All-Draft Teams - 1982

After reviewing the 1981 draft - and seeing some of the very interesting players that came from there, we can move along to 1982.

Check the draft for yourself!

The first line: Pat Verbeek, Ray Ferraro and Dave Andreychuk
2nd: Ron Sutter, Doug Gilmour and Tony Granato
3rd: Patrick Flatley, Rich Sutter and Brian Bellows
4th: Gary Leeman, Vladimir Ruzicka and Dave Reid

D: Phil Housley, Scott Stevens
Gary Nylund, Ken Daneyko
Dave Ellett, Ulf Samuelsson

G: Ron Hextall
Kenn Wreggett
M. Gosselin

This team is way better than the 1981 team, if you ask me. There is way more depth in the forward position, better goaltending and I think the defense is much stronger as well. It'll be easy to rank this higher than 1981, but you can judge for yourself.

Among forwards: 12,364 games played, 3,723 goals, 4,866 assists, 8,589 points, 13,124 PIM, 1,176 PP goals, 464 Game Winners in the regular season.
In the playoffs, 1,247 GP, 277 goals, 446 assists, 723 points, 1,433 PIM and 42 game-winning goals.

5 Stanley Cups, 1 Memorial Trophy, 11 All-Star appearances, 1 Selke Trophy

Among defensemen: 7,230 GP, 812 G, 2,577 A, 3,389 PTS, 10,796 PIM, 283, PPG, 117 GWG.
In the playoffs: 680 GP, 49 G, 188 A, 237 PTS, 1,136 PIM, 12 GWG.

8 Stanley Cups, 1 Masterton Trophy, 2 First-Team All-Stars, 22 All-Star game appearances, 1 Conn Smythe Trophy.

Among Goalies:
1,424 GP, 612 wins, 569 losses, 136 ties, 38 Shut outs
Playoffs: 181 GP, 91 W, 83 L, 5 SO

1 Stanley Cup, 1 First Team All-Star, 1 Vezina Trophy, 1 Conn Smythe Trophy, 1 All-Star game appearance.

Total: 14 Stanley Cups, 1 Masterton Trophy, 1 Vezina Trophy, 1 Conn Smythe Trophy, 1 Memorial Trophy, 1 Selke Trophy, 3 First-Team All-Stars, 34 All-Star game appearances.

The forwards are tremendously improved - though the defensive and goal-tending numbers were stronger from the year before. Personally, I like star-power in the forward position better than the longevity and glamour of Chelios's career - so I give the edge to 1982.

I should include the positions each of these all-stars were drafted at ... you'd be surprised how some players that are in this category of success were still drafted in the fourth round, or 240th overall. It shows the incredible unreliability a high draft pick presents. You might draft in the top 3 and wind up with a Patrick Stefan or an Alexandre Daigle.

Draft numbers from 1982:

• B. Bellows (2)
• G. Nylund (3)
  
• R. Sutter (4)
  
• S. Stevens (5)
• P. Housley (6)
• R. Sutter (10)
• D. Andreychuk (16)
• K. Daneyko (18)
  
• P. Flatley (21)
• G. Leeman (24)
• P. Verbeek (43)
• K. Wreggett (45)
• M. Gosselin (55)
  
• D. Reid (60)
• U. Samuelsson (67)
  
• V. Ruzicka (73)
• D. Ellett (75)
  
• R. Ferraro (88)
• R. Hextall (119)
  
• T. Granato (120)
  
• D. Gilmour (134)
  

The big surprises - lots of strong defensemen selected high in the draft. Gilmour, Granato, Hextall and Ferraro should NOT be at the bottom of this list - it's absolutely amazing that players like that get drafted AFTER guys like Dave Reid and Gary Leeman.

Rankings:
(1) 1982
(2) 1981

Player of the Draft:
My "Player of the Draft" from 1982 is: Scott Stevens

Regular season: 1,635 GP, 196 G, 712 A, 908 PTS, 2,785 PIM, 75 PPG, 34 GWG
Playoffs: 233 GP, 26 G, 92 A, 118 PTS, 402 PIM, 12 PPG 8 GWG
2 First-Team All-Stars, 1 Conn Smythe Trophy ('00), 13 All-Star appearances, and very importantly, 3 Stanley Cups ('95, '00, and '03).

Honorable mentions go to Doug Gilmour and his great career, but more importantly, to Ron Hextall, with his 1 First-Team All-Star, 1 Vezina Trophy ('87) and Conn Smythe Trophy ('87) even though he never won a Cup.