The Single-A Draft (ROSTER post, picks, everything)

[seventieslord]

The Czechoslovakians were superior to the Soviets in the late 40's. Pay homage to the fallen in the suspicious plane crash if anybody from that time and place.

There's a problem with that though... a couple Czechs who were clearly the best of that time were already taken, so it would make sense to take a few soviets from that era next. And from there... well, it sucks, but we don't have much in the way of info to understand who is the next best to select from the Czechs. With the soviets, at least there's the all-star teams. And the guys they took weren't just 1 or 2-time all-stars either.

I know though, I'm quite skeptical of players from a time when raising the puck was a novelty.

 

[seventieslord]

The Pittsburgh Bankers select

D- Richard Smehlik
F- Valentin Kuzin
F- Yuri Krylov
F- Ladislav Nagy
LW- Lorne Ferguson
C- Richard Farda
F- Karel Hromadka

Also you have me and chaos down as both drafted Tim Ecclestone but I'm pretty sure I picked him first.

Krylov is gone. just noticed now...

 

[seventieslord]

He played in 93 games for the national team over seven years, many of them the biggest games in the world on one of the greatest teams,

We really should look at standardizing how to quote how many "international games" a player played, to avoid anyone being inadvertently misled.

Gimaev was in 39 major international games. (Canada cup, Worlds, Olympics)

 

[VanIslander]

Rocky Mountain Rage selects Harry Neale, who coached in the WHA for six seasons, four of which his team finished top 3, registering 208 wins and 32 playoff wins. He three times led Minnesota to the semifinals and took the Whalers to the cup final. When the league disbanded, Neale went on to coach the NHL's woeful Canucks, immediately leading the club to the playoffs three seasons in a row before being suspended by the NHL for 10 games in 1982 for an altercation with fans in the stands. His replacement Roger Neilsen led the Canucks to the Finals and so Neale was offered the GM job. He coached another 92 games over two seasons for the Canucks after firing coaches in the following years. The former Ohio State coach, most renowned as a t.v. hockey color commentator, was inducted as a coach into the WHA hall of fame.

 

[seventieslord]

Rocky Mountain Rage selects Harry Neale, who coached in the WHA for six seasons, four of which his team finished top 3, registering 208 wins and 32 playoff wins. He three times led Minnesota to the semifinals and took the Whalers to the cup final. When the league disbanded, Neale went on to coach the NHL's woeful Canucks, immediately leading the club to the playoffs three seasons in a row before being suspended by the NHL for 10 games in 1982 for an altercation with fans in the stands. His replacement Roger Neilsen led the Canucks to the Finals and so Neale was offered the GM job. He coached another 92 games over two seasons for the Canucks after firing coaches in the following years. The former Ohio State coach, most renowned as a t.v. hockey color commentator, was inducted as a coach into the WHA hall of fame.

Honest question - do you think he was the best coach you could take right now, or just the best to have never been profiled before? I'm just curious of the thought process involved.

 

[JFA87-66-99]

Krylov is gone. just noticed now...

The Pittsburgh Bankers reselect LW Bohuslav Ebermann

 

[VanIslander]

Honest question - do you think he was the best coach you could take right now, or just the best to have never been profiled before? I'm just curious of the thought process involved.

I personally watched him turn around a woeful club and make it competitive instead of the laughingstock it had been (my dad and I went to games at Pacific Coliseum for free because they couldn't give them away in the seventies). I recall Neale as a good coach and the team did well when he was a fulltime coach. The fact that he had had success and respect as a WHA coach for over half a decade clinched it. He is worthy of profiling in the 2013 Single-A Draft.

Of course, you may have some stat list you are comparing him to (career wins? win percentage?) that makes you think he's not in the same league as other coaching options at the Single-A level.

 

[VanIslander]

Rocky Mountain Rage selects Tom Watt, who was assistant coach for the Canada Cup teams in '84, '87 and '91, assistant coach with the 1989 Stanley Cup winning Calgary Flames, known as a 'true teacher' and 'a great hockey mind', he had coached the Toronto Varsity Blues to a record-setting nine CIAU national championships (1965-1979) (the team that coach Frank Selke and centre Conn Smythe took to the 1914 finals; the team has won the national championship 10 times in history, and 9 of them were with Watt as coach). He also won the Jack Adams trophy coaching the Winnipeg Jets to its first-ever NHL playoff appearance in 1982, setting the then NHL record for biggest improvement as the Jets finished 48 points higher than the previous season. Watt also coached Canada in two Olympics and two world championships.

Despite his wealth of experience in coaching, when asked about his "most exciting" moment in hockey, he said it was when he was the CTV color commentator at the 1980 Winter Olympics, calling the U.S. Miracle on Ice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUrIcAxUEa0 (that's him you hear here in the early tourney U.S. late tie with Sweden: articulate, smart guy)

He has been a coach in the NHL (National Hockey League) for 11 seasons, including seven as a head coach; four as assistant coach and one as development coach.

In 1999–2000, Watt served as a development coach for the Calgary Flames. Prior to that, he spent much of the 1990s with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. He was hired in 1990 as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs and took over as head coach just 12 games into the 1990–91 season. After two seasons behind the Toronto Maple Leafs' bench, he served within the organization as Director of Professional Development in 1992–93 and Director of Pro Scouting in 1993–94. Watt took on head coaching responsibilities with the Leaf's farm club, the St. John's Maple Leafs of the AHL for two seasons beginning in 1994–95.

Prior to his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Watt was an assistant coach with Calgary Flames from 1988–90, including the Stanley Cup winning 1989 club.

He held the positions of head coach and assistant general manager with the Vancouver Canucks for two seasons beginning in 1985–86. His first NHL head coaching experience came with Winnipeg, where he guided the Winnipeg Jets (now Phoenix Coyotes) for two-plus seasons (1981–84). In 1981–82, Watt helped the Winnipeg Jets to a 48-point improvement in the standings, and was named Coach of the Year, winning the Jack Adams Award for his efforts.

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

 

[seventieslord]

I personally watched him turn around a woeful club and make it competitive instead of the laughingstock it had been (my dad and I went to games at Pacific Coliseum for free because they couldn't give them away in the seventies). I recall Neale as a good coach and the team did well when he was a fulltime coach. The fact that he had had success and respect as a WHA coach for over half a decade clinched it. He is worthy of profiling in the 2013 Single-A Draft.

Of course, you may have some stat list you are comparing him to (career wins? win percentage?) that makes you think he's not in the same league as other coaching options at the Single-A level.

You could do worse, yeah.... but guys who are sub-.500 over 800 games with no award recognition don't tend to be in high demand, no.

...and you didn't answer the question.

 

[BubbaBoot]

The Cape Cod Cubs finish their last round of selections with:

assistant coach Ludek Bukac

- Czech Hall of Fame (builder)
- IIHF Hall of Fame (builder)
- coached Austra 1987 - 1991 (1988 Olympics team finished 9th, their 2nd highest finish on 40 years / 2 Bronze Medals in WC - B pool).
- coached Germany 1992 - 1994 (1992 Olympics team finished 6th / WCs finishes 5th, 6th, 9th)

Ludek Bukac Sr. worked five Olympic Games and 15 world tournaments, a Canada Cup and a World Cup of Hockey, guiding Czechoslovakia to silver at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympiad.

In IIHF world tournament competition, he captured two silvers and a bronze, and owns the distinction of having coached both Czechoslovakia (1985) and the Czech Republic (1996) to world championship gold medals.

“My father was a great coach,” Bukac Jr. said.

“He had great contacts with Canadian coaches, Scotty Bowman and all those guys. He made it to so many symposiums.

“Nowadays, he is 76, so sometimes we talk about hockey, but not as much as before. But he’s still going with me for our hockey school, and he’s still part of skating on the ice.”

The Bukac and Bukac Ice Hockey School at Chlum u Trebone in South Bohemia is world renowned.

Father and son have trekked throughout the hockey world conducting clinics for coaches and youth players, and the variable goals training method they designed is considered ground-breaking due to its combination of developing a player’s on-ice skills, decision-making and creative freedom.

Development has proven a key issue with Czech hockey.

_______________________________________________________________________


defenseman Tommy Sjodin

A very valuable player thanks to his experience and his leadership skills. Sjödin plays a solid two-way game and stands out with his hockey sense. Has still a good shot from the blue line and scores plenty of points.

ACHIEVEMENTS
- World Championship Gold Medal 91/92
- World Championship Silver Medal 94/95
- World Championship Bronze Medal 93/94
- World Championship All-Star Team 94/95
- Sweden All-Star Team 91/92, 94/95
- Elitserien Best Player "Guldpucken" 91/92
- Elitserien All-Star Game 99/00
- Elitserien Most Assists by Defenseman 01/02
- Elitserien Most Goals by Defenseman 89/90
- Elitserien Most Penalized Player 90/91
- Italy Champion 96/97
- NLA Most Assists by Defenseman 95/96, 94/95
- NLA Most Points by Defenseman 96/97, 94/95

- Most Points by Defenseman - (T2) 2001/02
- Most Goals by Defenseman - (T2) 2001/02
- Most Assists by Defenseman - (T1) 2001/02

- Sweden Team Captain (1992 World Championships)
- Brynas Team Captain (2003-2008)
- Brynas Assistant Team Captain (1999-2003)
- HC Lugano Assistant Team Captain (1994-1998)

STATS
NHL: 106 games / 8 goals / 40 assists / 48 points / -21 / 52 PIMs / 0.45 PtPG

SEL: 675 games / 116 goals / 197 assists / 313 points / -3 / 772 PIMs / PtPG
playoffs: 74 games / 10 goals / 29 assists / 39 points / +8 / 95 PIMs / 0.53 PtPG

NLA: 173 games / 61 goals / 114 assists / 175 points / - / 175 PIMs / 1.01 PtPG
playoffs: 32 games / 12 goals / 11 assists / 23 points / - / 12 PIMs / 0.72 PtPG

WCs: 30 games / 3 goals / 5 assists / 8 points / - / 18 PIMs / 0.27 PtPG
OLY: 8 games / 4 goals / 1 assist / 5 points / - / 2 PIMs / 0.63 PtPG

______________________________________________________________________

forward Lars-Goran Nilsson

Growing up in Vuollerim (4 mil south of Jokkmokk) and had local sports club as the parent club. There, the great nicknames "The whirlwind of Vuollerim". When he first down to Brynäs so was his nickname "Ore Crusher from Kiruna."

One of Sweden's witty best hockey players in the 60s and 70s. With an extremely short stick most because of its low riding style. Nilsson was one of the most proactive in the locker room during Gavle team's heyday. Was considered for Allsvenskan football with IFK Norrkoping for some time. Worked for over ten years with various directorships in Brynäs after their careers.

The Swedes have beaten Russia, both in tournaments and in friendly internationals, and play the same type of game, allthough most players cannot match the speed of the best Russians.

One exception is Lars-Goeran Nilsson, a specialist on swift counter-attacks from his own blue line and a forward who can outskate the best.

ACHIEVEMENTS
- Elitserien Champion 65/66, 66/67, 67/68, 69/70, 70/71, 71/72, 75/76, 76/77
- Elitserien SM-silver Medal 74/75
- Sweden All-Star Team 65/66, 67/68, 68/69
- World Championship Bronze Medal 70/71, 71/72, 73/74
- World Championship Silver Medal 68/69, 69/70

- Points (1st) 68/69, 69/70, 70/71, 73/74 \\\ (3rd) 66/67 \\\ (T4th) 77/78
- Goals (1st) 68/69. 70/71 \\\ (3rd) 73/74 \\\ (T3rd) 66/67, 69/70
- Assists (1st) 70/71, 73/74 \\\ (2nd) 69/70 \\\ (T3rd) 66/67 \\\ (5th) 77/78

- Brynas all-time scoring leader (1st goals), (3rd assists)
- Still holds the record for most points in a single season: 62 (1970–71)
- Played in the 1976 Canada Cup Series

STATS
SHL: 284 games / 211 goals / 179 assists / 390 points / - / 234 PIMs / 1.37 PtPG
playoffs: 27 games / 13 goals / 15 assists / 28 points / - / 8 PIMs / 1.04 PtPG
SEL: 141 games / 62 goals / 78 assists / 140 points / - / 160 PIMs / 0.99 PtPG
playoffs: 11 games / 1 goal / 5 assists / 6 points / - / 23 PIMs / 0.55 PtPG

WCs: 52 games / 22 goals / 21 assists / 43 points / - / 61 PIMs / 0.83 PtPG
OLY: 6 games / 2 goals / 0 assists / 2 points / - / 0 PIMs / 0.33 PtPG

 

[BubbaBoot]

coach - Josef Augusta
coach - Ludek Bukac

Miroslav Poucher - Vladimir Yurzinov - Vlastimil Bubnik
Jiri Kochta - Matt Duchene - Jonas Bergqvist
Jamie Benn - Len Lunde - Jarkko Ruutu
Hakan Sordgren - Lennart Johansson - Tie Domi

Milan Chalupa - Magnus Johansson
Thomas Eriksson - Josef Horesovsky
Duke Dukowski - Tommy Albelin

Vladimir Nardchal
Tuukka Rask

spares
Roger Jenkins - defense / forward
Tommy Sjodin - defense
Lars-Goran Nilsson - forward​

 

[ResilientBeast]

Looking to add some offence, my spares will compliment my bottom two 'checking lines'

Mikhail Bychkov RW

14 Goals in 42 CCCP International Games
208 Goals in 280 USSR League Games

1953-54 (16 games) - 19 Goals Tied for 5th League Wide
1955-56 (28 games) - 30 Goals Tied for 4th League Wide
1956-57 (30 games) - 31 Goals 2nd League Wide

Mikhail Bychkov began to play football with Traktor Stalingrad (now Rotor Volgograd) but won the 1949 Soviet Cup with Torpedo Moskva, and was runner-up with them in 1947. Bychkov took up hockey while switching to Krylya Sovetov Moskva in 1950 and in the first few seasons he played football in the summer and hockey in the winter. But in 1954, after he was selected to the first Soviet national hockey team, he decided to concentrate only on hockey and he played hockey for Krylya Sovetov until the end of his career in 1962 and won one Soviet title, in 1957, with them. Internationally, besides his Olympic bronze medal, Bychkov was World Champion in 1954, second in 1955 and third in 1960. He also won three European Championships titles in 1954-55 and 1960 and won gold at the 1953 World University Winter Games.

http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/by/mikhail-bychkov-1.html


Vladimir Grebennikov C

1954-55 (18 Games) - 19 Goals 5th League Wide
1955-56 (28 games) - 46 Goals 1st League Wide
1957-58 (34 games) - 31 Goals 3rd League Wide
1959-60 (+/- 36 games) - 24 Goals 4th League Wide
1961-62 (38 games) - 27 Goals Tied for 8th League Wide

1957 Soviet League Champion

8 Points in the 1960 Olympics (7 Games)

Team USSR international games 17 Goals in 22 Games
Soviet League games 252 Goals in 300 Games

Vladimir Grebennikov played hockey with Spartak Moskva in 1950-53, then played with Dvorets Kultury imeny Karl Marksa Elektrostal from 1953-54, and was with Krylya Sovetov Moskva in 1954-64. Grebennikov ended his career with Spartak Ryazan in 1964-66. Grebennikov won the 1957 Soviet Championship and was the leading goal scorer at the 1956 Soviet Championships with 46 goals. Internationally, besides his Olympic bronze, Grebennikov won silver (1957) and bronze (1960) at the World Championships and was European Champion in 1960 and runner-up in 1957.

http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gr/vladimir-grebennikov-1.html

Frantisek Kucera D

- Czech Extraliga Best Defenseman 99/00, 97/98
- Czech Extraliga Best Plus/Minus 99/00
- Czech Extraliga Champion 99/00, 01/02, 02/03
- Czech Extraliga Player of the Year 99/00
- Olympic Gold Medal 97/98
- U18 EJC All-Star Team 85/86
- World Championship All-Star Team 97/98
- World Championship Best Defenseman 97/98, 98/99
- World Championship Bronze Medal 97/98, 88/89
- World Championship Gold Medal 98/99, 99/00, 00/01

 

[BubbaBoot]

Damn, I thought Kucera was gone already....nice call.

 

[seventieslord]

More to come later...

Frank McCool, G

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=21011591&postcount=285
Don Metz, W

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=43928919&postcount=129

Jerry LaFlamme, C/D

http://hockeyhistorysis.blogspot.ca/2012/02/dr-jerry-laflamme.html

 

[Rob Scuderi]

I definitely would have picked Lars-Goran Nilsson in this draft. He finished 6th, 7th, and 9th in scoring at the World Championships and was a pretty good scorer in the Swedish league on the Brynas powerhouse.

 

[VanIslander]

Rocky Mountain Rage selects John McKinnon, the offensive defenseman of the NHL's Pittsburgh Pirates. In his rookie season 1926/27, he finished second in team goals with an impressive 13, between Milks and Darragh among the lowly club's few bright lights. He finished 6th and 7th in the NHL in points by a defenseman in his two best seasons with the Pirates, and was particularly good at scoring goals. During his 5-year career from 1926-1931, only 6 defensemen had more goals. He remains 4th in career goals and points for the short-term franchise and 2nd in PIMs with 178.

... a useful goal scorer from the point who played over 200 games in the 1920s and '30s. He could also make quick passes and play the body in his own zone… the Pirates were struggling on and off the ice. One of the lone bright spots in 1929-30 was McKinnon's ten goals and overall hustle.

 

[VanIslander]

Rocky Mountain Rage selects point Rod Kennedy, a three-time Stanley Cup champion at the point position. He won the Stanley Cup in January 1906 with Ottawa then again in March on the Montreal Wanderers squad. He won the cup again the following March and then in 1908 he played against the Wanderers as a starter in the first all-star game in hockey history, the Hod Stuart Memorial Benefit Game in 1908, Kennedy scoring the first goal for the all-star team in what turned out to be a 10-7 losing effort against the Wanderers. He scored 4 more goals against the Wanderers in a Stanley Cup challenge series loss for the Victorias on March 10, 1908. I still wish to collect more info on this intriguing career!

 

[VanIslander]

Rocky Mountain Rage selects Bill MacKenzie, the stay-at-home defenseman who won the Memorial Cup in 1931 and made his NHL debut with the Montreal Maroons in 1933. His best years were in Chicago, where he manned the blueline for the 1938 Stanley Cup champions. In the 1940's he continued playing hockey in the AHL and was twice 1st team all-star there.

Defenceman Bill MacKenzie played nearly 300 games for three different teams in the 1930s and '40s. Although he had a decent shot from the point, his main role was to play the man in his own zone and move the puck up to his forwards.

The Winnipeg native played junior with the local Elmwoods before spending a year with the senior Montreal AAA. In 1932-33, he looked solid as a rookie with the Chicago Black Hawks. After signing as a free agent with the Montreal Maroons, he spent a little over a year stabilizing their blueline. Mackenzie also toiled for the Canadiens and the New York Rangers before returning to Chicago in a deal for Marty Burke in December 1937.

The veteran rearguard tried to sort the Hawks' struggling blueline then was as shocked as everyone else in hockey when they left their poor regular season behind and won the Stanley Cup. After playing 19 games for the Hawks in 1939-40, Mackenzie spent the rest of his playing days in the AHL.

 

[BubbaBoot]

Rocky Mountain Rage selects Bill MacKenzie, the stay-at-home defenseman who won the Memorial Cup in 1931 and made his NHL debut with the Montreal Maroons in 1933. His best years were in Chicago, where he manned the blueline for the 1938 Stanley Cup champions. In the 1940's he continued playing hockey in the AHL and was twice 1st team all-star there.

Nice one….he was in my sights too….

 

[JFA87-66-99]

The Pittsburgh Bankers select

Jordan Leopold, D
Oldrich Kucera, F

I also think that old school Czech players at least deserve the same treatment as 1950's Russian players, but its really tough to figure out who were the best players after the obvious guys like Malecek,Trojak,Zabrodsky,Bubnik,Modry,etc but from what I can tell these 2 players should be considered

Karel Hromadka
Oldrich Kucera, F

 

[Hedberg]

Oberhausen selects:

Coach Brian Kilrea - a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, he coached the Ottawa 67s for 29 years, compiling a 1193-771-153-39 record. He had only six losing seasons in 29 years. Kilrea also called Alyn McCauley the best player he's ever coached, so he should be happy to have him on Oberhausen.

D Lars Lindgren - the Canucks representative to the 1980 All-Star game, Lindgren was a mobile defenseman with a decent outlet pass. Outside the NHL, he played for Sweden in two World Championships and a Canada Cup and was also a two time Elitserien All-Star

C Viktor Yakushev - A versatile forward, the 1964 Olympic All-Star had 54 pts in 57 World Championship games, playing on five Gold Medal winning Soviet squads. In the Soviet League, despite playing on lesser team Moscow Lokomotiv, he was a two-time league all-star.

 

[seventieslord]

Oberhausen selects:

Coach Brian Kilrea - a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, he coached the Ottawa 67s for 29 years, compiling a 1193-771-153-39 record. He had only six losing seasons in 29 years. Kilrea also called Alyn McCauley the best player he's ever coached, so he should be happy to have him on Oberhausen.

D Lars Lindgren - the Canucks representative to the 1980 All-Star game, Lindgren was a mobile defenseman with a decent outlet pass. Outside the NHL, he played for Sweden in two World Championships and a Canada Cup and was also a two time Elitserien All-Star

C Viktor Yakushev - A versatile forward, the 1964 Olympic All-Star had 54 pts in 57 World Championship games, playing on five Gold Medal winning Soviet squads. In the Soviet League, despite playing on lesser team Moscow Lokomotiv, he was a two-time league all-star.

Two guys I'm glad to see get selected. Yakushev is better than most of these guys, I think. I couldn't imagine getting to pick 2000 without Kilrea being taken. Lindgren doesn't look too bad, either.

 

[tony d]

Lw jacques richard c dean evason and d james wisniewski

 

[seventieslord]

Oh, thank goodness Evason got selected. nearly a 400 point scorer and excellent penalty killer.

 

[JFA87-66-99]

Just realized I still need one more pick,

The Pittsburgh Bankers select F Inge Hammarstrom