniker. Aside from his hard-hitting ways, Kelly was a plus player in the truest sense, sporting a positive plus/minus rating in his first 10 NHL seasons, including a stellar plus+21 in 1974-75. Kelly was also a major player in Philadelphia’s back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 1974 and 1975, crashing and bashing rivals with a steady diet of bone-crushing body checks. In 1975, he netted three goals and added three assists in 16 playoff games.

On a team that featured mobility and muscle,... Kelly fit in perfectly. In his final year in orange and black, 1979-80, Kelly had 15 goals and 20 assists, accompanied by 122 penalty minutes and a plus-19 rating, typical statistics for a player that relied on grit and guts to get the job done on a nightly basis. In the summer of 1980, Kelly was traded to the Washington Capitals.. ‘Hound dog’ responded to the trade in fine fashion, scoring a career-best 26 goals along with 36 helpers. Although the Caps didn’t make the post-season, there was no ignoring the forward’s fine play during the regular schedule. Overall, Kelly played in 837 NHL contests, recording 154 goals and 362 points. He was also a veteran of 101 playoff games, netting nine goals and 23 points overall. It was truly a remarkable career for a player who went full-out every shift he took, never giving an inch to anyone regardless of their size or reputation.

http://www.nhlalumni.net/?pid=news_archive_2003&src=news_2003_08_01_1059696000_

...a solid offensive player at the junior level (21 goals and 44 points in 54 games as an Oshawa Generals rookie... it was already clear that his physical play, more than his goal scoring, would be Kelly's calling card. Kelly was not only a fearsome forechecker, he also knew what to do when he dropped the gloves. He quickly gained the reputation as one of the toughest... In Kelly's second OHA season, he averaged close to a point-per game (21 goals and 53 points in 54 games) to go along with his 117 penalty minutes. "My first three NHL games were an unbelievable test for me and the whole team. Right away, I'm out there playing against teams like Montreal and Boston," says Kelly today. "I nearly froze up on my first shift. I'm out on the ice and there's guys like Henri Richard and [Jean] Beliveau." Kelly soon overcame his nerves. During much of his rookie and second season, he played left wing on Clarke's line. Both years, Kelly tallied 14 goals. In his second season, he added 157 penalty minutes to the mix.

"My role changed under Freddie (Shero)," says Kelly today. "We had guys like Billy Barber and Ross Lonsberry who could play on the scoring lines, so Freddie used me to give the guys energy." Shero did not view taking Kelly off of Clarke's line as a demotion, even if it meant less ice time for the player. Rather, he said that forechecking and fighting were areas where Kelly could stand out. "If Bob Kelly scores twenty goals, I'm not using him properly," said the Fog (coach Fred Shero) in 1973. "He's got something that's hard to come by. No coach in the world can make a guy do what Kelly does. It's not in his contract. It comes from within him." Every player from new team captain Bobby Clarke on down had the utmost respect for Kelly's value to the club. "Anyone who says Kelly doesn't belong in the NHL has no idea what goes into winning hockey games," said Clarke in the mid-1970s. "Show me a team that wouldn't take Kelly in a heartbeat and I'll show you a team that doesn't want to be a winner."

While Dave "The Hammer" Schultz was the Flyers' best known and most frequent pugilist, Kelly was arguably the toughest. "He always gets in three or four punches before the other guy realizes he's in a fight," marveled Clarke. "He throws punches faster than anyone in the league." Even the Hammer himself concurred. "In terms of pure toughness, Kelly was first on the Flyers and I was second," Schultz told prolific hockey writer Stan Fischler. "With all due respect, Kelly became the heavyweight champion of the Flyers." Statistically, Kelly had the worst season of his career in 1973-74. In 65 games, he scored just four goals and 14 points in fairly limited ice time and went pointless in the playoffs. His penalty totals dropped from 238 minutes to 130. But, as always, stats revealed little about his value to the team. For example, one night during the 1973-74 season, the Rangers jumped out to a 3-0 lead at the Spectrum. Shero's Flyers needed every bit of energy Kelly could provide them. The Hound toppled Rangers left and right, whipped Ron Harris in a fight, and assisted on two goals, helping the team rally all the way back to earn a tie. Kelly's battles with the Rangers continued in the playoffs. After the Flyers dispatched the Atlanta Flames in the first round, they embarked on a seven game war with the Blueshirts. Kelly was a thorn in the Rangers' side throughout the first two games. Shero sent Kelly to "hound" Harris and drive New York to distraction with his forechecking. Rangers coach Emile Francis countered by switching Harris to another line and replacing him with rookie Jerry Butler. Kelly promptly pounded Butler. The Flyers took the first two games of the series at home.

scored the 1975 Stanley Cup winning goal

One of Shero's offbeat practice drills was to have his players take the puck behind the net, swing out quickly in front and try to score. The winner received a $5 prize. Little did anyone know that the drill would pay huge dividends. With the Flyers leading the Buffalo Sabres 3 games to 2 in the Stanley Cup Finals, they entered the third period of Game 6 in a scoreless deadlock. In the opening minute of the third period, Shero sicked the Hound on the Sabres. Kelly pounced on huge Sabres defenseman Jerry Korab behind the Buffalo net, jarring the puck free. He then swooped out in front of the net and beat Sabres' goalie Roger Crozier for his 3rd goal of the playoffs and the biggest goal of his career. Kelly was mobbed by his teammates. As he got back to the bench, he looked at Shero and said, "Freddie, that's five bucks you owe me." Kelly's tally was all Philly would need. A Bill Clement insurance marker gave the Flyers a 2-0 win behind Bernie Parent's shutout goaltending. The Flyers were once again the Stanley Cup champions. Today, Kelly says that he considers the second Cup "a little bit sweeter" than the first, because he was such a key contributor.

January 11th, 1976, Kelly manhandles the Red Army in the Flyers 4-1 win

Kelly enjoyed two his best seasons in 1976-77 and 1977-78. The first year, he received increased ice time and, for the first time, cracked the 20-goal barrier to go along with his 125 penalty minutes. The next, he scored 19 and was a playoff warrior, with three goals, eight points and uncounted big hits in 12 games. In particular, Kelly gave the Toronto Maple Leafs fits. ...the Flyers new head coach... Quinn's first moves was to experiment with a new line combination. He put Kelly on the left wing of a line with tough center Mel Bridgman... providing both energy and supporting offense... With Kelly, as usual, working tirelessly in the corners and creating extra room for teammates, Bridgman went on to score 24 goals and 59 points in addition to his 184 penalty minutes "Bob Kelly is one guy I never have to worry about," said Pat Quinn shortly before the 1979-80 season. "He comes to play every night and he's a leader both on and off the ice." The 1979-80 season would be Kelly's last as a Flyer. He made it count. Now playing a veteran leadership role, Kelly dressed in 75 regular season games and 19 playoff contests. Although assigned primarily to checking duties, Kelly scored 15 goals. He also still knew how to lift the club's spirits with a well-timed fight or body check (122 penalty minutes). Kelly was right in the thick of the action as the Flyers set a North American professional sports record by going undefeated in 35 consecutive games. They ultimately lost in a heartbreaking six game Stanley Cup Final against the New York Islanders, who went on to win four consecutive Cups. The Flyers traded Kelly to the lowly Washington Capitals... Knowing only how to play full speed ahead, the Hound put up his highest penalty totals since 1972-73 (157 penalty minutes). He also had to take on an increased offensive burden and responded with his best statistical season in the NHL – 26 goals and 62 points. Kelly retired with 837 regular season games and 101 playoff tilts to his credit. He notched 154 regular season goals and 1,454 penalty minutes without having played a single game in the minor leagues.

http://flyers.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=NewsPage&bcid=2920

scored an important momentum-preserving insurance goal as a game star in the Flyers' NHL record-setting 29th consecutive unbeaten game (in what would become their 35-game streak), a 5-2 win over Boston in 1980

"The Hound" was an instant hit with the Flyers fans and his teammates. Kelly soon became one of the team's resident pranksters – and was himself often the victim of practical jokes. It was, in fact, a rookie Kelly who was the subject of one of the most elaborate practical jokes in Flyers' annals: the snipe hunt. The tale is still often retold by Kelly's old teammates and has been recounted in numerous hockey books. For over a month, the veterans on the team told Kelly stories about all the fun they'd have snipe hunting. Then they claimed that rookies weren't allowed to participate.

"What's a snipe?" asked Kelly.
"They're sort of like pigeons," answered Flyers' veteran defenseman Ed Van Impe.
"Can you eat them?"
"Only the breasts. My wife cooks them in a wine sauce and are they ever delicious!" said Van Impe.
Kelly begged to come along. Van Impe said he'd consider making an exception to the no-rookies "rule."
Over the next few days, Kelly's teammates instructed him in the art of snipe hunting. Goalie Doug Favell had him practice "snipe calls" while enforcer Earl Heiskala told him that the way to hunt snipes is to beat the bushes with long poles and when the snipes fly, to shine a flashlight on them. The birds would get panicked and confused, giving the hunters a chance to catch them in fishing nets.

Of course, it was all a joke to initiate Kelly into the NHL fraternity. Van Impe arranged with friends in the Delaware County police department to come arrest Kelly for "hunting snipe without a license in a snipe preserve." They even arranged for a stern justice of the peace to scare Kelly into thinking he was going to jail. Finally, his teammates materialized in the courtroom and let him off the hook. After the initial shock subsided, Kelly responded with his usual good humor.

 

[seventieslord]

so all the scoring lines are done, and we managed to get some decent grit onto each one, except maybe these:

Fredrik Modin - Dan Quinn - Radim Vrbata
Alexander Bodunov - Jack Armytage - Atty Howard
Taylor Hall - Mike Walton - Ken Mallen

5 out of 8 isn't bad.

Modin is a kind of "robust" guy but a true glue guy, I'm not sure.
Armytage and Howard are still mostly unknowns, and for that matter so is Bodunov. If we play the odds, one of them was probably gritty.
Hall you could call rambunctious. Not a big hitter though, and no defensive rep.

 

[seventieslord]

missed that



Was his AHL scoring that good? He's a good 30 points off Brydson and 40 off Horton in terms of six year VsX sums.

It was pretty good, yes, but I wasn't even looking at that. the difference is that I still use a few different benchmarks in the post-expansion era. I thought the "official" vsx got changed in that direction too?

edit: chances are, if you also make mental adjustments due to ranking on team, Schinkel would start to look better than those two.

 

[seventieslord]

Moose Jaw selects Adam Brown, LW

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.

VsX: 69, 60, 42, 33, 30, 28, 28.

THN started in 1948, so it misses his two peak offensive years, but I'm going to see what kinds of things they said about him in the 2nd half of his career, because he's always interested me.

edit: he was described as "digging, driving, determined", "in a lot of fistic battles", "a sparkplug" and other similar things. Definitely a mini-power forward. More intangibles than the guys we have on scoring lines right now, but I fear he's too far behind in offense to really excel up there.

 

[Rob Scuderi]

It was pretty good, yes, but I wasn't even looking at that. the difference is that I still use a few different benchmarks in the post-expansion era. I thought the "official" vsx got changed in that direction too?

edit: chances are, if you also make mental adjustments due to ranking on team, Schinkel would start to look better than those two.

Some changes were made, but with the new benchmarks still leave Schinkel with scores of 52, 49, 46, 41, 38, 36 = 262

Team finishes in those years: 2, 1, 3, 5, 7, 7.

Compare with Nathan Horton's: 58, 54, 54, 52, 44, 41 = 303
Team finishes in those years: 2, 2, 4, 2, 4, 4

Couple differences of course. Schinkel's final score came with the Rangers in the early 60s. Schinkel had 6 or 12 teams to play on, Horton had 30 and only made the playoffs once in those six years. PP time is a factor too, with Horton scoring more on the PP than Schinkel.

If I'm being honest though I'd probably prefer Horton's power game than Schinkel's, and vice verse for defensive ability.

 

[Rob Scuderi]

so all the scoring lines are done, and we managed to get some decent grit onto each one, except maybe these:

Fredrik Modin - Dan Quinn - Radim Vrbata
Alexander Bodunov - Jack Armytage - Atty Howard
Taylor Hall - Mike Walton - Ken Mallen

5 out of 8 isn't bad.

Modin is a kind of "robust" guy but a true glue guy, I'm not sure.
Armytage and Howard are still mostly unknowns, and for that matter so is Bodunov. If we play the odds, one of them was probably gritty.
Hall you could call rambunctious. Not a big hitter though, and no defensive rep.

I was hoping Hall-Walton would end up with a borderline plug on their line because they have to most skilled duo in the draft right? Walton was something of a headcase, and you covered Hall. Mallen could skate and stickhandle, and I think he has one quote about checking (right?), but some serious grit with those two would have been nice.

 

[seventieslord]

I was hoping Hall-Walton would end up with a borderline plug on their line because they have to most skilled duo in the draft right? Walton was something of a headcase, and you covered Hall. Mallen could skate and stickhandle, and I think he has one quote about checking (right?), but some serious grit with those two would have been nice.

We could still try to figure out who the best options are to stick in place of a player or two, but then we've gotta move guys like Modin/Vrbata, Mallen, or Bodunov to a lower line that they're not really cut out for either. So the best thing to do is probably roll with what we have. I dunno.

 

[seventieslord]

love that there are 5 people in this thread right now.

 

[Rob Scuderi]

We could still try to figure out who the best options are to stick in place of a player or two, but then we've gotta move guys like Modin/Vrbata, Mallen, or Bodunov to a lower line that they're not really cut out for either. So the best thing to do is probably roll with what we have. I dunno.

Yeah I agree, probably best. I think Modin works because we're stretched so thin. Armytage and Howard have the unknown factor in their favor. The Walton line is the only one I think it's worth considering.

 

[VanIslander]

The Terriers select right wing Mark Napier, the Ontario juniors superstar with 130 points in 61 games, who dominated the Memorial Cup and was drafted in the 1st round by the Montreal Canadiens but chose to then jump to the lucrative WHA and was 3rd in that pro league with 60 goals as the rookie of the year and followed that up with a 9th in WHA goals his sophomore year. He then went and became an NHL rookie with the dynasty Habs and contributed three even-strength goals and a couple of assists in the team's 1979 Stanley Cup championship. He would go on to have 35, 40, 40 goal seasons his last three years with the Canadiens before being traded to Minnesota. Midway through the following season he was traded to Edmonton and he immediately scored 35 points in 33 games and helped the Oilers win the Stanley Cup that 1985 postseason with 5 playoff goals and 10 points, tied for 6th in team playoff goals. The following year the 29 year old in his 11th pro hockey season again was 6th in Oilers scoring with 24 goals and 56 points. The next year the 30 year old was traded at the deadline to Buffalo where he finished off his NHL career with two less noteworthy seasons. He had scored 541 NHL points in 767 NHL games and 254 WHA points in 237 WHA games.

... blessed with blinding speed and a natural scoring ability.

 

[seventieslord]

What are we supposed to do with Napier? Does he check at all?