# NHL intra-league draft

The NHL intra-league was an annual draft held by the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1952 to 1975. The intra-league draft was created to help address the league’s competitive balance issues during the Original Six era, as the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, and Toronto Maple Leafs were the only teams to win the Stanley Cup in the ten years preceding the draft’s inception. It had an inauspicious start as the first two drafts featured no players being selected, and after the third saw only one player selected, the fourth draft wasn’t even held due to unanimous agreement among the six NHL teams that none of the available players was worth drafting. Eventually more players started being selected in the intra-league draft and, with the exception of 1967 when the NHL expanded in size from six to twelve teams, it was held every year through 1975. It was not held in 1976 and was replaced by the NHL waiver draft in 1977.

## Rules

From 1956 until 1975, the intra-league draft was held in June during the NHL’s summer meetings. A few days prior to the intra-league draft each NHL club would be required to turn in a list of players to protect from selection. Players under a certain number of professional hockey seasons played and below a minimum number of NHL games played were exempt, as were amateur players NHL clubs owned the rights to.
The order of the intra-league draft was the reverse of the previous season’s standings, the non-playoff teams picking twice before playoff teams. Once a team claimed an unprotected player from another team, that team would be required to drop a player from their protection list. The team losing the player would receive a cash payment set by the league before the draft. In the first draft in 1952 this cash payment was set at $10,546 and by the final intra-league draft it increased to $40,000.

## Drafts
### 1952

The 1952 NHL intra-league draft was held on October 5, 1952. No selections were made.

### 1953

The 1953 NHL intra-league draft was held on September 10, 1953. No selections were made.

### 1954

The 1954 NHL intra-league draft was held on September 15, 1954. One selection was made.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from |
| 1 | 1 | John McCormack | Chicago Black Hawks | Montreal Canadiens |

### 1955

The 1955 NHL intra-league draft was to have taken place on September 7, 1955, however no meeting was held due to a lack of desirable players to select. Protection lists were submitted on September 1. The Intra-League draft was permanently moved to the NHL’s summer meetings in June the following year.

### 1956

The 1956 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 6, 1956. Two selections were made.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from |
| 1 | 1 | Larry Cahan | New York Rangers | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 1 | 2 | Tom McCarthy | Detroit Red Wings | New York Rangers |

### 1957

The 1957 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 5, 1957. Five selections were made.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from |
| 1 | 1 | Larry Hillman | Chicago Black Hawks | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1 | 2 | Bob Bailey | Chicago Black Hawks | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1 | 3 | John Hanna | New York Rangers | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1 | 4 | Norm Johnson | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers |
| 2 | 5 | Bronco Horvath | Boston Bruins | Montreal Canadiens |

### 1958

The 1958 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 4, 1958. Ten selections were made.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from |
| 1 | 1 | Bert Olmstead | Toronto Maple Leafs | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1 | 2 | Jack Evans | Chicago Black Hawks | New York Rangers |
| 1 | 3 | Jerry Wilson | Toronto Maple Leafs | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1 | 4 | Al Arbour | Chicago Black Hawks | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1 | 5 | Jean-Guy Gendron | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers |
| 1 | 6 | Danny Lewicki | Montreal Canadiens | New York Rangers |
| 2 | 7 | Earl Balfour | Chicago Black Hawks | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 2 | 8 | Gord Redahl | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers |
| 2 | 9 | Dave Creighton | Montreal Canadiens | New York Rangers |
| 3 | 10 | Earl Reibel | Boston Bruins | Chicago Black Hawks |

### 1959

The 1959 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 10, 1959. Eight selections were made.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from |
| 1 | 1 | Gary Aldcorn | Detroit Red Wings | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 1 | 2 | Irv Spencer | New York Rangers | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1 | 3 | John McKenzie | Detroit Red Wings | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 1 | 4 | Ian Cushenan | New York Rangers | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 1 | 5 | Bruce Gamble | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers |
| 2 | 6 | Brian Cullen | New York Rangers | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 2 | 7 | Aut Erickson | Boston Bruins | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 3 | 8 | Charlie Burns | Boston Bruins | Detroit Red Wings |

### 1960

The 1960 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 8, 1960. Nine selections were made.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from |
| 1 | 1 | Billy McNeill | New York Rangers | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1 | 2 | Ted Green | Boston Bruins | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1 | 3 | Ted Hampson | New York Rangers | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 1 | 4 | Jim Bartlett | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers |
| 1 | 5 | Parker MacDonald | Detroit Red Wings | New York Rangers |
| 1 | 6 | Larry Hillman | Toronto Maple Leafs | Boston Bruins |
| 2 | 7 | Jim Morrison | New York Rangers | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 2 | 8 | Tom Thurlby | Boston Bruins | Montreal Canadiens |
| 2 | 9 | Guy Rousseau | Toronto Maple Leafs | Montreal Canadiens |

### 1961

The 1961 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 14, 1961. Eight selections were made.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from |
| 1 | 1 | Pat Stapleton | Boston Bruins | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 1 | 2 | Jean-Guy Gendron | New York Rangers | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1 | 3 | Earl Balfour | Boston Bruins | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 1 | 4 | Bronco Horvath | Chicago Black Hawks | Boston Bruins |
| 1 | 5 | Al Arbour | Toronto Maple Leafs | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 2 | 6 | Aut Erickson | Chicago Black Hawks | Boston Bruins |
| 3 | 7 | Vic Hadfield | New York Rangers | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 4 | 8 | Orland Kurtenbach | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers |

### 1962

The 1962 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 6, 1962. Nine selections were made.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from |
| 1 | 1 | Jean-Guy Gendron | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers |
| 1 | 2 | Alex Faulkner | Detroit Red Wings | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 1 | 3 | Warren Godfrey | Boston Bruins | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1 | 4 | Barclay Plager | Detroit Red Wings | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1 | 5 | Bert Olmstead | New York Rangers | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 2 | 6 | Irv Spencer | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers |
| 2 | 7 | Floyd Smith | Detroit Red Wings | New York Rangers |
| 2 | 8 | Bronco Horvath | New York Rangers | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 2 | 9 | Ed Van Impe | Toronto Maple Leafs | Chicago Black Hawks |

### 1963

The 1963 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 5, 1963. Six selections were made.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from |
| 1 | 1 | Andy Hebenton | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers |
| 1 | 2 | Val Fonteyne | New York Rangers | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1 | 3 | Wayne Rivers | Boston Bruins | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1 | 4 | Irv Spencer | Detroit Red Wings | Boston Bruins |
| 2 | 5 | Ted Hampson | Detroit Red Wings | New York Rangers |
| 3 | 6 | Art Stratton | Detroit Red Wings | Chicago Black Hawks |

### 1964

The 1964 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 10, 1964. Seven selections were made.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from |
| 1 | 1 | Jim Mikol | New York Rangers | Boston Bruins |
| 1 | 2 | Bob Woytowich | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers |
| 1 | 3 | Gary Bergman | Detroit Red Wings | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1 | 4 | Dickie Moore | Toronto Maple Leafs | Montreal Canadiens |
| 2 | 5 | Murray Hall | Detroit Red Wings | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 3 | 6 | George Gardner | Detroit Red Wings | Boston Bruins |
| 3 | 7 | Terry Sawchuk | Toronto Maple Leafs | Detroit Red Wings |

### 1965

The 1965 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 9, 1965. Seven selections were made.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from |
| 1 | 1 | Gerry Cheevers | Boston Bruins | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 1 | 2 | Earl Ingarfield | New York Rangers | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1 | 3 | Pat Stapleton | Chicago Black Hawks | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 1 | 4 | Bryan Watson | Detroit Red Wings | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 2 | 5 | Poul Popiel | Boston Bruins | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 3 | 6 | Norm Schmitz | Boston Bruins | Montreal Canadiens |
| 4 | 7 | Keith Wright | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers |

### 1966

The 1966 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 15, 1966. Seven selections were made and twelve players total changed teams.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from | Compensation |
| 1 | 1 | Orland Kurtenbach | New York Rangers | Toronto Maple Leafs | claim: John Brenneman |
| 1 | 2 | Al LeBrun | Detroit Red Wings | New York Rangers | claim: Max Mestinsek |
| 1 | 3 | Don Blackburn | Toronto Maple Leafs | Montreal Canadiens | claim: Wally Boyer |
| 1 | 4 | Wally Boyer | Chicago Black Hawks | Montreal Canadiens | claim: Al MacNeil |
| 2 | 5 | Al MacNeil | New York Rangers | Montreal Canadiens | claim: Mike McMahon Jr. |
| 2 | 6 | Ted Taylor | Detroit Red Wings | Montreal Canadiens | claim: Pat Quinn |
| 3 | 7 | Ray Cullen | Detroit Red Wings | New York Rangers | claim: Bryan Campbell |

### 1968

The 1968 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 12, 1968. Eleven selections were made and 17 players total changed teams. Protection lists were released prior to the draft.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from | Compensation |
| 1 | 1 | Carol Vadnais | Oakland Seals | Montreal Canadiens | claim: Larry Cahan |
| 1 | 2 | Brian Conacher | Detroit Red Wings | Toronto Maple Leafs | claim: Gary Marsh |
| 1 | 3 | Charlie Burns | Pittsburgh Penguins | Oakland Seals | claim: George Konik |
| 1 | 4 | Larry Mickey | Toronto Maple Leafs | New York Rangers | claim: Larry Hillman |
| 1 | 5 | Larry Hillman | Minnesota North Stars | New York Rangers | claim: Bill Plager |
| 1 | 6 | Jacques Plante | St. Louis Blues | New York Rangers | cash |
| 1 | 7 | Ron Buchanan | Philadelphia Flyers | Boston Bruins | claim: Jean Gauthier |
| 2 | 8 | Fern Rivard | Minnesota North Stars | Philadelphia Flyers | cash |
| 2 | 9 | Myron Stankiewicz | St. Louis Blues | Los Angeles Kings | cash |
| 3 | 10 | Larry Hale | Philadelphia Flyers | Minnesota North Stars | claim: Bill Sutherland |
| 4 | 11 | Bill Sutherland | Toronto Maple Leafs | Minnesota North Stars | claim: Duane Rupp |

### 1969

The 1969 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 11, 1969. 16 selections were made and 22 players total changed teams. Protection lists were released prior to the draft.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from | Compensation |
| 1 | 1 | Dick Sentes | Minnesota North Stars | Montreal Canadiens | cash |
| 1 | 2 | Tony Esposito | Chicago Black Hawks | Montreal Canadiens | claim: Jack Norris |
| 1 | 3 | Glen Sather | Pittsburgh Penguins | Boston Bruins | claim: Bill Speer |
| 1 | 4 | Matt Ravlich | Detroit Red Wings | Chicago Black Hawks | cash |
| 1 | 5 | Larry Hillman | Philadelphia Flyers | Montreal Canadiens | claim: Jean-Guy Gendron |
| 1 | 6 | Andre Boudrias | St. Louis Blues | Chicago Black Hawks | cash |
| 1 | 7 | Marv Edwards | Toronto Maple Leafs | Pittsburgh Penguins | claim: Al Smith |
| 1 | 8 | Larry Mickey | Montreal Canadiens | Toronto Maple Leafs | cash |
| 2 | 9 | Grant Erickson | Minnesota North Stars | Boston Bruins | cash |
| 2 | 10 | Lou Angotti | Chicago Black Hawks | St. Louis Blues | claim: Bobby Schmautz |
| 2 | 11 | Dean Prentice | Pittsburgh Penguins | Detroit Red Wings | cash |
| 2 | 12 | Ron Anderson | St. Louis Blues | Los Angeles Kings | cash |
| 3 | 13 | Charlie Burns | Minnesota North Stars | Pittsburgh Penguins | cash |
| 3 | 14 | Bob Blackburn | Pittsburgh Penguins | New York Rangers | claim: Forbes Kennedy |
| 3 | 15 | Wayne Maki | St. Louis Blues | Chicago Black Hawks | cash |
| 4 | 16 | Howie Menard | Chicago Black Hawks | Los Angeles Kings | cash |

### 1970

The 1970 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 9, 1970. 13 selections were made and 17 players total changed teams.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from | Compensation |
| 1 | 1 | Paul Curtis | Los Angeles Kings | Montreal Canadiens | claim: Bill Inglis |
| 1 | 2 | Guy Trottier | Toronto Maple Leafs | New York Rangers | cash |
| 1 | 3 | Bill Lesuk | Philadelphia Flyers | Boston Bruins | claim: Dick Cherry |
| 1 | 4 | Bob McCord | Montreal Canadiens | Minnesota North Stars | claim: Ted Harris |
| 1 | 5 | Gary Croteau | Oakland Seals | Detroit Red Wings | cash |
| 1 | 6 | John Gofton | Minnesota North Stars | Rochester Americans (AHL) | cash |
| 1 | 7 | Lowell MacDonald | Pittsburgh Penguins | Los Angeles Kings | claim: Craig Cameron |
| 1 | 8 | Steve Atkinson | St. Louis Blues | Hershey Bears (AHL) | cash |
| 1 | 9 | Gerry Lemire | New York Rangers | St. Louis Blues | cash |
| 1 | 10 | Tom Martin | Detroit Red Wings | Phoenix Roadrunners (WHL) | cash |
| 2 | 11 | Paul Andrea | Oakland Seals | Vancouver Canucks (WHL) | cash |
| 2 | 12 | Jean-Guy Lagace | Minnesota North Stars | Pittsburgh Penguins | cash |
| 2 | 13 | Chris Evans | St. Louis Blues | Phoenix Roadrunnners (WHL) | cash |

### 1971

The 1971 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 8, 1971. 23 selections were made and 25 players total changed teams. The draft lasted a record 13 rounds due to a loophole exploited by Buffalo Sabres general manager Punch Imlach, who noticed there was no rule preventing a team from reclaiming a player it had dropped from its protection list for a previous selection. Buffalo was involved in every selection from the fourth-round through the end of the draft.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from | Compensation |
| 1 | 1 | Wayne Carleton | California Golden Seals | Boston Bruins | cash |
| 1 | 2 | Al Smith | Detroit Red Wings | Pittsburgh Penguins | claim: Jim Rutherford |
| 1 | 3 | Dennis Kearns | Vancouver Canucks | Chicago Black Hawks | cash |
| 1 | 4 | Dave Burrows | Pittsburgh Penguins | Chicago Black Hawks | cash |
| 1 | 5 | Ray McKay | Buffalo Sabres | Chicago Black Hawks | cash |
| 1 | 6 | Gary Edwards | Los Angeles Kings | Buffalo Sabres | cash |
| 1 | 7 | Larry Brown | Philadelphia Flyers | New York Rangers | cash |
| 1 | 8 | Don Marshall | Toronto Maple Leafs | Buffalo Sabres | cash |
| 1 | 9 | Michel Parizeau | St. Louis Blues | New York Rangers | cash |
| 2 | 10 | Frank Hughes | California Golden Seals | Toronto Maple Leafs | cash |
| 2 | 11 | Fred Speck | Vancouver Canucks | Detroit Red Wings | cash |
| 2 | 12 | Tim Horton | Pittsburgh Penguins | New York Rangers | cash |
| 2 | 13 | Rene Robert | Buffalo Sabres | Toronto Maple Leafs | cash |
| 2 | 14 | Frank Spring | Philadelphia Flyers | Boston Bruins | claim: Garry Peters |
| 3 | 15 | Stan Gilbertson | California Golden Seals | Boston Bruins | cash |
| 3 | 16 | Rey Comeau | Vancouver Canucks | Montreal Canadiens | cash |
| 3 | 17 | Hugh Harris | Buffalo Sabres | Montreal Canadiens | cash |
| 3 | 18 | Brian Lavender | Minnesota North Stars | Montreal Canadiens | claim: Bob Murdoch |
| 4 | | Dick Duff | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Sabres | cash |
| 4 | 19 | Rene Robert | Pittsburgh Penguins | Buffalo Sabres | cash |
| 5 | | Reg Fleming | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Sabres | cash |
| 6 | 20 | Danny Lawson | Buffalo Sabres | Minnesota North Stars | cash |
| 7 | | Reg Fleming | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Sabres | cash |
| 8 | 21 | Rod Zaine | Buffalo Sabres | Pittsburgh Penguins | cash |
| 9 | | Reg Fleming | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Sabres | cash |
| 10 | 22 | Tom Miller | Buffalo Sabres | Detroit Red Wings | cash |
| 11 | | Reg Fleming | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Sabres | cash |
| 12 | 23 | Ken Murray | Buffalo Sabres | Toronto Maple Leafs | cash |
| 13 | | Reg Fleming | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Sabres | cash |

### 1972

The 1972 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 5, 1972. Six selections were made and eight players total changed teams.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from | Compensation |
| 1 | 1 | Don Tannahill | Vancouver Canucks | Boston Bruins | cash |
| 1 | 2 | Barry Long | Los Angeles Kings | Chicago Black Hawks | claim: Bill Orban |
| 1 | 3 | Tim Horton | Buffalo Sabres | Pittsburgh Penguins | cash |
| 1 | 4 | Larry Pleau | Toronto Maple Leafs | Montreal Canadiens | claim: Brad Selwood |
| 2 | 5 | Gerry O'Flaherty | Vancouver Canucks | Toronto Maple Leafs | cash |
| 2 | 6 | Doug Volmar | Los Angeles Kings | Detroit Red Wings | cash |

### 1973

The 1973 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 12, 1973. Six selections were made and seven players total changed teams.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from | Compensation |
| 1 | 1 | Bert Marshall | New York Islanders | New York Rangers | cash |
| 1 | 2 | Ray McKay | California Golden Seals | Buffalo Sabres | cash |
| 1 | 3 | Doug Mohns | Atlanta Flames | Minnesota North Stars | claim: Bill Plager |
| 1 | 4 | Ron Jones | Pittsburgh Penguins | Boston Bruins | cash |
| 1 | 5 | Lou Angotti | St. Louis Blues | Chicago Black Hawks | cash |
| 1 | 6 | Joe Noris | Buffalo Sabres | St. Louis Blues | cash |

### 1974

The 1974 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 10, 1974. Five selections were made and six players total changed teams.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from | Compensation |
| 1 | 1 | Jim Neilson | California Golden Seals | New York Rangers | claim: Walt McKechnie |
| 1 | 2 | Dave Fortier | New York Islanders | Philadelphia Flyers | cash |
| 1 | 3 | Jim Wiley | Vancouver Canucks | Pittsburgh Penguins | cash |
| 1 | 4 | Brian Ogilvie | St. Louis Blues | Chicago Black Hawks | cash |
| 1 | 5 | Ron Busniuk | Detroit Red Wings | Buffalo Sabres | cash |

### 1975

The 1975 NHL intra-league draft was held on June 17, 1975. Two selections were made. The Pittsburgh Penguins were not permitted to participate due to bankruptcy.
| Round | Pick | Player | Claimed by | Claimed from | Compensation |
| 1 | 1 | Dale Lewis | New York Rangers | Los Angeles Kings | cash |
| 1 | 2 | Hartland Monahan | Washington Capitals | New York Rangers | cash |