The 1991 NHL Dispersal Draft was a dispersal draft held on May 30, 1991 in which the roster of the NHL's Minnesota North Stars was divided between that team and the San Jose Sharks, a new team formed by dissolving the 1978 North Stars-Cleveland Barons merger. The Sharks began play in the following season.

Rationale

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In 1990, as a result of slipping attendance, George and Gordon Gund, the owners of the North Stars, petitioned the NHL for permission to relocate their team to the San Francisco Bay Area. The NHL, however, wishing to maintain a presence in Minnesota, denied their request but as a compromise agreed to dissolve the Barons-North Stars merger and allowed the creation of an expansion team in nearby San Jose. The new team would be partially composed of players from the North Stars and the Gunds would assume ownership of it.

The NHL had previously placed a team in the Bay Area when the Oakland Seals began play in 1967, but the team was unsuccessful both on and off the ice and eventually relocated to become the Cleveland Barons in 1976 on the advice of minority owner George Gund, who soon after assumed majority ownership of the team with his brother Gordon. After two losing seasons, the Barons merged with the also financially troubled North Stars in 1978 and the Gunds assumed ownership of the franchise. Because the Gunds maintained ownership from Cleveland to Minnesota and then to San Jose, as well as the NHL franchise rights to the Bay Area, the San Jose Sharks were legally a resurrection of the Oakland Seals franchise. However, the new Sharks were an expansion team in all but the strictest legal sense.

Draft process

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Phase 1 Before the draft, the North Stars selected 14 skaters and 2 goaltenders who had played at least 50 NHL games by the end of the 1989-1990 season. From the remaining North Stars players (but excluding 1990 draft picks), the Sharks selected 14 skaters and 2 goaltenders.

Phase 2 Next, the two teams took turns selecting players from those who remained until the Sharks roster reached 30 players.

Draft results

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San Jose Sharks
Shane Churla, right-wing
Brian Hayward, goaltender
Neil Wilkinson, defenseman
Rob Zettler, defenseman
Ed Courtenay, right-wing
Kevin Evans, left-wing
Link Gaetz, defenseman
Dan Keczmer, defenseman
Dean Kolstad, defenseman
Peter Lappin, right-wing
Pat MacLeod, defenseman
Mike McHugh, left-wing
Jarmo Myllys, goaltender
J.F. Quintin, left-wing
Scott Cashman, goaltender
Murray Garbutt, center
Rob Gaudreau, right-wing
Arturs Irbe, goaltender
Shaun Kane, defenseman
Larry Olimb, defenseman
Tom Pederson, defenseman
Bryan Schoen, goaltender
John Weisbrod, center
Doug Zmolek, defenseman

References

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^* Sharkspage.com draft history
^* Usenet post quoting from "Rink Report", the official San Jose Sharks newsletter, dated October 30, 1990