1979 NHL Entry Draft

1979 NHL Draft
General information
Date(s) August 9, 1979
Location Montreal, Quebec, Canada
First selection Canada Rob Ramage
Selected by: Colorado Rockies
NHL Entry Draft
 < 1978 1980 > 

The 1979 NHL Entry Draft took place on August 9, 1979, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League (NHL) teams selected 126 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1978–79 NHL season and playoff standings. The draft was the first to be conducted after the NHL-WHA merger. As part of the terms of the merger, the four former WHA teams had joined the NHL on the condition that they be placed at the bottom of the draft order, as opposed to the top of the order as is usually the case for expansion teams.

In addition, the minimum draft age was lowered from 20 to 18. The NHL had been considering lowering the draft age for some time (the WHA did not have a minimum age), and timed the decision to lower the draft age at least in part to coincide with the merger. The lowering of the draft age caused three years' worth of draft picks to go in the same draft, resulting in what is generally considered one of the best draft classes in NHL Entry Draft history, which included future hall-of-famers Ray Bourque, Mike Gartner and Michel Goulet in the first round alone. Hall-of-famers Mark Messier and Glenn Anderson would be drafted in later rounds. 12 of the 21 players selected in the first round would play in at least one All-Star game, 19 of the 21 would play at least 450 career NHL games, and all 21 had NHL careers of at least 235 games. The lowering of the draft age also made rising superstar Wayne Gretzky eligible to play in the NHL, although special circumstances as noted below prevented Gretzky from entering the draft. Under the old rules, Gretzky would not have been eligible to enter the NHL until the 1981 draft.

On the other hand, the NHL shortened the draft to only six rounds, whereas some previous drafts ran for more than twenty rounds. As a result, in spite of the larger number of teams participating the 1979 Draft had 108 fewer selections than the previous draft and was the shortest draft since 1971. As of 2015, it is the last Entry Draft to have fewer than 200 selections. Due to the strength of the class and fewer selections, there are many undrafted players who were eligible to be drafted who went on to have notable NHL careers, including Hall of Famer Dino Ciccarelli, five-time Stanley Cup champion Charlie Huddy and four-time 50-goal scorer Tim Kerr.

Wayne Gretzky

Rising superstar Wayne Gretzky had played for the Edmonton Oilers in the WHA's final season. As per the terms of the NHL-WHA merger, Gretzky was to have become eligible for the 1979 draft due to the lowering of the draft age. However, Gretzky had a personal services contract with Oilers owner Peter Pocklington.

The NHL had originally expected the contract would be voided. But Gretzky, faced with the likelihood of having to play for the struggling Colorado Rockies if he were to enter the draft, refused to void his contract with Pocklington. As a result, a compromise was reached in which the Oilers were allowed to keep Gretzky in exchange for being placed at the bottom of the draft order in the Entry Draft.

Selections by round

Below are listed the selections in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. Club teams are located in North America unless otherwise noted.

 = NHL All-Star[1] ·  = NHL All-Star[1] and NHL All-Star Team ·  = Hall of Famers

Round one

Pick # Player PositionNationality NHL team College/junior/club team
1 Rob Ramage Defence  Canada Colorado Rockies Birmingham Bulls (WHA)
2 Perry Turnbull Left Wing  Canada St. Louis Blues Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
3 Mike Foligno Right Wing  Canada Detroit Red Wings Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
4 Mike Gartner Right Wing  Canada Washington Capitals Cincinnati Stingers (WHA)
5 Rick Vaive Right Wing  Canada Vancouver Canucks Birmingham Bulls (WHA)
6 Craig Hartsburg Defence  Canada Minnesota North Stars Birmingham Bulls (WHA)
7 Keith Brown Defence  Canada Chicago Black Hawks Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
8 Ray Bourque Defence  Canada Boston Bruins (from Los Angeles) Verdun Eperviers (QMJHL)
9 Laurie Boschman Centre  Canada Toronto Maple Leafs Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
10 Tom McCarthy Left Wing  Canada Minnesota North Stars (from Pittsburgh via Washington) Oshawa Generals (OHL)
11 Mike Ramsey Defence  United States Buffalo Sabres University of Minnesota (WCHA)
12 Paul Reinhart Defence  Canada Atlanta Flames Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
13 Doug Sulliman Lefttwing  Canada New York Rangers Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
14 Brian Propp Left Wing  Canada Philadelphia Flyers Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
15 Brad McCrimmon Defence  Canada Boston Bruins Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
16 Jay Wells Defence  Canada Los Angeles Kings (from Montreal) Kingston Canadians (OHL)
17 Duane Sutter Right Wing  Canada New York Islanders Lethbridge Broncos (WHL)
18 Ray Allison Right Wing  Canada Hartford Whalers Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
19 Jimmy Mann Right Wing  Canada Winnipeg Jets Sherbrooke Castors (QMJHL)
20 Michel Goulet Left Wing  Canada Quebec Nordiques Birmingham Bulls (WHA)
21 Kevin Lowe Defence  Canada Edmonton Oilers Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
Reference: "1979 NHL Entry Draft hockeydraftcentral.com". Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2009. 

Notes

1.* The Los Angeles Kings' first round pick went to the Boston Bruins as the result of a trade on October 9, 1978 that sent Ron Grahame to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for this pick.

2.* The Pittsburgh Penguins' first round pick went to the Minnesota North Stars as the result of a trade on October 18, 1978 that sent Dennis Maruk to the Washington Capitals in exchange for this pick.
Washington had acquired the pick previously as the result of a trade on October 17, 1977 that sent Hartland Monahan to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for this pick.

3.* The Montreal Canadiens' first round pick went to the Los Angeles Kings as the result of to a trade on October 5, 1978 that sent the first round pick in 1981 to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Murray Wilson and this pick.

Round two

Pick # Player PositionNationality NHL team College/junior/club team
22 Blake Wesley Defence  Canada Philadelphia Flyers (from Colorado) Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
23 Mike Perovich Defence  Canada Atlanta Flames (from St. Louis) Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
24 Errol Rausse Left Wing  Canada Washington Capitals (from Detroit) Seattle Breakers (WHL)
25 Tomas Jonsson Defence  Sweden New York Islanders (from Washington) Modo Hockey (Sweden)
26 Brent Ashton Left Wing  Canada Vancouver Canucks Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
27 Gaston Gingras Defence  Canada Montreal Canadiens (from Minnesota) Birmingham Bulls (WHA)
28 Tim Trimper Left Wing  Canada Chicago Blackhawks Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
29 Dean Hopkins Right Wing  Canada Los Angeles Kings London Knights (OMJHL)
30 Mark Hardy Defence  Canada Los Angeles Kings (from Toronto) Montreal Juniors (QMJHL)
31 Paul Marshall Left Wing  Canada Pittsburgh Penguins Brantford Alexanders (OMJHL)
32 Lindy Ruff Defence  Canada Buffalo Sabres Lethbridge Broncos (WHL)
33 Pat Riggin Goaltender  Canada Atlanta Flames Birmingham Bulls (WHA)
34 Ed Hospodar Defence  United States/
 Canada 		New York Rangers Ottawa 67's (OMJHL)
35 Pelle Lindbergh Goaltender  Sweden Philadelphia Flyers AIK IF (Sweden)
36 Doug Morrison Right Wing  Canada Boston Bruins Lethbridge Broncos (WHL)
37 Mats Naslund Left Wing  Sweden Montreal Canadiens Brynas IF (Sweden)
38 Billy Carroll Centre  Canada New York Islanders London Knights (OMJHL)
39 Stu Smith Defence  Canada Hartford Whalers Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
40 Dave Christian Centre  United States Winnipeg Jets University of North Dakota (WCHA)
41 Dale Hunter Centre  Canada Quebec Nordiques Sudbury Wolves (OMJHL)
42 Neal Broten Centre  United States Minnesota North Stars (from Edmonton) University of Minnesota (WCHA)
Reference: "1979 NHL Entry Draft hockeydraftcentral.com". Archived from the original on 20 February 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2009. 

Notes

1.* The Colorado Rockies' second round pick went to the Philadelphia Flyers as the result of a trade on June 15, 1978 that sent the second round pick in 1978 to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for this pick.

2.* The St. Louis Blues' second round pick went to the Atlanta Flames as the result of a trade on December 12, 1977 that sent Curt Bennett, Phil Myre, and Barry Gibbs to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Yves Belanger, Dick Redmond, Bob MacMillan and this pick.

3.* The Detroit Red Wings' second round pick went to the Washington Capitals as the result of a trade on August 17, 1977 that sent Ron Low, the 46th overall pick to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Walt McKechnie, the third round pick in 1978 and this pick.

4.* The Washington Capitals' second round pick went to the New York Islanders as the result of a trade on October 19, 1978 that sent Michel Bergeron to the Washington Capitals in exchange for this pick.

5.* The Minnesota North Stars' second round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on August 9, 1979 that sent Bill Nyrop to the Minnesota North Stars in exchange for the second round pick in 1980 (changed to the second round pick in 1982 on June 11, 1980) and this pick.

6.* The Toronto Maple Leafs' second round pick went to the Los Angeles Kings as the result of a trade on June 14, 1978 that sent Dave Hutchison and Lorne Stamler to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Brian Glennie, Kurt Walker, Scott Garland and this pick.

7.* The Edmonton Oilers' second round pick went to the Minnesota North Stars as the result of a trade on August 9, 1979 that sent Dave Semenko and the 48th overall pick to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for the 63rd overall pick and this pick.

Round three

Pick # Player PositionNationality NHL team College/junior/club team
43 Craig Levie Defence  Canada Montreal Canadiens (from Colorado) Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
44 Guy Carbonneau Centre  Canada Montreal Canadiens (from St. Louis) Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)
45 Jody Gage Right Wing  Canada Detroit Red Wings Kitchener Rangers (OMJHL)
46 Boris Fistric Defence  Canada Detroit Red Wings (from Washington) New Westminster Bruins (WHL)
47 Ken Ellacott Goaltender  Canada Vancouver Canucks Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
48 Mark Messier Left Wing  Canada Edmonton Oilers (from Minnesota) Cincinnati Stingers (WHA)
49 Bill Gardner Centre  Canada Chicago Blackhawks Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
50 John-Paul Kelly Left Wing  Canada Los Angeles Kings New Westminster Bruins (WHL)
51 Norm Aubin Centre  Canada Toronto Maple Leafs Verdun Eperviers (QMJHL)
52 Bennett Wolf Defence  Canada Pittsburgh Penguins Kitchener Rangers (OMJHL)
53 Mark Robinson Defence  Canada Buffalo Sabres Victoria Cougars (WHL)
54 Tim Hunter Defence  Canada Atlanta Flames Seattle Breakers (WHL)
55 Jacques Cloutier Goaltender  Canada Buffalo Sabres (from New York Rangers) Trois-Rivieres Draveurs (QMJHL)
56 Lindsay Carson Left Wing  Canada Philadelphia Flyers Billings Bighorns (WHL)
57 Keith Crowder Right Wing  Canada Boston Bruins Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
58 Rick Wamsley Goaltender  Canada Montreal Canadiens Brantford Alexanders (OMJHL)
59 Rollie Melanson Goaltender  Canada New York Islanders Windsor Spitfires (OMJHL)
60 Don Nachbaur Centre  Canada Hartford Whalers Billings Bighorns (WHL)
61 Bill Whelton Defence  United States Winnipeg Jets Boston University (ECAC)
62 Lee Norwood Defence  United States Quebec Nordiques Oshawa Generals (OMJHL)
63 Kevin Maxwell Centre  Canada Minnesota North Stars (from Edmonton) University of North Dakota (WCHA)
Reference: "1979 NHL Entry Draft hockeydraftcentral.com". Archived from the original on 20 February 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2009. 

Notes

1.* The Colorado Rockies' third round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on November 24, 1976, that sent John Van Boxmeer to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for this pick.

2.* The St. Louis Blues' third round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on August 18, 1977, that sent Jim Roberts to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for this pick.

3.* The Washington Capitals' third round pick went to the Detroit Red Wings as the result of a trade on August 17, 1977, that sent Walt McKechnie, the third round pick in 1978 and the 24th overall pick to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Ron Low and this pick.

4.* The Minnesota North Stars' third round pick went to the Edmonton Oilers as the result of a trade on August 9, 1979, that sent the 42nd overall pick and the 63rd overall pick to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Dave Semenko and this pick.

5.* The New York Rangers' third round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as the result of a trade on March 12, 1979, that sent Jocelyn Guevremont to the New York Rangers in exchange for the third round pick in 1980 and this pick.

6.* The Edmonton Oilers' third round pick went to the Minnesota North Stars as the result of a trade on August 9, 1979, that sent Dave Semenko and the 48th overall pick to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for the 42nd overall pick and this pick.

Round four

Pick # Player PositionNationality NHL team College/junior/club team
64 Steve Peters Centre  Canada Colorado Rockies Oshawa Generals (OMJHL)
65 Bob Crawford Right Wing  Canada St. Louis Blues Cornwall Royals (QMJHL)
66 John Ogrodnick Right Wing  Canada Detroit Red Wings New Westminster Bruins (WHL)
67 Harvie Pocza Left Wing  Canada Washington Capitals Billings Bighorns (WHL)
68 Arthur Rutland Centre  Canada Vancouver Canucks Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OMJHL)
69 Glenn Anderson Right Wing  Canada Edmonton Oilers (from Minnesota) University of Denver (WCHA)
70 Louis Begin Left Wing  Canada Chicago Blackhawks Sherbrooke Castors (QMJHL)
71 John Gibson Defence  Canada Los Angeles Kings Niagara Falls Flyers (OMJHL)
72 Vincent Tremblay Goaltender  Canada Toronto Maple Leafs Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
73 Brian Cross Defence  Canada Pittsburgh Penguins Brantford Alexanders (OMJHL)
74 Gilles Hamel Left Wing  Canada Buffalo Sabres Laval National (QMJHL)
75 Jim Peplinski Right Wing  Canada Atlanta Flames Toronto Marlboros (OMJHL)
76 Pat Conacher Centre  Canada New York Rangers Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
77 Don Gillen Right Wing  Canada Philadelphia Flyers Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
78 Larry Melnyk Defence  Canada Boston Bruins New Westminster Bruins (WHL)
79 Dave Orleski Left Wing  Canada Montreal Canadiens New Westminster Bruins (WHL)
80 Tim Lockridge Defence  Canada New York Islanders Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
81 Ray Neufeld Right Wing  Canada Hartford Whalers Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
82 Pat Daley Left Wing  Canada Winnipeg Jets Montreal Juniors (QMJHL)
83 Anton Stastny Left Wing  Czechoslovakia Quebec Nordiques Slovan Bratislava (Czechoslovakia)
84 Maxwell Kostovich Left Wing  Canada Edmonton Oilers Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
Reference: "1979 NHL Entry Draft hockeydraftcentral.com". Archived from the original on 20 February 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2009. 

Notes

1.* The Minnesota North Stars' fourth round pick went to the Edmonton Oilers as the result of a trade on June 9, 1979 that the Edmonton Oilers promised to not make Paul Shmyr one of its priority selections in the 1979 NHL Expansion Draft in exchange for this pick.

Round five

Pick # Player PositionNationality NHL team College/junior/club team
85 Gary Dillon Centre  Canada Colorado Rockies Toronto Marlboros (OMJHL)
86 Mark Reeds Right Wing  Canada St. Louis Blues Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
87 Joe Paterson Left Wing  Canada Detroit Red Wings London Knights (OMJHL)
88 Tim Tookey Centre  Canada Washington Capitals Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
89 Dirk Graham Right Wing  Canada Vancouver Canucks Regina Pats (WHL)
90 Jim Dobson Right Wing  Canada Minnesota North Stars Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
91 Lowell Loveday Defence  Canada Chicago Blackhawks Kingston Canadians (OMJHL)
92 Jim Brown Defence  United States Los Angeles Kings University of Notre Dame (WCHA)
93 Frank Nigro Centre  Canada Toronto Maple Leafs London Knights (OMJHL)
94 Nick Ricci Goaltender  Canada Pittsburgh Penguins Niagara Falls Flyers (OMJHL)
95 Alan Haworth Centre  Canada Buffalo Sabres Sherbrooke Castors (QMJHL)
96 Brad Kempthorne Centre  Canada Atlanta Flames Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
97 Dan Makuch Right Wing  Canada New York Rangers Clarkson University (ECAC)
98 Thomas Eriksson Defence  Sweden Philadelphia Flyers Djurgardens IF (Sweden)
99 Marco Baron Goaltender  Canada Boston Bruins Montreal Juniors (QMJHL)
100 Yvan Joly Right Wing  Canada Montreal Canadiens Ottawa 67's (OMJHL)
101 Glenn Duncan Left Wing  Canada New York Islanders Toronto Marlboros (OMJHL)
102 Mark Renaud Defence  Canada Hartford Whalers Niagara Falls Flyers (OMJHL)
103 Thomas Steen Centre  Sweden Winnipeg Jets Leksands IF (Sweden)
104 Pierre Lacroix Defence  Canada Quebec Nordiques Trois-Rivieres Draveurs (QMJHL)
105 Mike Toal Centre  Canada Edmonton Oilers Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
Reference: "1979 NHL Entry Draft hockeydraftcentral.com". Archived from the original on 20 February 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2009. 

Round six

Pick # Player PositionNationality NHL team College/junior/club team
106 Bob Attwell Right Wing  Canada Colorado Rockies Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
107 Gilles Leduc Left Wing  Canada St. Louis Blues Verdun Eperviers (QMJHL)
108 Carmine Cirella Left Wing  Canada Detroit Red Wings Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
109 Greg Theberge Defence  Canada Washington Capitals Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
110 Shane Swan Defence  Canada Vancouver Canucks Sudbury Wolves (OMJHL)
111 Brian Gualazzi Right Wing  Canada Minnesota North Stars Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OMJHL)
112 Doug Crossman Defence  Canada Chicago Blackhawks Ottawa 67's (OMJHL)
113 Jay MacFarlane Defence  Canada Los Angeles Kings University of Wisconsin (WCHA)
114 Bill McCreary Right Wing  United States Toronto Maple Leafs Colgate University (ECAC)
115 Marc Chorney Defence  Canada Pittsburgh Penguins University of North Dakota (WCHA)
116 Rick Knickle Goaltender  Canada Buffalo Sabres Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
117 Glenn Johnson Centre  Canada Atlanta Flames University of Denver (WCHA)
118 Stan Adams Centre  Canada New York Rangers Niagara Falls Flyers (OMJHL)
119 Gord Williams Right Wing  Canada Philadelphia Flyers Lethbridge Broncos (WHL)
120 Mike Krushelnyski Centre  Canada Boston Bruins Montreal Juniors (QMJHL)
121 Jimmy Garderier Goaltender  United States Hartford Whalers HRD Seattle (USHS–WA)
122 John Gibb Defence  Canada New York Islanders Bowling Green University (CCHA)
123 Dave McDonald Left Wing  Canada Hartford Whalers Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
124 Tim Watters Defence  Canada Winnipeg Jets Michigan Technological University (WCHA)
125 Scott McGeown Defence  Canada Quebec Nordiques Toronto Marlboros (OMJHL)
126 Blair Barnes Right Wing  Canada Edmonton Oilers Windsor Spitfires (OMJHL)
Reference: "1979 NHL Entry Draft hockeydraftcentral.com". Archived from the original on 20 February 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2009. 
 = NHL All-Star[1] ·  = NHL All-Star[1] and NHL All-Star Team ·  = Hall of Famers

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Players are identified as an All-Star if they were selected for the All-Star game at any time in their career.

External links

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