| 1981 Training Camp Notes |
|---|
| The main camp roster in 1981 topped out at 58 players, 6 goaltenders, 18 blueliners and 34 forwards. Only one of the nine players invited as try-outs signed a contract, hulking defenseman Wade Dawson who never made it above the IHL. Prominent new faces in camp included veteran blueliner Greg Smith, acquired from Minnesota, slumping sniper Don "Murder" Murdoch, minor league hotshot Mark Lofthouse, and former wing Walt McKechnie, back for his third go around with Detroit. All-world junior goalie Carrado Micalef, Detroit's third round pick in the 1981 draft, was annointed the franchise savior and made the team out of camp. First round pick Claude Loiselle also made the big club, but was sent back to the OHL after a few weeks. |
| # | Pos | Player | HT | WT | D.O.B. | 1980-81 Club | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | 1981-82 Club | Draft Notes |
|---|
| 1 | G | Gilles Gilbert | 6'1 | 175 | 3/31/49 | Detroit (NHL) | 48 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | Detroit (NHL) | Bos 7/15/80 |
| 1 | G | * Greg Stefan | 5'11 | 173 | 2/11/61 | Oshawa (OHL) | 46 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 92 | Adirondack (AHL)/Detroit (NHL) | 1981 draft 7th rnd, 128th |
| 2 | D | John Barrett | 6'1 | 210 | 7/1/58 | Adirondack (AHL)
Detroit (NHL) | 21
56 | 4
3 | 11
10 | 15
13 | 63
60 | Detroit (NHL) | 1978 draft 8th rnd, 129th |
| 2 | D | * Wade Dawson | 6'3 | 209 | 5/28/61 | Lethbridge (WHL) | 71 | 8 | 28 | 36 | 184 | Kalamazoo (IHL) | Camp Tryout 1981 |
| 3 | D | * John Odam | 6'3 | 198 | 3/8/61 | Windsor/Ottawa (OHL) | 66 | 4 | 21 | 25 | 168 | Released from Tryout | Camp Tryout 1981 |
| 3 | D | Perry Miller | 6'1 | 194 | 6/24/52 | Detroit (NHL)
Adirondack (AHL) | 64
4 | 1
1 | 8
1 | 9
2 | 70
47 | Adirondack (AHL) | Free Agent 1977 |
| 4 | D | * Cam Baldwin | 6'4 | 203 | 5/15/61 | Winnipeg (WHL) | 71 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 89 | Released from Tryout | Camp Tryout 1981 |
| 4 | D | Rejean Cloutier | 6'1 | 183 | 2/15/60 | Adirondack (AHL) | 76 | 7 | 30 | 37 | 193 | Adirondack (AHL)/Detroit (NHL) | Free Agent 1979 |
| 5 | D | Bruce Howes | 6'2 | 201 | 7/14/60 | Adirondack (AHL) | 61 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 92 | Adirondack (AHL)/Kalamazoo (IHL) | Free Agent 1979 |
| 5 | D | Greg Smith | 6' | 195 | 7/8/55 | Minnesota (NHL) | 74 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 128 | Detroit (NHL) | Min 8/21/81 |
| 7 | D | * Mike Braun | 6'1 | 199 | 5/2/61 | Niagara Falls (OHL) | 63 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 121 | Kalamazoo (IHL) | 1980 draft 7th rnd, 130th |
| 7 | D | Willie Huber | 6'5 | 228 | 1/15/58 | Detroit (NHL) | 80 | 15 | 34 | 49 | 130 | Detroit (NHL) | 1978 draft 1st rnd, 9th |
| 8 | RW | Dennis Polonich | 5'6 | 169 | 12/4/53 | Detroit (NHL)
Adirondack (AHL) | 32
40 | 2
16 | 2
13 | 4
29 | 77
99 | Adirondack (AHL) | 1973 draft 8th rnd, 123rd |
| 8 | RW | Ted Nolan | 6' | 185 | 4/7/58 | Adirondack (AHL) | 76 | 22 | 28 | 50 | 86 | Adirondack (AHL)/Detroit (NHL) | 1978 draft 5th rnd, 78th |
| 10 | C | Dale McCourt | 5'10 | 182 | 1/26/57 | Detroit (NHL) | 80 | 30 | 56 | 86 | 50 | Detroit (NHL) | LA 8/22/79 |
| 10 | C | * Don Leblanc | 5'11 | 179 | 6/16/63 | Toronto (OHL) | 32 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 16 | Returned to Jrs | 1981 draft 9th rnd, 170th |
| 11 | D | * Larry Trader | 6'1 | 197 | 7/7/63 | London (OHL) | 68 | 5 | 23 | 28 | 132 | Returned to Jrs | 1981 draft 5th rnd, 86th |
| 11 | C | Walt McKechnie | 6'2 | 200 | 6/19/47 | Colorado (NHL) | 53 | 15 | 23 | 38 | 18 | Detroit (NHL) | Free Agent 1981 |
| 12 | C | Brent R. Peterson | 6'1 | 195 | 2/15/58 | Adirondack (AHL)
Detroit (NHL) | 3
53 | 1
6 | 0
18 | 1
24 | 10
24 | Detroit (NHL) | 1978 draft 1st rnd, 12th |
| 12 | RW | * Mike Corrigan | 6'2 | 196 | 5/6/61 | Sudbury (OHL) | 55 | 24 | 31 | 55 | 205 | Adirondack (AHL)/Kalamazoo (IHL) | 1980 draft 5th rnd, 88th |
| 14 | RW | Mark Lofthouse | 6'1 | 185 | 4/21/57 | Washington (NHL)
Hershey (AHL) | 3
74 | 1
48 | 1
55 | 2
103 | 4
131 | Adirondack (AHL)/Detroit (NHL) | Was 7/23/81 |
| 14 | RW | Mike Blaisdell | 6'1 | 196 | 1/18/60 | Detroit (NHL)
Adirondack (AHL) | 32
41 | 3
10 | 6
4 | 9
14 | 10
8 | Detroit (NHL) | 1980 draft 1st rnd, 11th |
| 15 | LW | Paul Woods | 5'10 | 172 | 4/12/55 | Detroit (NHL) | 67 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 45 | Detroit (NHL) | Claimed from Mon in Waiver draft 10/10/77 |
| 15 | C | * Wayne Crawford | 5'11 | 175 | 4/18/61 | Toronto (OHL) | 65 | 44 | 58 | 102 | 101 | Adirondack (AHL) | 1980 draft 6th rnd, 109th |
| 16 | C | Mark Kirton | 5'10 | 175 | 2/3/58 | Toronto/Detroit (NHL) | 61 | 18 | 13 | 31 | 24 | Detroit (NHL) | Tor 12/4/80 |
| 16 | LW | * Pat Boucher | 6'2 | 220 | 1/1/60 | Wexford (JrA) | | | | | | Released from Tryout | Camp Tryout 1981 |
| 17 | RW | Mike Foligno | 6'2 | 192 | 1/29/59 | Detroit (NHL) | 80 | 28 | 35 | 63 | 210 | Detroit (NHL) | 1979 draft 1st rnd, 3rd |
| 17 | D | * Robert Savard | 5'10 | 187 | 3/16/61 | Cornwall (QMJHL) | 72 | 8 | 36 | 44 | 130 | Released from Tryout | Camp Tryout 1981 |
| 18 | LW | George Lyle | 6'2 | 210 | 11/24/53 | Adirondack (AHL)
Detroit (NHL) | 40
31 | 20
10 | 16
14 | 36
24 | 85
28 | Detroit (NHL) | Reclaimed in WHA expansion draft 6/12/79 |
| 18 | RW | * Glen Cutting | 6' | 175 | 6/4/61 | Windsor (OHL) | 49 | 24 | 29 | 53 | 125 | Released from Tryout | Camp Tryout 1981 |
| 19 | LW | Gary McAdam | 5'11 | 175 | 12/31/55 | Pittsburgh/Detroit (NHL) | 74 | 8 | 23 | 31 | 57 | Dallas (CHL) | Pit 1/8/81 |
| 19 | RW | Jody Gage | 5'11 | 182 | 11/29/59 | Detroit (NHL)
Adirondack (AHL) | 16
59 | 2
17 | 2
31 | 4
48 | 22
44 | Adirondack (AHL)/Detroit (NHL) | 1979 draft 3rd rnd, 45th |
| 20 | LW | * Mark Osborne | 6'1 | 185 | 8/13/61 | Niagara Falls (OHL) | 54 | 39 | 41 | 80 | 140 | Detroit (NHL) | 1980 draft 3rd rnd, 46th |
| 20 | C | Vaclav Nedomansky | 6'2 | 206 | 3/14/44 | Detroit (NHL) | 74 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 30 | Detroit (NHL) | Birm (WHA) 11/15/77 |
| 21 | C | * Brian Rorabeck | 6' | 175 | 1/30/62 | Niagara Falls/Sudbury (OHL) | 29 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 50 | Returned to Jrs | 1980 draft 10th rnd, 193rd |
| 21 | LW | Earl Ingarfield Jr | 5'11 | 180 | 1/30/59 | Birmingham (CHL)
Calgary/Detroit (NHL) | 23
38 | 7
4 | 9
4 | 16
8 | 47
22 | Adirondack (AHL) | Calg 81 |
| 22 | RW | Brian Johnson | 6'1 | 185 | 4/1/60 | Adirondack (AHL) | 65 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 193 | Dallas (CHL) | Free Agent 1979 |
| 22 | RW | Don Murdoch | 5'11 | 180 | 10/25/56 | Edmonton (NHL)
Wichita (CHL) | 40
22 | 10
15 | 9
10 | 19
25 | 18
48 | Detroit (NHL)/Adirondack (AHL) | Min 8/21/81 |
| 23 | C | * Claude Loiselle | 5'11 | 171 | 5/29/63 | Windsor (OHL) | 68 | 38 | 56 | 94 | 103 | Detroit (NHL)/Windsor (OHL) | 1981 draft 2nd rnd, 23rd |
| 23 | C | * Gerard Gallant | 5'10 | 158 | 9/2/63 | Sherbrooke (QMJHL) | 68 | 41 | 60 | 101 | 220 | Returned to Jrs | 1981 draft 6th rnd, 107th |
| 24 | D | Brian McDavid | 6'1 | 190 | 4/4/58 | Kalamazoo (IHL) | 80 | 10 | 36 | 46 | 141 | Adirondack (AHL) | Free Agent 1981 |
| 24 | D | Greg Joly | 6'1 | 182 | 5/30/54 | Adirondack (AHL)
Detroit (NHL) | 62
17 | 3
0 | 34
2 | 37
2 | 158
10 | Adirondack (AHL)/Detroit (NHL) | Was 11/30/76 |
| 25 | LW | John Ogrodnick | 6' | 190 | 7/20/59 | Detroit (NHL) | 80 | 35 | 35 | 70 | 14 | Detroit (NHL | 1979 draft 4th rnd, 66th |
| 25 | LW | Wayne Groleau | 6'2 | 196 | 10/1/60 | Did Not Play | | | | | | Released from Tryout | Camp Tryout 1981 |
| 26 | LW | Carmine Cirella | 6'4 | 215 | 1/16/60 | Adirondack (AHL) | 73 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 43 | Adirondack (AHL) | 1979 draft 6th rnd, 108th |
| 26 | D | Jim Korn | 6'3 | 210 | 7/28/57 | Adirondack (AHL)
Detroit (NHL) | 9
63 | 3
5 | 7
15 | 10
20 | 108
53 | Detroit (NHL) | 1977 draft 5th rnd, 73rd |
| 27 | RW | Brad Smith | 6'1 | 195 | 4/13/58 | Birmingham (CHL)
Calgary/Detroit (NHL) | 10
65 | 5
12 | 6
6 | 11
18 | 13
158 | Adirondack (AHL)/Detroit (NHL) | Calg 2/24/81 |
| 27 | D | Randy Ladouceur | 6'2 | 220 | 6/30/60 | Kalamazoo (IHL) | 80 | 7 | 30 | 37 | 52 | Adirondack (AHL) | Free Agent 1979 |
| 28 | D | * John Beukeboom | 6'2 | 195 | 1/1/61 | Peterborough (OHL) | 58 | 11 | 35 | 46 | 189 | Dallas (CHL)/Adirondack (AHL) | 1980 draft 8th rnd, 151st |
| 28 | D | Reed Larson | 6' | 187 | 7/30/56 | Detroit (NHL) | 78 | 27 | 31 | 58 | 153 | Detroit (NHL) | 1976 draft 2nd rnd, 22nd |
| 29 | LW | * Don Werbeniuk | 6'3 | 195 | 2/2/61 | Seattle (WHL) | 55 | 22 | 26 | 48 | 86 | Released from Tryout | Camp Tryout 1981 |
| 29 | LW | Joe Paterson | 6'1 | 208 | 6/25/60 | Detroit (NHL)
Adirondack (AHL) | 38
39 | 2
9 | 5
16 | 7
25 | 53
68 | Adirondack (AHL)/Detroit (NHL) | 1979 draft 5th rnd, 87th |
| 30 | G | * Carrado Micalef | 5'8 | 172 | 4/20/61 | Sherbrooke (QMJHL) | 64 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 26 | Detroit (NHL)/Kalamazoo (IHL) | 1981 draft 3rd rnd, 44th |
| 30 | G | Claude Legris | 5'9 | 160 | 11/6/56 | Kalamazoo (IHL)
Adirondack (AHL)
Detroit (NHL) | 52
2
3 | 0
0
0 | 1
0
0 | 1
0
0 | 2
0
0 | Kalamazoo (IHL)/Detroit (NHL) | 1976 draft 8th rnd, 120th |
| 31 | G | Larry Lozinski | 5'11 | 175 | 3/11/58 | Adirondack (AHL)
Detroit (NHL) | 16
30 | 0
0 | 0
1 | 0
1 | 0
0 | Adirondack (AHL) | 1978 draft 14th rnd, 219th |
| 31 | G | Randy Wilson | 5'9 | 180 | 8/28/57 | Rochester (AHL) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Released from Tryout | Camp Tryout 1981 |
| 32 | RW | * Randy Wickware | 6'2 | 195 | 9/3/61 | New Westminster/Medicine Hat (WHL) | 61 | 30 | 52 | 82 | 54 | Released from Tryout | Camp Tryout 1981 |
| 32 | C | * Ron Creamer | 6'3 | 175 | | Windsor (OHL) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Released from Tryout | Camp Tryout 1981 |
* - Amateur Player.
