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Not overlooked now Teams could be sorry for passing up Jason Williams
by Josh Goldfine, Special to CNNSI.com BOSTON -- Jason Williams was never drafted and spent his first two years in Junior hockey toiling away in obscurity. But after a pair of outstanding seasons at the Junior level and an impressive performance in the American Hockey League, the 20-year-old is among the Red Wings’ top prospects. If you told Jason Williams five years ago that he would see NHL ice by the Year 2000, the London, Ontario native surely would have thought you were joking. As a 15-year-old, he was cut by a Junior “B” team in St. Thomas, Ontario and wound up playing for Mt. Bridges at the Junior “D” level -- what Peterborough Petes (where Williams played Junior hockey) General Manager Jeff Twohey refers to as a “last option for kids.” Williams’ 62 points in 38 games proved that the young center was above the competition, and Peterborough selected him with the 29th overall selection in the 1996 Ontario Hockey League draft. It is quite a leap from Junior “D” to the OHL in Junior “A,” the highest level of Canadian Junior Hockey. As Twohey says, “It’s like a kid playing small-town high school football going to Notre Dame or Michigan State.” Williams did not adjust easily to the higher level of play, registering just 12 points in his first 60 games in his debut season while playing mostly on the fourth line. “I hardly touched the ice,” he recalled. “The Coach was playing the older guys, and the younger guys hardly got a chance.” That was not the case the following season, when Williams did get a chance to play. However, he tore ligaments in his ankle during a pickup basketball game at mid-season, an injury which cost him a handful of games and slowed his play considerably. Nevertheless, he was still able to pick up 35 points in 55 games. NHL Draft Day came and went that June, and Williams’ name was not among those called. Back in Peterborough for a third season, Williams began displaying a true offensive touch by leading the team with 74 points (26 G, 48 A) in 68 games.
That summer, Twohey sent a letter to every NHL team. Williams himself sent highlight tapes to 22 different teams. Still, no interest, as Williams was once again left off the draft board of all 30 NHL teams. That Fall, after spending a week at the San Jose Sharks’ training camp as a free agent, the still-undrafted Williams was back in Peterborough for a fourth season. He spent the 1999-2000 campaign proving that his numbers from the previous season were no fluke. Williams again led Peterborough with 73 points on a team-high 36 goals and 37 assists in 66 games and was named an OHL All-Star. Sure enough, Williams was passed over one final time in the June NHL draft. “Once you get overlooked, people tend to move on,” said Twohey. But an hour after the draft, the Vancouver Canucks called to gauge Williams’ interest in coming to camp later that summer. Jack Ridgeway, Williams’ Toronto-based agent, had told his client to wait at least a week after the draft to see if any other teams showed interest. Vancouver accepted Williams’ initial response. But, the Canucks called back a week later, demanding a decision. Williams declined. “I knew that other teams were interested,” he said. He was right. Williams ended up with invitations to several NHL training camps and chose Detroit, mostly because of the organization’s needs at the forward positions. In training camp, Williams thrived among such superstars as Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov and Brendan Shanahan. He played every position except goalie and would up as the club’s second-leading scorer in the pre-season, with seven points (3G, 4 A) in as many games. Though he played well enough to earn an opening night roster spot in Detroit, Williams was caught in the usual numbers game and was the team’s final cut. Williams turned up his game after a slow start for Cincinnati of the American Hockey League and was promoted to Detroit in November. He had three assists in five games while centering a line between Shanahan and Martin Lapointe before being sent back down. Since rejoining Cincinnati, Williams has shown what an offensive force he can be. He ranks fifth among AHL rookies in scoring with 50 points (15 G, 35 A) in 59 games through March 7 and is among the top candidates for the Dudley “Red” Garrett Memorial Award, presented annually to the league’s outstanding rookie. After being passed over three times by every NHL team, Williams has certainly taken a most circuitous route to the cusp of hockey’s promised land.
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