Dave Debol
American center who played for Hartford Whalers and Cincinnati Stingers.
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Dave Debol is an American former professional ice hockey player who played for the Hartford Whalers in the NHL and the Cincinnati Stingers in the WHA between 1978 and 1981. He is notable for his collegiate career at the University of Michigan, where he set multiple scoring records and was called 'the Guy Lafleur of college hockey.'
Lore & Background
Debol played youth hockey in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, and participated in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments in 1967 and 1968. He enrolled at the University of Michigan as a walk-on and became an All-American center, leading the Wolverines to the NCAA Frozen Four finals, where they lost in overtime to Wisconsin. As a sophomore, he scored three goals in less than one minute, setting an NCAA record.
In March 1977, he tied Red Berenson's 14-year-old record for most goals in a season with his 42nd goal, finishing the year with 43. He set Michigan records for assists in a season (56), points in a season (99), career assists (120), and career points (222). As a senior, he led the WCHA in scoring with 43 goals and 56 assists.
Reader's Guide
Debol's professional career began when the Chicago Black Hawks acquired his NHL rights and the New England Whalers acquired his WHA rights. The Whalers traded his rights to the Edmonton Oilers, who then traded negotiating rights to the Cincinnati Stingers for Dennis Sobchuk. Debol signed with the Stingers in March 1978. In his rookie season, he had 10 goals and 27 assists before being struck in the eye with a hockey stick in a game against Winnipeg in March 1979.
He underwent surgery to re-attach the flap of the retina on his left eye. After recovering, he was selected by the Hartford Whalers in the 1979 Dispersal Draft when the WHA merged with the NHL. He played for the Whalers from 1979 to 1981, alongside Gordie Howe and his sons Mark and Marty. Debol recorded 26 goals and 26 assists in 92 games for Hartford.
After retiring, he coached high school hockey at Dexter High School in Michigan and later coached college hockey at the University of Michigan–Dearborn in the ACHA Division I ranks. He also owned and operated hockey schools, including Hockey Masters in Chelsea, Michigan, and Debol & Donnelly Skill Development. In 1996, he was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor. On 10 May 2016, he was named the inaugural head coach of the St. Clair Shores Fighting Saints of the Federal Hockey League.
Career statistics and honours
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1973–74 | St. Clair Falcons | MNHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1974–75 | University of Michigan | B-10 | 33 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1975–76 | University of Michigan | B-10 | 42 | 36 | 22 | 58 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1976–77 | University of Michigan | B-10 | 45 | 43 | 56 | 99 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1977–78 | University of Michigan | B-10 | 36 | 20 | 38 | 58 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1977–78 | Cincinnati Stingers | WHA | 9 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1978–79 | Cincinnati Stingers | WHA | 59 | 10 | 27 | 37 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1979–80 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 48 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979–80 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 16 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1979–80 | Cincinnati Stingers | CHL | 10 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1980–81 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 44 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1980–81 | Binghamton Whalers | AHL | 18 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1981–82 | Cincinnati Tigers | CHL | 50 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1981–82 | Oklahoma City Stars | CHL | 21 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1982–83 | Birmingham South Stars | CHL | 55 | 25 | 28 | 53 | 8 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 2 |
| 1983–84 | EHC Wetzikon | NLB | 38 | 56 | 41 | 97 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| WHA totals | 68 | 13 | 29 | 42 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 92 | 26 | 26 | 52 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | United States | WC | 8 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | |
| 1978 | United States | WC | 10 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | |
| 1981 | United States | WC | 8 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 14 | |
| Senior totals | 26 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 16 | |||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| All-WCHA Second Team | 1975–76 |
| All-WCHA First Team | 1976–77 |
| AHCA West All-American | 1976–77 |
| All-NCAA All-Tournament Team | 1977 |
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Dave Debol (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
More in Hartford Whalers Players
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Dave Debol (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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