1967 Season Preview

1967 Schedule

Important Dates
Season Kickoff - June 22, 1967 - Buffalo VS. Boston
Canada Day: Centennial Celebration - July 1, 1967 - Halifax VS. Toronto, Ottawa VS. Montreal
4th of July - July 4, 1967 - Boston VS. Indiana
McCallister Cup Rematch: July 8, 1967 - Buffalo VS. Montreal
Rivalry Week - July 28-July 30, 1967
Labour Day - September 4, 1967 - Buffalo VS. Toronto, Indiana VS. Louisville
Regular Season Finale - September 10, 1967 - Buffalo VS. Louisville

Power Rankings

1 - Buffalo Blue Wings
1966 Record: 10-2 (1st West)
1966 Result: Won McCallister Cup
Buffalo is by far still the top dogs heading into this season. GM Reginald McMahon handled the salary cap crunch very well, being able to keep most of the team together and make cheap improvements. His key moves were acquiring OL Fabrice Beaufort from Ottawa (with the Royals retaining salary) and drafting WR Tracy Driscoll to replace the retiring WR Daniel Irons. However, it appears that there could be a battle for the 3rd WR spot between Driscoll and fellow young WRs in Jimmy Jack and Sebastian Dassler. In the end, expect Buffalo to continue to roll on in what looks to be another successful season for the team. 

Captains
C - QB Charles Lemieux
A - DL Lonnie Vincent
A - OL Georgio Stephan

2 - Halifax Mariners
1966 Record: 7-5 (3rd East)
1966 Result: Lost East Division Semi-Final
Halifax had quite a disappointing end to last season going 1-5 in the second half after starting 6-0. They will be aiming to bounce back this season as they are being looked at as a true championship contender. QB Lyle Painter is back to lead the way on offence with his star weapons of RB Ronald O’Sullivan, WR Shane Steadman, and WR Jav Kerrigan. Halifax’s defence will be key this season, they had moments to shine last season with a strong D-line but also had lapses and a lack of consistency. They will need to be consistent this season to truly put the Mariners in the fight for the Cup.

Captains
C - OL Ward Briscoe
A - DB Joe Robinson
A - DL Pat Butler

3 - Indiana Victors
1966 Record: 8-4 (2nd West)
1966 Result: Lost West Division Final
In the past two seasons, the Victors have finally lived up to their name. The hope is they continue this pattern into this season. They had a great season last year and they come into this season with a similar-looking team. They went out and added some more depth with DL Howard Grant and OL Jimmy McKay to solidify their position as a contender. Of course, they do have the biggest obstacle to get over in the Buffalo Blue Wings in the West. They have a shot at it, but it is going to be a tough challenge to beat them. The team will likely need QB Tom Applewhite to further his development and take another step forward this season if they want to get past the Blue Wings. 

Captains
C - DB Kelly Kirkland
A - OL Viktor Stahl*
A - LB Terrence Patton

4 - Long Island Raiders
1966 Record: 9-3 (1st East)
1966 Result: Lost East Division Final
The Raiders were just 2-points away from their 3rd straight McCallister Cup appearance last season. The heartbreak should certainly fire the team up hoping to get back to the final. Their defence remains their signature weapon, however, they do lose a couple of veterans in DL Vernon Spears and LB Gene Bensen, but they found some solid replacements in DL Brian Alvagardo and LB Sam Wynn. However, the big question for the team will be on the offence as OC Levi Bray has left for Boston leaving first-year OC Andrew Glover in his place. Glover will have the tough task of continuing what Bray had been able to do with QB Stanley Troyer and the offence. They also may not be able to rely on RB Dareion Fields as much, since the star back has faced injuries in recent years and is getting into his 30s. However, there is good news for Fields as he was named the team’s second captain in franchise history this season with LB William Washington II taking his place as an alternate captain.

Captains
C - RB Dareion Fields*
A - OL Elliot Winterbottom
A - LB William Washington II*

5 - Providence Gold Stars
1966 Record: 7-5 (4th East)
1966 Result: Missed Playoffs
Providence faced the tough fate of missing out of the playoffs despite having a winning record last season. They certainly will be fueled by the apparent snub and will aim to get themselves back to the playoffs for the first time since their 1963 McCallister Cup appearance. There was a ton of veteran depth that GM Peter Brooks brought in this offseason, starting with LB Wilson Rockwood-Barnes and later on OL Tyler Cunningham, DB Elvin Waters, and DB Evan Harris. The hope is the added depth will be able to propel an already solid roster far enough to make it to the playoffs and even fight for a chance for the McCallister Cup. 

Captains
C - QB Connor O’Rourke
A - DB Neville Falkner
A - DL Calias McDonough

6 - Boston Independents
1966 Record: 2-10 (6th East)
1966 Result: Missed Playoffs
Boston’s miserable 1966 campaign signalled a wholesale change within the organization. It was pretty much new everything for the team, and that extended past the staff and to the players. Of course, the main pieces stayed, there were plenty of moves happening, the biggest being the acquisition of their latest star, DB Oliver Langstrom. Langstrom should make a huge difference in the secondary, adding to an already strong pair of DB Mordecai King and DB Lawrence Ralph. Along with S Ernie Osborne, Boston should have one of the best secondaries in the league, however, their front 7 leaves a lot to be desired. They lost several pieces on the D-line and they will be relying on a pair of rookies to take over the LB core in Byron Turner and Mads Strahlman. As for overall changes, Levi Bray is the new head coach of the team and there is hope that the team could take a step forward on offence. If they do take that step forward on offence and their defence can figure things out, they could be a huge threat in the East Division.

Captains
C - QB Nathaniel Braddock
A - OL Graham Chambers
A - S Ernie Osborne*

7 - Montreal Rouge
1966 Record: 7-5 (2nd East)
1966 Result: Lost McCallister Cup
Losing in the McCallister Cup would typically bring a team to the conclusion that they are very close to a title and might need just one or two more pieces. However, GM Martin Gagneaux decided to do the opposite and begin a small rebuild. Some wonder if the Thunder’s fall from McCallister Cup finalists to dead last might have made him rethink the strategy this season. The rebuild started with trading several veteran pieces away to get younger talent and more draft picks. The big acquisition is LB Conrad Kurst, who appears to be the centre of the new defence. On top of the new players coming in, the team also decided on a completely new set of captains, which will be led by young OL Mathieu Roy, WR Taylor Karis, and 1966 Defensive Player of the Year S Garet deVale. With their retool, the Rouge are expected to be a step behind the other teams in the East this season, although that’s more so because of the fact that all 6 teams seem capable of making the playoffs.

Captains
C - OL Mathieu Roy*
A - WR Taylor Karis*
A - S Garet deVale*

8 - London Tigers
1966 Record: 5-7 (5th West)
1966 Result: Missed Playoffs
The 1966 season was a bit of a struggle for the Tigers, whose offence lost most of its explosiveness with WR Max Sutton and QB Riley Kiernan getting older and RB Austin Andrews being knocked out for the season. They looked to address this issue by first drafting WR Cole Fletcher out of UHamilton and then acquiring WR Joshua Lafleur from the Mariners. Both weapons, in combination with the return RB Austin Andrews, should allow the Tigers’ offence to get back to what they are used to doing, especially under the guidance of offensive mastermind HC Roy Aguirre. However, the Tigers are getting older and the defence is looking a lot more barebones, which could spell disaster. The Tigers will need to rely on their offensive firepower if they want one last shot at the McCallister Cup. Expect them to be in the hunt for the playoffs this season, but more so as an underdog if anything. 

Captains
C - QB Riley Kiernan
A - DB Jackson Miles
A - OL Emil Jennings

9 - Ottawa Royals
1966 Record: 4-8 (5th East)
1966 Result: Missed Playoffs
The Royals have been kinda just there for the last few seasons. Nothing special but not horribly bad. Just there. However, things are looking brighter with the addition of WR Piers Key into the WR core and all of the young defensive stars hoping to begin breaking out this season, keep an eye on rookie DL Bernhard Hartmann and second-year DB Sergio Alvarez. The Royals are expected to have a strong roster that could challenge in the East Division, however, their one drawback could still be at the QB position. Michael Benedict was acquired from the Mariners last season and showed some promise in the few starts he got, but there are certainly some skeptics still as Benedict has never really been able to maintain consistency. If the Royals are truly going to start moving out of the rebuild, they are going to need someone to step up at the QB position.

Captains
C - S Randall Green
A - WR Marshall Leonard
A - LB Sam Wheeler*

10 - Toronto Steelheads
1966 Record: 7-5 (3rd West)
1966 Result: Missed Playoffs
The Steelheads have been doubted in all 3 seasons they have competed in thus far. They have exceeded all of those expectations with a combined 23-13 in those seasons, which includes a West Division title. And now the question is asked as to why they are ranked 10th. Well, the answer is that they have lost quite a few pieces from last season with the league’s highest number of retirees. It appears that the team has decided to begin the rebuild, sending several more veterans away to other teams to get younger pieces. While they do have a number of talented young players, namely RB Max Tracy and S Charles Clerk, they are still a ways away and reasonable to assume they will finally come down to Earth this season.

Captains
C - QB Todd Baker
A - DL Lawrence Armstrong*
A - OL Gregory Farrell*

11 - Louisville Thunder
1966 Record: 1-11 (6th West)
1966 Result: Missed Playoffs
Blow it all up. That was the motto for Louisville this offseason as they reset just about everything with the team. The changes included a new GM in Robbie Wilson, a new HC in Malachi Knowles, and one of the highest roster turnover rates ever seen in the NAAF’s history. This is a much different Thunder team, however, that doesn’t mean they are instantly going to be back to fighting for McCallister Cups. They have some interesting pieces in 1st overall pick DL Aaron Henderson, last year’s first-round pick LB Le’Darius Wynn, and the electrifying WR Lloyd Lane. Those 3 should be the foundation of the team, however, there are still a lot of questions to answer especially with the QB spot. Leonidas Dumont has still 2-years left on his contract and he hasn’t been all that amazing, although he didn’t perform terribly in the final few games of last season. However, the team could be looking at a change especially since the QB will no longer serve as the team captain. The current potential answer could be in free-agent acquisition QB Buck Murphy. Murphy has the experience from starting in Pittsburgh and Halifax, but some are still not sure he is a franchise-leading type. However, there are rumours coming out of Thunder training camp that the QB has been looking good and seems to be growing a bond with star WR Lloyd Lane. There could be a chance Murphy gets the nod, but it is still expected Dumont may start the season under centre. 

Captains
C - DB Jayden Mills*
A - S Johnny Berger
A - OL Taylor Forbes*

12 - Pittsburgh Blacksmiths
1966 Record: 5-7 (4th West)
1966 Result: Missed Playoffs
Pittsburgh certainly had a promising year last season, however, they didn’t make a lot of changes this offseason which may put them a step behind the rest. Their moves this offseason were primarily around the purpose of getting younger and continuing to build the roster’s foundation. It will be up to the youngsters to get this team into the conversation for a playoff spot. Some key players are going to be WR Taylor Austin, DL Matthias Harmann, and DB Aiden Sargent, who all will be stepping into starting roles this season. Of course, the biggest decision to be made will be at quarterback. The Blacksmiths do have Magnus Torrensen who played really well when starting last season, however, there are a lot of fans hoping the team sends out the 1966 1st overall pick, QB Louis Vaughn. It will be a tough decision, especially after a similar situation happened in Indiana a couple of seasons ago that saw Tom Applewhite start in his second season only to be replaced by QB Lyle Painter who went on to win an MVP. Maybe Torrensen is the guy to help win now, but Vaughn is the future. The decision is likely to come in the days leading up to their opening game against Halifax. 

Captains
C - RB Stavros Black
A - DL Sammy Pickett
A - OL Wally McRose

Wally’s 1967 Predictions
WEST
Buffalo 10-2 -y
Indiana 9-3 -x
London 5-7
Toronto 3-9
Louisville 3-9
Pittsburgh 3-9

EAST
Halifax 8-4 -y
Long Island 8-4 -x
Providence 7-5 -x
Boston 6-6 -xc
Ottawa 5-7
Montreal 5-7

Playoffs
DSF
PRO over LI
IND over BOS

DF
HFX over PRO
BUF over IND

49th McCallister Cup
HFX over BUF
*Buffalo is very good, but its Canada's 100th birthday, I gotta take a Canadian team to win it all

Who do you think is taking home the cup this season? Any players or teams you are excited to see this season?

1967 Free Agency Part 2

Following the draft, the remaining players were being picked up to fill up the rest of the rosters. The remaining players in the top 25 signed quickly. WR Otto Washington ended up signing in Long Island, while LB Killian Reed returned to Boston. 

Along with the signings, there were several trades that occurred. The first saw the Montreal Rouge get a whole lot younger and the Mariners solidify their depth. The Rouge would send OL Harrison Ward, who waived his no-trade clause to have a shot at a title in Halifax, DB Malik Davenport and LB Hector Greenville both should add great support on the defence, and prospect OL Tony Walker-Jones. In exchange, they would get 24-year-old LB Conrad Kurst, who has a lot of promise as a LB to build a defence around, and a 1968 2nd Round Pick. GM Martin Gagneaux of the Rouge makes it clear with this trade that he has made one of the toughest decisions a GM could make in his position. It is very difficult to decide to do a small rebuild or re-tool after going all the way to the McCallister Cup, but he appears to be going for it. Kurst should be a great piece to build around on the defence. As for the Mariners, the trade shows how committed to winning they are this season. 

The next trade saw the Pittsburgh Blacksmiths make a deal with the Indiana Victors. Pittsburgh would acquire 3 young players in DL Tyrone Powers, DB Ike Vander Waal, and OL Eustace Cloudwell, in exchange for 2 veterans in OL Jimmy McKay and DL Howard Grant. The acquisition of DL Howard Grant adds a lot of the Victors D-Line which was on the younger side. His experience alone should provide the Victors with more leadership and a stronger defence. Jimmy McKay also helps solidify the Victors' O-line which is easily top 3 in the league. McKay also returns to Indiana after spending the last 4 years in London and Pittsburgh. The most intriguing piece in the trade is former 17th overall pick Tyrone Powers heading to Pittsburgh. Powers was starting to fall behind in development and didn’t look like he would be able to find a consistent spot on the Victors roster. That left the threat of losing the still decently talented DL to leave for nothing next season, so they sent him to Pittsburgh. The other two younger players add a lot of future depth to the Blacksmiths and clear up some space for the Victors who want to bring in younger pieces from their reserve list. Overall, this was a very good trade for both teams.

The next trade was a bit smaller with the Boston Independents acquiring a pair of veterans from the Steelheads for some younger prospects. They would acquire OL Christopher Weeks to replace OL Bubba Hankins, who they traded in the Langstrom deal, and then DL Dale Rothery to help with D-line depth. With this trade, Rothery has now been traded 3 times and will play on his 6th team in his 8th season. In exchange, the Steelheads would get former 3rd round pick OL Griffin Morningstar, and Undrafted WR Davis Benny to start to get younger. 

A cap crunch from the Blue Wings would lead them to make a deal with the Royals that would allow them to add more protection for QB Charles Lemieux. They would get OL Fabrice Beaufort from the Royals in exchange for OL Randall Graham and a 3rd Round Pick. Beaufort will also have $4,000 in salary retained by Ottawa so Buffalo is able to have Beaufort for the same price they had Graham for. This is a simple deal for the Royals who just get more youth and open up some space to move some more younger players into the lineup. 

The Steelheads were not done with loading off veterans as they would make one more deal with the Providence Gold Stars. They would send OL Tyler Cunningham, DB Evan Harris, and WR Jake Columbus to Providence in exchange for a 1st Round Pick and prospect OL Seamus Cronin. Providence certainly will get a lot of benefits from Cunningham and Harris for this season, but since both are 32-years-old, it could be a one-year thing. Columbus, 27, should at least be a more long-term depth piece if he catches on with the squad. The 1st Round Pick might be a bit of a high price to pay, but it does a lot for the Gold Stars to maintain more of the roster which they feel fairly confident in this season.

After training camps started up and teams were finalizing their rosters, there were a few more small trades made for teams to get under the cap. Toronto was a benefactor, as they were willing to take on cap for both Providence and Halifax.

The Gold Stars would send S Ronnie Kirkpatrick and a 4th round pick to the Steelheads for S Matthew Bong and a 5th Rounder. Essentially, Toronto takes on the cap hit to move up in the 1968 draft.

As for the Mariners, they would send DB Malik Davenport, who they had traded for earlier in the offseason, and prospect DL Cal Ericsson in exchange for WR prospect Rick O’Shea. Despite Davenport being a big part of the trade with Montreal, he showed regression during camp and was outperformed by DB Janek Rodoslav and DB Finnigan Pike for the last spots on the roster. His high cap hit was too much to keep around so they moved him to Toronto along with a young piece for compensation. 

Halifax was not done there, however, as they found a bit of a hole in their group of safeties. They would acquire S Frankie Munster from the Rouge in exchange for a 5th Round Pick. 

1967 NAAF Draft

1st Round

1 - Louisville Thunder | DL Aaron Henderson | New England - Framingham, MA - Wallflower
The Thunder opened up the 1967 draft with the second straight New England graduate going first. The Thunder have been desperate for help on the line with only DL Bjorn Sigmarsson being a sure-fire starter. Henderson should make for an immediate boost, bringing an excellent run-stopping ability and fierceness to the D-line. He should also work well with Sigmarsson who tends to find himself in the backfield more than Henderson does, which allows for there to be some defence if Sigmarsson gets beat. Henderson also joins Wayne Baxton and Vernon Spears as DL that have gone 1st overall.

2 - Boston Independents | LB Byron Turner | Rhode Island State - New Haven, CT - Wallflower
Everyone and their mother knew that the Independents were going Linebacker with their second overall selection. With their only true starter being Konrad Aust, who is 33-years-old, they needed help now. Byron Turner was the best of the bunch for linebackers. He’s got all the skills, sharing a similar play style to Aust, however, the big concern was his communication. When he gets mad or frustrated, he shuts down and tries to do everything himself. He’s got the tendency to let you figure out what you did wrong by giving you the silent treatment. It could cause issues, but if the right coach can step in and get him to turn that into leadership, Boston could have a franchise LB on their hands.

3 - Ottawa Royals | DL Bernhard Hartmann | UHamilton - Kitchener, ON - Darknes
The Royals are finally looking to turn around their D-line. They decide to grab the first of the Hartmann twins with the 3rd overall pick. Bernhard is looked at as the better of the two overall, having trained more intensely and showing stronger fundamentals than his brother. He uses his smarts and tactics to get around offensive linemen. Hartmann does share some characteristics to that of former Royals’ DL Olaf Viktorsson, which may have drawn the team to him and could make for a great leader for the future of the team. 

TRADE ALERT
Following the Royals’ pick, the first trade of the draft occurred between the London Tigers and the Toronto Steelheads. Toronto had their eyes set on a prospect so they made the move to go and get them. They would acquire the 4th overall pick from the Tigers in exchange for the 8th overall pick, the 32nd overall pick, and 26-year-old LB Oscar Wilkins. The Tigers were perfectly okay with moving back to grab an extra pick and some younger talent.

4 - Toronto Steelheads (from London) | DB Dwayne James | Toronto - Toronto, ON - JamHeronArk
Toronto had Dwayne James at the top of their target list for the draft and they had done what they needed to get him. James is looked at as the best for DBs in this draft. He’s got great hands and good speed, the makings of a solid DB in the league. He does tend to let receivers have a little more space in hoping to use his speed to make interceptions, of course, that does lead to James getting beat for big plays. If the Steelheads can get him to tighten up, he could be great at the next level.

5 - Pittsburgh Blacksmiths | DL Matthias Hartmann | UHamilton - Kitchener, ON - Darknes
Pittsburgh was pretty frustrated by the move that Toronto made as they were targeting Dwayne James as well. They would have to regroup and they would then take the other of the Hartmann twins. Unlike his brother Bernhard, Matthias is more reliant on raw talent. The talent has gotten him far being a top-end talent, however, if he worked on his skills more, he would likely have been higher than his brother. Matthias always thought that he was better than Bernhard, but by going second to his twin, that might open his eyes a bit to step it up at the next level.

TRADE ALERT
The second trade of the draft saw the Montreal Rouge jump up to the 6th overall pick while also picking up the 42nd pick in exchange for LB Wilson Rockwood-Barnes and the 11th overall pick. Montreal has decided to move on from their 32-year-old veteran to move up for a strong younger piece, while Providence is hoping Rockwood-Barnes can add more depth to their defence to get them back to the playoffs.

6 - Montreal Rouge (from Providence) | OL Bradley Clark | New England - Boston, MA - DireBear
With the pick acquired from Providence, the Rouge would take OL Bradley Clark. The number 2 ranked prospect started to slip and Montreal wanted to make a move to boost their line next to last year’s first-round pick, OL Elliot Barrett. His position of OL fits Clark well as a guy who doesn’t love the spotlight, however, he is a good leader behind the scenes. He puts in the work and helps others to improve, and it has paid off in his amazing pass-blocking ability due to his athleticism. He does struggle a little in the run game, but when trying to protect the injury-prone Gene Bishop, it might be perfect fit. 

7 - Ottawa Royals (from Halifax) | QB Martin Keller | St.George - Oshawa, ON - Wallflower
After several later-round QBs just not being what the Royals need to move forward, they have finally decided to take a QB in the first round. Most saw QB David Simmons as the top QB in the draft, however, the Royals went with Martin Keller. OC Jean Matieau was likely the one to decide which QB to go after having his expertise at the position and likely future as the head coach of the team. Keller shares a lot of qualities that Matieau has as a QB. He is really smart and understands the game at the highest levels which makes him a good decision maker overall, however, he does have a tendency to be gun shy and play it a bit too safe. If he can learn the right time to take risks, Ottawa may finally have their next star at QB.

8 - London Tigers (from Toronto) | WR Cole Fletcher | UHamilton - Burlington, ON - Dan O’Mac
The Tigers have had a bit of a hole in the receiving game in the last couple of seasons with Max Sutton getting older and the depth falling through. Their solution is to go out and get the top WR of the class in Cole Fletcher. Fletcher is an electrifying speedster that can open up the field for an offence. He’s got solid hands to go along with the quickness which is perfect for a team’s cornerstone weapon. He could use a bit of weight to be able to go up against some of the stronger DBs in the league, but he’s got the tools to find success in the NAAF.

9 - Indiana Victors | OL TJ Overton | North Indiana - Ann Arbor, MI - Dan O’Mac
The Victors would join the Rouge in taking an OL in the first round. They would be the first team to venture outside of the Hybrid Football schools, taking a more local talent in TJ Overton. Footwork and technical ability are what stand out for Overton, which may come from his love for dancing which he has been doing since he was a kid. Learning choreography has helped Overton to learn footwork in football and it makes him a great blocker on the line, where you rarely find him out of position. Indiana is hoping that Overton can continue to add to their already strong O-Line.

TRADE ALERT
It seemed like the first round was moving quite smoothly with nothing too out of the ordinary happening. However, as the round came to the final picks, a blockbuster trade was made. It had been speculated that the Thunder might be interested in moving some of their veteran players. Unfortunately, many are on No-Trade Clauses that prevent the team from trading the player without their consent. So when the Thunder brought DB Oliver Langstrom along to the draft in Ottawa, it seemed like a deal was on the board for the star DB. Several teams made strong pitches at the DB, namely, Boston, Halifax, and Providence. Louisville was really liking the deals from all 3 teams. There was talk that they were leaning to the Providence deal that may have landed them help with younger players. However, Langstrom had the final say, and his choice would be the Gold Stars’ rivals, the Boston Independents.

Not only is Boston a great and legendary team, but they also just hired Hugo Martinez to be their DC. Martinez had been coaching Langstrom in Louisville since he was drafted in 1959. The two have a great relationship and Langstrom wanted to continue that with his new team.

Of course, the deal does come at a tall price for Boston who gives Louisville, the 10th overall pick, the 26th overall pick, their 1st Rounder in 1968, OL Bubba Hankins, DB Ross McCurtry, and a conditional 5th Round Pick in 1969. Hankins heads over to the Thunder to be a younger piece on their line, while McCurtry will serve as some extra depth to make up for the loss of Langstrom. 

10 - Louisville Thunder (from Long Island via Boston) | QB David Simmons | Cambridge of Boston - Paterson, NJ - Stickman
With the first pick the Thunder grabbed from the mega trade, they would take the second QB of the draft in David Simmons. Simmons’ ability to escape pressure and make something out of nothing makes Simmons stand out as a prospect. Also, the fact that he took a fairly under talented Cambridge of Boston roster to their best finish in over a decade. He might be the right fit for a team trying to rebuild and grow around. He does need to work on his deep-ball accuracy and learn to rely on his teammates a little more and not hold onto the ball quite as much, but that may just come with being on a more talented roster at a professional level. Simmons has a lot of upside and could definitely be the next star for Louisville. 

11 - Providence Gold Stars (from Montreal) | DL Newton Dalton | Rhode Island State - Franklin, MA - Darknes
HC Garrett Boone loves his Rhode Island State guys. Once again the Gold Stars took a prospect out of the college Boone used to coach. Dalton has a lot of upside, being quite a great pass rusher when he is at his best. However, Dalton does tend to struggle with consistency which might have been the reason he was a little further back from the best D-Line in the draft. Hopefully, Boone will be able to unlock the best of Dalton and continue to make the Gold Stars’ defence a strong force. 

12 - Buffalo Blue Wings | WR Tracy Driscoll | Western New York - Sarnia, ON - DireBear
With the final pick of the first round, the Blue Wings would grab their biggest need with a WR. With Daniel Irons’ retirement, there was a huge hole in the WR core which was tough to fill with Buffalo already being up against the salary cap. So they set their eyes on the draft to bring in talent at a cheap price. Tracy Driscoll was their favourite target being a star at the local University of Western New York. While Driscoll is on the shorter side, he does have great speed to make his own space. He might be the perfect fit for the Blue Wings’ 3rd WR spot being someone who can stretch the field and also be great as a slot option. He’s got some communication issues to work on within the locker room, but the talent is there. 

2nd Round
The second round kicked off with a pair of linebackers going. Louisville continued to dip into the Louisville State prospect pool in taking Brent Mayiski. The North Carolina native was excited to remain in Louisville where he had moved to when he was 11. Boston also went local with Mads Strahlman to pair up with Byron Turner. Ottawa continued their pattern of taking an OL in the second round, grabbing Tommy Reynolds out of Toronto U. 

The Tigers once again moved back with a trade with the Mariners. They would slide back to the 19th spot but would also get WR Joshua Lafleur and former 4th round pick OL Hamish Esposito. Lafleur has been a strong player throughout his career, but after falling down the depth chart and suffering a major injury last season, he needed a fresh start. The Tigers hope he can help rejuvenate their WR core. Halifax would end up with the 16th pick along with RB Alex Warren, WR Dwayne Alexander, and WR Perry Francoise. Warren was the important piece as they had nothing in RB depth after Ronald O’Sullivan. 

With the 16th pick, the Mariners would grab U of Nova Scotia product LB Frederic Macnamara. GM Anthony Vigneault hopes drafting some local players may help in them staying with the Mariners long term. Pittsburgh would continue the local trend in drafting OL Lars Nordssen out of Allegheny. Providence would end up taking RB Ronnie Byers with the next pick. It seems the team is still not quite satisfied with RB Rashed Smith’s play out of the backfield so they may look to another Rhode Island State alumni to take on the role down the line. With the pick they traded back for, the Tigers would grab DL Ross Jackson out of UAmerica to make the first outside-the-box pick of the round. Toronto would also take a chance on WR Al Allmendinger who had slid from his projected 11th best spot. 

Indiana would follow that up with another WR in Erik Hodge out of London. Long Island’s first pick of the draft would end up being RB Scott Norton out of UHamilton. With Dareion Fields suffering some injuries and getting older, they hope Norton can jump in support in the run game. Montreal would grab a much-needed DB with Ross Conroy at 23 before Buffalo would close out the round with DL Ned Hedman out of Maine State.

2nd Round Picks
13 - LOU | LB Brent Mayiski | Louisville State - Greensboro, NC - NoE38
14 - BOS | LB Mads Strahlman | New England - Boston, MA - Darknes
15 - OTT | OL Tommy Reynolds | Toronto - Toronto, ON - ZO82
16 - HFX (from LDN) | LB Frederic Macnamara | Nova Scotia - Yarmouth, NS - Darknes
17 - PIT | OL Lars Nordssen | Allegheny - Pittsburgh, PA - Stickman
18 - PRO | RB Ronnie Byers | Rhode Island State - Newport, RI - Captain Mort 3D
19 - LDN (from HFX) | DL Ross Jackson | UAmerica - Washington DC - Edgeworth
20 - TOR | WR Al Allmendinger | New England - Sandwich, MA - Dan O’Mac
21 - IND | WR Erik Hodge | London - St. Thomas, ON - Wallflower
22 - LI | RB Scott Norton | UHamilton - Hamilton, ON - ZO82
23 - MTL | DB Ross Conroy | Vermont Republic - Montpelier, VT - ItDoesntMatter
24 - BUF | DL Ned Hedman | Maine State - Norway, ME - ItDoesntMatter

3rd Round
The 3rd round continued on with Louisville taking a prospect from both of the major Indiana schools in TE Rex Williamson out of North Indiana and OL Mike Normal out of Indiana Tech. 

The back-to-back picks would be followed up with another trade that saw the Royals and Rouge swap 3rd round picks. Ottawa would also receive a 4th rounder for next season as well. 

Montreal would grab local DL Sebastian Hamilton with the pick while the Royals would gamble on a Finnish LB in Tuuka Tariitt. The Royals would also get OL Matt Helmut out of Jersey State with the 31st pick. London would also use the pick they had gotten from the Steelheads earlier in the draft to take OL Dwayne Jones out of the local London University. The 3rd QB of the draft was also taken in this round with QB Xerxes Wynn heading to Indiana to hopefully add some depth at the position for the Victors.

3rd Round Picks
25 - LOU | TE Rex Williamson | North Indiana - Munchie, IN - Jayhawk
26 - LOU (from BOS) | OL Mike Normal | Indiana Tech - Middletown, IN - ItDoesntMatter
27 - MTL (from OTT) | DL Sebastian Hamilton | Majeure Montreal - Montreal, QC - Kingsfan11
28 - LDN | DB Tyler Hill | Major Ohio - Cleveland, OH - Kingsfan11
29 - IND (from PIT) | S Sully Callahan | New England - Boston, MA - Darknes
30 - PRO | OL Alanzo Tofflers | Haynes - Newburgh, NY - NoE38
31 - OTT (from HFX) | OL Matt Helmut | Jersey State - Helmetta, NJ - QCS
32 - LDN (from TOR) | OL Dwayne Jones | London - Windsor, ON - Kingsfan11
33 - IND | QB Xerxes Wynn | Western New York - Cheektowaga, NY - Enigmajones
34 - LI | TE Walter Lafleur | UHamilton - Hamilton, ON - Dan O’Mac
35 - OTT (from MTL) | LB Tuukka Tariitt | Cambridge of Boston - Espoo, FN - Darknes
36 - BUF | S Mathieu Cazenave | Majeure Montreal - Montreal, QC - Kingsfan11

4th Round
Things started to settle by the 4th round, where there was only one small trade that saw the Victors send their 4th round pick to Louisville to get QB Nikolas Diakos to also add to their QB depth chart. 

Louisville would end up taking OL Jerry Hankins who is the younger brother of the Hankins Triplets, most notably Bubba Hankins who was just traded to Louisville in the Langstrom deal. The Royals also landed QB Martin Keller’s top WR in Ferdinand Matthews as they hope to bring that chemistry to the NAAF. Halifax also continued to take Nova Scotia graduates with DB Cornelius Walker. 

4th Round Picks
37 - LOU | WR Sergio Flores | Rockefeller - Chicago, IL - Stickman
38 - BOS | DL Nolan Grassi | King’s - New York City, NY - JamHeronArk
39 - OTT | WR Fredinand Matthews | St.George - Toronto, ON - Darknes
40 - PIT (from LDN) | DB Jim Norbel | Major Ohio - Akron, OH - ItDoesntMatter
41 - PIT | RB Scott Dale | West Mass State - Springfield, MA - Scratch
42 - MTL (from PRO) | DB Nils Wilson | Montreal Provincial - Terrebonne, QC - JamHeronArk
43 - HFX | DB Cornelius Walker | Nova Scotia - Cole Harbour, NS - Kingsfan11
44 - TOR | OL Jim Bob McRawley | North Indiana - Bryan, OH - Dan O’Mac
45 - LOU (from IND) | OL Jerry Hankins | Louisville State - Waverly, KY - JamHaronArk
46 - LI | S Donald Dozier | Upstate - Schenectady, NY - ItDoesntMatter
47 - LOU (from MTL) | RB Mario Leclair | St-Laurent - Shawinigan, QC - Kingsfan11
48 - IND (from BUF) | LB Ben Morstand | Jersey State - Yonkers, NY - JamHeronArk

5th Round
The final round of the draft would kick off with Louisville taking Lukka Kudro out of the USSR. Kudro had moved to the US along with his older brother who came over to play hockey at the professional level and found a love for football and attended Upstate. With their final pick, the Mariners would finish off a draft of only picking players out of the University of Nova Scotia, taking LB Walker Colson. A head-scratching pick also came from the Gold Stars who passed on the much higher-ranked TE Lucas Warmer for TE Terry Wrasse, leaving Warmer to go undrafted after being ranked 35th. With the final pick of the draft the Blue Wings would take the last QB of the class in Peter Dooling who joins QB Ray Trace as the only QBs to be picked last (both by Buffalo in fact).  

5th Round Picks
49 - LOU | DL Lukka Kudro | Upstate - Kharkiv, USSR (Ukraine) - Darknes
50 - BOS | OL Ken Kennedy | Provinciale du Nouveau-Brunswick - Fredericton, NB - ItDoesntMatter
51 - LOU (from OTT) | WR Noah Guy | Louisville State - Knoxville, TN - Scratch
52 - LDN | WR James Penguin | Rideau - Gatineau, QC - QCS
53 - PIT | OL Harrison Russell | Baltimore State - Baltimore, MD - ZO82
54 - PRO | TE Terry Wrasse | Western New York - Batavia, NY - Dan O’Mac
55 - HFX | LB Walker Colson | Nova Scotia - Charlottetown, PEI - Darknes
56 - PRO (from TOR) | LB Benjamin Page | Concord-Manchester - Manchester, NH - Darknes
57 - IND | DL Raymond Pushor | North West Virginia - Charlottesville, VA - Edgeworth
58 - LI | DL Jim Kennedy | West Mass State - Greenfield, MA - Stickman
59 - MTL | DB Julius Bar | Toronto - Owen Sound, ON - ItDoesntMatter
60 - BUF | QB Peter Dooling | Haynes - Hartford, CT - Darknes

Undrafted
RB Norm Sloe | Concord-Manchester - Concord, NH - Dan O’Mac
WR Todd Anderson | Minneapolis - Rosemount, MN - Dan O’Mac
DB Foley DeGraaf | Erie - Warren, OH - ItDoesntMatter
TE Lucas Warmer | Kitchener-Waterloo Provincial - Millbank, ON - Scratch

1967 Draft Preview

1967 College Results

Canada East Hybrid Conference
WEST
(2) Hamilton Howlers
(4) St. George Maples
(6) Toronto Dukes
London Foresters
Rideau Rams
Kitchener-Waterloo Prov. Beavers

EAST
(7) St-Laurent Cavaliers de Riviere
(10) Majeure Montreal Insularies
Nova Scotia Armada
Montreal Provincial Panthers
New Brunswick Pirates
Mont-Bellevue Geais Bleus

CEHC Playoffs
EF (7) ST-L 24-6 (10) MMTL
WF (2) UHAM 31-23 (4) STG

CEHC Championship
(2) UHAM 38-16 (7) ST-L

America East Hybrid Conference
(1) New England Cardinals
(3) Western New York Whitetails
(5) Rhode Island State Bulldogs
(8) Cambridge of Boston Cubs
(9) Haynes Colonials
West Mass State Rangers
Maine State Acadians
Vermont Republic Mountaineers
Concord-Manchester Fighting Pike
Erie Sailors
WNY-Rochester Eagles

AEHC Playoffs
(1) UNE 37-21 (8) CUB
(3) WNY 24-27 (5) RISU

AEHC Championship
(1) UNE 28-20 (5) RISU

Hybrid Football Championship
(1) UNE 17-27 (2) UHAM

1967 Draft Preview
It was a dominant season for the Hamilton Howlers. They rolled through everyone this season led by a flurry of excellent talent ready to make the jump to the NAAF. The twin duo of Bernhard and Matthias Hartmann dominated on the D-line for the Howlers creating trouble for many offences this season. The two have contrasting playing styles that make it difficult to adjust especially when they are easily flipped around on the line. Bernhard has a more calculated and tactical approach, using his technical skill to beat players. As for Matthias, he is more about overpowering and beating guys based on his pure talent at the position. Beyond the defensive anchors, the Howlers had a pair of offensive weapons like the speedy WR Cole Fletcher and elusive RB Scott Norton. 

The only other team that seemed to hold a candle to the dominant UHamilton squad was New England. The Cardinals again finished the season ranked #1 in hybrid football. They were backed by defensive stars DL Aaron Henderson and LB Mads Strahlman. Anderson has all the makings to be a star DL in the NAAF. A big guy that can just stuff the run game, being able to understand how offensive run blocking works as well as a QB. Strahlman on the other hand is more like a blood-thirsty dog. He just hunts down the ball carrier and doesn’t ever let him get away. WR Al Allmindinger helped out a much younger offence with his ability to burst past DB’s like it’s his hobby.

Rhode Island State had fallen back a little this season with HC Garrett Boone leaving for the Gold Stars, but they still had some top talent with RB Ronnie Byers and LB Byron Turner. Byers has amazing vision while running that allows him to be shifty and find holes in the defence, while Turner is easily the most talented LB available, however, some may be pushed away with some reported bad communication skills.

Of course outside of all the talent from the big schools, many get curious about the quarterback talent in this years’ class. At the top of the list is QB David Simmons. Simmons is an extremely smart guy. He wanted to attend King’s University in New York, but his family didn’t have the money. However, when he showed off his talents in back-to-back routes of Scranton College and Huntington College while attending Newark College, he was noticed by a scout from Cambridge University of Boston. After seeing his smarts, the school gave him a full scholarship. In his senior year, Simmons turned the school’s program around, giving them their best finish since QB Connor O’Rourke attended. His ability to get out of trouble would make up for a lack of supporting talent at the school, which could be a great thing for a team with a weaker roster. There are concerns about arm strength and deep accuracy, but he could be a great piece if he develops well.

QB Martin Keller is another intelligent QB out of St.George. He shows immense smarts on the field, being able to know what is the best choice in the situation. It helps that he also can learn playbooks in record time, which means he also knows the defence as well as offence and reads it well. However, he does have a tendency to play it a bit too safe and not take a lot of risks. Overall, he should be a stable option for teams to build around.

QB Xerxes Wynn, the younger brother of Le'Darius Wynn, had an overall successful year at Western New York. The left-handed QB is known for running the ball quite a bit, but has some issues with his throwing ability, but has shown to improve over time. Wynn did have a lot of help around him this season which helped the team rise to 2nd in the AEHC. WR Tracy Driscoll is the key piece for the offence with his quick and elusive style. He was able to make a lot out of Wynn’s typically short passes which makes him a prime WR prospect.

Lastly is Peter Dooling. The Haynes QB is looked at as a bit of an anomaly. Every single time the QB throws the ball looks like it was a duck that’s been shot in mid-air. However, the ball gets to its target more times than not. He has good accuracy which still allowed Haynes to have a solid season. 

The Gains Report top 25 Draft Prospects

*I have done this year's rankings a little differently which has created a lot less certainty with the top guys being the top and some later guys being better. Also, a lot of the rankings are also based on which schools these guys go to as the more successful schools showing more talent. In short, just because your player is rated low, does not mean they are guaranteed to be bad or at that level.

1 - DL Aaron Henderson - New England - Wally Flowers - Wallflower
2 - OL Bradley Clark - New England - Brad Cumberland - DireBear
3 - DL Bernhard Hartmann - UHamilton - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
4 - WR Cole Fletcher - UHamilton - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
5 - DL Matthias Hartmann - UHamilton - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
6 - LB Byron Turner - Rhode Island State - Wally Flowers - Wallflower
7 - DB Dwayne James - Toronto - James Herr-O’Nark - JamHeronArk
8 - WR Tracy Driscoll - Western New York - Brad Cumberland - DireBear
9 - RB Ronnie Byers - Rhode Island State - Johnny Singleton - Captain Mort 3D
10 - QB David Simmons - Cambridge of Boston - Johnny Armando - Stickman
11 - WR Al Allmendinger - New England - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
12 - RB Scott Norton - UHamilton - Barry Williams - ZO82
13 - LB Mads Strahlman - New England - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
14 - DL Newton Dalton - Rhode Island State - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
15 - QB Martin Keller - St.George - Wally Flowers - Wallflower
16 - OL TJ Overton - North Indiana - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
17 - OL Tommy Reynolds - Toronto - Barry Williams - ZO82
18 - S Sully Callahan - New England - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
19 - WR Erik Hodge - London - Wally Flowers - Wallflower
20 - OL Lars Nordssen - Allegheny -  Johnny Armando - Stickman
21 - QB Xerxes Wynn - Western New York - Kenneth Jones - Enigmajones
22 - LB Brent Mayiski - Louisville State - Timmy Bjarnanthan - NoE38
23 - LB Frederic Mcnamara - Nova Scotia - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
24 - TE Walter Lafleur - UHamilton - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
25 - DL Ross Jackson - U-America - Travis Ronnigen - Edgeworth
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
26 - TE Rex Williamson - North Indiana - Jay Hawkins - Jayhawk
27 - S Mathieu Cazenave - Majuere Montreal - Vincent Desjardins - Kingsfan11
29 - OL Mike Normal - Indiana Tech - Ivan Di Marco - ItDoesntMatter
30 - QB Peter Dooling - Haynes - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
33 - OL Matt Helmut - Jersey State - Jimmy Yamamoto - QCS
35 - TE Lucas Warmer - Kitchener-Waterloo Provincial - Roger Roy - Scratch

1st Round Draft Order - Needs
1 - Louisville Thunder - DL, LB, OL
2 - Boston Independents - LB, OL, DL
3 - Ottawa Royals - DL, QB, WR
4 - London Tigers - DL, WR, DB
5 - Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - DB, LB, DL
6 - Providence Gold Stars - OL, DL, DB
7 - Ottawa Royals (from Halifax) - DL, QB, WR
8 - Toronto Steelheads - LB, DL, WR
9 - Indiana Victors - WR, OL, DB
10 - Boston Independents (from Long Island) - LB, OL, DL
11 - Montreal Rouge - OL, DB, DL
12 - Buffalo Blue Wings - WR, LB, OL

HFX - 1st Pick: 19th - OL, RB, DB
LI - 1st Pick: 22nd - RB, TE, OL