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| 1971 DRAFT QUICK FACTS |
DATE: JUNE 10, 1971
LOCATION:
THE QUEEN ELIZABETH HOTEL (MONTREAL) |
| DRAFT HISTORY |
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The ninth NHL Amateur Draft revealed the power of the draft pick as a trade
commodity. In the two years leading up to the draft, stronger teams had begun
a practice of trading veterans for weaker teams' first-round picks. They
sometimes went so far as to "protect" those picks by dealing players to help
other teams in tight races with the teams whose picks they owned. A glaring
example of this was Montreal's deal that sent Ralph Backstrom to Los Angeles on
Jan. 26, 1971. The Canadiens owned California's No. 1 pick, but Los Angeles was
threatening to finish below California in the final standings. By helping the
Kings, the Canadiens were able to keep the Golden Seals in last place and would
ultimately select future
Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur with California's No. 1 overall pick. In all, six of the 14 first-round picks were traded prior to the draft.
At the time, NHL president Clarence Campbell said he was distressed by this
phenomenon because it would defeat the purpose of achieving long-term parity for
the expansion teams. |
| THE BASICS |
Eligible For Draft: All amateur players born before January 1, 1952.
Draft
Order: Teams drafted in reverse order of their 1970-71 finish.
Irregularities: There was no set number of rounds. Teams had the right to pass
or re-enter in any round, and
the draft continued until all teams were done selecting. Montreal, Chicago and
Boston passed in the eighth round. All teams except New York passed in the
ninth round. Minnesota re-entered for Rounds 12 and 15. New York drafted in
every round until passing in Round 15.
Rotation:
California, Detroit, Vancouver, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Los Angeles, Minnesota,
Philadelphia, Toronto, St. Louis, Montreal, Chicago, New York, Boston.
Total Rounds:
Fifteen
Cost to Draft:
Teams did not compensate individual junior franchises for their players,
instead the league paid a lump sum to the Canadian
Amateur Hockey Association in order to support major junior hockey as a whole.
Draft Rights:
Team could offer player contract at any time after draft. |
| DRAFT RECAP |
No. 1 pick: Guy Lafleur (by Montreal)
Reached
NHL: 50 players (42.7 percent)
Won Stanley Cup: Three players
(2.6 percent)
Most NHL Games: Larry Robinson (1,384 games)
Most
Playoff Games: Larry Robinson (227 games)
Highest Pick to Miss: No.
12 (Dan Spring)
Lowest Pick to Reach: No. 113 (Mike Antonovich)
Players Drafted:
117 (63 forwards, 45 defense, 9 goalies) |
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SNAPSHOT '71 | | Total Selected: |
117 | | Forwards: |
63 | | Defense: |
45 | | Goaltenders: |
9 | | Major Junior: |
84 | | College Players: |
19 |
| Canadian: |
107 |
| Euro-Canadian: |
2 | | USA Citizens: |
8 | | U.S.-Born: |
8 |
| European: |
0 |
| Reached NHL: |
50 |
| Won Stanley Cup: |
3 | | Hall of Fame: |
3 |
| All-Star Game: |
10 |
| Year-end All-Star: |
5 |
| Olympians: |
4 |
| Picks Traded: |
18 |
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