The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Michigan And The NHL Draft College hockey and the University of Michigan, in particular, have long been a fruitful source of talent for the National Hockey League. Starting with Bernie Gagnon, who was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the third round of the 1969 NHL Draft held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, 145 Michigan players have been selected in the league's annual selection of developmental prospects. The most recent edition of the draft, now termed the NHL Entry Draft, saw Michigan forward Dylan Larkin chosen in the first round, 15th overall, by the Detroit Red Wings and goaltender Zach Nagelvoort selected in the fourth round, 111th overall, by the Edmonton Oilers. Michigan supplied seven draftees in both 1990 and 2007, while six Wolverines were chosen in 1978, 1984, 1994 and 2001. The 1991 class at Michigan, while only five mem- bers strong, likely produced one of the most potent groups of players in eventual NHL contributions. It included forward Aaron Ward ( Winnipeg, first round), forward Mike Knuble (Detroit, fourth round), goal- tender Steve Shields (Buffalo, fifth round), forward David Oliver (Edmonton, seventh round) and forward Brian Wiseman (New York Rangers, 12th round). Ward logged 839 NHL games with five different NHL clubs, scoring 44 goals and 107 assists with a whopping 736 penalty minutes. Knuble played professionally from 1994-2012, starting with the Detroit Red Wings' AHL affiliate in Adirondack before logging time with Detroit, the New York Rangers, the Boston Bruins, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Wash- ington Capitals. During those many seasons, Knuble's NHL totals numbered 278 goals and 270 assists in 1,068 NHL appearances. He also spent a season in Sweden playing for Linkopings of the Swedish Elite League. Shields tended goal for seven different NHL teams from 1995-2006, bouncing between starting and backup roles. Oliver started his NHL career in 1994 with the Edmonton Oilers and toiled for five different NHL squads, posting NHL scoring totals of 49 goals and 49 assists. Wiseman hit the NHL for only three games as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but is most notable for his coaching career. He started with Princeton University in 2003, spent a year as an AHL assistant at Houston and now is in his fourth year as one of head coach Red Berenson's assistants Former U-M forward Aaron Ward, a first- round selection in 1991, headlined a five-man class that went on to have very productive NHL careers. PHOTO COURTESY CAROLINA HURRICANES