1972 OFFSEASON Part 2 (Continued)

Coaching Carousel

With four new teams joining the league, the coaching market was hot and heavy. In a mutual buyout, decorated Whales coach Cyrus Street took a huge offer from the crosstown newcomers to join the Pioneers. The Whales took it as an opportunity to be released of his services and allowed it. They then hired Larry Weatherford, son of former Captains and current Falcons co-head coach Al Weatherford to run the team. The other three new clubs each hired coaches from the Indy League, with Trowburgh bringing in Jonas Rayburn from Favorboro, Fort Bevin hired Harry Nance from Ulrick, and Kavalos signed veteran coach Harley Sweeney of Kurohara.

1972 Expansion Draft Exemption List

Commissioner Willard chose to continue the expansion draft model from '65, having each current team choose 6 protected players for the exempt list. There would be four rounds with the new teams drawing from available unprotected players. Each current team would have a cap of 3 players required to be claimed from their major roster and affiliate rosters. Players with less than 3 seasons of accrued professional experience would be unavailable to draft and an exemption not needed. The four new teams drew numbers from a hat to determine the expansion draft order, with it being 1. Electrics, 2. Pioneers, 3. Rockets, 4. Herons. With only 6 exemptions to work with, some teams had to make some especially tough decisions. The Whales, expecting Marlin Parr to retire, were in a bind after he decided he wanted to continue playing. The 36-year-old is an 8-time All-Star but riddled with injuries and has had trouble staying on the ice. Ultimately, new coach Larry Weatherford decided to make him available and go with the younger forwards, much to the dismay of the fans. Other notable available players are F Tyson Sallee (the only player with 4 rings), G Burt Wentz, F Morton Geary, G Reed Darling, G Jesse Gaskins, F Bernie Sharpe, G Scott Fitchette, F Aleksander Volkov, F Buddy Dupree, and F Rory Burkholder.

The Shocking, Nearly Unthinkable Blockbuster Trade

While teams were figuring out which players to use an exemption on and which to make available, the Heralds and Anchors were quietly in trade talks. Word came later that they'd been in discussions the previous offseason but nothing came of it. Now, with the expansion causing a major ripple in the league's ethos, a nearly unthinkable trade was brewing. The crux of the trade was that Port Alrene was short on assets and youthful talent. They had drafted poorly in recent years and despite the superhuman heroics of Gary Wisniewski, the team was primed to continue as a bottom-feeder. Chasonne's sticking point, after 7 years of no Cup appearances, was an above-average, balanced forward unit that didn't feature prolific scoring outside of Lou D'Angelo's best efforts. Both team owners and coaches, Port Alrene's Wayne Leyva and Don Easterling and Chasonne's Claud Elam and Stan Massey met in Trowburgh at the league office to discuss the matter. Ultimately they came to a decision that shocked the league and country.

Chasonne would send: F Lou D'Angelo, F Myles Bozeman, D Scott Khanum, and their 1972 1st-round pick (#7 overall) to the Anchors for F Gary Wisniewski and D Dan Drobish.

One sticking point was Khanum and Drobish, both being similar players but Khanum was still exempt with only 2 years of service, allowing them to put the exemption on Bozeman, leaving Chasonne to take a chance that Drobish might be taken in the expansion draft. With the deal nearly done, Elam decided to accept it and both owners shook hands as Commissioner Willard drew up the paperwork.

D'Angelo, a native of Port Alrene and also a wearer of #22, made an agreement with Gary Wiz to both not wear #22 for their new teams out of respect for each other. Gary Wiz took #11, half of 22, and D'Angelo took #44, double of 22, earning him a nickname of “Double Lou” during his time in Port Alrene.

1972 Expansion Draft

With the first pick of the Expansion Draft, the Kavalos Electrics selected former Whales forward Marlin Parr to lead their new team. The Pioneers took 4-time Cup winner and former Falcon F Tyson Sallee with the second pick. Sallee originally started his career in Portarra with the Whales. With the third pick, the Fort Bevin Rockets chose hometown hero and former Falcons F Bernie Sharpe. The Trowburgh Herons selected former Captains goalie Scott Fitchette with the fourth pick. Each team made six selections to build their rosters with 24 total players moving to a new team.

Amateur Draft News

With a massive amateur draft approaching, the age limit was raised to 24 to include more players with no professional experience and deepen the pool in order to adequately fill the rosters. The two worst records from the previous season, Anchors and Whales, were added into the hat with the four new teams for a random draw for the top-6 draft order, with the rest of the teams going in order from their previous season standing. Trowburgh won the drawing for 1st overall pick, with Port Alrene getting a lucky bounce for 2nd, the Pioneers in 3rd, the Whales in 4th, followed by Fort Bevin and Kavalos. The latter two teams were not too happy with the arrangement but there was nothing that could be done to change it. An additional 4 picks by the four new teams was added at the end of the 2nd round.

A handful of international players also declared for the draft, including top prospects F Dimitri Ranko from Serbia, goalie Adrian Petrov of Russia and defenseman Marko Chayka from the Ukraine. Far and away the best prospect was Adam Oreskovich, an 18-year-old phenom scoring forward from Yubay. Also of note was the little brother of Whales All-Star Anton O'Reilly, 18-year-old Jerry O'Reilly, also a defenseman and highly ranked prospect. A pair of strong forwards in Kevin Korycki and Cal Capezzio rounded out the top end of the best prospects. Chasonne product Ray Kosobucki is a rising goalie prospect, but being 24 will limit his ceiling. The forward position in particular is considered very deep, among the best in many years.

With the draft ready to go, the Trowburgh Herons made Adam Oreskovich their first-ever draft pick. Adam O should be an instant star in the league with a well-rounded skillset and an advanced scoring acumen and skating technique. Port Alrene took Ranko at #2, a skilled forward who will fit in well with the Anchors play style. At #3, the new Pioneers had a difficult choice to make, but decided to choose Petrov to pair with Burt Wentz in goal for what should be a very solid tandem. The Whales, with their forward unit gutted from the expansion draft, chose Cal Capezzio from Hemhall to fill Marlin Parr's old role. Kavalos surprisingly passed on Korycki to take goalie Kosobucki who they liked better, while Fort Bevin wasted no time in running up their card to select Korycki. With the pick from Chasonne in the Gary Wiz trade, the Anchors took F Jerry Haake at #7 overall, to add some youth and speed to their front line. At #10 the Kirlow Kodiaks selected Jerry O'Reilly, who will be near their hometown of Monin. D Marko Chayka fell all the way to the top of the 2nd round to Trowburgh, who happily scooped him up.

1972 Draft - 1st Round

1 – TRO – F Adam Oreskovich
The kid can skate. He can score in creative ways. The most well-rounded prospect in some time. Biggest question will be if he can handle the pressure of carrying an expansion team from the start.

2 – PA – F Dimitri Ranko (Serbia)
Not a particularly athletic prospect, but the big Serb is crafty and has a strong hockey IQ to go with well-developed hockey fundamentals.

3 – PTP – G Adrian Petrov (Russia)
Plug-and-play goaltender prospect. He'll have some time adjusting to the THL speed but he can be an anchor in goal for many years if he's given time to grow.

4 – POR – F Cal Capezzio
Lunchpail kind of guy but also a very talented modern forward. Strong leadership skills. Will be an instant stabilizer for the Whales.

5 – KAV – G Ray Kosobucki
A bit long in the tooth, but Kosobucki possesses rare eyes and hands. Not a very high ceiling, what you see is what you get with him, but he's reliable and is a good leader.

6 – FTB – F Kevin Korycki
Something of a surprise that Korycki fell this far but he's a very strong forward with a deep skillset and the right makeup to lead a team.

7 – PA (via CHA) – F Jerry Haake
Haake is very fast. A little light in frame but he brings the speed and adds a whole new dimension to any team.

8 – NAR – F Evan Starling
The Neptunes may have finally found the perfect complement to Kris Kotulak in Starling. Mature guy, solid skillset and can comfortably run either side with a deft scoring stick.

9 – YUB – F Casey Holt
Solid player, good skillset and hockey sense. Not terribly exciting but offers a nice anchor forward who can also play backward.

10 – KIR – D Jerry O'Reilly
The younger brother of Anton is a nice player himself. He's very young and green but the talent is undeniable. If he's given time to mature he could be another star in this league.

11 – YBG – F Earnest Schultz
Good player. Not athletic. Brings some physicality to the forward unit though and has high hockey IQ.

12 – KRK – F Paul Careno
Classic Captains choice. Tough guy who plays with an edge. Can score a little, especially up close. Kirk will love his hitting and ability to punch in the puck up near the crease.


New Divisions and Alignment

With the inclusion of new teams, the league decided to finally employ divisions in the standings structure. They were dubbed Willard and Hatch, for the two commissioners. Some effort was made to keep some of the rivalries intact, along with some travel considerations, although it was a given that certain teams like Kavalos would be traveling more than usual. Willard also wanted to split up the multi-team cities of Portarra and Yubay which proved difficult to figure out. The Willard Division will be comprised of the Anchors, Whales, Captains, Glaciers, Rockets and Herons. The Hatch Division will be the Heralds, Falcons, Kodiaks, Neptunes, Pioneers and Electrics.


In a bit of a last minute surprise, the owners pushed an expanded playoff model on Hatch who relented. The top team in each division at the end of the regular season will be the division winner. The top four teams in each division will play a quarterfinals series by seed (1-4, 2-3), with the winners advancing to the divisional semi-finals and the remaining two teams to the Marcotte Cup. Each series will be seven games with the higher seed receiving home ice advantage. (AABBABA) The expansion teams immediately lodged their complaints about the new model, saying it unfairly took advantage of new teams to give the established teams more playoff chances.

Up next: A few identity updates before the new season

What do y'all think of all these new developments in the league? It's been a fast and furious offseason.

Thehealthiestscratch wrote:

A lot happening in the league for the better! Can’t believe the alignments though, seems really choppy and intentionally breaks up teams that would benefit from travel and a natural rivalry.

I’d go

Yubay,Yubay, Kavalos, Fort Bevin, Kirlow and POR Whales.

The rest in the other. Yubay has established rivalry and are hard to break up given location. Wish I could help an expansion Pioneers in the set up by placing them against their own city, but it might be beneficial to steer clear from the clear #1 in the city at the moment.

The brass still felt like Chasonne and the Falcons have a rivalry even though it's been a few years since those great series between them. They also wanted to keep the Anchors and Whales in the same division, along with some of the original teams like Kirkenport. It remains to be seen how the expansion teams fare but if they do well a follow up expansion will help for realignment.

The update for the Anchors looks great, it took an ugly look and salvaged it into something unique and classy.

1972 REGULAR SEASON


After such a monumental offseason, the new-look league prepared for a longer season of 72 games and brand new teams and old familiar faces in new cities wearing new sweaters. Predictably, all four new teams struggled mightily straight out of the gate. With so many rookies and young players thrust into starting roles, many of the games were sloppy and unmanageable at times.

The Port Alrene Anchors, infused with new talent after the shocking Gary Wiz trade, saw a huge comeback season by Ferdy Haight who had become the defacto captain of the Anchors, despite goalies typically not being officially designated captains. In the span of one offseason, the team went from being the oldest in the league to one of the youngest. At 30 years old, Haight showed again why he is still the premier talent in the league with plenty left in the gas tank. His play in the net and in leading the team earned him a League MVP trophy and an All-Star berth and the new Most Improved award but not Best Goalie, which went to the Glaciers' Keith MacGarvin. Forward Lou D'Angelo also had a revival season as Haight took the pressure off of the scoring and allowed Double Lou to focus on all the young forwards. Rookie Dimitri Ranko was a revelation on the wing, quickly earning the respect of the team and league, as the Anchors soared to the top of the standings and won the inaugural Willard Division title.

Always together, just behind the Anchors, the Whales rediscovered their identity as defenseman Anton O'Reilly put up a magnificent season. While scoring was down as newcomer Cal Capezzio was finding his sea legs with young Walt Gulbrandsen and Allen Consbruck on the top line, the Whales defense was tough and bruising. Veteran All-Star Maxwell Blunt was excellent in goal as he helped the Whales break their three years of futility and earn a #2 seed.

With the new Willard Division showing fierce competition, the reigning champions in Kirkenport took some time to adjust to a fresh roster after the expansion draft. Gerry McKnight seemed to be in a hangover most of the season after his historic performance in 1971, but the scoring led by Keenan Draper, Chris Wydra and Cole Nieto was as potent as ever. With steady backup goalie Scott Fitchette now in Trowburgh, rookie Andreas Brukbaker struggled to fill time behind McKnight. Despite the struggles in the net, another excellent season by team captain D Lauri Rikhard and “Biggo” Brian Mierzwinski on the blue line kept the Captains in the hunt and earned a 3-seed.

Of the four new teams, the Portarra Pionners had the best season with old veterans Tyson Sallee, Morton Geary and Alex Harter showing the rookies how to play at a pro level. Goalie Adrian Petrov showed promise but the team will need to find more top level talent for the top lines while the old gray hairs are keeping the ship afloat. In Trowburgh, #1 pick F Adam Oreskovich won Best Rookie more on reputation than results as a nice core roster for the Herons couldn't find any chemistry even with some heady vets in F Rory Burkholder and F Buddy Dupree. Defenseman Marko Chayka, who infamously slid all the way to the second round, looked absolutely lost on the blue line against much stronger and faster opponents in the THL. Kavalos found some decent defense but F Marlin Parr was hard-pressed to lead the team at 36 years old and a failing body. The Rockets struggled in all phases although F Kevin Korycki showed some promise.

The Narva Neptunes took advantage of the new league alignment and built on their rising success to rise to the top of the Hatch Division. With their lethal blue line pairing of Brankovic and Gallenbeck, forward Kris Kotulak finally morphed into a top-flight scoring forward at 25 years old, and after his much maligned start in the league, Ernie Bukowski seems to finally be putting things together in goal. Just behind the Neptunes, the Chasonne Heralds with Gary Wiz in tow had a difficult, roller-coaster year as he struggled with health while Paul Kauffman earned Best Defenseman for his efforts. With depth being a source of concern, the team has a chance to make some noise in the playoffs with a healthy Gary Wiz, but they gave up a lot of resources to make the trade and it showed during the season.


In Yubay, with the Falcons and Glaciers now in separate divisions, the Glaciers saw a brilliant season by goalie Keith MacGarvin which won him Best Goalie as F Peter Isaksson and D Joaquin Outlaw weren't great but good enough to keep the team in the playoffs. The Falcons, meanwhile, did enough to stay afloat in the standings, as Pasternak and Co were competitive but lacked the extra scoring juice from previous seasons. As with many teams after the expansion draft, depth was a real problem.

Kirlow only had one All-Star in F Pascal Brink, but many thought the team was much better than the late-season slip seemed to indicate. D Carey Waggoners had another vintage season on the blue line and the younger O'Reilly brother Jerry showed he could hang with the big dogs on the blue line even at 18. With a deep defensive group and improved scoring from 2nd-year forward Marc Truong, the Kodiaks secured a #2 seed in the Hatch Division.


Playoff Preview

Anchors vs Glaciers
The revival in Port Alrene has been drastic following the departure of Gary Wiz with Ferdy Haight leading the way. The Glaciers, however, have the one man better in goal in Keith MacGarvin. Which team will find a way to break through these stout vacuums in the net?

Whales vs Captains
The reigning champs haven't been as dominate while the Whales have had their own resurgence and new coach Larry Weatherford is eager to prove they're for real. The Kirk Boys are still hungry for more though. Will the Whales ascend back to playoff monsters or will the Captains show their new Cup grit?

Neptunes vs Falcons
The boys in Narva have been steadily and somewhat quietly building a quality roster on the backs of sturdy and brutal defense. The Falcons have more moxie than perhaps anyone in the league and proven they can find ways to win. Will the Neptunes be budged or does Yubay fall short?

Kodiaks vs Heralds
While all the storylines have been about Gary Wiz and Paul Kauffman in Chasonne, the Kodiaks were nearly invisible even as they pummeled teams at times. The Heralds seemed to figure things out toward the very end of the season. Will the Heralds lack of depth be the thorn in their side or will Kirlow continue to rise above the noise?


C&C appreciated on all aspects of the story and updated presentation!

Up next: 1972 Playoffs
 

Hope the Neptunes can pull off some big wins. The city really deserves it! I’m not very confident on a back to back performance for my own guys..