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Garrymonahan

Garry Monahan

Petemahovlich

Peter Mahovlich

1963 NHL Amateur Draft
General information
Date(s) June 5, 1963
Location Montreal, Quebec
Overview
First selection Flag of Canada Garry Monahan
Selected by: Montreal Canadiens
1964 →

The 1963 NHL Amateur Draft was held on June 5 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. It was the first NHL amateur draft and consisted of 16-year-old players.

The amateur draft was instituted by NHL President Clarence Campbell as a means of phasing out the sponsorship of amateur teams by the league's member clubs. The NHL wanted to create what Campbell called "a uniform opportunity for each team to acquire a star player". Prior to the creation of the draft NHL teams would sponsor amateur teams and players, pre-empting other NHL clubs from acquiring new, young talent, and limiting amateur players' prospects in the NHL to the team which sponsored them.[1]

Eligibility in this draft was limited to all amateur players who would reach 17 years of age between August 1, 1963, and July 31, 1964. Under the league rules, teams were not allowed to talk to the drafted players about turning professional until they turned 18. At that point, the teams had 72 hours to get the players signed or placed on their negotiation list. Players already on sponsorship lists were ineligible.

The draft order was determined by giving the teams choice of their place in the six-team order based on a reverse order of the standings, for example, as the Boston Bruins finished last in the 1962–63 season they were given first choice of pick in the order. The final draft order was chosen to be Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Chicago Black Hawks and Toronto Maple Leafs. The order would rotate in the next draft such that each team moved up one spot in the order, and the first pick Canadiens would move to sixth.

This first draft consisted of four rounds, however few top prospects were available to the draft in the early years as most of hockey's top junior players had already been assigned to NHL clubs through sponsored junior teams. In the 1963 draft only 21 players, out of a possible 24 picks, were chosen. This is because teams were allowed to defer their pick to the next team in the draft order. The Red Wings chose not to exercise their third and fourth round picks, and the Black Hawks elected not to exercise their fourth round pick.[1]

Of the players selected five eventually played in the NHL, and only one won the Stanley Cup (Peter Mahovlich). None of the players selected have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Selections by round[]

Below are listed the selections in the 1963 NHL amateur draft.

= NHL All-Star [2] = Hall of famers

Round one[]

Pick # Player Position Nationality NHL team College/junior/club team
1 Garry Monahan Centre Flag of Canada Canada Montreal Canadiens St. Michael's Buzzers (MetJHL)
2 Peter Mahovlich Right wing Flag of Canada Canada Detroit Red Wings St. Michael's Buzzers (MetJHL)
3 Orest Romashyna Left wing Flag of Canada Canada Boston Bruins New Hamburg Firebirds (CJCHL)
4 Al Osborne Right wing Flag of Canada Canada New York Rangers Weston Dodgers (MetJHL)
5 Art Hampson Defence Flag of Canada Canada Chicago Black Hawks Trenton Midgets (OAAAMHL)
6 Walt McKechnie Centre Flag of Canada Canada Toronto Maple Leafs London Nationals (WJBHL)
[3]

Round two[]

Pick # Player Position Nationality NHL team College/junior/club team
7 Rodney Presswood Defence Flag of Canada Canada Montreal Canadiens Georgetown Midgets (OAAAMHL)
8 Bill Cosburn Centre Flag of Canada Canada Detroit Red Wings Bick's Pickles Midgets (OAAAMHL)
9 Terrance Lane Centre Flag of Canada Canada Boston Bruins Georgetown Midgets (OAAAMHL)
10 Terry Jones Centre Flag of Canada Canada New York Rangers Weston Midgets (OAAAMHL)
11 Wayne Davison Defence Flag of Canada Canada Chicago Black Hawks Georgetown Midgets (OAAAMHL)
12 Neil Clairmont Left wing Flag of Canada Canada Toronto Maple Leafs Parry Sound Midgets (OAAAMHL)
[3]

Round three[]

Pick # Player Position Nationality NHL team College/junior/club team
13 Roy Pugh Centre Flag of Canada Canada Montreal Canadiens Aurora Bears (SOJCHL)
14 Roger Bamburak Right wing Flag of Canada Canada Boston Bruins Isaac Brock Secondary School (HS-Manitoba)
15 Mike Cummings Forward Flag of Canada Canada New York Rangers Georgetown Midgets (OAAAMHL)
16 Bill Carson Defence Flag of Canada Canada Chicago Black Hawks Brampton Midgets (OAAAMHL)
17 Jim McKenny Defence Flag of Canada Canada Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Neil McNeil Maroons (MetJHL)
[3]

Round four[]

Pick # Player Position Nationality NHL team College/junior/club team
18 Glen Shirton Defence Flag of Canada Canada Montreal Canadiens Port Colborne Midgets (OAAAMHL)
19 Jim Blair Forward Flag of Canada Canada Boston Bruins Georgetown Midgets (OAAAMHL)
20 Cam Allison Defence Flag of Canada Canada New York Rangers Portage la Prairie Terriers (CMJHL)
21 Gerry Meehan Centre Flag of Canada Canada Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Neil McNeil Maroons (MetJHL)
[3]
= NHL All-Star [2] = Hall of famers
  1. 1.0 1.1 Diamond, Dan (2008). Canada on Ice; The World Hockey Championships, 1920 – 2008. Canada On Ice productions, 44–45. ISBN 978-0-9808936-0-1. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 Players are identified as an All-Star if they were selected for the All-Star game at any time in their career.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 1963 NHL Amateur Draft hockeydraftcentral.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved on 11 January 2009.
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