By Jeff D'Andrea

The Top 10 Raiders of all time

Jul 6, 2016 | 4:56 PM

The Prince Albert Raiders have had some excellent players in the past. We decided to dig into the history books and highlight some of the standouts from the team’s past and present, since the Raiders joined the WHL ranks for the 1982-1983 season.

1.     Mike Modano, played with the Raiders 1986-89

The first ballot NHL Hall of Famer and highest scoring, American-born player in NHL history started his junior hockey career in Prince Albert with the Raiders. Modano also has the distinction of being the first player in franchise history to have his jersey retired in the Art Hauser Centre.

2.      Dan Hodgson, 1982-85

Hodgson captained the Raiders when they won their first and only Memorial Cup in 1985. He also holds franchise records for almost every offensive stat for the Raiders, in goals, assists and points for both career and single seasons.

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3.      Dave Manson, 1983-86

Prince Albert’s Manson instilled fear in every opponent he faced, both in his three seasons with the Raiders (including the Memorial Cup victory) and his 1,103 NHL games. He has given back to the local hockey community, having coached in Prince Albert since retiring from the NHL in 2002, both with the Raiders and the Midget AAA Mintos. He’s also the second Raider ever to have his jersey retired.

4.      Jeff Nelson, 1988-92

P.A.’s own Nelson still holds the WHL record for longest point scoring streak. Nelson registered at least a point for 56 consecutive games—nine more any other player. The streak lasted from Oct. 24, 1990 to March 6, 1991, and saw Nelson score 108 points at the time. He’s also second on the Raiders all-time scoring list with 417 points in 279 games.

5.      Emanuel Viveiros, 1982-86

He wore a letter during the 1985 Memorial Cup win and is the highest scoring defenceman in Raiders history with 321 points in 251 games. Despite being a blueliner, Viveiros is actually the third highest scorer ever in Raiders history.

6.      Dave Pasin, 1982-85

Despite not reaching the 200-game plateau, Pasin still managed 320 points in 198 games played, making him the fourth-ranked Raiders scorer of all time. Pasin was on the top line with Hodgson and Tony Grenier the year the Raiders won the Memorial Cup. Pasin had 10 goals and 21 points in the 1985 WHL playoffs.

7.      Josh Morrissey, 2010-15

Although he got traded in the last year of his WHL career, Morrissey is the second highest scoring defenceman in Raiders’ history. His 60 goals are tied for the franchise lead with Viveiros, and his 175 points are 34 more than third place D-scorer Todd Nelson.

8.      Leon Draisaitl, 2012-14

As one of the most talented players the Raiders have had in recent memory, Draisaitl scored 105 points in the 2013-14 season. This was the first time a Raider player eclipsed the 100-point mark since the 1995-96 season when Steve Kelly scored 101 points. Draisaitl was the third overall selection by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, and already has a 50-point NHL season in his sophomore year with the Oil this past season.

9.      Chris Phillips, 1995-97

Phillips is one of just two Raiders that have been drafted first overall, the other being our top-ranked Raider Modano. The Ottawa Senators drafted Phillips No. 1 in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, where he stayed for his entire NHL career from 1997 until his retirement this season in 2016.

10.   Rejean Beauchemin, 2002-05

Beauchemin won two gold medals with Team Canada at the Under-18s in 2003 and the World Juniors in 2005 as a goaltender. He also had arguably the best statistical season in goal with the Raiders in 2003-2004, setting Raiders’ records in goals against average (2.32), save percentage (.911) and shutouts (6). Luke Siemens tied the shutout record in 2012-13 and edged Beauchemin’s save percentage record at .912.

Honourable mentions: Kyle Chipchura, Luke Siemens, Denis Pederson, Brandon Herrod, Jeremy Colliton, Tony Grenier, Steve Gotaas, Dale McFee, Scott Hartnell and Dean McAmmond.

Who did we miss? Let us know who your favourite all-time Raiders player is in the comment section below.

jdandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea