AJHL Announces Top 50 Players of All-Time

â??The Alberta Junior Hockey League is proud to announce the Top 50 AJHL Players of All-Time following months of online voting and over 5,000 votes cast.  The Top 50 List includes ten players from each decade and is filled with NHL alumni, current NHL superstars and some of the biggest names in Canadian hockey history!

Forty-three players on the Top 50 List went on to play in the National Hockey League (NHL) following their AJHL careers.  Eight have won the coveted Stanley Cup Trophy, including Mike Vernon, Lanny McDonald, Mark Messier and Steve Reinprecht.  A total of nineteen AJHL Alumni have won the coveted Stanley Cup since 1980.

Thirteen current NHL players have been selected as members of the Top 50 AJHL Players of All-Time.  Chris Phillips, Dany Heatley, Mason Raymond, Mark Letestu, Joe Colborne and Scottie Upshall are amongst the players in this category.     Twenty AJHL alumni played in the NHL during the 2012-2013 season, including one player in the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals, who is also on the Top 50 List (Wade Redden).

The Top 50 AJHL Players of All-Time also reflects a strong tie to the league’s Alberta roots as four members of the Sutter family have earned their spots as one of the greatest players in AJHL history – Brian Sutter, Duane Sutter, Brent Sutter and Darryl Sutter.  Three current NHL players on the Top 50 List are members of Alberta’s Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers.  Current Fort McMurray Oil Barons Head Coach, Gord Thibodeau, has also secured a spot in the Top 50 for his time as a player in the league.

“The Alberta Junior Hockey League is proud to recognize this unique and diverse group of athletes as its’ Top 50 Players of All-Time and is honored to have contributed to their development and illustrious careers,” said League Commissioner and AJHL alumnus Ryan Bartoshyk.  “These fifty players epitomize the opportunity available by competing in the AJHL and embody the spirit of our League.”

The Top 10 Players from each decade were determined through a series of online voting stages throughout the opening months of the 2013-2014 season.  Fans were encouraged to vote based on the individual player’s achievements during their time in the Alberta Junior Hockey League and their accomplishments after graduating from the league. 

Top 50 AJHL Players of All-Time:

2004 -2013

  • Mason Raymond, Camrose Kodiaks
  • Joe Colborne, Camrose Kodiaks
  • Matt Frattin, Fort Saskatchewan Traders
  • Corban Knight, Okotoks Oilers
  • T. J. Galiardi, Calgary Royals
  • Ben Scrivens, Spruce Grove Saints
  • Mark Letestu, Bonnyville Pontiacs
  • Dylan Olsen, Camrose Kodiaks
  • Justin Fontaine, Bonnyville Pontiacs
  • Taylor Fedun, Spruce Grove Saints

 

1994 – 2003

  • Dany Heatley, Calgary Canucks
  • Mike Comrie, St. Albert Saints
  • Curtis Glencross, Brooks Bandits
  • Rene Bourque, St. Albert Saints
  • Chris Phillips, Fort McMurray Oil Barons
  • Fernando Pisani St. Albert Saints
  • Mark Bomersback, Canmore Eagles
  • Scottie Upshall, Fort McMurray Oil Barons
  • Scott Hartnell, Lloydminster Blazers
  • Steve Reinprecht, St. Albert Saints

 

1984 – 1993

  • Zarley Zalapski, Fort Saskatchewan
  • Wade Redden, Lloydminster Blazers
  • Stu Barnes, St. Albert Saints
  • Gary Valk, Sherwood Park
  • Dixon Ward, Red Deer Rustlers
  • Brad Werenka, Fort Saskatchewan Traders
  • Garry Shuchuk, St. Albert Saints
  • Glen Wesley, Red Deer Rustlers
  • Gord Thibodeau, Fort Saskatchewan Traders
  • Corey Hirsch, Calgary Canucks

 

1974 – 1983

  • Brent Sutter Red Deer Rustlers
  • Mark Messier, Spruce Grove Mets
  • Darryl Sutter, Red Deer Rustlers
  • Duane Sutter, Red Deer Rustlers
  • Kelly Kisio, Red Deer Rustlers
  • Dave Babych, Fort Saskatchewan Traders
  • Clint Malarchuk, Fort Saskatchewan
  • Troy Murray, St. Albert Saints
  • Perry Berezan, St. Albert Saints
  • Mike Vernon, Calgary Canucks

 

1964 – 1973

  • Brian Sutter, Red Deer
  • Garry Unger, Calgary Buffaloes
  • Lanny McDonald, Lethbridge Sugar Kings
  • John Davidson, Lethbridge Sugar Kings
  • Stan Weir, Ponoka Stampeders
  • Paul Messier, Edmonton Mets
  • Doug Lindskog, Red Deer Rustlers
  • Tom Lindskog, Red Deer Rustlers
  • Rick Zaparniuk, Calgary Canucks
  • Darrell Knibbs Lethbridge Sugar Kings

 

The AJHL will celebrate its storied history across Alberta throughout the 2013-2014 season.  Join the AJHL in celebrating history, volunteerism, community spirit and great Junior A hockey!