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Tiger Fan · 06-22-2023, 07:48 PM

JULY 9, 1947

NAHC CONDUCTS EAGLES DISPERSAL DRAFT

With the Brooklyn Eagles officially no more, the six remaining teams in the North American Hockey Confederation conducted a dispersal draft to divvy up the talent from the Eagles franchise. It came as little surprise that 24-year-old center Quinton Pollack was selected by the Toronto Dukes with the first pick of the dispersal draft. Pollack tied for the league lead with 30 goals in his rookie season while adding 17 assists to lead the Eagles in scoring. Ian Doyle, another rookie last season, was selected second by the Montreal Valiants. The 23-year-old had 19 points despite missing half the season due to an injury.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was that goaltender Tom Brockers, arguably the best netminder in the league, did not get selected until the second round when the Boston Bees brought Brockers back to the organization he helped win 3 Challenge Cups while also claiming the Juneau Trophy as top goaltender on 3 occasions. The 31-year-old Brockers was traded to Brooklyn prior to the 1944-45 campaign.

HOW WILL DISPERSAL PICKS IMPACT THE 47-48 SEASON?

There were some big upgrades made quickly across the NAHC with the draft to divvy up the talent that once belonged to the now-defunct Brooklyn Eagles. Here are some thoughts from The Figment Hockey News on how the newcomers will alter their new team's make-up.

BOSTON BEES: Picking 7th did not stop the two-time defending Challenge Cup champs from landing an impact player. That would be a homecoming moment as 31-year-old Tom Brockers slipped all the way through the first round -likely due in part to his age- and thanks to the serpentine format of the process Brockers was able to return to the club he enjoyed the best seasons of his career.

It does mean the crease will be very crowded at Denny Arena and Pierre Melancon must be wondering what else he can do to earn the Bees trust. All he did was lead his club to two straight Cup wins and now he finds out that he has to fend off not only Brockers, but also 1943 first round pick Oscar James for playing time. James, who starred for the Cleveland Eries of the HAA a year ago, is said to be set to finally sign a deal with the Bees. Clearly goaltending will not be a concern in Beantown.

Center Robert Walker and winger Mark Dyck were the other two Boston dispersal selections. Each played in the minors last year. Dyck might need some seasoning but Walker, a 22-year-old who averaged nearly a point a game in Vancouver last year, may challenge for the second line center role and could provide some offensive depth.

CHICAGO PACKERS: The Packers selected 5th so they missed out on some of the big names but did land a player they hope may be able to contribute on the first line if Wes Burns has lost step. That player would be Jeremy MacLean, a 24-year-old who has spent the past six seasons playing in Cleveland.

The Packers selected another winger in Max Lavigne with their second choice. A 1945 second round pick of the Eagles, Lavigne was a teammate of MacLean's in Cleveland each of the last three seasons. He projects to have a high ceiling but may need some more time to develop before assuming a regular role with the Packers. The final choice for Chicago was depth defenseman Mark Brooks. The 25-year-old rearguard has had more than his share of injuries, including one which cost him half of last season, but Brooks has some talent and was a finalist for the McLeod Trophy (top rookie) three years ago despite originally being a 7th round draft pick.

DETROIT MOTORS: With some veteran defensemen moving on the Motors had their sights set on promising young blueliner Robert Sharpley right from the day word trickled out the Eagles were folding but the New York Shamrocks beat them to the punch. Instead, Detroit went with a steady blueliner in Alex Viens -who began his career in the Motor City- with their second round pick and focused on offense with their opening selection. That would be Nick Tardif, a 20-year-old New Brunswick native who was selected first overall by the Eagles in 1945. He spent the past two years in Vancouver and perhaps under produced with just 19 goals in 86 games over two seasons with the Bears but the Motors are confident he is poised to break out, if not this season then likely the next. The Motors were also quite pleased to land 22-year-old winger Hank Walsh, who had 25 points for Brooklyn last season, with their third round selection.

MONTREAL VALIANTS: There was some speculation the Valiants primary target would be goaltender Tom Brockers but the club is hoping that this past season was just a down year for Millard Touhey and their goalie will bounce back. That confidence shown in Touhey allowed the Valiants to grab a talented, but injury prone center in Ian Doyle. The 23-year-old British Columbia native had 19 points in his first 23 games and was a perfect second-line pivot behind Quinton Pollack in Brooklyn. It is no coincidence that the Eagles struggled and fell out of playoff contention after Doyle was knocked out of the lineup. There may be some injury risk but it is hard to pass up a player with his potential, and one who was drafted first overall by the Eagles in 1943.

The Vals used their two remaining selections on a pair of 21-year-old defenseman with some upside potential. It is unlikely that either Spencer Larocque or Billy Hader will ever be top-pairing defenders, but both could develop into solid second liners.

NEW YORK SHAMROCKS: Defense was the story of the day in New York and the Shamrocks have to be thrilled to end up with Robert Sharpley. Just 20-years-old, the left shot defenseman looks like the complete package and could one day become one of the best in the league at his position. He did not look out of place on the Eagles blueline as a rookie, and the offensive production should come as he gains experience.

Another defenseman in 24-year-old Ryan Kennedy was the Shamrocks third selection. He is no where near Sharpley's level and his play may have slumped a bit last season from his impressive game ratings of the previous two years, but Kennedy -who was an assistant captain in Brooklyn- should be a solid third-D pairing type of player.

Sandwiched between the defenders was 23-year-old winger Samuel Coates. He clearly benefitted from playing alongside Quinton Pollack in Brooklyn, but Coates averaged nearly a point a game until his season came to an end with a rib injury in February. With three strong centers in Orval Cabbell, Adam Greenham and Laurel Albers on the roster, Coates may just find another scorer he can complement with his move to the Greenshirts.

TORONTO DUKES: The Dukes had an awful year, going from first to worst in the NAHC, but that did give them a nice consolation prize when news broke that the Brooklyn Eagles had folded. That allowed Toronto the first pick in the dispersal draft and the right to select Quinton Pollack. It is hard to imagine a team with a better pair of centers than Toronto now possesses in veteran Bobbie Sauer and the 24-year-old newcomer. Pollack is a lock for rookie of the year after tying for the NAHC lead with 30 goals this season. The only question is will new Dukes coach Jack Barrell leave both his star pivots in the middle or will he be tempted to move one to the wing and play them together?

It was a long wait in the serpentine draft for the Dukes turn to come up again but they made the most of their final two choices in landing defenseman Chad Roy and Miles Norman. The blueline was a mess in Toronto last season so the 25-year-old Roy might even land on the top pair. Both he and Norman, 22, saw plenty of ice with the Eagles last season and one can expect both to likely duplicate that in Toronto over the coming campaign.

It is early but a guess at how the team's stack-up right now lands them like this:
1- Boston
2- Chicago
3- Toronto
4- New York
5- Detroit
6- Montreal

NAHC TO PLAY 60-GAME SLATE

With the drop to six teams the NAHC has unveiled plans for an expanded schedule starting this October. Each club will play 60 games, believed to be a high-water mark in pro hockey history. The schedule will see each team visit every other arena 6 times for a total of 12 games against each of their opponents.

The Challenge Cup playoffs will also be lengthend with word the semi-finals will now be a best-of-seven series, just as the Cup finals are. The playoff participants will remain as the top four teams in the league, leaving just two clubs on the outside looking in.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

DETROIT TIMES REACTION TO DRAFTING NICK TARDIFF

Motors are excited to add Nick Tardiff to our organization. He was not the focal point of our draft board, feeling he might elect to remain under contract in the coast league, but any time you have the opportunity to add a player drafted first overall, as Tardiff was by the Eagles in 1945, you have to jump at it. He has some leadership skills as well, considering Vancouver gave him a letter as a 20 year old. He had 22 points for the Bears last season and might need some time in the HAA to develop but we look forward to seeing what he brings the Detroit Motors organization going forward.

CHICAGO DAILY NEWS REACTION FROM PACKERS ON SELECTION OF MACLEAN

Packers are very happy with the addition of Jeremy MacLean, but were hoping to find a winger from the lefty side as veteran Wes Burns seems to have lost a step post-injury. The successful Burns-Burns-Mahoney line may be altered, as the Packers front office is very excited by the right winger MacLean, along with former 2nd Rounder Derek Gubb, who is eligible to sign after completing his contract with the Cleveland Eries. Gubb and MacLean were actually teammates in Cleveland for four seasons, although Gubb decided to sit out the 46/47 season.

OTHER HEADLINES THIS WEEK

Hal Sharp's 10th inning walk-off homer lifted the Continental Association to a 5-4 win over the Federal Association in the 15th annual FABL all-star game.
Chicago Cougars infielder Walt Pack, who drove in 4 runs for the CA stars, was named the game's most valuable player.
The Federal Association leading St Louis Pioneers made a major trade, acquiring former high school pitching legend Hiram Steinberg from Cleveland for one of the top prospects in the sport.
The struggling Montreal Saints followed Pittsburgh's lead and became the second team to replace its manager within a week.
President Truman is set to again veto the Republican income tax reduction bill. The revised bill was approved by both the House and the Senate and would go into effect January 1 if it makes it through to law.
John L. Lewis signed a new contract for his United Mine Workers, ending fears of another soft coal shutdown. At his press conference Lewis declared war on the Labor Act, blasted Republicans and stated that Senator Taft, co-author of the new labor law, "will not be able to carry his home state of Ohio" if he runs for President.

Full national sports coverage is available in this week's edition of THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL.

06-22-2023, 07:48 PM	#43
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,740	July 9, 1947 Dispersal Draft completed JULY 9, 1947 NAHC CONDUCTS EAGLES DISPERSAL DRAFT With the Brooklyn Eagles officially no more, the six remaining teams in the North American Hockey Confederation conducted a dispersal draft to divvy up the talent from the Eagles franchise. It came as little surprise that 24-year-old center Quinton Pollack was selected by the Toronto Dukes with the first pick of the dispersal draft. Pollack tied for the league lead with 30 goals in his rookie season while adding 17 assists to lead the Eagles in scoring. Ian Doyle, another rookie last season, was selected second by the Montreal Valiants. The 23-year-old had 19 points despite missing half the season due to an injury. Perhaps the biggest surprise was that goaltender Tom Brockers, arguably the best netminder in the league, did not get selected until the second round when the Boston Bees brought Brockers back to the organization he helped win 3 Challenge Cups while also claiming the Juneau Trophy as top goaltender on 3 occasions. The 31-year-old Brockers was traded to Brooklyn prior to the 1944-45 campaign. HOW WILL DISPERSAL PICKS IMPACT THE 47-48 SEASON? There were some big upgrades made quickly across the NAHC with the draft to divvy up the talent that once belonged to the now-defunct Brooklyn Eagles. Here are some thoughts from The Figment Hockey News on how the newcomers will alter their new team's make-up. BOSTON BEES: Picking 7th did not stop the two-time defending Challenge Cup champs from landing an impact player. That would be a homecoming moment as 31-year-old Tom Brockers slipped all the way through the first round -likely due in part to his age- and thanks to the serpentine format of the process Brockers was able to return to the club he enjoyed the best seasons of his career. It does mean the crease will be very crowded at Denny Arena and Pierre Melancon must be wondering what else he can do to earn the Bees trust. All he did was lead his club to two straight Cup wins and now he finds out that he has to fend off not only Brockers, but also 1943 first round pick Oscar James for playing time. James, who starred for the Cleveland Eries of the HAA a year ago, is said to be set to finally sign a deal with the Bees. Clearly goaltending will not be a concern in Beantown. Center Robert Walker and winger Mark Dyck were the other two Boston dispersal selections. Each played in the minors last year. Dyck might need some seasoning but Walker, a 22-year-old who averaged nearly a point a game in Vancouver last year, may challenge for the second line center role and could provide some offensive depth. CHICAGO PACKERS: The Packers selected 5th so they missed out on some of the big names but did land a player they hope may be able to contribute on the first line if Wes Burns has lost step. That player would be Jeremy MacLean, a 24-year-old who has spent the past six seasons playing in Cleveland. The Packers selected another winger in Max Lavigne with their second choice. A 1945 second round pick of the Eagles, Lavigne was a teammate of MacLean's in Cleveland each of the last three seasons. He projects to have a high ceiling but may need some more time to develop before assuming a regular role with the Packers. The final choice for Chicago was depth defenseman Mark Brooks. The 25-year-old rearguard has had more than his share of injuries, including one which cost him half of last season, but Brooks has some talent and was a finalist for the McLeod Trophy (top rookie) three years ago despite originally being a 7th round draft pick. DETROIT MOTORS: With some veteran defensemen moving on the Motors had their sights set on promising young blueliner Robert Sharpley right from the day word trickled out the Eagles were folding but the New York Shamrocks beat them to the punch. Instead, Detroit went with a steady blueliner in Alex Viens -who began his career in the Motor City- with their second round pick and focused on offense with their opening selection. That would be Nick Tardif, a 20-year-old New Brunswick native who was selected first overall by the Eagles in 1945. He spent the past two years in Vancouver and perhaps under produced with just 19 goals in 86 games over two seasons with the Bears but the Motors are confident he is poised to break out, if not this season then likely the next. The Motors were also quite pleased to land 22-year-old winger Hank Walsh, who had 25 points for Brooklyn last season, with their third round selection. MONTREAL VALIANTS: There was some speculation the Valiants primary target would be goaltender Tom Brockers but the club is hoping that this past season was just a down year for Millard Touhey and their goalie will bounce back. That confidence shown in Touhey allowed the Valiants to grab a talented, but injury prone center in Ian Doyle. The 23-year-old British Columbia native had 19 points in his first 23 games and was a perfect second-line pivot behind Quinton Pollack in Brooklyn. It is no coincidence that the Eagles struggled and fell out of playoff contention after Doyle was knocked out of the lineup. There may be some injury risk but it is hard to pass up a player with his potential, and one who was drafted first overall by the Eagles in 1943. The Vals used their two remaining selections on a pair of 21-year-old defenseman with some upside potential. It is unlikely that either Spencer Larocque or Billy Hader will ever be top-pairing defenders, but both could develop into solid second liners. NEW YORK SHAMROCKS: Defense was the story of the day in New York and the Shamrocks have to be thrilled to end up with Robert Sharpley. Just 20-years-old, the left shot defenseman looks like the complete package and could one day become one of the best in the league at his position. He did not look out of place on the Eagles blueline as a rookie, and the offensive production should come as he gains experience. Another defenseman in 24-year-old Ryan Kennedy was the Shamrocks third selection. He is no where near Sharpley's level and his play may have slumped a bit last season from his impressive game ratings of the previous two years, but Kennedy -who was an assistant captain in Brooklyn- should be a solid third-D pairing type of player. Sandwiched between the defenders was 23-year-old winger Samuel Coates. He clearly benefitted from playing alongside Quinton Pollack in Brooklyn, but Coates averaged nearly a point a game until his season came to an end with a rib injury in February. With three strong centers in Orval Cabbell, Adam Greenham and Laurel Albers on the roster, Coates may just find another scorer he can complement with his move to the Greenshirts. TORONTO DUKES: The Dukes had an awful year, going from first to worst in the NAHC, but that did give them a nice consolation prize when news broke that the Brooklyn Eagles had folded. That allowed Toronto the first pick in the dispersal draft and the right to select Quinton Pollack. It is hard to imagine a team with a better pair of centers than Toronto now possesses in veteran Bobbie Sauer and the 24-year-old newcomer. Pollack is a lock for rookie of the year after tying for the NAHC lead with 30 goals this season. The only question is will new Dukes coach Jack Barrell leave both his star pivots in the middle or will he be tempted to move one to the wing and play them together? It was a long wait in the serpentine draft for the Dukes turn to come up again but they made the most of their final two choices in landing defenseman Chad Roy and Miles Norman. The blueline was a mess in Toronto last season so the 25-year-old Roy might even land on the top pair. Both he and Norman, 22, saw plenty of ice with the Eagles last season and one can expect both to likely duplicate that in Toronto over the coming campaign. It is early but a guess at how the team's stack-up right now lands them like this: 1- Boston 2- Chicago 3- Toronto 4- New York 5- Detroit 6- Montreal NAHC TO PLAY 60-GAME SLATE With the drop to six teams the NAHC has unveiled plans for an expanded schedule starting this October. Each club will play 60 games, believed to be a high-water mark in pro hockey history. The schedule will see each team visit every other arena 6 times for a total of 12 games against each of their opponents. The Challenge Cup playoffs will also be lengthend with word the semi-finals will now be a best-of-seven series, just as the Cup finals are. The playoff participants will remain as the top four teams in the league, leaving just two clubs on the outside looking in. AROUND THE LEAGUE DETROIT TIMES REACTION TO DRAFTING NICK TARDIFF Motors are excited to add Nick Tardiff to our organization. He was not the focal point of our draft board, feeling he might elect to remain under contract in the coast league, but any time you have the opportunity to add a player drafted first overall, as Tardiff was by the Eagles in 1945, you have to jump at it. He has some leadership skills as well, considering Vancouver gave him a letter as a 20 year old. He had 22 points for the Bears last season and might need some time in the HAA to develop but we look forward to seeing what he brings the Detroit Motors organization going forward. CHICAGO DAILY NEWS REACTION FROM PACKERS ON SELECTION OF MACLEAN Packers are very happy with the addition of Jeremy MacLean, but were hoping to find a winger from the lefty side as veteran Wes Burns seems to have lost a step post-injury. The successful Burns-Burns-Mahoney line may be altered, as the Packers front office is very excited by the right winger MacLean, along with former 2nd Rounder Derek Gubb, who is eligible to sign after completing his contract with the Cleveland Eries. Gubb and MacLean were actually teammates in Cleveland for four seasons, although Gubb decided to sit out the 46/47 season. OTHER HEADLINES THIS WEEK Hal Sharp's 10th inning walk-off homer lifted the Continental Association to a 5-4 win over the Federal Association in the 15th annual FABL all-star game. Chicago Cougars infielder Walt Pack, who drove in 4 runs for the CA stars, was named the game's most valuable player. The Federal Association leading St Louis Pioneers made a major trade, acquiring former high school pitching legend Hiram Steinberg from Cleveland for one of the top prospects in the sport. The struggling Montreal Saints followed Pittsburgh's lead and became the second team to replace its manager within a week. President Truman is set to again veto the Republican income tax reduction bill. The revised bill was approved by both the House and the Senate and would go into effect January 1 if it makes it through to law. John L. Lewis signed a new contract for his United Mine Workers, ending fears of another soft coal shutdown. At his press conference Lewis declared war on the Labor Act, blasted Republicans and stated that Senator Taft, co-author of the new labor law, "will not be able to carry his home state of Ohio" if he runs for President. Full national sports coverage is available in this week's edition of THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL. __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 06-22-2023 at 08:09 PM.