Why in the world did Pierre Larouche go 8th overall in his draft year?

[Cursed Lemon]

I surely thought I was getting my draft years mixed up but Pierre Larouche, who scored 251 points in 67 games in his 1973-74 junior season, was really passed up in the 1974 draft year for such names as... *checks notes* ...Cam Connor, an enforcer (or near approximation) who didn't even play in the NHL until the WHA folded.

Larouche is listed as having been 5'11 so it's not like he was small. Even in the prior year, he scored 101 in 43. What gives?

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[Hobnobs]

I surely thought I was getting my draft years mixed up but Pierre Larouche, who scored 251 points in 67 games in his 1973-74 junior season, was really passed up in the 1974 draft year for such names as... *checks notes* ...Cam Connor, an enforcer (or near approximation) who didn't even play in the NHL until the WHA folded.

Larouche is listed as having been 5'11 so it's not like he was small. Even in the prior year, he scored 101 in 43. What gives?

Because he was young. 1974 draft was the first time allowing 18 year olds but my guess is that teams preferred some more experienced players still. Add that scouting wasnt as developed and the fact that Larouche was WHA flight risk (he was taken by the Aeros a week or so before at 30th overall)

And now add softness concerns etc.

 

[Crosby2010]

1974 is not known as a banner year for the draft. Greg Joly was a #1 overall pick that year. Sometimes the draft can be a crapshoot. Also the QMJHL was considered to be a soft league. Mike Bossy got passed more than he should have in 1977 for the same reasons. I can't imagine how they didn't see the blue chipper in Bossy considering they were alright with picking Perreault and Lafleur #1 overall from Quebec, and Dionne right after Lafleur. But another thing is Larouche was on a team that had 3(!) 200 point scorers. He had 261, but it was followed by teammates with 227 and 214. So it could have been something like that.

At the end of the day Larouche had a nice career. Should have thrived on the Canadiens but didn't. Or at least it didn't last long. And it wasn't all bad for the guys selected ahead of him. Joly is historically a bad #1 overall pick, but before the #8 selection of Larouche you still have Clark Gillies, Wilf Paiement and Doug Riseborough. So that isn't too shabby as all had fine careers.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

is it nuts to call larouche the turgeon of the pre-plays forever generation?

 

[The Panther]

is it nuts to call larouche the turgeon of the pre-plays forever generation?

Hm, maybe. Both French-Canadian highly talented forwards who weren't known for (a) defensive acumen or (b) physicality (although Turgeon did have a pretty good fight at least once).

But this could also apply to many talented forwards of the era the two players span. Rather, what strikes me more about both players is that each was traded about 3 times in his respective prime. Which is odd.

 

[reckoning]

I think it was just that the QMJHL was considered far inferior to the other junior leagues at the time. It should be noted that Larouche's two linemates that year, Jacques Cossette and Michel Deziel, both also cleared 200 points that season but never were able to stick on a NHL roster.

The May 17/74 issue of the Hockey News had a article previewing the draft, and the two prospects it most hyped were Ron Chipperfield from the West and Bill Lochead from Ontario. Due in large part to all the underage prospects being taken, those two really slid in the draft, Lochead going at #9 and Chipperfield at #17.

They also had a list of the top 100 prospects, though I'm not sure if it's an official scouting list or just one writers opinion. The first three are Chipperfield, Lochead, and Bruce Affleck, who was playing in the NCAA, and was drafted at #21. Top prospect from the Q from Richard Nantais, was rated 9th but drafted #24. Amazingly, Greg Joly is only rated #7, but this was before Regina won the Memorial Cup, which would have raised his stock.

Larouche is not listed because he was underage. There is a short list of the top six underage prospects at the bottom, but Larouche is not on it.

Under normal circumstances, Mark Howe and Dennis Sobchuk would have been the first two picks, but the WHA already had them. The top underage prospect was considered to be Pat Price, and apparently Washington wanted him as their first pick. But once again the WHA beat the NHL to the punch and signed Price to a contract rumoured to be more money than any NHL defenceman was making.

This prompted the NHL to hold their draft in secret by telephone, with Clarence Campbell calling each team when it was their turn to pick, and reading off all the players who had been selected since their last pick. This accomplished nothing, as word the draft choices leaked out anyway, but it did tick off Punch Imlach enough for him to pull the Taro Tsujimoto prank.

 

[carjackmalone]

Larouche still holds the record of 48 goals with 3 teams two of which were 50 goal seasons