Fred Williams (ice hockey)

Fred Williams
Born	(1956-07-01) July 1, 1956 Saskatoon, SK, CAN
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Detroit Red Wings
NHL Draft	4th overall, 1976 Detroit Red Wings
WHA Draft	26th overall, 1976 New England Whalers
Playing career	1976–1982

Frederick Richard "Freddy" Williams (born July 1, 1956 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) is a retired professional ice hockey centre. He was drafted in the 1st round (4th overall) by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1976 NHL draft. Williams played in only 44 games at the NHL level. He is the older brother of former NHL player Gord Williams.

Professional career

Junior hockey

An explosive skater, Williams started his career as a 15-year-old in major junior hockey in the Western Canada Hockey League as a centre for the Saskatoon Blades in the 1971–72 season. As a relative youngster in major junior, he started slowly in his first two seasons with only 41 points in his first 121 games. However, in the following seasons, Williams would score 36, 70, and 118 points including two trips to the playoffs, helping the Blades to the finals two years in a row, with 61 total playoff points. He was 6th in the league in assists with 87 during the 1975–76 season, which had a number of excellent players who would go on to success in the NHL ranks. An excellent skater and two way player with a consistent scoring touch, Williams attracted the attention of the Detroit Red Wings, who moved to draft Williams as their first round pick in the 1976 NHL draft. Williams was the fourth pick overall in the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft, a prestigious start to his pro career.

Moving up, then down

Williams started the 1976–77 season on the Rhode Island Reds of the American Hockey League but was quickly called up to the NHL on October 7, 1976. Expectations were high as a first draft pick, and Williams did not disappoint, as he scored a goal in his debut game against the Washington Capitals. However, Williams went on to score only six points in the remaining 43 games and was subsequently sent down to the Wing's minor league affiliates for the following season. He continued to flounder while playing for the Kansas City Red Wings of the Central Hockey League, even trying to play as an defenseman. He did not improve and was released outright at the end of the season. Williams decided to retire. However, Williams was quickly enticed out of retirement by an offer from the Philadelphia Firebirds of the AHL on September 15, 1979. He played in 35 games for the Firebirds before being traded to the Maine Mariners. He played is final three seasons for the Mariners scoring 51, 55, and 32 points respectively. Williams retired after the 1981–82 season.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1971-72	Saskatoon Blades	WCHL		54	7	9	16	6		—	—	—	—	—
1972-73	Saskatoon Blades	WCHL		67	7	18	25	24		—	—	—	—	—
1973-74	Saskatoon Blades	WCHL		67	16	20	36	46		—	—	—	—	—
1974-75	Saskatoon Blades	WCHL		59	21	49	70	61		17	8	16	24	43
1975-76	Saskatoon Blades	WCHL		72	31	87	118	129		20	7	20	27	20
1976-77	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		44	2	5	7	10		—	—	—	—	—
1976-77	Rhode Island Reds	AHL		34	7	19	26	24		—	—	—	—	—
1977-78	Kansas City Red Wings	CHL		32	0	6	6	12		—	—	—	—	—
1977-78	Philadelphia Firebirds	AHL		35	5	11	16	22		4	2	3	5	2
1979-80	Maine Mariners	AHL		73	17	34	51	26		12	5	12	18	8
1980-81	Maine Mariners	AHL		79	21	34	55	78		20	8	8	16	20
1981-82	Maine Mariners	AHL		46	6	26	32	44		3	0	0	0	2
NHL Totals				44	2	5	7	10		—	—	—	—	—
AHL Totals				267	56	124	180	194		39	15	23	39	32

Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes

External links

• Fred Williams's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Fred's Bio on Hockey Draft Central.com

Preceded by Rick Lapointe

Detroit Red Wings first round draft pick 1976

Succeeded by Dale McCourt