The Golden Knights selected William Carrier, Chris Thorburn, Brayden McNabb, and Jason Garrison.
By Warren Kosel
Four former Rochester Americans were among the 30 players selected by the Vegas Golden Knights at the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Forwards William Carrier and Chris Thorburn joined defensemen Brayden McNabb and Jason Garrison as the Golden Knights – set to become the 31st members of the National Hockey League – rounded out their roster for their inaugural campaign in 2017-18.
Carrier spent parts of the last three seasons with the Amerks, recording 56 points (23+33) and 92 penalty minutes in 127 career games. After a brief eight-game stint to begin the 2016-17 season in Rochester, Carrier earned his first call-up from the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 4 and remained with the big club for the remainder of the year, totaling eight points (5+3) over 41 appearances. Originally a second-round pick of the St. Louis Blues in 2013, Carrier scored his first NHL goal against now teammate Marc-Andre Fleury, who was also selected by Vegas as one of the team’s three goaltenders.
A second-round pick of the Sabres in 2001, Thorburn spent the first three years of his pro career with the Amerks, piling up 101 points (41+60) in 208 career games while helping Rochester to back-to-back playoff appearances. After posting 22 points during his rookie campaign, Thorburn more than doubled his offensive output by 2005-06, leading the Amerks with 23 goals and finishing third on the team in scoring with a career-best 50 points. He also made his NHL debut that same season for Buffalo and has since appeared in 750 career NHL games with stops in Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Winnipeg along the way.
McNabb joined the Amerks beginning in 2011-12 after four successful seasons with Kootenay Ice which included a Western Hockey League championship and a berth in the Memorial Cup his final season. In three seasons with the Amerks, the Davidson, Sask., native totaled 95 points (17+78) in 145 career games from the blueline, including a career-high 36 points in 2012-13. Buffalo’s third-round pick in 2009, McNabb was twice named to the AHL All-Star Classic, winning the Hardest Shot competition at the 2013 event while becoming the first Rochester defenseman to make consecutive All-Star game appearances since Mike Hurlbut. He also helped the Amerks to three straight Calder Cup Playoff berths before going onto appear in 238 NHL games for the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings.
In addition to acquiring Garrison, Vegas also received the rights to Nikita Gusev, a second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft for selecting him from the Tampa Bay Lightning. The only undrafted player of the group, Garrison arrived in Rochester following three successful seasons years at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The White Rock, British Columbia, native enjoyed a breakout rookie year in Rochester during the 2008-09 campaign when he led all Amerks defensemen and ranked fourth overall on the team in scoring with 35 points in 75 games. He added 19 points on three goals and 16 assists the following season while splitting the year with the Florida Panthers and leading Rochester to spot in the postseason. Garrison solidified his role as a permanent NHL blueliner in 2010-11, the final year of Florida’s affiliation with Rochester, and has registered 158 points (48+110) in 530 career games with Florida, Vancouver and Tampa Bay, who he guided to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2015 and again to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016.