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The 1979 NHL Entry Draft was the 17th NHL Entry Draft. It 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 19 with the addition of any underage players who had already played in the WHA.[1][2] The NHL had been considering lowering the draft age for some time, 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 two 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, Michel Goulet and Kevin Lowe in the first round alone. Hall of Famers Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, and Guy Carbonneau 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. Under the old rules, Wayne Gretzky and Messier 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.[1] 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. 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.

As consolidation for lowering the minimum age for the draft, the NHL provided junior teams with $40,000 in compensation for each under-age player selected and signed.[1] Under-aged players were also offered back to junior clubs before being able to play in the minor leagues.[1]

Mark Messier was the last active player in the NHL from the 1979 draft class, playing his final NHL game in the 2003–04 season.

Absence of 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 having already played professionally in the WHA. 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 Team ·  = NHL All-Star [3] ·  = NHL All-Star [3] and NHL All-Star Team ·  = Hall of Famers


Round one[]

Pick # Player Position Nationality NHL team College/junior/club team
1 Rob Ramage Defence Flag of Canada Canada Colorado Rockies Birmingham Bulls (WHA)
2 Perry Turnbull Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada St. Louis Blues Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
3 Mike Foligno Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Detroit Red Wings Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
4 Mike Gartner Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Washington Capitals Cincinnati Stingers (WHA)
5 Rick Vaive Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Vancouver Canucks Birmingham Bulls (WHA)
6 Craig Hartsburg Defence Flag of Canada Canada Minnesota North Stars Birmingham Bulls (WHA)
7 Keith Brown Defence Flag of Canada Canada Chicago Black Hawks Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
8 Ray Bourque Defence Flag of Canada Canada Boston Bruins (from Los Angeles) Verdun Eperviers (QMJHL)
9 Laurie Boschman Centre Flag of Canada Canada Toronto Maple Leafs Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
10 Tom McCarthy Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Minnesota North Stars (from Pittsburgh via Washington) Oshawa Generals (OHL)
11 Mike Ramsey Defence Flag of the United States United States Buffalo Sabres University of Minnesota (WCHA)
12 Paul Reinhart Defence Flag of Canada Canada Atlanta Flames Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
13 Doug Sulliman Left wing Flag of Canada Canada New York Rangers Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
14 Brian Propp Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Philadelphia Flyers Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
15 Brad McCrimmon Defence Flag of Canada Canada Boston Bruins Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
16 Jay Wells Defence Flag of Canada Canada Los Angeles Kings (from Montreal) Kingston Canadians (OHL)
17 Duane Sutter Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada New York Islanders Lethbridge Broncos (WHL)
18 Ray Allison Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Hartford Whalers Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
19 Jimmy Mann Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Winnipeg Jets Sherbrooke Castors (QMJHL)
20 Michel Goulet Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Quebec Nordiques Birmingham Bulls (WHA)
21 Kevin Lowe Defence Flag of Canada Canada Edmonton Oilers Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
Reference: 1979 NHL Entry Draft hockeydraftcentral.com.
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 Washington in exchange for this pick.
    Washington previously acquired this pick 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 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 Position Nationality NHL team College/junior/club team
22 Blake Wesley Defence Flag of Canada Canada Philadelphia Flyers (from Colorado) Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
23 Mike Perovich Defence Flag of Canada Canada Atlanta Flames (from St. Louis) Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
24 Errol Rausse Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Washington Capitals (from Detroit) Seattle Breakers (WHL)
25 Tomas Jonsson Defence Flag of Sweden Sweden New York Islanders (from Washington) Modo Hockey (Sweden)
26 Brent Ashton Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Vancouver Canucks Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
27 Gaston Gingras Defence Flag of Canada Canada Montreal Canadiens (from Minnesota) Birmingham Bulls (WHA)
28 Tim Trimper Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Chicago Blackhawks Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
29 Dean Hopkins Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Los Angeles Kings London Knights (OMJHL)
30 Mark Hardy Defence Flag of Canada Canada Los Angeles Kings (from Toronto) Montreal Juniors (QMJHL)
31 Paul Marshall Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Pittsburgh Penguins Brantford Alexanders (OMJHL)
32 Lindy Ruff Defence Flag of Canada Canada Buffalo Sabres Lethbridge Broncos (WHL)
33 Pat Riggin Goaltender Flag of Canada Canada Atlanta Flames Birmingham Bulls (WHA)
34 Ed Hospodar Defence Flag of the United States United States/
Flag of Canada Canada
New York Rangers Ottawa 67's (OMJHL)
35 Pelle Lindbergh Goaltender Flag of Sweden Sweden Philadelphia Flyers AIK IF (Sweden)
36 Doug Morrison Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Boston Bruins Lethbridge Broncos (WHL)
37 Mats Naslund Left Wing Flag of Sweden Sweden Montreal Canadiens Brynas IF (Sweden)
38 Billy Carroll Centre Flag of Canada Canada New York Islanders London Knights (OMJHL)
39 Stuart Smith Defence Flag of Canada Canada Hartford Whalers Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
40 Dave Christian Centre Flag of the United States United States Winnipeg Jets University of North Dakota (WCHA)
41 Dale Hunter Centre Flag of Canada Canada Quebec Nordiques Sudbury Wolves (OMJHL)
42 Neal Broten Centre Flag of the United States United States Minnesota North Stars (from Edmonton) University of Minnesota (WCHA)
Reference: 1979 NHL Entry Draft hockeydraftcentral.com.
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 Bélanger, 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 the rights to 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 Position Nationality NHL team College/junior/club team
43 Craig Levie Defence Flag of Canada Canada Montreal Canadiens (from Colorado) Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
44 Guy Carbonneau Centre Flag of Canada Canada Montreal Canadiens (from St. Louis) Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)
45 Jody Gage Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Detroit Red Wings Kitchener Rangers (OMJHL)
46 Boris Fistric Defence Flag of Canada Canada Detroit Red Wings (from Washington) New Westminster Bruins (WHL)
47 Ken Ellacott Goaltender Flag of Canada Canada Vancouver Canucks Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
48 Mark Messier Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Edmonton Oilers (from Minnesota) Cincinnati Stingers (WHA)
49 Bill Gardner Centre Flag of Canada Canada Chicago Blackhawks Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
50 John-Paul Kelly Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Los Angeles Kings New Westminster Bruins (WHL)
51 Normand Aubin Centre Flag of Canada Canada Toronto Maple Leafs Verdun Eperviers (QMJHL)
52 Bennett Wolf Defence Flag of Canada Canada Pittsburgh Penguins Kitchener Rangers (OMJHL)
53 Mark Robinson Defence Flag of Canada Canada Buffalo Sabres Victoria Cougars (WHL)
54 Tim Hunter Defence Flag of Canada Canada Atlanta Flames Seattle Breakers (WHL)
55 Jacques Cloutier Goaltender Flag of Canada Canada Buffalo Sabres (from New York Rangers) Trois-Rivieres Draveurs (QMJHL)
56 Lindsay Carson Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Philadelphia Flyers Billings Bighorns (WHL)
57 Keith Crowder Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Boston Bruins Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
58 Rick Wamsley Goaltender Flag of Canada Canada Montreal Canadiens Brantford Alexanders (OMJHL)
59 Roland Melanson Goaltender Flag of Canada Canada New York Islanders Windsor Spitfires (OMJHL)
60 Don Nachbaur Centre Flag of Canada Canada Hartford Whalers Billings Bighorns (WHL)
61 Bill Whelton Defence Flag of the United States United States Winnipeg Jets Boston University (ECAC)
62 Lee Norwood Defence Flag of the United States United States Quebec Nordiques Oshawa Generals (OMJHL)
63 Kevin Maxwell Centre Flag of Canada Canada Minnesota North Stars (from Edmonton) University of North Dakota (WCHA)
Reference: 1979 NHL Entry Draft hockeydraftcentral.com.
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 the rights to 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 Position Nationality NHL team College/junior/club team
64 Steve Peters Centre Flag of Canada Canada Colorado Rockies Oshawa Generals (OMJHL)
65 Bob Crawford Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada St. Louis Blues Cornwall Royals (QMJHL)
66 John Ogrodnick Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Detroit Red Wings New Westminster Bruins (WHL)
67 Harvie Pocza Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Washington Capitals Billings Bighorns (WHL)
68 Arthur Rutland Centre Flag of Canada Canada Vancouver Canucks Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OMJHL)
69 Glenn Anderson Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Edmonton Oilers (from Minnesota) University of Denver (WCHA)
70 Louis Begin Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Chicago Blackhawks Sherbrooke Castors (QMJHL)
71 John Gibson Defence Flag of Canada Canada Los Angeles Kings Niagara Falls Flyers (OMJHL)
72 Vincent Tremblay Goaltender Flag of Canada Canada Toronto Maple Leafs Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
73 Brian Cross Defence Flag of Canada Canada Pittsburgh Penguins Brantford Alexanders (OMJHL)
74 Gilles Hamel Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Buffalo Sabres Laval National (QMJHL)
75 Jim Peplinski Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Atlanta Flames Toronto Marlboros (OMJHL)
76 Pat Conacher Centre Flag of Canada Canada New York Rangers Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
77 Don Gillen Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Philadelphia Flyers Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
78 Larry Melnyk Defence Flag of Canada Canada Boston Bruins New Westminster Bruins (WHL)
79 Dave Orleski Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Montreal Canadiens New Westminster Bruins (WHL)
80 Tim Lockridge Defence Flag of Canada Canada New York Islanders Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
81 Ray Neufeld Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Hartford Whalers Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
82 Pat Daley Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Winnipeg Jets Montreal Juniors (QMJHL)
83 Anton Stastny Left Wing Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Quebec Nordiques Slovan Bratislava (Czechoslovakia)
84 Maxwell Kostovich Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Edmonton Oilers Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
Reference: 1979 NHL Entry Draft hockeydraftcentral.com.
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 Position Nationality NHL team College/junior/club team
85 Gary Dillon Centre Flag of Canada Canada Colorado Rockies Toronto Marlboros (OMJHL)
86 Mark Reeds Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada St. Louis Blues Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
87 Joe Paterson Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Detroit Red Wings London Knights (OMJHL)
88 Tim Tookey Centre Flag of Canada Canada Washington Capitals Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
89 Dirk Graham Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Vancouver Canucks Regina Pats (WHL)
90 Jim Dobson Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Minnesota North Stars Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
91 Lowell Loveday Defence Flag of Canada Canada Chicago Blackhawks Kingston Canadians (OMJHL)
92 Jim Brown Defence Flag of the United States United States Los Angeles Kings University of Notre Dame (WCHA)
93 Frank Nigro Centre Flag of Canada Canada Toronto Maple Leafs London Knights (OMJHL)
94 Nick Ricci Goaltender Flag of Canada Canada Pittsburgh Penguins Niagara Falls Flyers (OMJHL)
95 Alan Haworth Centre Flag of Canada Canada Buffalo Sabres Sherbrooke Castors (QMJHL)
96 Brad Kempthorne Centre Flag of Canada Canada Atlanta Flames Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
97 Dan Makuch Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada New York Rangers Clarkson University (ECAC)
98 Thomas Eriksson Defence Flag of Sweden Sweden Philadelphia Flyers Djurgardens IF (Sweden)
99 Marco Baron Goaltender Flag of Canada Canada Boston Bruins Montreal Juniors (QMJHL)
100 Yvan Joly Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Montreal Canadiens Ottawa 67's (OMJHL)
101 Glen Duncan Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada New York Islanders Toronto Marlboros (OMJHL)
102 Mark Renaud Defence Flag of Canada Canada Hartford Whalers Niagara Falls Flyers (OMJHL)
103 Thomas Steen Centre Flag of Sweden Sweden Winnipeg Jets Leksands IF (Sweden)
104 Pierre Lacroix Defence Flag of Canada Canada Quebec Nordiques Trois-Rivieres Draveurs (QMJHL)
105 Mike Toal Centre Flag of Canada Canada Edmonton Oilers Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
Reference: 1979 NHL Entry Draft hockeydraftcentral.com.

Round six[]

Pick # Player Position Nationality NHL team College/junior/club team
106 Bob Attwell Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Colorado Rockies Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
107 Gilles Leduc Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada St. Louis Blues Verdun Eperviers (QMJHL)
108 Carmine Cirella Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Detroit Red Wings Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
109 Greg Theberge Defence Flag of Canada Canada Washington Capitals Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
110 Shane Swan Defence Flag of Canada Canada Vancouver Canucks Sudbury Wolves (OMJHL)
111 Brian Gualazzi Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Minnesota North Stars Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OMJHL)
112 Doug Crossman Defence Flag of Canada Canada Chicago Blackhawks Ottawa 67's (OMJHL)
113 Jay McFarlane Defence Flag of Canada Canada Los Angeles Kings University of Wisconsin (WCHA)
114 Bill McCreary Right Wing Flag of the United States United States Toronto Maple Leafs Colgate University (ECAC)
115 Marc Chorney Defence Flag of Canada Canada Pittsburgh Penguins University of North Dakota (WCHA)
116 Rick Knickle Goaltender Flag of Canada Canada Buffalo Sabres Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
117 Glenn Johnson Centre Flag of Canada Canada Atlanta Flames University of Denver (WCHA)
118 Stan Adams Centre Flag of Canada Canada New York Rangers Niagara Falls Flyers (OMJHL)
119 Gord Williams Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Philadelphia Flyers Lethbridge Broncos (WHL)
120 Mike Krushelnyski Centre Flag of Canada Canada Boston Bruins Montreal Juniors (QMJHL)
121 Greg Moffett Goaltender Flag of the United States United States Montreal Canadiens University of New Hampshire (ECAC)
122 John Gibb Defence Flag of Canada Canada New York Islanders Bowling Green University (CCHA)
123 Dave McDonald Left Wing Flag of Canada Canada Hartford Whalers Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
124 Tim Watters Defence Flag of Canada Canada Winnipeg Jets Michigan Technological University (WCHA)
125 Scott McGeown Defence Flag of Canada Canada Quebec Nordiques Toronto Marlboros (OMJHL)
126 Blair Barnes Right Wing Flag of Canada Canada Edmonton Oilers Windsor Spitfires (OMJHL)
Reference: 1979 NHL Entry Draft hockeydraftcentral.com.
 = NHL All-Star [3] ·  = NHL All-Star [3] and NHL All-Star Team ·  = Hall of Famers


Draftees based on nationality[]

Rank Country Amount
North America 120
1 Flag of Canada Canada 111
2 Flag of the United States United States 9
Europe 6
3 Flag of Sweden Sweden 5
4 Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia 1

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Junior hockey boss raps NHL draft plan", The Globe and Mail, June 27, 1979, p. P35. <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css" />ProQuest 387030843. 
  2. 1979 NHL Entry Draft quick facts.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Players are identified as an All-Star if they were selected for the All-Star game at any time in their career.

References[]


External links[]

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at 1979 NHL Entry Draft. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA).


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