| Round | Overall |
| 6 | 65 |
 |
 |
Right-hand shot
Pre-Draft Statistics
| Year | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PIM |
| 1966-67 | Fredericton | NBJHL | 27 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 39 |
| 1967-68 | Fredericton | NBSHL | 31 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 30 |
| 1968-69 | London | OHA | 54 | 16 | 26 | 42 | 62 |
Pre-Draft Notes
On Halifax (NSJHL) for 1967 Memorial Cup and on Fredericton (NBJHL) for 1968.
Career Vitals
| First contract: | 1969 |
| Debut: | April 11, 1970 (playoffs) (Oakland vs. Pittsburgh) |
| Final NHL game: | November 23, 1977 (N.Y. Islanders at Minnesota) |
| Retired: | 1985 |
| Stanley Cup: | Never won |
| Numbers worn: | 23 (Oakland); 25, 20 (N.Y. Islanders) |
Career NHL Statistics
Teams: Oakland,
N.Y. Islanders
Years: 1972-1977. Playoffs: 1970
| Regular Season | |||||
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 3 years | 39 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 23 |
| Stanley Cup Playoffs | |||||
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 1 year | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Complete statistics available at NHL.com | |||||
Career Highlights
Also played right wing during his pro career. ... Attended first New York Islanders training camp in 1972, but did not make NHL roster out of camp. ... Played on first New York Islanders team in franchise's inaugural 1972-73 season, making his NHL regular-season debut in N.Y. Islanders' Dec. 3, 1972, game at Boston. ... Named Fort Worth (CHL) captain prior to 1974-75 season and remained in that role through 1977-78 season. ... Named to CHL All-Star First Team with Fort Worth in 1976-77. ... Played on 1977-78 Fort Worth team that won CHL regular-season title. ... Won CHL Adams Cup with Fort Worth in 1978.
Transaction History
October 1971 -- Minor-league playing rights sold by California to Providence (AHL). June 6, 1972 -- Selected by N.Y. Islanders from Salt Lake (WHL, California affiliate) in Inter-league Draft. March 1979 -- Signed with N.Y. Islanders as a restricted free agent after spending 1978-79 season in Europe.
Significant Injuries
Missed part of the 1969-70 season with knee injury.
Life Outside the NHL
Full Name: Neil
Andrews Nicholson
Other Post-Draft Teams: Providence (AHL); New Haven (AHL); Fort Worth (CHL); Langnau (Switzerland); Dallas (CHL); Moncton (AHL)
Coaching Career: Served as
Zurich Lions (Switzerland) head coach from the second half of 1988-89
season through 1989-90 season.
Career Beyond Hockey: Returned to
Canada after his playing and coaching career in Europe and became a
player agent with International Sports Management, the company that had
helped him go to Europe in the first place. He remained with ISM until
2001. ... Became a sales and marketing executive with McCann Equipment,
a prominent Canadian tool-manufacturing company, in 2001.
Miscellaneous:
| Selected by Winnipeg Jets in 1972 WHA Draft -- the first-ever WHA Draft -- in February 1972. | Called for 10 major penalties in his rookie professional season with Providence in 1969-70. | Called up to Oakland on April 7, 1970 as spare player for playoff series vs. Pittsburgh. | Began playing right wing at the professional level with Providence in 1970-71 season. |
| SNAPSHOT '69 | |
| Total Selected: | 84 |
| Forwards: | 58 |
| Defense: | 18 |
| Goaltenders: | 8 |
| Major Junior: | 68 |
| College Players: | 8 |
| Canadian: | 78 |
| Euro-Canadian: | 1 |
| American: | 4 |
| European: | 1 |
| Reached NHL: | 49 |
| Won Stanley Cup: | 10 |
| Hall of Fame: | 1 |
| All-Star Game: | 7 |
| Year-end All-Star: | 1 |
| Olympians: | 2 |
| Picks Traded: | 11 |
| 1969 PICKS BY TEAM | ||
| Boston | Chicago | Detroit |
| Los Angeles | Minnesota | Montreal |
| New York | Oakland | Philadelphia |
| Pittsburgh | St. Louis | Toronto |
OTHERS DRAFTED IN 1969