Bruce Cassidy the player

[Felidae]

Looking at most points in the OHL by a 17 year old defenseman, I was surprised to find out Bruce Cassidy was the record holder!

His subsequent seasons in the OHL were quite productive too. 5th highest scoring season by an 18 year old defenseman, and 9th highest PPG by a 19 year old defenseman (was injured)

Now I'm not sure how strong of a league the OHL was back in those days, but he was clearly a talented junior player..

Does anyone know what he was like as a player?

And what do you think his ceiling was? I saw Jeff Brown on the all time OHL scoring lists too, just a year younger and had pretty productive NHL career. Yet Cassidy handily outproduced him at the same age in the OHL

Obviously his three knee injuries and a major construction to his ACL seem to bee the reason he essentially didn't have an NHL career. But he still managed 13 points in the 21 games he got after going through all that. Could he have still carved out an NHL career?

 

[MS]

Yeah, injuries ruined his career basically. Played only 64 games from 1984-87 in his age 19-21 years which are so key developmentally. Basically missed the 85-86 season entirely.

He surely would have had a better career but he was also very small and his size probably would have been an issue in the late 80s/early 90s. Jeff Brown was 6'2 205 by comparison.

I remember him being 'around' as a fringe player when I was a kid but I don't have any real memories of watching him play or how he played.

 

[overpass]

Cassidy was a power play wizard for Ottawa. The 67s set a team record with 120 power play goals in his rookie season, with Cassidy and Brad Shaw on the points. Brian Kilrea said before the draft that he would help any NHL team's power play, and compared his junior performance favourably with former 67 Doug Wilson. After Chicago drafted him, assistant GM John Davison said he could play on their power play right now but they would have to see if he could hold up as a sixth defenceman.

Cassidy tore his ACL at 18 playing ball hockey, and tried to rehab it without surgery, on the recommendation of the Blackhawks doctor. It was a bad decision. He wore a knee brace in his partial final junior season and struggled defensively with reduced mobility until he reinjured his knee in February. In the 1985 offseason, he injured his knee again while kicking a football. His knee only got worse after that as it had never been properly repaired.