Welcome back to the LBC’s All-Time Roster Countdown, Chapter LXVIII. For an explanation of the standards and conditions that the list was based on, click here.
In yesterday’s entry, we looked at original Panther center Jesse Belanger (180 games, 49 goals, 68 assists), and current goaltender Scott Clemmensen (31-25-15, .912, 2.68). Today, we’ll check out a defenseman from Toronto and a Swedish right winger.
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42. Jason Woolley
Woolley was a 6’1″ defensemen from Toronto with the Michigan State Spartans. He was selected in the third round of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals with the 61st overall pick. In 132 games over three seasons of collegiate hockey, he scored 37 times with 107 assists.
Woolley spent most of the 1991-92 season with the Canadian National Team, scoring 14 goals and 35 assists in 68 games of international play, helping them to the Olympic Silver Medal. He also made his professional debut, in 15 games scoring one goal and 10 assists with the AHL Baltimore Skipjacks. He played one game late in the NHL season with Washington.
1992-93 would see Woolley split the year between the Skipjacks (29 games, 14 gaols, 27 assists) and the Caps (26 games, two assists, plus-3 rating, 10 PIM). He repeated the pattern the following season with Washington’s new AHL affiliate, in 41 games with the Portland Pirates (12 goals, 29 assists), and 10 contests with the Capitals (one goal, two assists, plus-2 rating, four PIM).
Woolley started the 1994-95 season with the unaffiliated Detroit Vipers in the IHL, scoring eight times with 28 helpers in 48 games. The Panthers signed him as a free agent on February 15. In 34 games with Florida, he scored four goals on 76 shots with nine assists, registering a minus-1 rating with 18 penalty minutes. On April 22, he collected two assists in a 4-2 win over the Quebec Nordiques.
In 1995-96, Woolley had a big impact on Florida’s blueline offensive capability. He scored six goals on 98 shots, ranking second on the Panther’s defense with 28 assists. He finished at minus-9 with 32 PIM. On Halloween, he scored two goals in a 5-4 overtime victory over the New York Islanders. In 13 playoff contests, he totalled two goals and six assists.
Woolley appeared in three games for Florida in 1996-97, failing to score a point. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 19 with Stu Barnes for Chris Wells (yeah, we lost that one). He played 57 games with Pittsburgh that season (six goals, 30 assists, plus-3 rating, 28 PIM).
Woolley later played five and a half seasons with the Buffalo Sabres (365 games, 40 goals, 125 assists, plus-31 rating, 258 PIM), getting traded to the Detroit Red Wings for “future considerations” on November 16, 2002. He finished out his NHL career in two and a half seasons with the Wings (170 games, 11 goals, 50 assists, plus-34 rating, 78 PIM).
All-Time Statline: Three seasons, 89 games, 10 goals, 37 assists, 47 points, minus-9 rating, 52 PIM, 10.0 APS.
41. Marcus Nilson
Nilson, a 6’2″ right winger from Balsta, Sweden, was playing with the Djurgardens IF Stockholm of the Swedish Elite League for three seasons beginning in 1995-96. After his first season with the team (12 games), the Panthers picked him up in the first round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft with the 20th overall pick. He played two more seasons with Stockholm (88 games, four goals, 10 assists) before making the jump to North America.
Nilson spent most of the 1998-99 season with the AHL Beast of New Haven (69 games, eight goals, 25 assists). He was twice called up to the Panthers. He averaged 12:24 TOI over eight games, remaining scoreless until his final Panthers game, scoring a goal and an assist in a 3-2 overtime victory.
In 1999-00, Nilson played a big portion of the year with Florida’s new affiliate in Louisville. He played 64 games, scoring nine goals and 23 assists. He was again twice called up to join the Cats, assisting on two goals over nine games in just under eight minutes per game.
In 2000-01, Nilson made the Panthers out of training camp, playing in 15:46 TOI over 78 games. On March 9, he had his first three point game with two goals and an assist in a 7-6 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He scored 12 goals on 141 shots, ranking second on the Panthers with 24 assists. He finished the season with a minus-3 rating and 74 penalty minutes.
2001-02 would see Nilson score a team third best 14 goals on 147 shots in 16:31 ATOI over 81 games. He scored twice in a 4-3 win over the Atlanta Thrashers on New Years Eve, one of five times he put up more than one point in a contest. He finished the season with 19 assists, a minus-14 rating and 55 penalty minutes.
Nilson was one of three Panthers to appear in all 82 games for Florida in 2002-03, averaging 15:31 TOI on Florida’s second line. He scored 15 goals on 187 shots, assisting on 19 others and ranking fourth on the team with 34 points. He finished out the season with a plus-2 rating and 31 penalty minutes.
In 2003-04, Nilson scored six goals on 110 shots while playing 15:30 over 69 Panthers games. He made 13 assists and a minus-9 rating with 26 penalty minutes. the Panthers traded him to the Calgary Flames on March 8 for a second round draft choice (David Booth).
Nilson finished out the season with the Flames (14 games, five goals, plus-3 rating, 14 PIM). When the following season was cancelled, he rejoined his old Swedish team, Djurgardens IF Stockholm (48 games, 17 goals, 22 assists). He went back to the Flames for three more seasons beginning in 2005-06 (180 games, 14 goals, 23 assists, plus-22 rating, 63 PIM). In 2008-09 he spent one year with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv (36 games, five goals, three assists) before returning for a third tour with Stockholm (143 games, 42 goals, 64 assists) over the last three seasons.
All-Time Statline: Six seasons, 327 games, 48 goals, 78 assists, 126 points, minus-20 rating, 193 PIM, 10.0 APS.
Thanks for joining us today. Make sure to check back tomorrow as we take a look into a current Panthers defenseman from Strathroy, Ontario, and a goaltender from Manitoba.