DRAFT HISTORY
1981 NHL Draft
Dale Hawerchuk went first overall to WIN. 209 players selected across 11 rounds.
ROUND 1
Round 1
| # | Team | Player | Pos | Drafted From | NHL GP | NHL PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WIN | Dale Hawerchuk | C | Cornwall Royals (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 2 | LAK | Doug Smith | C | Ottawa 67's (OHL) | — | — |
| 3 | WSH | Bobby Carpenter | C | St. John's Prep (HIGH-MA) | — | — |
| 4 | HFD | Ron Francis | C | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) | — | — |
| 5 | CLR | Joe Cirella | D | Oshawa Generals (OHL) | — | — |
| 6 | TOR | Jim Benning | D | Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) | — | — |
| 7 | MTL | Mark Hunter | RW | Brantford Alexanders (OHL) | — | — |
| 8 | EDM | Grant Fuhr | G | Victoria Cougars (WHL) | — | — |
| 9 | NYR | James Patrick | D | Prince Albert Saints (SJHL) | — | — |
| 10 | VAN | Garth Butcher | D | Regina Pats (WHL) | — | — |
| 11 | QUE | Randy Moller | D | Lethbridge Broncos (WHL) | — | — |
| 12 | CHI | Tony Tanti | RW | Oshawa Generals (OHL) | — | — |
| 13 | MNS | Ron Meighan | D | Niagara Falls Flyers (OHL) | — | — |
| 14 | BOS | Normand Leveille | LW | Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 15 | CGY | Al MacInnis | D | Kitchener Rangers (OHL) | — | — |
| 16 | PHI | Steven Smith | D | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) | — | — |
| 17 | BUF | Jiri Dudacek | RW | Kladno (Czechoslovakia) | — | — |
| 18 | MTL | Gilbert Delorme | D | Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 19 | MTL | Jan Ingman | LW | Farjestads BK Karlstad (SEL) | — | — |
| 20 | STL | Marty Ruff | D | Lethbridge Broncos (WHL) | — | — |
| 21 | NYI | Paul Boutilier | D | Sherbrooke Beavers (QMJHL) | — | — |
ROUND 2
Round 2
| # | Team | Player | Pos | Drafted From | NHL GP | NHL PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | WIN | Scott Arniel | LW | Cornwall Royals (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 23 | DET | Claude Loiselle | C | Windsor Spitfires (OHL) | — | — |
| 24 | TOR | Gary Yaremchuk | C | Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) | — | — |
| 25 | CHI | Kevin Griffin | LW | Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) | — | — |
| 26 | CLR | Richard Chernomaz | RW | Victoria Cougars (WHL) | — | — |
| 27 | MNS | Dave Donnelly | C | St. Albert Saints (AJHL) | — | — |
| 28 | PIT | Steve Gatzos | RW | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) | — | — |
| 29 | EDM | Todd Strueby | LW | Regina Pats (WHL) | — | — |
| 30 | NYR | Jan Erixon | LW | Skelleftea (Sweden) | — | — |
| 31 | MNS | Michael Sands | G | Sudbury Wolves (OHL) | — | — |
| 32 | MTL | Lars Eriksson | G | Brynas (Sweden) | — | — |
| 33 | MNS | Tom Hirsch | D | Patrick Henry H.S. (Minn.) | — | — |
| 34 | MNS | David Preuss | RW | St. Thomas Academy (HIGH-MN) | — | — |
| 35 | BOS | Luc Dufour | LW | Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 36 | STL | Hakan Nordin | D | Farjestads BK Karlstad (SEL) | — | — |
| 37 | PHI | Rich Costello | C | Natick H.S. (Mass.) | — | — |
| 38 | BUF | Hannu Virta | D | TPS Turku (FINLAND) | — | — |
| 39 | LAK | Dean Kennedy | D | Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) | — | — |
| 40 | MTL | Chris Chelios | D | Moose Jaw Canucks (SJHL) | — | — |
| 41 | MNS | Jali Wahlsten | C | TPS Turku (FINLAND) | — | — |
| 42 | NYI | Gord Dineen | D | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) | — | — |
ROUND 3
Round 3
| # | Team | Player | Pos | Drafted From | NHL GP | NHL PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | WIN | Jyrki Seppa | D | Ilves Tampere (FINLAND) | — | — |
| 44 | DET | Corrado Micalef | G | Sherbrooke Beavers (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 45 | WSH | Eric Calder | D | Cornwall Royals (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 46 | MTL | Dieter Hegen | C | Kaufbeuren ESV (1.GBun) | — | — |
| 47 | PHI | Barry Tabobondung | LW | Oshawa Generals (OHL) | — | — |
| 48 | CLR | Uli Hiemer | D | Fuessen EV (1.GBun) | — | — |
| 49 | PIT | Thomas Thornbury | RW | Niagara Falls Flyers (OHL) | — | — |
| 50 | NYR | Peter Sundstrom | LW | Bjorkloven (Sweden) | — | — |
| 51 | NYR | Mark Morrison | C | Victoria Cougars (WHL) | — | — |
| 52 | VAN | Jean-Marc Lanthier | RW | Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 53 | QUE | Jean-Marc Gaulin | RW | Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 54 | CHI | Darrel Anholt | D | Calgary Wranglers (WHL) | — | — |
| 55 | TOR | Ernie Godden | C | Windsor Spitfires (OHL) | — | — |
| 56 | CGY | Mike Vernon | G | Calgary Wranglers (WHL) | — | — |
| 57 | NYI | Ron Handy | LW | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) | — | — |
| 58 | PHI | Ken Strong | LW | Peterborough Petes (OHL) | — | — |
| 59 | BUF | James Aldred | LW | Kingston Canadians (OHL) | — | — |
| 60 | BUF | Colin Chisholm | D | Calgary Wranglers (WHL) | — | — |
| 61 | HFD | Paul MacDermid | RW | Windsor Spitfires (OHL) | — | — |
| 62 | STL | Gord Donnelly | D | Sherbrooke Beavers (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 63 | NYI | Neal Coulter | RW | Toronto Marlboros (OHL) | — | — |
ROUND 4
Round 4
| # | Team | Player | Pos | Drafted From | NHL GP | NHL PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | WIN | Kirk McCaskill | C | U. of Vermont (NCAA) | — | — |
| 65 | PHI | David Michayluk | LW | Regina Pats (WHL) | — | — |
| 66 | CLR | Gus Greco | LW | Windsor Spitfires (OHL) | — | — |
| 67 | HFD | Mike Hoffman | LW | Brantford Alexanders (OHL) | — | — |
| 68 | WSH | Tony Kellin | D | Grand Rapids H.S. (Minn.) | — | — |
| 69 | MNS | Terry Tait | LW | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) | — | — |
| 70 | PIT | Norm Schmidt | D | Oshawa Generals (OHL) | — | — |
| 71 | EDM | Paul Houck | RW | Kelowna Buckaroos (BCJHL) | — | — |
| 72 | NYR | John Vanbiesbrouck | G | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) | — | — |
| 73 | VAN | Wendell Young | G | Kitchener Rangers (OHL) | — | — |
| 74 | QUE | Clint Malarchuk | G | Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) | — | — |
| 75 | CHI | Perry Pelensky | RW | Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) | — | — |
| 76 | MNS | James Malwitz | C | Grand Rapids H.S. (Minn.) | — | — |
| 77 | BOS | Daniel McLellan | RW | Niagara Falls Flyers (OHL) | — | — |
| 78 | CGY | Peter Madach | C | HV 71 Jr. (Sweden) | — | — |
| 79 | PHI | Kenneth Latta | RW | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) | — | — |
| 80 | BUF | Jeff Eatough | RW | Cornwall Royals (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 81 | LAK | Marty Dallman | C | R.P.I. (NCAA) | — | — |
| 82 | MTL | Kjell Dahlin | C | Timra Jrs. (Sweden) | — | — |
| 83 | BUF | Anders Wikberg | LW | Timra Jrs. (Sweden) | — | — |
| 84 | NYI | Todd Lumbard | G | Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) | — | — |
ROUND 5
Round 5
| # | Team | Player | Pos | Drafted From | NHL GP | NHL PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | WIN | Marc Behrend | G | U. of Wisconsin (NCAA) | — | — |
| 86 | DET | Larry Trader | D | London Knights (OHL) | — | — |
| 87 | CLR | Douglas Speck | D | Peterborough Petes (OHL) | — | — |
| 88 | MTL | Steve Rooney | C | Canton H.S. (Mass.) | — | — |
| 89 | WSH | Mike Siltala | RW | Kingston Canadians (OHL) | — | — |
| 90 | TOR | Normand Lefrancois | LW | Trois Rivieres Draveurs (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 91 | WSH | Peter Sidorkiewicz | G | Oshawa Generals (OHL) | — | — |
| 92 | EDM | Phil Drouillard | D | Niagara Falls Flyers (OHL) | — | — |
| 93 | HFD | William Maguire | D | Niagara Falls Flyers (OHL) | — | — |
| 94 | NYI | Jacques Sylvestre | C | Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 95 | QUE | Edward Lee | RW | Princeton University (NCAA) | — | — |
| 96 | CHI | Douglas Chessell | G | London Knights (OHL) | — | — |
| 97 | MNS | Kelly Hubbard | D | Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) | — | — |
| 98 | BOS | Joe Mantione | G | Cornwall Royals (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 99 | CGY | Mario Simioni | RW | Toronto Marlboros (OHL) | — | — |
| 100 | PHI | Justin Hanley | LW | Kingston Canadians (OHL) | — | — |
| 101 | BUF | Mauri Eivola | C | TPS Turku (FINLAND) | — | — |
| 102 | TOR | Barry Brigley | C | Calgary Wranglers (WHL) | — | — |
| 103 | HFD | Dan Bourbonnais | LW | Calgary Wranglers (WHL) | — | — |
| 104 | STL | Michael Hickey | C | Sudbury Wolves (OHL) | — | — |
| 105 | VAN | Moe Lemay | LW | Ottawa 67's (OHL) | — | — |
ROUND 6
Round 6
| # | Team | Player | Pos | Drafted From | NHL GP | NHL PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 106 | WIN | Robert O'Connor | G | Boston College (NCAA) | — | — |
| 107 | DET | Gerard Gallant | LW | Sherbrooke Beavers (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 108 | CLR | Bruce Driver | D | U. of Wisconsin (NCAA) | — | — |
| 109 | PIT | Paul Edwards | D | Oshawa Generals (OHL) | — | — |
| 110 | WSH | James McGeough | C | Billings Bighorns (WHL) | — | — |
| 111 | EDM | Steve Smith | D | London Knights (OHL) | — | — |
| 112 | PIT | Rod Buskas | D | Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) | — | — |
| 113 | EDM | Marc Habscheid | C | Saskatoon Blades (WHL) | — | — |
| 114 | NYR | Eric Magnuson | C | R.P.I. (NCAA) | — | — |
| 115 | VAN | Stu Kulak | RW | Victoria Cougars (WHL) | — | — |
| 116 | QUE | Mike Eagles | LW | Kitchener Rangers (OHL) | — | — |
| 117 | CHI | William Schafhauser | D | Northern Michigan U. (NCAA) | — | — |
| 118 | MNS | Paul Guay | RW | Mount St. Charles H.S. (R.I.) | — | — |
| 119 | BOS | Bruce Milton | D | Boston University (NCAA) | — | — |
| 120 | CGY | Todd Hooey | RW | Windsor Spitfires (OHL) | — | — |
| 121 | PHI | Andre Villeneuve | D | Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 122 | BUF | Ali Butorac | D | Ottawa 67's (OHL) | — | — |
| 123 | LAK | Bradley Thompson | D | London Knights (OHL) | — | — |
| 124 | MTL | Thomas Anastos | RW | Paddock Pool Saints (GLJHL) | — | — |
| 125 | STL | Peter Aslin | G | AIK Solna (SEL) | — | — |
| 126 | NYI | Charles Brimmer | C | Kingston Canadians (OHL) | — | — |
ROUND 7
Round 7
| # | Team | Player | Pos | Drafted From | NHL GP | NHL PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 127 | WIN | Peter Nilsson | LW | Hammarby IK (Sweden) | — | — |
| 128 | DET | Greg Stefan | G | Oshawa Generals (OHL) | — | — |
| 129 | CLR | Jeff Larmer | LW | Kitchener Rangers (OHL) | — | — |
| 130 | HFD | John Mokosak | D | Victoria Cougars (WHL) | — | — |
| 131 | WSH | Risto Jalo | C | Ilves Tampere (FINLAND) | — | — |
| 132 | TOR | Andrew Wright | D | Peterborough Petes (OHL) | — | — |
| 133 | PIT | Geoffrey Wilson | LW | Winnipeg Warriors (WHL) | — | — |
| 134 | LAK | Craig Hurley | D | Saskatoon Blades (WHL) | — | — |
| 135 | NYR | Michael Guentzel | C | Greenway (HIGH-MN) | — | — |
| 136 | VAN | Bruce Holloway | D | Regina Pats (WHL) | — | — |
| 137 | PHI | Vladimir Svitek | RW | Kosice (Czech.) | — | — |
| 138 | CHI | Marc Centrone | C | Lethbridge Broncos (WHL) | — | — |
| 139 | MNS | Jim Archibald | RW | Moose Jaw Canucks (SJHL) | — | — |
| 140 | BOS | Mats Thelin | D | AIK Solna (SEL) | — | — |
| 141 | CGY | Richard Heppner | D | Mount View H.S. (Wisconsin) | — | — |
| 142 | PHI | Gil Hudon | G | Prince Albert Saints (SJHL) | — | — |
| 143 | BUF | Heikki Leime | D | TPS Turku (FINLAND) | — | — |
| 144 | LAK | Peter Sawkins | D | St. Paul Academy (Minn.) | — | — |
| 145 | MTL | Tom Kurvers | D | U. of Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA) | — | — |
| 146 | STL | Erik Holmberg | C | Sodertalje SK (SEL) | — | — |
| 147 | NYI | Teppo Virta | C | TPS Turku (FINLAND) | — | — |
ROUND 8
Round 8
| # | Team | Player | Pos | Drafted From | NHL GP | NHL PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 148 | WIN | Dan McFall | D | Buffalo Jr. Sabres (NYPJHL) | — | — |
| 149 | DET | Rick Zombo | D | Austin Mavericks (USHL) | — | — |
| 150 | CLR | Tony Arima | RW | Jokerit Helsinki (FINLAND) | — | — |
| 151 | HFD | Denis Dore | RW | Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 152 | WSH | Gaetan Duchesne | LW | Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 153 | TOR | Richard Turmel | D | Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 154 | PIT | Mitch Lamoureux | C | Oshawa Generals (OHL) | — | — |
| 155 | EDM | Michael Sturgeon | D | Kelowna Buckaroos (BCJHL) | — | — |
| 156 | NYR | Ari Lahteenmaki | RW | HIFK Helsinki (FINLAND) | — | — |
| 157 | VAN | Petri Skriko | LW | SaiPa Lappeenranta (Fin D1) | — | — |
| 158 | QUE | Andre Cote | RW | Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 159 | CHI | Johan Mellström | LW | Falun (Sweden) | — | — |
| 160 | MNS | Kari Kanervo | C | TPS Turku (FINLAND) | — | — |
| 161 | BOS | Armel Parisee | D | Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 162 | CGY | Dale Degray | D | Oshawa Generals (OHL) | — | — |
| 163 | PHI | Steve Taylor | LW | Providence College (NCAA) | — | — |
| 164 | BUF | Gaetano Orlando | C | Providence College (NCAA) | — | — |
| 165 | LAK | Dan Brennan | LW | U. of North Dakota (NCAA) | — | — |
| 166 | MTL | Paul Gess | LW | Bloomington Jefferson H.S. (Minn.) | — | — |
| 167 | STL | Alain Vigneault | D | Trois Rivieres Draveurs (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 168 | NYI | William Dowd | D | Ottawa 67's (OHL) | — | — |
ROUND 9
Round 9
| # | Team | Player | Pos | Drafted From | NHL GP | NHL PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 169 | WIN | Greg Dick | G | St. Mary's University Minnesota (NCAA) | — | — |
| 170 | DET | Donald Leblanc | LW | Toronto Marlboros (OHL) | — | — |
| 171 | CLR | Tim Army | C | Providence College (NCAA) | — | — |
| 172 | HFD | Jeffrey Poeschl | G | Northern Michigan U. (NCAA) | — | — |
| 173 | WSH | George White | LW | U. of New Hampshire (NCAA) | — | — |
| 174 | TOR | Greg Barber | D | Victoria Cougars (WHL) | — | — |
| 175 | PIT | Dean Defazio | LW | Brantford Alexanders (OHL) | — | — |
| 176 | EDM | Miloslav Horava | D | Poldi Kladno (Czech.) | — | — |
| 177 | NYR | Paul Reifenberger | C | Anoka H.S. (Minn.) | — | — |
| 178 | VAN | Frank Caprice | G | London Knights (OHL) | — | — |
| 179 | QUE | Marc Brisebois | RW | Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 180 | CHI | John Benns | LW | Billings Bighorns (WHL) | — | — |
| 181 | MNS | Scott Bjugstad | LW | U. of Minnesota (NCAA) | — | — |
| 182 | BOS | Don Sylvestri | G | Clarkson U. (NCAA) | — | — |
| 183 | CGY | George Boudreau | D | Matignon H.S. (Mass.) | — | — |
| 184 | PHI | Len Hachborn | C | Brantford Alexanders (OHL) | — | — |
| 185 | BUF | Venci Sebek | D | Niagara Falls Flyers (OHL) | — | — |
| 186 | LAK | Allan Tuer | D | Regina Pats (WHL) | — | — |
| 187 | MTL | Scott Ferguson | D | Edina West H.S. (Minn.) | — | — |
| 188 | STL | Dan Wood | RW | Kingston Canadians (OHL) | — | — |
| 189 | NYI | Scott Maclellan | D | Burlington Cougars (COJHL) | — | — |
ROUND 10
Round 10
| # | Team | Player | Pos | Drafted From | NHL GP | NHL PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 190 | WIN | Vladimir Kadlec | D | Vitkovice (Czech) | — | — |
| 192 | CLR | John Johannson | C | U. of Wisconsin (NCAA) | — | — |
| 193 | HFD | Larry Power | C | — | — | — |
| 194 | WSH | Chris Valentine | C | Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 195 | TOR | Marc Magnan | LW | Lethbridge Broncos (WHL) | — | — |
| 196 | PIT | Dave Hannan | C | Brantford Alexanders (OHL) | — | — |
| 197 | EDM | Gord Sherven | C | Weyburn Beavers (SSHL) | — | — |
| 198 | NYR | Mario Proulx | G | Providence College (NCAA) | — | — |
| 199 | VAN | Rejean Vignola | C | Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 201 | CHI | Sylvain Roy | D | Hull Olympiques (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 202 | MNS | Steven Kudebeh | G | Minneapolis Breck H.S. (Minn.) | — | — |
| 203 | BOS | Richard Bourque | LW | Sherbrooke Beavers (QMJHL) | — | — |
| 204 | CGY | Bruce Eakin | C | Saskatoon Blades (WHL) | — | — |
| 205 | PHI | Steve Tsujiura | C | Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) | — | — |
| 206 | BUF | Warren Harper | LW | Prince Albert Saints (SJHL) | — | — |
| 207 | LAK | Jeff Baikie | C | Cornell U. (NCAA) | — | — |
| 208 | MTL | Dan Burrows | G | Belleville Bulls (OHL) | — | — |
| 209 | STL | Richard Zemlak | C | Spokane Flyers (WHL) | — | — |
| 210 | NYI | Dave Randerson | RW | Stratford Cullitons (OPJHL) | — | — |
ROUND 11
Round 11
| # | Team | Player | Pos | Drafted From | NHL GP | NHL PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 211 | WIN | David Kirwin | D | Irondale H.S. (Minn.) | — | — |
1981 NHL draft — frequently asked
- Who went first overall in the 1981 NHL draft?
- Dale Hawerchuk was selected first overall by WIN, out of Cornwall Royals (QMJHL).
- How many players were drafted in 1981?
- 209 players were selected across 11 rounds of the 1981 NHL draft.