1966 NHL amateur draft

4th annual meeting of National Hockey League franchises to select newly eligible players

1966 NHL Amateur Draft
General information
Date(s)April 25, 1966
LocationMount Royal Hotel
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Overview
First selectionCanada Barry Gibbs
(Boston Bruins)
← 1965
1967 →

The 1966 NHL Amateur Draft was the fourth NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Mount Royal Hotel in Montreal, Quebec on the off-day between games one and two of the 1966 Stanley Cup Finals.[1]

This Draft is notable for being the first in which the majority of the players selected (19 of 24 picks) came from top-tier Junior teams which would, in the succeeding years, reorganize into Major Junior Hockey in Canada. Perhaps anticipating these changes, and looking to make the Draft more competitive in advance of the 1967 NHL Expansion, league President Clarence Campbell announced a plan eight months later to restructure rookie contracts and phase out direct sponsorship of junior hockey teams by NHL clubs

Selections by round

Listed below are the selections in the 1966 NHL amateur draft.

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

Round one

Pick # Player Position Nationality NHL team College/junior/club team
1 Barry Gibbs Defence  Canada Boston Bruins Estevan Bruins (SJHL)
2 Brad Park Defence  Canada New York Rangers Toronto Marlboros (OHA)
3 Terry Caffery Centre  Canada Chicago Black Hawks Toronto Marlboros (OHA)
4 John Wright Centre  Canada Toronto Maple Leafs West Clair Gaels (OHA)
5 Phil Myre Goaltender  Canada Montreal Canadiens Shawinigan Bruins (QJHL)
6 Steve Atkinson Right wing  Canada Boston Bruins Niagara Falls Flyers (OHA)
[3]

Round two

Pick # Player Position Nationality NHL team College/junior/club team
7 Rick Smith Defence  Canada Boston Bruins Hamilton Red Wings (OHA)
8 Joey Johnston Left wing  Canada New York Rangers Peterborough Petes (OHA)
9 Ron Dussiaume Left wing  Canada Chicago Black Hawks Oshawa Generals (OHA)
10 Cam Crosby Left wing  Canada Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Marlboros (OHA)
11 Maurice St. Jacques Centre  Canada Montreal Canadiens London Nationals (OHA)
12 Jim Whittaker Defence  Canada Detroit Red Wings Oshawa Generals (OHA)
[3]

Round three

Pick # Player Position Nationality NHL team College/junior/club team
13 Garnet Bailey Left wing  Canada Boston Bruins Edmonton Oil Kings (AJHL)
14 Don Luce Centre  Canada New York Rangers Kitchener Rangers (OHA)
15 Larry Gibbons Defence  Canada Chicago Black Hawks Markham Waxers (OHA)
16 Rick Ley Defence  Canada Toronto Maple Leafs Niagara Falls Flyers (OHA)
17 Jude Drouin Centre  Canada Montreal Canadiens Verdun Maple Leafs (QJHL)
18 Lee Carpenter Defence  Canada Detroit Red Wings Hamilton Red Wings (OHA
[3]

Round four

Pick # Player Position Nationality NHL team College/junior/club team
19 Tom Webster Right wing  Canada Boston Bruins Niagara Falls Flyers (OHA)
20 Jack Egers Right wing  Canada New York Rangers Kitchener Greenshirts (OHA)
21 Brian Morenz Left wing  Canada Chicago Black Hawks Oshawa Generals (OHA)
22 Dale MacLeish Centre  Canada Toronto Maple Leafs Peterborough Petes (OHA)
23 Bob Pate Defence  Canada Montreal Canadiens Montreal Junior Canadiens (OHA)
24 Grant Cole Goaltender  Canada Detroit Red Wings St. Michael's Buzzers (OHA)
[3]
= NHL All-Star[2] = Hall of famers

See also

References

  1. ^ "1966 NHL Amateur Draft -- Quick Facts". www.hockeydraftcentral.com. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Players are identified as an All-Star if they were selected for the All-Star game at any time in their career.
  3. ^ a b c d "1966 NHL Amateur Draft hockeydraftcentral.com". Retrieved December 14, 2008.

External links

  • 1966 NHL amateur draft player stats at The Internet Hockey Database
  • HockeyDraftCentral.com