- Jim Nill
James Edward "Jim" Nill (Born
April 11 , 1958 in Hanna,Alberta ) is a former NHL right winger and currently the AssistantGeneral manager of theDetroit Red Wings .Junior career
Jim Nill played 1 season for the
Drumheller Falcons of the AJHL in 1975. The next 3 years were spent with theMedicine Hat Tigers of the WCHL. He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in round # 6 (89th overall) in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft.International career
The next season he played with the
University of Calgary before signing on with the Canadian national team for 1979–80. Nill scored 32 points in 45 exhibition games then played six games for Canada at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics.Professional career
Jim Nill played 1 season for the
Salt-Lake Golden Eagles of the CHL in 1980–81. He finally made his NHL debut in 1982 for St. Louis. He only played 1 season for the Blues before being traded to theVancouver Canucks for Tony Currie,Rick Heinz and St. Louis' 4th round choice (Shawn Kilroy ) in the1982 NHL Entry Draft forGlen Hanlon onMarch 9 ,1982 . He helped the Canucks to the1982 Stanley Cup Finals where they would lose to theNew York Islanders 4–0. After 2 more seasons in Vancouver Nill was traded to theBoston Bruins forPeter McNab onFebruary 3 ,1984 . He did not receive very much ice time in Boston and consequently the Bruins ended up trading him to theWinnipeg Jets forMorris Lukowich onFebruary 4 ,1985 . He played nearly 4 years for Winnipeg, However they were not able to defeat the powerhouseEdmonton Oilers or theCalgary Flames . He was sent to the AHL'sMoncton Hawks . He did not stay inNew Brunswick long asDetroit Red Wings head coachJacques Demers liked his tough style of play. He was traded to Detroit onJanuary 11 ,1988 for fellow journeyman NHLerMark Kumpel . He played the final 3 years of his NHL career in Detroit with brief stints for the AHL'sAdirondack Red Wings . In Adirondack he was a teammate ofSheldon Kennedy . He retired from hockey as a player after 1991.Management career
After he retired as an active player he joined the scouting staff of the
Ottawa Senators as Amateur scout. He was promoted to professional scout after only 2 years. He joined the Red Wings front office in the summer of 1994 following his 3 year stint with the Ottawa Senators.Jim Nill's duties include directing Detroit's amateur scouting and selections at the annual NHL Entry Draft. He had also served as the general manager of the Adirondack Red Wings.
Nill continues to oversee the development of the Red Wings' prospects that are currently assigned to Detroit's main affiliate, the
Grand Rapids Griffins of theAmerican Hockey League , as well as those in the Canadian junior and European leagues.In his management role with the
Detroit Red Wings he has helped the team to 4Stanley Cup Championships in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008.External links
*hockeydb|3976
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