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The 1979 NHL entry draft was the 17th NHL entry draft. It took place on August 9, 1979, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League (NHL) teams selected 126 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1978–79 NHL season and playoff standings. The draft was the first to be conducted after the NHL-WHA merger, which had included its own 1979 NHL expansion draft, held on June 13, 1979. As part of the terms of the merger, the four former WHA teams had joined the NHL on the condition that they be placed at the bottom of the entry draft order, as opposed to the top of the order as is usually the case for expansion teams.
| 1979 NHL entry draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Date(s) | August 9, 1979 |
| Location | Queen Elizabeth Hotel Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Overview | |
| 126 total selections in 6 rounds | |
| First selection |  Rob Ramage(Colorado Rockies) |
| Hall of Famers | |
In addition, the minimum draft age was lowered from 20 to 19 with the addition of any underage players who had already played in the WHA.[1][2] The NHL had been considering lowering the draft age for some time, and timed the decision to lower the draft age at least in part to coincide with the merger. The lowering of the draft age caused two years' worth of draft picks to go in the same draft, contributing to what is generally considered one of the best draft classes in NHL entry draft history, which included seven future Hall of Famers: Ray Bourque, Mike Gartner, Michel Goulet and Kevin Lowe were selected in the first round alone, while Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, and Guy Carbonneau would be drafted in later rounds. 12 of the 21 players selected in the first round would play in at least one All-Star game, 19 of the 21 would play at least 450 career NHL games, and all 21 had NHL careers of at least 235 games. Under the old rules, Wayne Gretzky and Messier would not have been eligible to enter the NHL until the 1981 draft.
On the other hand, the NHL shortened the draft to only six rounds, whereas some previous drafts ran for more than twenty rounds.[1] As a result, in spite of the larger number of teams participating the 1979 draft had 108 fewer selections than the previous draft and was the shortest draft since 1971. It is the last entry draft to have fewer than 200 selections. Due to the strength of the class and fewer selections, there are many undrafted players who were eligible to be drafted who went on to have notable NHL careers, including Hall of Famer Dino Ciccarelli, five-time Stanley Cup champion Charlie Huddy and four-time 50-goal scorer Tim Kerr. Gretzky, protected by the Oilers in the 1979 NHL expansion draft, also entered the Hall of Fame.
As consolation for lowering the minimum age for the draft, the NHL provided junior teams with CA$40,000 (equivalent to $157,000 in 2023) in compensation for each under-age player selected and signed.[1] Under-aged players were also offered back to junior clubs before being able to play in the minor leagues.[1]
The last active player in the NHL from this draft class was Mark Messier, who played his last NHL game in the 2003–04 season.
Rising superstar Wayne Gretzky had played for the Edmonton Oilers in the WHA's final season. As per the terms of the NHL-WHA merger, Gretzky was to have become eligible for the 1979 draft due to having already played professionally in the WHA. However, Gretzky had a personal services contract with Oilers owner Peter Pocklington.
The NHL had originally expected the contract would be voided. But Gretzky, faced with the likelihood of having to play for the struggling Colorado Rockies if he were to enter the draft, refused to void his contract with Pocklington. It was determined that the Oilers were allowed to keep Gretzky in exchange for being placed at the bottom of the draft order in the entry draft.
Below are listed the selections in the 1979 NHL entry draft. Club teams are located in North America unless otherwise noted.
| = NHL All-Star team · | = NHL All-Star[lower-alpha 1] · | = NHL All-Star[lower-alpha 1] and NHL All-Star team · | = Hall of Famers |
Round one
- Notes
- The Los Angeles Kings' first round pick went to the Boston Bruins as the result of a trade on October 9, 1978 that sent Ron Grahame to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for this pick.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins' first round pick went to the Minnesota North Stars as the result of a trade on October 18, 1978, that sent Dennis Maruk to Washington in exchange for this pick.
- Washington previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on October 17, 1977 that sent Hartland Monahan to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for this pick.
- The Montreal Canadiens' first round pick went to the Los Angeles Kings as the result of a trade on October 5, 1978, that sent the first round pick in 1981 to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Murray Wilson and this pick.
Round two
| # | Player | Nationality | NHL team | College/junior/club team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Blake Wesley (D) | Canada | Philadelphia Flyers (from Colorado) | Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) | |
| 23 | Mike Perovich (D) | Canada | Atlanta Flames (from St. Louis) | Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) | |
| 24 | Errol Rausse (LW) | Canada | Washington Capitals (from Detroit) | Seattle Breakers (WHL) | |
| 25 | Tomas Jonsson (D) |  Sweden | New York Islanders (from Washington) | Modo Hockey (Sweden) | |
| 26 | Brent Ashton (LW) | Canada | Vancouver Canucks | Saskatoon Blades (WHL) | |
| 27 | Gaston Gingras (D) | Canada | Montreal Canadiens (from Minnesota) | Birmingham Bulls (WHA) | |
| 28 | Tim Trimper (LW) | Canada | Chicago Blackhawks | Peterborough Petes (OMJHL) | |
| 29 | Dean Hopkins (RW) | Canada | Los Angeles Kings | London Knights (OMJHL) | |
| 30 | Mark Hardy (D) | Canada | Los Angeles Kings (from Toronto) | Montreal Juniors (QMJHL) | |
| 31 | Paul Marshall (LW) | Canada | Pittsburgh Penguins | Brantford Alexanders (OMJHL) | |
| 32 | Lindy Ruff (D) | Canada | Buffalo Sabres | Lethbridge Broncos (WHL) | |
| 33 | Pat Riggin (G) | Canada | Atlanta Flames | Birmingham Bulls (WHA) | |
| 34 | Ed Hospodar (D) |  United States/ Canada | New York Rangers | Ottawa 67's (OMJHL) | |
| 35 | Pelle Lindbergh (G) | Sweden | Philadelphia Flyers | AIK IF (Sweden) | |
| 36 | Doug Morrison (RW) | Canada | Boston Bruins | Lethbridge Broncos (WHL) | |
| 37 | Mats Naslund (LW) | Sweden | Montreal Canadiens | Brynas IF (Sweden) | |
| 38 | Billy Carroll (C) | Canada | New York Islanders | London Knights (OMJHL) | |
| 39 | Stuart Smith (D) | Canada | Hartford Whalers | Peterborough Petes (OMJHL) | |
| 40 | Dave Christian (C) | United States | Winnipeg Jets | University of North Dakota (WCHA) | |
| 41 | Dale Hunter (C) | Canada | Quebec Nordiques | Sudbury Wolves (OMJHL) | |
| 42 | Neal Broten (C) | United States | Minnesota North Stars (from Edmonton) | University of Minnesota (WCHA) | |
| Reference: "1979 NHL Entry Draft hockeydraftcentral.com". Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2009. | |||||
- Notes
- The Colorado Rockies' second round pick went to the Philadelphia Flyers as the result of a trade on June 15, 1978, that sent the second round pick in 1978 to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for this pick.
- The St. Louis Blues' second round pick went to the Atlanta Flames as the result of a trade on December 12, 1977, that sent Curt Bennett, Phil Myre, and Barry Gibbs to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Yves Belanger, Dick Redmond, Bob MacMillan and this pick.
- The Detroit Red Wings' second round pick went to the Washington Capitals as the result of a trade on August 17, 1977, that sent the rights to Ron Low, the 46th overall pick to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Walt McKechnie, the third round pick in 1978 and this pick.
- The Washington Capitals' second round pick went to the New York Islanders as the result of a trade on October 19, 1978, that sent Michel Bergeron to the Washington Capitals in exchange for this pick.
- The Minnesota North Stars' second round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on August 9, 1979 that sent Bill Nyrop to the Minnesota North Stars in exchange for the second round pick in 1980 (changed to the second round pick in 1982 on June 11, 1980) and this pick.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs' second round pick went to the Los Angeles Kings as the result of a trade on June 14, 1978, that sent Dave Hutchison and Lorne Stamler to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Brian Glennie, Kurt Walker, Scott Garland and this pick.
- The Edmonton Oilers' second round pick went to the Minnesota North Stars as the result of a trade on August 9, 1979, that sent Dave Semenko and the 48th overall pick to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for the 63rd overall pick and this pick.
Round three
| # | Player | Nationality | NHL team | College/junior/club team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | Craig Levie (D) | Canada | Montreal Canadiens (from Colorado) | Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) | |
| 44 | Guy Carbonneau (C) | Canada | Montreal Canadiens (from St. Louis) | Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL) | |
| 45 | Jody Gage (RW) | Canada | Detroit Red Wings | Kitchener Rangers (OMJHL) | |
| 46 | Boris Fistric (D) | Canada | Detroit Red Wings (from Washington) | New Westminster Bruins (WHL) | |
| 47 | Ken Ellacott (G) | Canada | Vancouver Canucks | Peterborough Petes (OMJHL) | |
| 48 | Mark Messier (LW) | Canada | Edmonton Oilers (from Minnesota) | Cincinnati Stingers (WHA) | |
| 49 | Bill Gardner (C) | Canada | Chicago Blackhawks | Peterborough Petes (OMJHL) | |
| 50 | John-Paul Kelly (LW) | Canada | Los Angeles Kings | New Westminster Bruins (WHL) | |
| 51 | Normand Aubin (C) | Canada | Toronto Maple Leafs | Verdun Eperviers (QMJHL) | |
| 52 | Bennett Wolf (D) | Canada | Pittsburgh Penguins | Kitchener Rangers (OMJHL) | |
| 53 | Mark Robinson (D) | Canada | Buffalo Sabres | Victoria Cougars (WHL) | |
| 54 | Tim Hunter (D) | Canada | Atlanta Flames | Seattle Breakers (WHL) | |
| 55 | Jacques Cloutier (G) | Canada | Buffalo Sabres (from New York Rangers) | Trois-Rivieres Draveurs (QMJHL) | |
| 56 | Lindsay Carson (LW) | Canada | Philadelphia Flyers | Billings Bighorns (WHL) | |
| 57 | Keith Crowder (RW) | Canada | Boston Bruins | Peterborough Petes (OMJHL) | |
| 58 | Rick Wamsley (G) | Canada | Montreal Canadiens | Brantford Alexanders (OMJHL) | |
| 59 | Roland Melanson (G) | Canada | New York Islanders | Windsor Spitfires (OMJHL) | |
| 60 | Don Nachbaur (C) | Canada | Hartford Whalers | Billings Bighorns (WHL) | |
| 61 | Bill Whelton (D) | United States | Winnipeg Jets | Boston University (ECAC) | |
| 62 | Lee Norwood (D) | United States | Quebec Nordiques | Oshawa Generals (OMJHL) | |
| 63 | Kevin Maxwell (C) | Canada | Minnesota North Stars (from Edmonton) | University of North Dakota (WCHA) | |
| Reference: "1979 NHL Entry Draft hockeydraftcentral.com". Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2009. | |||||
- Notes
- The Colorado Rockies' third round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on November 24, 1976, that sent John Van Boxmeer to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for this pick.
- The St. Louis Blues' third round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on August 18, 1977, that sent Jim Roberts to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for this pick.
- The Washington Capitals' third round pick went to the Detroit Red Wings as the result of a trade on August 17, 1977, that sent Walt McKechnie, the third round pick in 1978 and the 24th overall pick to the Washington Capitals in exchange for the rights to Ron Low and this pick.
- The Minnesota North Stars' third round pick went to the Edmonton Oilers as the result of a trade on August 9, 1979, that sent the 42nd overall pick and the 63rd overall pick to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Dave Semenko and this pick.
- The New York Rangers' third round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as the result of a trade on March 12, 1979, that sent Jocelyn Guevremont to the New York Rangers in exchange for the third round pick in 1980 and this pick.
- The Edmonton Oilers' third round pick went to the Minnesota North Stars as the result of a trade on August 9, 1979, that sent Dave Semenko and the 48th overall pick to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for the 42nd overall pick and this pick.
Round four
| # | Player | Nationality | NHL team | College/junior/club team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | Steve Peters (C) | Canada | Colorado Rockies | Oshawa Generals (OMJHL) | |
| 65 | Bob Crawford (RW) | Canada | St. Louis Blues | Cornwall Royals (QMJHL) | |
| 66 | John Ogrodnick (RW) | Canada | Detroit Red Wings | New Westminster Bruins (WHL) | |
| 67 | Harvie Pocza (LW) | Canada | Washington Capitals | Billings Bighorns (WHL) | |
| 68 | Arthur Rutland (C) | Canada | Vancouver Canucks | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OMJHL) | |
| 69 | Glenn Anderson (RW) | Canada | Edmonton Oilers (from Minnesota) | University of Denver (WCHA) | |
| 70 | Louis Begin (LW) | Canada | Chicago Blackhawks | Sherbrooke Castors (QMJHL) | |
| 71 | John Gibson (D) | Canada | Los Angeles Kings | Niagara Falls Flyers (OMJHL) | |
| 72 | Vincent Tremblay (G) | Canada | Toronto Maple Leafs | Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) | |
| 73 | Brian Cross (D) | Canada | Pittsburgh Penguins | Brantford Alexanders (OMJHL) | |
| 74 | Gilles Hamel (LW) | Canada | Buffalo Sabres | Laval National (QMJHL) | |
| 75 | Jim Peplinski (RW) | Canada | Atlanta Flames | Toronto Marlboros (OMJHL) | |
| 76 | Pat Conacher (C) | Canada | New York Rangers | Saskatoon Blades (WHL) | |
| 77 | Don Gillen (RW) | Canada | Philadelphia Flyers | Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) | |
| 78 | Larry Melnyk (D) | Canada | Boston Bruins | New Westminster Bruins (WHL) | |
| 79 | Dave Orleski (LW) | Canada | Montreal Canadiens | New Westminster Bruins (WHL) | |
| 80 | Tim Lockridge (D) | Canada | New York Islanders | Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) | |
| 81 | Ray Neufeld (RW) | Canada | Hartford Whalers | Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) | |
| 82 | Pat Daley (LW) | Canada | Winnipeg Jets | Montreal Juniors (QMJHL) | |
| 83 | Anton Stastny (LW) |  Czechoslovakia | Quebec Nordiques | Slovan Bratislava (Czechoslovakia) | |
| 84 | Maxwell Kostovich (LW) | Canada | Edmonton Oilers | Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) | |
| Reference: "1979 NHL Entry Draft hockeydraftcentral.com". Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2009. | |||||
- Notes
- The Minnesota North Stars' fourth round pick went to the Edmonton Oilers as the result of a trade on June 9, 1979, that the Edmonton Oilers promised to not make Paul Shmyr one of its priority selections in the 1979 NHL Expansion Draft in exchange for this pick.
Round five
| # | Player | Nationality | NHL team | College/junior/club team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | Gary Dillon (C) | Canada | Colorado Rockies | Toronto Marlboros (OMJHL) | |
| 86 | Mark Reeds (RW) | Canada | St. Louis Blues | Peterborough Petes (OMJHL) | |
| 87 | Joe Paterson (LW) | Canada | Detroit Red Wings | London Knights (OMJHL) | |
| 88 | Tim Tookey (C) | Canada | Washington Capitals | Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) | |
| 89 | Dirk Graham (RW) | Canada | Vancouver Canucks | Regina Pats (WHL) | |
| 90 | Jim Dobson (RW) | Canada | Minnesota North Stars | Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) | |
| 91 | Lowell Loveday (D) | Canada | Chicago Blackhawks | Kingston Canadians (OMJHL) | |
| 92 | Jim Brown (D) | United States | Los Angeles Kings | University of Notre Dame (WCHA) | |
| 93 | Frank Nigro (C) | Canada | Toronto Maple Leafs | London Knights (OMJHL) | |
| 94 | Nick Ricci (G) | Canada | Pittsburgh Penguins | Niagara Falls Flyers (OMJHL) | |
| 95 | Alan Haworth (C) | Canada | Buffalo Sabres | Sherbrooke Castors (QMJHL) | |
| 96 | Brad Kempthorne (C) | Canada | Atlanta Flames | Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) | |
| 97 | Dan Makuch (RW) | Canada | New York Rangers | Clarkson University (ECAC) | |
| 98 | Thomas Eriksson (D) | Sweden | Philadelphia Flyers | Djurgardens IF (Sweden) | |
| 99 | Marco Baron (G) | Canada | Boston Bruins | Montreal Juniors (QMJHL) | |
| 100 | Yvan Joly (RW) | Canada | Montreal Canadiens | Ottawa 67's (OMJHL) | |
| 101 | Glen Duncan (LW) | Canada | New York Islanders | Toronto Marlboros (OMJHL) | |
| 102 | Mark Renaud (D) | Canada | Hartford Whalers | Niagara Falls Flyers (OMJHL) | |
| 103 | Thomas Steen (C) | Sweden | Winnipeg Jets | Leksands IF (Sweden) | |
| 104 | Pierre Lacroix (D) | Canada | Quebec Nordiques | Trois-Rivieres Draveurs (QMJHL) | |
| 105 | Mike Toal (C) | Canada | Edmonton Oilers | Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) | |
| Reference: "1979 NHL Entry Draft hockeydraftcentral.com". Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2009. | |||||
Round six
| # | Player | Nationality | NHL team | College/junior/club team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 106 | Bob Attwell (RW) | Canada | Colorado Rockies | Peterborough Petes (OMJHL) | |
| 107 | Gilles Leduc (LW) | Canada | St. Louis Blues | Verdun Eperviers (QMJHL) | |
| 108 | Carmine Cirella (LW) | Canada | Detroit Red Wings | Peterborough Petes (OMJHL) | |
| 109 | Greg Theberge (D) | Canada | Washington Capitals | Peterborough Petes (OMJHL) | |
| 110 | Shane Swan (D) | Canada | Vancouver Canucks | Sudbury Wolves (OMJHL) | |
| 111 | Brian Gualazzi (RW) | Canada | Minnesota North Stars | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OMJHL) | |
| 112 | Doug Crossman (D) | Canada | Chicago Blackhawks | Ottawa 67's (OMJHL) | |
| 113 | Jay McFarlane (D) | Canada | Los Angeles Kings | University of Wisconsin (WCHA) | |
| 114 | Bill McCreary (RW) | United States | Toronto Maple Leafs | Colgate University (ECAC) | |
| 115 | Marc Chorney (D) | Canada | Pittsburgh Penguins | University of North Dakota (WCHA) | |
| 116 | Rick Knickle (G) | Canada | Buffalo Sabres | Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) | |
| 117 | Glenn Johnson (C) | Canada | Atlanta Flames | University of Denver (WCHA) | |
| 118 | Stan Adams (C) | Canada | New York Rangers | Niagara Falls Flyers (OMJHL) | |
| 119 | Gord Williams (RW) | Canada | Philadelphia Flyers | Lethbridge Broncos (WHL) | |
| 120 | Mike Krushelnyski (C) | Canada | Boston Bruins | Montreal Juniors (QMJHL) | |
| 121 | Greg Moffett (G) | United States | Montreal Canadiens | University of New Hampshire (ECAC) | |
| 122 | John Gibb (D) | Canada | New York Islanders | Bowling Green University (CCHA) | |
| 123 | Dave McDonald (LW) | Canada | Hartford Whalers | Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) | |
| 124 | Tim Watters (D) | Canada | Winnipeg Jets | Michigan Technological University (WCHA) | |
| 125 | Scott McGeown (D) | Canada | Quebec Nordiques | Toronto Marlboros (OMJHL) | |
| 126 | Blair Barnes (RW) | Canada | Edmonton Oilers | Windsor Spitfires (OMJHL) | |
| Reference: "1979 NHL Entry Draft hockeydraftcentral.com". Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2009. | |||||
| = NHL All-Star[lower-alpha 1] · | = NHL All-Star[lower-alpha 1] and NHL All-Star team · | = Hall of Famers |
| Rank | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| North America | 120 | |
| 1 | Canada | 111 |
| 2 | United States | 9 |
| Europe | 6 | |
| 3 | Sweden | 5 |
| 4 | Czechoslovakia | 1 |
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