1992 Off-Season

1992 Entry Draft

The Washington Generals made history in  the 1992 entry draft, taking Igor Zharkov with the first overall pick. Zharkov, a 6’3” power forward was the first-ever Russian player to be selected number one overall, and will add valuable size and speed up front for the Generals. Winnipeg selected another big forward Kevin Rose second overall, while Ottawa stunned the hockey world when they chose to bypass the third-ranked prospect in the draft, Pavel Kulikin, to select Calgary native Alyn Bryan. Pundits criticized the Beavers for what seemed to be a clear bias toward Canadian-born players. Beavers GM Will Gilliard defended the pick, citing Kulikin’s size (5’8”) as a concern. Another interesting pick was Long Island’s Brandon Fox, a former all-state basketball star who only began playing hockey at age 13. Fox continued to develop his skills on the ice, eventually earning a scholarship to North Dakota. Philadelphia selected goaltender Pierre Noel with the 21^st pick. Noel had to overcome a great deal of adversity to get to this point. As a 17-year-old rookie in junior, he was diagnosed with cancer, forcing him to miss a full year of hockey. Returning in his draft year after beating the illness, Noel regained the starter’s job and led his team to the semifinals in the Quebec League playoffs.

1.      WSH – Igor Zharkov, F, RUS

2.      WPG – Kevin Rose, F, CAN

3.      OTT – Alyn Bryant, F, CAN

4.      DEN – Pavel Kulikin, F, RUS

5.      MIA – Wade Briggs, D, USA

6.      KC (From California) – Sami Helminen, D, FIN

7.      PIT – Jared Hawkins, D, USA

8.      SEA – Sean Herrington, G, CAN

9.      KC – Darian Ashmore, F, CAN

10.   NS – Mike Bidden, F, USA

11.   CHI – Wesley Coley, D, USA

12.   NYC – Brent McGill, D, CAN

13.   STL – Ilya Sakharov, F, RUS

14.   DET – Luke Ferguson, D, CAN

15.   MIN – Mattias Strom, F, SWE

16.   LI – Brandon Fox, D, USA

17.   QUE – Patrice Labrecque, F, CAN

18.   CGY – Owen Betts, F, CAN

19.   LA – Shawn Fitzgerald, F, USA

20.   TOR – Greg Parker, D, CAN

21.   PHI – Pierre Noel, G, CAN

22.   VAN – Brady Kyle, D, CAN

23.   MIL – Anders Akerlund, F, SWE

24.   MTL – Olli Tuomola, D, FIN

25.   EDM – Randy Schmidt, F, CAN

26.   BOS – Blake Holland, F, USA

Notable Retirements:

Gary Johnson – CHI, PHI, 1971-1992

For over two decades, Johnson established himself as one of the game’s most reliable defensive defensemen. Drafted by Chicago in 1971, Johnson partnered with Shamrocks star Ronald Crane to anchor the Chicago blueline until 1979, when he was dealt to Philadelphia in exchange for Russian phenom Vladimir Gaganov. Johnson was a valuable addition the Redshirts, eventually becoming their captain. Johnson led the Redshirts to a Lewis Cup Finals appearance in 1989, but unfortunately that was the closest Johnson ever came to winning a championship. He will retire officially after the 1992 World Hockey Challenge.

Dave Farris – PIT, MIA, 1975-1992

Dave Farris served as one of Pittsburgh’s top-tier forwards throughout the 1980s. playing alongside legend Danny Stevenson, Farris helped lead the Stingers to a Lewis Cup title in 1985, as well as three other appearances in the finals during the ‘80s. In 1989, Farris was selected by the Miami Stingrays in the expansion draft, where he played the final three years of his career.

Don Taylor – CGY, LI, 1973-1992

Taylor played for the Wranglers for 15 seasons, winning a Lewis Cup with them in 1981. In 1988, Taylor was traded to Long Island, where he would win his second championship in 1990.

Bobby Ford – PHI, 1972-1992

Ford was a fan-favorite in Philadelphia for 20 years. He helped the Redshirts to Lewis Cup Finals appearances in 1974 and 1989.

Brian Westin – SEA, 1976-1992

Brian Westin was one of the top goaltenders of the 1980s, backstopping Seattle to an appearance in the finals in 1985.

Notable Trades

Kansas City trades D Reijo Rantala to California in exchange for 6^th overall draft pick.

The Nuggets add an elite defenseman, while Kansas City adds a second top-10 pick.

Miami trades D Elliott Andrews to Calgary in exchange for F Jonas Andersson.

Andrews joins his fourth team in his seven-year career, hoping to find a more permanent home in Calgary. Miami adds a top-level prospect in Andersson.

Calgary trades D Brett Swift to Philadelphia in exchange for F Jay Lydon.

The Wranglers get a young depth player in Lydon, Philadelphia strengthens their defensive corps with Swift.

Key Free Agents

David Appleby signs new 4-year deal with St. Louis worth $3 Million/year.

The deal all but guarantees Appleby will retire with the Spirits.

Theo Sprouse (LI) signs five-year deal with Chicago worth $3.5 Million/year.

In one of the biggest moves in recent history, Sprouse is now the third-highest paid player in the game behind only Vincent Ducharme and new teammate Vladimir Gaganov.

Mike Wheeler (WPG) signs four-year deal with Long Island worth $2.5 Million/year.

Wheeler adds forward depth to a Concordes team whose championship window is beginning to close.

Owen Kennedy (NS) signs three-year deal with Detroit worth $2 Million/year.

The cash-strapped Claymores are forced to let Kennedy walk while the Mustangs add a big piece up front.

News

On June 30, 1992, PHL Commissioner Darryl Byrd officially announced that Dallas and Cleveland would be awarded expansion franchises to begin play in the 1994-96 season. The announcement came after years of talks between the league and potential owners including Clint Love from Dallas and David Farber from Cleveland. Farber, now 68, had been attempting to land a franchise for Cleveland since the early 70s and was quite emotional when the decision was made. “This represents many years of hard work for myself and the city of Cleveland, I cannot express how excited I am that we have finally succeeded” said Farber, whose son James will take over the team once it gets off the ground in 1994.

This will be the second time Dallas has been awarded a PHL franchise. The first time was in 1974 when the Dallas Metros were added. The Metros played eleven years in the league before relocating to Milwaukee in 1985. Darryl Byrd decided to give Dallas a second chance after owner Clint Love finally secured approval for a new downtown arena. “We have to find a way to make things work in Dallas if we want to continue to expand our footprint in the United States” said Byrd. “I’m very confident that Mr. Love is the man that can make this happen.” Love stated that he had a few names in mind for his new team, but had not decided on anything yet. He did confirm, however, that the name “Metros” will not be used again.

In other news the Denver Bulls hired former PHL defenseman Doug Kelly as their new General Manager, Kelly’s first move as GM was then to fire head coach Jacques Fortune, who had coached the Bulls for a decade. Fortune was then replaced by Grant Dunlop, who had coached Seattle through the late ‘80s.