Paul MacLean played at Dalhousie University before his successful NHL playing and coaching careers.
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
For decades, U Sports hockey, also known as Canadian university hockey, has been viewed as an afterthought, a last-choice alternative for men’s hockey players.
In Canadian markets, it’s often where EBUGS appear from for NHL teams in a time of need. Those limited definitions, however, don’t do justice to a league filled with 30-goal scorers from the OHL, WHL and QMJHL, dozens of NHL draft picks, and even more players with professional experience in the AHL, ECHL and Europe. The league has also graduated dozens of players to the NHL.
Today, more and more late-blooming prospects are using U Sports as a path to professional and NHL contracts.
One of those players is Vegas Golden Knights netminder Logan Thompson, a candidate for the Vezina Trophy last season’s one-third point. Thompson was the U Sports OUA Goaltender of the Year in 2018-19 while attending Brock University. Last season, he was joined by other U Sports alumni, Derek Ryan of the Edmonton Oilers, and Zach Sawchenko, who played seven games for the San Jose Sharks in the NHL.
Unlike the NCAA, professional experience does not exclude a player from U Sports. Some, like Darren Lowe, even returned from the NHL to play university hockey. Lowe played three seasons for the University of Toronto in the early 1980s, represented Canada at the 1984 Winter Olympics, played eight games for the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins recording a goal and three points and then returned to captain the University of Toronto for his senior season. 1985-86.
More recently, it was NHL second-round pick Jared Aulin, who already had 17 NHL games and 193 AHL games under his belt when he returned to play for the University of Calgary in 2007-08.
Other players who went through U Sports, like long-time NHL head coach Barry Trotz, former NHL goaltender and namesake for a key advanced statistic Jim Corsi, and current Tampa Bay Lightning assistant GM Mathieu Darche, who also played 250 games in the NHL, continue to impact the game in other ways.
With the growing strength of U Sports men’s hockey, here’s a look back at 10 of the top retired players to come from U Sports hockey, formerly known as the CIAU and CIS, to the NHL.
1. Randy Gregg, D, University of Alberta
A five-time Stanley Cup champion, all with the Edmonton Oilers, Gregg completed four years at the University of Alberta, being named the CIAU player of the year in 1978-79. The defender represented Canada twice at the Olympic Games, including captaining the team in Lake Placid in 1980, and also represented Canada at the 1984 Canada Cup.
2. Mike Ridley, C, University of Manitoba
Starring for the University of Manitoba, winning back-to-back CIAU player of the year awards in 1984 and 1985, the same calendar year Ridley jumped directly into the New York Rangers lineup. That season he scored 65 points and was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team. From the day he entered the NHL, Ridley compiled nine consecutive seasons with more than 20 goals, including a 41-goal, 89-point campaign in 1988-89 as a member of the Washington Capitals that saw him selected to play in the NHL All – Star game. His 758 points in 866 NHL games are tops all-time among U Sports alumni.
3. Steve Ruchin, C, University of Western Ontario
In 1990, Steve Rucchin was playing high school and Junior C hockey. After four standout years developing at the University of Western Ontario, Rucchin made his NHL debut with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1994. Rucchin would go on to captain the Mighty Ducks, recording multiple 20-goal seasons, and totaling 506 regular season and playoff games. points across nearly 800 NHL games.
4. Paul MacLean, RW, Dalhousie University
The Dalhousie University alum is probably better known as a coach with six different NHL organizations since the mid-1990s, including a four-season tenure as coach of the Ottawa Senators. He also, however, scored more than 40 or more goals three times in a 719-game NHL career, and 30 or more goals in five additional seasons totaling 324 goals and 673 points. In 1984-85, MacLean had his best season, recording 101 points as a member of the Winnipeg Jets.
5. Jack Gelineau, G, McGill University
If ever there was a netminder poised for NHL stardom in the eyes of fans and media, it was Jack Gelineau in the late 1940s. After backstopping McGill University to a Queen’s Cup as champions of Quebec and Ontario in 1946, Gelineau was called up to the Boston Bruins during his senior season, playing four games in 1948-49. The next year, Gelineau won the NHL’s Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year, playing 67 games for the Bruins. Gelineau’s numbers improved the following season, but it would be his last in the NHL as he realized he could make more money in the insurance business than as a starting NHL goalie…even as a star netminder.
6. Joel Ward, RW, University of Prince Edward Island
Following his OHL career with the Owen Sound Platers, Joel Ward spent four seasons playing U Sports hockey with the University of Prince Edward Island, graduating in 2005 when he was named Atlantic Canada’s most valuable player. After one season in the AHL, Ward made his debut to an NHL career that would span 11 seasons and 726 games with four teams. His best NHL season was a 24-goal campaign as a member of the Washington Capitals in 2013-14, the same year he compiled nine points in eight games representing Canada at the World Championships.
7. Stu Grimson, LW, University of Manitoba
The ‘Grim Reaper’ will go down as one of hockey history’s most feared fighters and enforcers. He spent 729 games terrorizing the NHL, preceded by multiple seasons at the University of Manitoba. Over his 14-season NHL career, Grimson accumulated 2,113 penalty minutes and another 1,001 in the IHL.
8. Cory Cross, D, University of Alberta
The hulking blueliner spent 659 games in the NHL, most with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs. Across his career, the University of Alberta alumni won two World Championship gold medals representing Canada. With Alberta, he won three Canada West titles, and a national championship in 1992, the same year the Tampa Bay Lightning selected him in the NHL’s supplemental draft.
9. Todd Elik, C, University of Regina
From the University of Regina through the minor leagues, Todd Elik carved out a 448-game NHL career before embarking on more than a decade-long tour of European leagues, where he won MVP awards, including representing Canada at the 2000 Spengler Cup. Elik’s best NHL season came in 1993-94 when he scored 25 goals and 66 points for the San Jose Sharks and then rattled off 10 points in 14 playoff games.
10. Jody Shelley, LW, Dalhousie University
It was a different era throughout Jody Shelley’s 627-game NHL career. He earned his living as an enforcer, after playing with Dalhousie University, including as the NHL’s most penalized player in 2002-03, compiling 249 PIMs with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was also the AHL’s most penalized player in 2000-01 when he racked up an incredible 357 minutes. Shelley will never be remembered for his 54 NHL points, but he definitely left an impact over his career.
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