Mike Vellucci remembers his high school prom in his native Michigan for a lot more than just bad '80s fashions and awkward dancing.

It was held the night before the 1984 NHL draft in Montreal, for which he was eligible, meaning he’d have to cut the marquee dance of his teenage years short.

“’You’re going to miss prom!?’” Vellucci remembered his friends incredulously asking.

“They thought I was crazy. They had no idea (about the draft).”

Such was life for a young American hockey prospect in the early 1980s, where a trio of players from suburban Detroit – Vellucci, a late round pick of the Hartford Whalers, and former NHL all-stars Al Iafrate and Kevin Hatcher had to make the decision whether to play hockey in their native U.S. or move north to Canada to further their careers.

But unlike today, where the NCAA and Canadian Hockey League are fighting tooth and nail over each and every highly touted prospect, things at that time were different for many American players.

“Back then the

The Erie Otters will have their Maple Leafs quotient increased this season when Norwegian forward Sondre Olden joins the junior team in September.

Otters general manager Sherry Bassin confirmed that Toronto’s third round pick (79th overall in 2010) has signed to play in the OHL this season.

“We talked to him and he’s excited about coming,” said Bassin, who drafted Olden 31st overall in last week’s CHL Import Draft. “We’re excited about it too.”

The centre will be joining fellow Leafs prospect Greg McKegg, who was taken in third round (62nd overall) at the same draft, with the Otters. Bassin said it’s too early to think about the possibility of the pair playing together.

“We expect him to be a top forward for us and that’s all we can say right now,” said the long-time general manager.

Bassin says he’ll head to the Leafs’ prospects camp on Wednesday to see the 19-year-old in action, adding that he had a “good feeling” that Olden would report to the OHL club.

Having former NHL head coach

Dave Cameron and Mark Reeds will finally make their long awaited returns to the National Hockey League.

This time, however, both former players will be behind the bench as assistants with the Ottawa Senators.

"I'm really excited about it, obviously," said the 52-year-old Cameron. "Any chance you get to go to the NHL, it's so hard to get there and so few jobs, you can't help but be excited. Now it's just a matter of going up there and getting under the direction of [head coach Paul MacLean] and helping that organization win some hockey games."

Cameron and Reeds – who coached against each other in the hotly contested OHL final this year – will join the newly appointed MacLean. Cameron is familiar with his new head coach since his UPEI Panthers played against MacLean and the Dalhousie Tigers in university hockey during the late 1970s. And with both men hailing from the Maritimes, Cameron said they would meet at various hockey and charity events.

"It's usually the same guys so you get to

Every season since the NHL has held an entry draft, there have been players who have failed to meet the expectations put on them by scouts and general managers – the busts.

As the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minn., approaches, Yahoo! Sports takes a look at 10 first-round picks over a 20-year period between 1983-2003 who, despite entering the draft amid major hype, missed the mark on hockey’s biggest stage.

1993: Alexandre Daigle – 1st overall by the Ottawa Senators

Daigle is considered by many to be the poster boy of draft busts. Sure, his NHL numbers were good compared to others on this list – 616 NHL games, 327 points – but when you compare the 1993 draft class, Daigle going first overall is an epic fail.

Daigle didn’t help matters either when he told reporters on the draft floor: “I’m glad I got drafted first, because no one remembers number two,” which is fine, unless you don’t pan out and that No. 2 pick is Chris Pronger.

Players taken after Daigle in the first round: Paul

Justin Shugg had to fight to get the words out of his mouth.

The Mississauga St. Michael's Majors veteran forward stood in front of reporters Sunday night, dejection and devastation written all over his bearded face. Shugg had just suffered his first loss in a MasterCard Memorial Cup final after winning two consecutive titles and it was clear he was having a difficult time being on the losing end.

“To be on the other side is probably the worst feeling I’ve ever felt,” Shugg said finally.

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While Shugg was trying to find the words to explain how devastated he felt, the Saint John Sea Dogs were wildly celebrating their 3-1 victory over the Majors. It was the first time a team from the Maritimes won the 93-year-old Canadian major junior hockey championship. It was the second time this month the Majors watched an opponent claim a championship on their home ice. The Mississauga club and their Hershey Centre followers had already suffered through a Game 7 overtime loss to the Owen Sound

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - Justin Shugg has scored his share of hat tricks in the past. On Sunday, the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors forward will be trying for one of a different sort – and undoubtedly of the special variety - as he aims to be only the second player in Canadian major junior hockey history to win three consecutive MasterCard Memorial Cup titles.

“I hope I can get the hat trick,” said Shugg. “It’s an unexplainable feeling to compete for another trophy on a national stage.”

The Majors put themselves in the Memorial Cup final with an efficient, workmanlike 3-1 win over the Kootenay Ice on Friday night in the tournament semifinal. As far as Shugg’s teammates are concerned, they’d like to help him earn his place in history and take home a ring themselves.

“This is an opportunity – a rare one for him – but also a unique opportunity for a lot of us,” said goaltender JP Anderson. “Coming in here, you don’t have a lot of chances in your junior career to win a Memorial Cup.”

The

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - Scott Stajcer’s eyes were red and raw as he stood answering questions about the unceremonious end to the Owen Sound Attack’s run at the MasterCard Memorial Cup.

It was the 19-year-old goaltender’s first game of the tournament and his first start since May 10. He was pulled late in the third period after letting in six goals on 25 shots as the Attack were knocked out 7-3 by the Kootenay Ice in the tiebreaker game.

Facing the TV cameras and reporters, there were no mincing words. He took responsibility for ending the Attack’s season.

“We had to play a full game and we didn’t,” said Stajcer, who signed an NHL entry-level contract with the New York Rangers on the eve of the tournament opener a week ago. “I let in six goals in a tiebreaker game. I take the blame for this game. I can’t let that happen.”

“It’s a huge loss and pretty devastating for me. It’s really tough.”

Stajcer, like many of his Attack teammates, would not use the loss of star forward Joey Hishon and

The game was still in its infancy Wednesday night when Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors forward Jamie Wise hit Owen Sound Attack defenceman Geoffrey Schemitsch from behind into the boards.

Schemitsch crumpled to the ice and Wise was hauled away by a linesman for what looked to be a certain boarding call. He went to the penalty box, but after a short discussion was released from his anticipated (at least) two minutes of purgatory, leaving most of the people in the Hershey Centre – including Wise himself – confused.

“The linesman just grabbed me and said, ‘You’re going to the box’,” said Wise. “I thought it was a clean hit. I didn’t know what was going on. Luckily they didn’t call a penalty.”

Lucky it was for Wise, but not so much for the Attack, who spent most of the game killing off penalties in a 3-1 loss to the Majors to end round-robin play at the MasterCard Memorial Cup. It was the grudge match between the two teams after the underdog Attack defeated the Majors in a thrilling Game