1963 NHL Amateur Draft
General information
Date(s)June 5, 1963
LocationQueen Elizabeth Hotel
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Overview
First selectionCanada Garry Monahan
(Montreal Canadiens)

The 1963 NHL Amateur Draft was the first NHL Entry Draft. It was a draft to assign unaffiliated amateur junior-age players to NHL teams. It was held on June 5 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. It was the first amateur draft, which 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 #PlayerPositionNationalityNHL teamCollege/junior/club team
1Garry MonahanCentre CanadaMontreal CanadiensSt. Michael's Buzzers (MetJHL)
2Peter MahovlichRight wing CanadaDetroit Red WingsSt. Michael's Buzzers (MetJHL)
3Orest RomashynaLeft wing CanadaBoston BruinsNew Hamburg Firebirds (CJCHL)
4Al OsborneRight wing CanadaNew York RangersWeston Dodgers (MetJHL)
5Art HampsonDefence CanadaChicago Black HawksTrenton Midgets (OAAAMHL)
6Walt McKechnieCentre CanadaToronto Maple LeafsLondon Nationals (WJBHL)
[3]

Round two

Pick #PlayerPositionNationalityNHL teamCollege/junior/club team
7Rodney PresswoodDefence CanadaMontreal CanadiensGeorgetown Midgets (OAAAMHL)
8Bill CosburnCentre CanadaDetroit Red WingsBick's Pickles Midgets (OAAAMHL)
9Terrance LaneCentre CanadaBoston BruinsGeorgetown Midgets (OAAAMHL)
10Terry JonesCentre CanadaNew York RangersWeston Midgets (OAAAMHL)
11Wayne DavisonDefence CanadaChicago Black HawksGeorgetown Midgets (OAAAMHL)
12Neil ClairmontLeft wing CanadaToronto Maple LeafsParry Sound Midgets (OAAAMHL)
[3]

Round three

Pick #PlayerPositionNationalityNHL teamCollege/junior/club team
13Roy PughCentre CanadaMontreal CanadiensAurora Bears (SOJCHL)
14Roger BamburakRight wing CanadaBoston BruinsIsaac Brock Secondary School (HS-Manitoba)
15Mike CummingsForward CanadaNew York RangersGeorgetown Midgets (OAAAMHL)
16Bill CarsonDefence CanadaChicago Black HawksBrampton Midgets (OAAAMHL)
17Jim McKennyDefence CanadaToronto Maple LeafsToronto Neil McNeil Maroons (MetJHL)
[3]

Round four

Pick #PlayerPositionNationalityNHL teamCollege/junior/club team
18Glen ShirtonDefence CanadaMontreal CanadiensPort Colborne Midgets (OAAAMHL)
19Jim BlairForward CanadaBoston BruinsGeorgetown Midgets (OAAAMHL)
20Cam AllisonDefence CanadaNew York RangersPortage la Prairie Terriers (CMJHL)
21Gerry MeehanCentre CanadaToronto Maple LeafsToronto Neil McNeil Maroons (MetJHL)
[3]
= NHL All-Star [2] = Hall of famers

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Diamond, Dan (2008). Canada on Ice; The World Hockey Championships, 1920 – 2008. Canada On Ice productions. pp. 44–45. ISBN 978-0-9808936-0-1.
  2. 1 2 Players are identified as an All-Star if they were selected for the All-Star game at any time in their career.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "1963 NHL Amateur Draft hockeydraftcentral.com". Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  • Diamond, Dan; Duplacey, James; Dinger, Ralph; Kuperman, Igor; Zweig, Eric (1998). Total Hockey. New York: Total Sports Publishing. pp. 285–286. ISBN 0-8362-7114-9.
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