Flames All-Time Countdown Chapter LXXV: 168-165

168. Hnat Domenichelli

Domenichelli is a 6', 180 lb. center from Edmonton, Alberta. He started out with the Kamloops Blazers in 1992-93 in the WHL, where he scored 39 goals with 48 assists in 114 games over his first two seasons. The Hartford Whalers selected him in the fourth round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft with the 83rd overall pick.

Born on February 16th, 1976, Domenichelli spent two more seasons with the Blazers (134 games, 111 goals, 151 assists, 262 PiM). He turned pro in the 1996-97 season, appearing with four teams including the Flames. He had 39 games with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons (39 games, 24 goals, 24 assists, 48 PiM) and 13 contests with the Whalers (two goals, one assist). On March 5th, the Whalers traded him with Glen Featherstone and two draft choices (Dimitri Kokorev, Paul Manning) the the Flames for Steve Chiasson and a draft choice (Francis Lessard). He played in 10 contests for Calgary, scoring a goal on 16 shots with two assists. On March 21st, he had a goal and an assist in a 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He finished with a plus-1 rating and two penalty minutes.

Domenichelli scored nine times on 70 shots in 31 games for the Flames in 1997-98. He added seven assists, earned a career high plus-4 rating, and racked up three minor penalties. From January 29th through March 1st, he had a seven game point streak (five goals, three assists). On February 3rd, he scored twice in a 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.
In 1998-99, Domenichelli played in 23 games for Calgary, playing 12:59 per appearance. He scored five times on 45 shots with as many assists, with a minus-4 rating and 11 penalty minutes. Most of his scoring happened in the last four games of the season, when he totaled seven points (two goals, five assists). On April 14th, he totaled two assists in a win over the Vancouver Canucks, 5-4. The following night, in a 5-1 win against the Colorado Avalanche, he totaled a goal and an assist.

1999-00, Domenichelli started out the season with Calgary. He played in 32 games for the Flames through the first half of the season, scoring five goals on 57 shots with nine assists, an even rating, and 12 penalty minutes in 12:39 per game. On December 18th, he scored a goal with an assist, accounting for all of Calgary’s offense in a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators. On February 11th, the Flames traded Domenichelli with Dmitri Vlasenkov to the Atlanta Thrashers for Darryl Shannon and Jason Botterill.

Domenichelli played in parts of three seasons for Atlanta, totaling 29 goals and 32 assists in 130 contests. He has since played with the Minnesota Wild (28 games, one goal, five assists), the AHL’s Houston Aeros (62 games, 29 goals, 34 assists), and in the top league in Switzerland, with Ambri-Piotta (197 games, 124 goals, 145 assists), Lugano (213 games, 87 goals, 108 assists), and Bern (32 games, nine goals, eight assists).

All-Time Statline: 96 games, 20 goals, 23 assists, plus-9 rating, 31 penalty minutes, 4.26 point shares.

167. Jeff Shantz

Shantz was a 6', 184 lb. center from Duchess, Alberta. Born on October 10th, 1973, he was a second round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, 36th overall in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft.

Shantz got his start with the WHL’s Regina Pats in 1989-90. Over parts of four seasons, he totaled 84 goals and 125 assists with 172 penalty minutes in 206 games. Over his first five and a half professional seasons, he played with the Indianapolis Ice (51 games, 14 goals, 24 assists) and the Blackhawks (312 games, 36 goals, 80 assists). On October 27th, Chicago traded him with Steve Dubinsky for Marty McInnis, Jamie Allison and Eric Andersson.

Shantz spent 69 games with the Flames through the rest of the 1998-99 season. In 16:47 per contest, he ranked fifth on the club with 12 goals on 77 shots, along with a team eighth 17 assists, a team third plus-15 rating, and 40 penalty minutes. On November 12th, he scored two goals in a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. On January 8th, he accounted for all the offense in a 1-0 Calgary win over the Dallas Stars. On March 13th, he had a goal and an assist in a 5-4 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals.

In 1999-00, Shantz ranked fourth on the team with 13 goals on 112 shots. He added a team seventh 18 assists in 74 games, with a minus-13 rating and 30 penalty minutes in 18:15 per game. On October 28th, he scored two goals against the Ottawa Senators, including the overtime game winner in a 4-3 victory. On February 18th, he scored a goal and an assist in a 4-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers.

2000-01 would see Shantz score five goals on 88 shots in 73 games for Calgary. He added 15 assists, a minus-7 rating, and a career high 58 penalty minutes in 14:51 per contest. Between December 7th and 13th, he totaled five points in three games, culminating in a two assist performance in a 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens.

In 2001-02, Shantz appeared in 40 games for the Flames, playing for 11:26 per contest. He scored three times in 37 games with three assists, a minus-3 rating, and 23 penalty minutes. On March 25th, he earned two assists in a 6-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Just before the next season started, the Flames traded him with Derek Morris and Dean McAmmond to the Colorado Avalanche for Chris Drury and Stephane Yelle.

Shantz would go on to play with the Avs (74 games, three goals, six assists), Langnau (Swiss, 91 games, 27 goals, 46 assists), the Mannheim Eagles (Germany, 133 games, 33 goals, 57 assists), and Klagenfurt AC (Austria, 144 games, 39 goals, 76 assists).

All-Time Statline: 256 games, 33 goals, 53 assists, minus-8 rating, 151 penalty minutes, 4.26 point shares.

166. Greg Fox

Fox was a 6'2", 190 lb. defenseman from Vancouver, British Columbia. Born on August 12th, 1953, he was an 11th round pick in the 1973 NHL Entry Draft of the Atlanta Flames, going 162nd overall after his freshman collegiate season.

Fox played four seasons of college hockey with the University of Michigan (137 games, three goals, 66 assists, 311 PiM). After graduating with the Class of 1976, he split his first professional season  between the CHL’s Tulsa Oilers (10 games, one goal, seven assists), the SHL’s Greensboro Generals (four games), and the AHL’s Nova Scotia Voyageurs (51 games, two goals, 14 assists, 110 PiM).

In 1977-78, Fox split the season between the Voyageurs (51 games, two goals, 10 assists, 124 PiM), and the Flames. In 16 contests with Atlanta, he scored a goal on 15 shots with two assists, a plus-5 rating, and 25 penalty minutes.

1978-79 would see Fox appear in 64 games with Atlanta. He wasn’t at any point relegated to the Flames minor league feeder system. He went scoreless while taking 39 shots on goal, with 12 assists, a team second best plus-25 rating and 70 penalty minutes. On March 13th, the Flames traded him with Tom Lysiak, Harold Phillipoff, Pat Ribble and Miles Zaharko to the Chicago Blackhawks for Ivan Boldirev, Darcy Rota, and Phil Russell.

Fox played six seasons with the Blackhawks (339 games, nine goals, 68 assists, 450 PiM), later appearing with the Pittsburgh Penguins (75 games, four goals, 10 assists, 92 PiM), and the Baltimore Skipjacks (36 games, three goals, 14 assists, 38 PiM). After retiring from hockey, he got into franchising, and currently operates 30 Domino’s Pizza stores in the Atlanta, GA area.

All-Time Statline: 80 games, one goal, 14 assists, plus-30 rating, 95 penalty minutes, 4.38 point shares.

165. Wes Walz

Walz is a 5'10", 180 lb. center from Calgary, Alberta. Born on May 15th, 1970, he was a third round selection in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins, 57th overall. He played 120 WHL contests (84 goals, 162 assists), mostly with the Lethbridge Hurricanes ending in 1989-90.

Walz also made his NHL debut late in the 1989-90 season with the Bruins, scoring a goal and an assist in two games. Over the next four seasons, he played with the Bruins (73 games, nine goals, 12 assists), the Maine Mariners (AHL, 41 games, 21 goals, 23 assists, 57 PiM), the Hershey Bears (AHL, 119 games, 48 goals, 73 assists, 143 PiM), and the Philadelphia Flyers (two games, one goal).

1993-94 would see Walz play in 53 games with the Flames, scoring a team seventh 11 goals on 79 shots with a team sixth 27 assists, a team sixth plus-20 rating, and 16 penalty minutes. He earned multiple points in eight contests through the season. On January 15th, he scored two goals and an assist in a 10-0 win over the Ottawa Senators. He scored once with a pair of helpers on February 20th in a 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets.

In 1994-95, Walz scored six goals on 73 shots with a team eighth best 12 assists, a plus-7 rating and 11 penalty minutes. On February 26th, he earned two assists in a 5-3 win over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. On April 17th, he had a goal and an assist in a 5-2 win against the Los Angeles Kings. He signed as a Detroit Red Wing through free agency following the season.

Walz played with the Adirondack Red Wings (38 games, 20 goals 35 assists), Detroit (two games), Zug (Swiss, 121 games, 64 goals, 83 assists, 174 PiM), the Long Beach Ice Dogs (six games, four goals, three assists), Lugano (Swiss (13 games, seven goals, 11 assists), and the Minnesota Wild (438 games, 82 goals, 100 assists, 272 PiM).

All-Time Statline: 92 games, 17 goals, 39 assists, plus-27 rating, 27 penalty minutes, 4.39 point shares.