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June 1, 1995
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
Welcome back to first round
For the first time since 1992, the Philadelphia Flyers have a first-round pick in the NHL entry draft. Is that a blessing or a burden? The Flyers gave up first-rounders in 1993 and 1994 as part of the trade to acquire Eric Lindros from the Quebec Nordiques. This year, they select 22nd overall. The Flyers have not had much luck drafting and developing late first-rounders. GM Bob Clarke had four low first-round picks in his initial tour of duty with the Flyers (1984-90) and failed to get a player who had an impact on the organization. Glen Seabrooke (21st in 1985), Kerry Huffman (20th in 1986), Darren Rumble (20th in 1987) and Claude Boivin (14th in 1988) came and went without leaving much of an impression. In the early 1990s, ex-GM Russ Farwell came up with a…
Peterborough scout discovers big-league talent
All scouts have an eye for talent. What separates eagle-eyed birddogs such as Norm Bryan from the rest of the pack is how early they spot it. Bryan, chief scout for the Ontario League’s Peterborough Petes, first laid eyes on Mike Ricci on television, while watching a between-periods awards presentation to some young peewee players during a game at Maple League Gardens. He remembered the name. A few years later, when Ricci was a scrawny 5-foot-9, 160-pound bantam, Bryan saw him play during a game in King City, Ont. At that time, junior teams normally blanketed only midget games for prospects, not bantam. “Since then,” said the 72-year-old Bryan, “there’s hardly a bantam game that goes by where you don’t see a scout.” “He was very adamant that this kid was a great player,”…
Strategy favors homegrown
When it comes to building list of prospects, reversing strategies in mid-stream usually comes at price. It’s price the Winnipeg Jets are paying. Their thin list of legitimate pro prospects that contained few North Americans prior to last year’s draft was grim news for a team in a seemingly constant state of rebuilding. Just where that rebuilding project would take place wasn’t known. A spirited effort by the private sector and all three levels of govemement was being made to keep the team in Winnipeg, but it was uncertain whether it would be successful. Last June the Jets did an about-face at the draft, going heavy on the homegrown. First-year GM John Paddock sought some North Americans to balance a reserve list that was loaded with European players. Of their 11 selections in…
Whale of a trade for draft
It used to be a pretty simple matter. The Boston Bruins, historically one of the NHL’s top regular-season finishers, almost always waited until the bottom third of the first round to make their first choice. With most ready-for-prime-time players long gone, the Bruins generally took the best of what was left and hoped the pick would pan out in a year or two. After the first pick. Boston always tried to make certain it had added a goalie to its stable, plus a big defenseman or two. This year is more complicated. The Bruins obtained the Hartford Whalers’ first-round pick for this year and the next two when they traded Glen Wesley away last summer. It gives Boston its first relatively early selection since 1987. They used that choice to grab Wesley,…
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