Pittsburgh Penguins All-Time Draft - (Round 25)

[Gaucho]

So who's going to take poor Leksy?

[meow]

With the 65th pick in this year's draft, Muck, Grind and Repeat selects, from Lemoyne, Quebec, Maxime Talbot.


Team first guy. Clutch, if you believe in that sort of thing. Could play any position on any line in a pinch.

And this was kind of a big deal

[Gaucho]

If not for playoff hockey, Max would be an aftertought. But because of his performances in big games, I think I like the pick.

[MRandall25]

With the 66th pick I'll take Mario...

Wait, no.

I'll take d-man Brad Werenka, who, by all accounts, was a Rob Scuderi-like player. He played solid, positional D and was able to eat minutes.

[mikey287]

Don't mean to split up MRandall's picks. Completed a profile of Syl Apps, Jr.

Syl Apps, Jr.



Position: Center
6'0" / 185 lbs.
Shoots: Right

As a Penguin (Jan. 1971 - Nov. 1977): 495 GP - 151 goals, 349 assists, 500 points - playoffs: 19 GP - 4 goals, 4 assists, 8 points

Penguins history: 14th in games, t-13th in goals, 5th in assists, 9th in points

6 full seasons + 1 partial season (+1 9-game season) = 7 seasons (basically)

---
Award Voting

Hart: 7th
All-Star Team: 4th

1x NHL All-Star (1975 - MVP)
---

Scoring finishes vs. the League: (top-40's):
Goals: t-26th, t-34th
Assists: 4th, t-6th, t-8th, t-15th, 19th, t-27th
Points: 7th, 10th, 15th, t-20th, t-32nd

Pretty outstanding given the quality of those Penguins teams. Finished top-20 in assists 5 out of 6 times...top-20 in points 4 out of 6 seasons!

From 1971-72 to 1975-76: Apps had the fourth most assists in the entire NHL (Orr, Clarke, Esposito) - ahead of Dionne, Ratelle, Perreault, Gilbert, Mahovlich...
---

Scoring finishes vs. Teammates: (top-5's)

1970-71: Finished with 25 points in 31 games (0.81 pts/gm - extrapolates to ~63 point season). Led the team in pts/gm easily, would have scored 15 points more than anyone on the team if he independently collected on his point pace.
1971-72: G: 5th; A: 1st (by 46.7%); P: 1st
1972-73: G: 3rd; A: 1st (by 36.6%); P: 1st
1973-74: G: 3rd; A: 1st (by 56.4%); P: 1st
1974-75: G: N/A; A: 2nd; P: 2nd
1975-76: G: 3rd; A: 1st; P: 3rd
1976-77: G: 5th; A: 1st (by 26.5%); P: 3rd

Obviously the playmaker of the team, old O6 hockey generally requires the center to carry the puck from his own zone into the offensive zone and then move it to his wingers. Seems likely that this was the case with Apps given how much of a hand he had n the offense. Despite not being a goal-scorer amid many known goal-scorers, he held his own. But his stature as a playmaker in our history has to be considered quite high.
---

Always received first line ice time when he was here, played a lot of ES time but was used on the #1 power play it seems, also saw some PK time. In 1973, 1974 and 1976 he led all team forwards in ATOI.

---

One scouting report on Apps during his first professional season summed up his play like this: Apps, Jr. is a splendid skater, a good puck handler and playmaker, just like his father."

That is the highest compliment anyone could ever give Syl Jr.

...Syl immediately stepped in [and] became a star in the Steel City.

"That was the best trade I ever made," proclaimed the architect of the deal - XXX XXXXX, then the coach and GM of the Penguins.

"Young Syl's dad was a great guy and a great player. He went so fast I looked like a post on the ice by comparison. His son shows similar qualities. He's strong and he hits and he has a good fake. This is something that has to be born in a hockey player. It comes from breeding. Young Syl has the breeding and I've always said that bloodlines are a wonderful thing."

XXXXX added: Syl doesn't skate as fast as his dad. Busting out of his own end, he could really hunch his shoulders and go. But I think maybe he handles the puck a bit better. Physically, he's just as strong."

But Syl Jr. erupted into one of the game's best playmakers in his 3rd full season in the league. Playing most often with Greg Polis and Jean Pronovost, he scored 29 goals and 56 assists for 85 points.

Syl was named as the game's Most Valuable Player after scoring 2 goals in a 7-1 Wales Conference romp in Montreal.

Unfortunately for him, playoff success never followed him to the west coast either. That was probably the one thing separating Syl from elite status like many other top centers of the 1970s. Only once did the team he played for make it past the 1st round, and half the time they didn't make the playoffs at all.

After [the injury to Apps] Lowell MacDonald took over as the center in the Apps line while XXXXX XXXXX was moved into one wing spot. But without the skating ability of Apps, that line wasn't very effective the rest of the night. "Syl's absence had to affect the team," Pronovost explained...

He has dealt away several prospects who bloomed with others teams, such as Syl Apps with the Pittsburgh Penguins...

"But what surprises me is that they got three of the goals off Syl's line. They are all plus players and haven't been scored on recently" (coach insinuating that Apps' centers a very capable two-way line)

[MRandall25]

And to fill out my top 6, I'm going to take C/LW Stu Barnes.

His time as a Penguin was short (most think of him as a Sabre or a Star), but he had the best year of his career in the Burgh, hitting a career-high 30 goals in 1997-1998.

A quote, if I may, from a Dallas paper:

Stu Barnes doesn't care about what line he's on or which position he plays. ... So now, Barnes has the offensive and defensive game to play anywhere.

And just for fun:

It happens every time Stu Barnes touches the puck at the Civic Arena. Every time he throws his body into an opponent. Every time he breaks up an opponent's rush.

Any time Barnes is even remotely involved in a play, it seems, the home crowd serenades him with howls of "Stuuuuuuuuuuuu.''

At least that's what it sounds like.

[meow]

And I quote,

[mikey287]

With the 66th pick I'll take Mario...

Wait, no.

I'll take d-man Brad Werenka, who, by all accounts, was a Rob Scuderi-like player. He played solid, positional D and was able to eat minutes.

Defensive-minded, yes. Solid as a "babysitter" for roving types...Kevin Hatcher in Pittsburgh, Phil Housley in Calgary. Felled by concussions.

[MRandall25]

With the 66th pick I'll take Mario...

Wait, no.

I'll take d-man Brad Werenka, who, by all accounts, was a Rob Scuderi-like player. He played solid, positional D and was able to eat minutes.

Defensive-minded, yes. Solid as a "babysitter" for roving types...Kevin Hatcher in Pittsburgh, Phil Housley in Calgary. Felled by concussions.

So he'd be great paired with Coffey?

[MRandall25]

And I quote,

Which one, Barnes or Werenka?

[mikey287]

Might be too much in the way of minutes for him. Played top-pairing for us in 1999, no other time in his career really. Couldn't handle top offensive units with great acumen. If you had a 2nd or 3rd pairing offensive guy (or get one), Werenka would slot nicely there I feel. Even at this limited level of competition, I'm not sure that Werenka could handle the top lines that are in this "league" - just my personal opinion.

[meow]

Barnes

[MRandall25]

Might be too much in the way of minutes for him. Played top-pairing for us in 1999, no other time in his career really. Couldn't handle top offensive units with great acumen. If you had a 2nd or 3rd pairing offensive guy (or get one), Werenka would slot nicely there I feel. Even at this limited level of competition, I'm not sure that Werenka could handle the top lines that are in this "league" - just my personal opinion.

Yeah, I've been trying to figure out what I'm going to do with Zalapski since there aren't any TOI stats for the seasons he was here (that I can see, anyway)

[Gaucho]

Didn't Werenka play for the Hawks' IHL team before he joined us? Something like that.

Edit: Yes, he did play for the Indianapolis Ice, because he couldn't crack the Hawks' ultra-deep D (Chelios, Suter, Carney, Weinrich). Pleasant surprise for the Penguins back then.

[Rylan]

I almost freaked out thinking it was my pick. I am really glad it wasn't.

[mikey287]

We have our first trade to announce.

American Finesse acquires pick #68 and #89 from Muck, Grind & Repeat in exchange for picks #70 and #75.

Pretty high price to pay to move up two spots at this point in the draft, but I think it's well worth it as this guy was pretty highly regarded in his time and I think is a tremendous value here. Pick forthcoming.

[Rylan]

You better not...

[MRandall25]

He probably will. He reads minds.

[Gaucho]

You better not...

[mikey287]

1970 NHL All-Star, got some consideration for the All-Star Team at Defense in 1970 as well (rare find when you're down this far).

Led the team in ES and ATOI by a comfortable margin or a short mile in 1969 and 1970...was #2 in overall ATOI in 1971 also.

D Bob Woytowich

...but he was a solid defenseman who played a very smart game, which allowed him to stay in the pro ranks for close to 20 years. Not overly large, or fast, he compensated by reading plays before they unfolded.

Smart player that can play in any situation and actually got league recognition for it, despite being primarily a defensive guy. Must have made some sort of an impact. Additionally, he logged top line minutes in a 12-team league, as opposed to some more recent players that were selected, which were exclusively depth defensemen. Woytowich is a righty to boot and is over-qualified for my third pairing at this level.

[Rylan]

Sigh....

[mikey287]

Might be too much in the way of minutes for him. Played top-pairing for us in 1999, no other time in his career really. Couldn't handle top offensive units with great acumen. If you had a 2nd or 3rd pairing offensive guy (or get one), Werenka would slot nicely there I feel. Even at this limited level of competition, I'm not sure that Werenka could handle the top lines that are in this "league" - just my personal opinion.

Yeah, I've been trying to figure out what I'm going to do with Zalapski since there aren't any TOI stats for the seasons he was here (that I can see, anyway)

Rough estimates exist based on some sort of algorithm that I don't know.

Zalapski --

1989: distant #2 in ATOI, #4 at ES
1990: distant #2 in ATOI, #4 at ES
1991: #2/3 in ATOI, 5ish or 6ish at ES

Lots of power play time, as we know, plus 2nd PK it seems. Limited use at even strength for all three of those years tells a pretty grim tale...that doesn't just happen by accident. Probably played very sheltered minutes at ES.

[joopen]

Sigh....

LULZ

[mikey287]

Sigh....

No way, really? He was your pick? I've been sitting on him for a few rounds, and then I thought "take the 2nd line LWer before the third pairing d-man" but he was just too good to risk letting slide further. I've been trying to trade up since my last pick. Sorry.

EDIT: 25th d-man taken, I could make an easy case for top-20 and I think even higher than that. I feel I got terrific value down here, he might even slide up to the 2nd pair over Mantha.

[Rylan]

With the 69th (giggity) pick in the LGP Draft, the Degloving Kings are proud to select from Vlašim, Czech Republic:

Defenseman, Michael Rozsival



A right handed defenseman that saw top 4 minutes in Pittsburgh during his stay here. A good defenseman that averaged around 20 minutes a game while he was in Pittsburgh. His play saw him eventually make good money when he signed with New York after his time in Pittsburgh.