Since I last came in to comment, Sheppard, Fergus and Davidson are my favourite picks.
I will post more on these guys later, but for now -
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Regina selects Coach
Ron Wilson, who has a boatload of NHL experiemce including a 1998 SCF run, plus a 1996 world cup, 2002 and 2010 silver olympic medals.
Ron Wilson, Coach
- Stanley Cup Finalist (1998)
- 590-511-178 in NHL regular season (.531)
- 47-48 in NHL playoffs (.495)
- 4 Division Titles
- Has placed 2nd, 3rd, 5th in Adams Voting
- World Cup Champion (1996)
- Olympic Silver Medalist (2010)
- Three-time World Championship Coach
NY Times said:
“I know I can coach,” Wilson said Friday, after the Americans improved to 5-0 in these Olympics with a 6-1 rout of Finland. “I didn’t come into these Games to — I’m searching for the word — justify my coaching career.”
Wilson coached the United States to one of its greatest triumphs, beating Canada in Montreal to win the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. He has led the Americans at three world championships, in 1994, 1996 and 2009, advancing to the semifinals of each tournament.
He knows how to coach international hockey, and that knowledge has been on display here. Wilson’s Leafs stress physical play and truculence; this United States team has been a model of restraint — physical, but careful to stay within the stricter international rules governing body checking.
“I just love our discipline throughout this tourney,” Wilson said. “We haven’t ever hit back at somebody or retaliated to any slight. We’ve turned our cheek, and it’s been to the team’s benefit that we’ve played that way.”
“Anytime we’ve made mistakes and need to play better, Ron has been very calm,” goalie Ryan Miller said. “I think that’s the kind of demeanor the team needed, and it’s just kind of filtered down.”
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We also select
Radek Bonk, C, who was a solid defensive forward who once placed 7th in selke voting, was one of the NHL's most frequent hitters, and somehow is one of the five most accomplished post-67 NHL scorers left. (Simple metric: sum of best 5 percentage seasons)
- 6'3", 210
- #1 center on a presidents trophy team (2003)
- 7th in Selke voting (2001)
- 8th in hits among forwards, 1999-2002
Bonk was 8th in recorded hits by a forward from 1999-2002 before the NHL abolished the stat and removed all records of it, except of course from the printed records (for this reason the 2003 official guide and record book is a great resource) - players ahead: Doan, Roberts, M.Lapointe, O'Neill, Holik, Laperriere, McCarty.
Hockey Scouting Report 2002 said:
Bonk does a competent job as a 32 center...Bonk can't utilize his skills when he can't accelerate away from stick checks. His skating is the primary reason why he has not been able to be an impact scorer in the NHL as he was in the minors, and why he has never lived up to expectations of being the 3rd player drafted overall... but he is far from the bust some people thought... Bonk is a puck magnet; the puck always seems to end up in his stick in the slot... he is a smart and creative passer and plays well in advance of his years, with a great deal of poise... defensively, Bonk keeps improving. He performed frequently as a 3rd-line center. he is decent at faceoffs, and can be used to kill penalties because of his anticipation. He is a poor man's Bobby Holik when he plays with a little edge... although Bonk has good size, he does not show signs of becoming a power forward. He is aggressive only in pursuit of the puck. He goes into the corners and wins many one on one battles because of his strength and hand skills.
McKeen's Hockey Pool Yearbook 2003 said:
rugged Czech did an admirable job assuming Yashin's vacated #1 spot...a big, strong pivot with a balanced mix of speed, skill and power, Bonk doesn't have any glaring weaknesses nor is he exceptional in any particular area, either...
Sports Forecaster 2004 said:
Dominant on the boards and smart in all three zones, Bonk is a big part of Ottawa's offense and is usually asked to check the NHL's best pivots. He plays prime minutes on special teams.
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Regina also selects Adam Brown, LW, to be the first line physical presence. Brown had solid offensive skills and with percentage scores of 69, 60, and 42, was among the more accomplished pre-expansion wingers out there. (A tad below Johnny Sheppard) my bio from last year's A draft indicates he was a tough player with the ability to throw huge hits.
Adam Brown, LW
- 5'9, 175 lbs
- Stanley Cup (1943)
- Stanley Cup Finalist (1942)
"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.
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.
Fischler's Hockey Encyclopedia said:
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."
Hockey's Historic Highlights said:
Adam Brown, a hard-nosed forward with Detroit...
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.
One of a half dozen off-the-board undrafteds I wanted to premiere this year.
