Fred Williams (ice hockey)
| Fred Williams | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
July 1, 1956 Saskatoon, SK, CAN | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Detroit Red Wings | ||
| NHL Draft |
4th overall, 1976 Detroit Red Wings | ||
| WHA Draft |
26th overall, 1976 New England Whalers | ||
| Playing career | 1976–1982 | ||
Frederick Richard "Freddy" Williams (born July 1, 1956 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) is a retired professional ice hockey centre. He was drafted in the 1st round (4th overall) by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1976 NHL draft. Williams played in only 44 games at the NHL level. He is the older brother of former NHL player Gord Williams.
Hockey career
Junior Hockey
An explosive skater, along with his rugged size, Williams started his career as a 15-year-old in major junior hockey in the Western Canada Hockey League as a centre for the Saskatoon Blades in the 1971–72 season. As a relative youngster in major junior, he started slowly in his first two seasons with only 41 points in his first 121 games. However, in the following seasons, Williams would score 36, 70, and 118 points including two trips to the playoffs, helping the Blades to the league finals two years in a row, with 61 total playoff points. He was 6th in the league in assists with 87 during the 1975–76 season, which had a number of excellent players who would go on to success in the NHL ranks. An excellent skater and two way player with a consistent scoring touch, Williams attracted the attention of the Detroit Red Wings, who moved to draft Williams as their first round pick in the 1976 NHL draft.[1] Williams was the fourth pick overall in the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft, a prestigious start to his pro career.
NHL Debut and Minor Leagues
After a strong Red Wings training camp, coaching staff decided to send Williams to the minors for more pro experience. As a result, he started the 1976–77 season with the Rhode Island Reds of the American Hockey League but due to injuries on the Wings, he was quickly called up to the National Hockey League on October 7, 1976. Expectations were high as a first draft pick, and Williams did not disappoint, as he scored a goal in his debut game against the Washington Capitals. However, in disappointing fashion, Williams went on to score only six points in the remaining 43 games and was subsequently sent down to the Wing's minor league affiliates for the following season for more experience and conditioning. He continued to flounder while playing for the Kansas City Red Wings of the Central Hockey League, even trying to play as an defenseman. Williams did not improve and was released outright by the Red Wings organization at the end of the season. He decided to retire for the first time in his career . However, since he was no longer under contract to Detroit, Williams was quickly enticed out of retirement by an offer from the Philadelphia Firebirds of the AHL on September 15, 1979. He played in 35 games for the Firebirds before being traded to the Maine Mariners. He played is final three seasons for the Mariners scoring 51, 55, and 32 points respectively. Without any NHL suitors for his talents, Williams decided to retired after the 1981–82 season.[1] Unfortunately, Fred Williams is considered among others to be one of the biggest draft busts in NHL history, never rising to a level of talent or consistency in his game which would have allowed him to play a long career in the NHL. He currently resides in Western Canada with his family.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1971-72 | Saskatoon Blades | WCHL | 54 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972-73 | Saskatoon Blades | WCHL | 67 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973-74 | Saskatoon Blades | WCHL | 67 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974-75 | Saskatoon Blades | WCHL | 59 | 21 | 49 | 70 | 61 | 17 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 43 | ||
| 1975-76 | Saskatoon Blades | WCHL | 72 | 31 | 87 | 118 | 129 | 20 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 20 | ||
| 1976-77 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 44 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976-77 | Rhode Island Reds | AHL | 34 | 7 | 19 | 26 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977-78 | Kansas City Red Wings | CHL | 32 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977-78 | Philadelphia Firebirds | AHL | 35 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 22 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 1979-80 | Maine Mariners | AHL | 73 | 17 | 34 | 51 | 26 | 12 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 8 | ||
| 1980-81 | Maine Mariners | AHL | 79 | 21 | 34 | 55 | 78 | 20 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 20 | ||
| 1981-82 | Maine Mariners | AHL | 46 | 6 | 26 | 32 | 44 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| NHL Totals | 44 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| AHL Totals | 267 | 56 | 124 | 180 | 194 | 39 | 15 | 23 | 39 | 32 | ||||
Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes
References
- 1 2 "Fred Williams player profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
External links
- Fred Williams's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
- Fred's Bio on Hockey Draft Central.com
| Preceded by Rick Lapointe |
Detroit Red Wings first round draft pick 1976 |
Succeeded by Dale McCourt |