1977 CIHA off-season

 OMJHA Expansion Draft

As the expansion draft happening, many teams had trade offers to both Peterborough and Orangeville draft picks to keep their players from being drafted by one of two teams. Kitchener Generals had 4 players on target, including Patrick Herbco, so the team traded 1st round, 4th round and 5th round to Orangeville. As for Peterborough, they received 2nd and 3rd rounds from the Generals, and it worked as the Generals kept their players from being drafted while other teams just traded only the 4th and 5th round draft picks. One team that took the expansion draft hard was the Burlington Metros that lost 8 players.

Orangeville O’s

1: F – Shawn Andersons, Burlington

2: G – Jack Glenn, Waterloo

3: F – Shane Lane, Guelph

4: D – Jim Hall, Kitchener Legionnaires

5: F – Will Steel, Milton

Peterborough Braves

1: D – Lenny Haynes, Waterloo

2: F – Herb Edwards, Milton

3: F – Jack Blackbell, Barrie

4: D – Chris Watson, Oshawa

5: G – Thomas Marsden, Owen Sound

AQHL Expansion Draft

With only one team added to the league, the teams can breathe a little, mainly with Drummondville that successfully traded their 2nd and 3rd round pick to the Voltages in hopes of keeping their roster together and stay with the Titans in the standings next season. Both Moncton and Fredericton lost their key players to the expansion draft despite offering draft picks to the Voltages to turn them down.

Shawinigan Voltages

1: F – Rick Dennis, Moncton

2: G – Kevin Garfield, Fredericton

3: D – Jean Lacombe, Laval

4: D – Vincent Leroux, Sherbrooke

5: F – Guy Beirnes, Verdun

1977 AQHL Draft

New Glasgow Highlanders hit the jackpot with the first two picks in hand. They waste no time and make their picks. The Highlanders' first pick from Halifax, Nova Scotia forward Kyle Patrick, who has been on every team’s radar for some time as he shows some potential, is the son of Halifax hockey legend Ronald Patrick. The team’s second pick from Quebec City, Quebec Guy Dubois a defenceman who can not only hit hard but also, he can score goals too, which will give the team the chance to go to the playoffs finally. The Clippers pick from Montreal, Quebec forward Paul Benoit is just what the team needs in the hope of a deep playoff run.

1977 OMJHA Draft

There was an almost trade between the Metros and the Arrowbirds. The asking price from the Arrowbirds was too much for the Metros, so the deal fell apart. Milton Micmacs first pick is forward Kevin Bedford from Guelph, which should be a plus for Milton mainly after helping the Guelph Jr. B hockey club wins the all Ontario hockey championship with 30G, 55A, 85 points in 40 game season along with 20G, 35A, 55 points in the playoffs. The 2nd pick made by the Metros is Eddie Baxter, a defenceman from Port Colborne who became an excellent enforcer for the Aurora Jr. B hockey club and could give more strength to the Metro’s defence come the 1977-78 season. The Oakville Oaks takes forward Derek Dunn from Collingwood, the Owen Sound AAA Major hockey club top scorer with 30 goals in 40 games, is just what the Oaks need to improve scoring that they lack most of the 1976-77 season.

1977 WCLH Draft

At the draft, the new owner of the Swift Current hockey team, Patrick Cox, announced the team’s name would be called the Battalion. After that, they made their first pick, and they take forward from Regina, SK Ron Gratton, who may not be a scorer but is the best playmaker making 65 assists during the 1976-77 season with the Yorkton Jr. B hockey club. Medicine Hat Hawks select goalie Mark Eire from Cranbrook, B.C. Mark played very well with 15 wins in 20 games, and his save % is way above the .500 mark. 3rd pick made by the Moose Jaw Wings is Joe Robin, a forward from Vancouver, B.C. Joe’s playmaking style will help the Wings play better offence come 1977-78 season.

News

CIHA

The Valor Cup tournament returns to Toronto and will be played at the Toronto Metro Complex, home of the Toronto Pro Hockey club. “You know when you hit the big times where you can showcase top junior players across the North in a pro hockey arena,” said CIHA president Joseph McGeorge.

AQHL

Trois-Rivieres Titans had a scare during the 1977 pro hockey draft where their 5 players are on the list. Luckily only Mark Lewis and Jac LeClair got drafted. “I hope these two come back and play with us, but it’s not that easy. I hope they have a great future in the pros.” Said Titans GM Jacques Norm.

With Shawinigan Voltages set to play for the 1977-78 season, John Rome announced the name for his team come 1978-79 season will be the Manchester Americans as he stood in front of the brand new rebuild Manchester Forum. As the hype for two new teams is all talks, both Paul Name and the owners discuss splitting the league into two divisions. If that happens, that means the playoffs could change the format the way is.

OMJHA

With two more teams set for the 1977-78 season, there were talks of adding more expansion teams, but there have been issues with some teams not paying the league fee full. Some organizations said that some money was taken from them, questions were not being answered; even Franklin Name had a hard time answering them. Thanks to this problem, talks of future expansions are put to the side for now.

Jack Doan was having paying issues with the league even though his team is making money. He claims that someone has been taking his money, so the city of Guelph put their money in to have another season in the league.

With his son, John could be the next number 1 pick in the pro hockey draft next year, and Patrick is making every scout keeping an eye on him. Gerald Herbco has noticed that his sons could have a pro hockey career down the road and his dairy farm business getting busier, he decides to put the Generals up for sale. The buyer is the team’s GM Todd Holmes, who has more interest in the team than anyone else, and Todd hopes to purchase the team before the 1979-80 season.

WCLH

With the relocation of North Battleford Crusaders to Swift Current and renamed the Battalion now out of the way, the league announced two new teams would be added for the 1978-79 season. First, to be part of the association from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. The second is from Billings, Montana. Both will show off the name, logos, and jerseys come 1978 off-season.

With Cliff Burns now no longer eligible to play juniors level next season, most of the top players on the roster are pretty much-going pro soon, and long-time head coach Martin White retired. They decide to rebuild the team from the ground up by getting some top picks in hopes of being ready for the 1980-81 season in time for the 75th anniversary of their existence. In the progress of the rebuild, the team promoted Edward Smith from assistant coach to head coach. Also, the team traded forward Nick Verdon, defenceman John Pool, and 5th round picks to the Abbotsford Forest Kings for goalie Ross Davis, forward Ryan Lou Finn, and 2nd round pick. “It’s going be not so pretty for the next three years, but in the end, we will be built and ready for a darn good run.” Cougars GM Frank Finley said.