| Round | Overall |
| 3 | 32 |
 |
 |
Right-hand shot
Pre-Draft Statistics
| Year | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PIM |
| 1968-69 | Kitchener | OHA | 18 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 21 |
| 1969-70 | Kitchener | OHA | 48 | 27 | 19 | 46 | 45 |
| 1970-71 | Toronto | OHA | 42 | 12 | 24 | 36 | 22 |
Pre-Draft Notes
Also played forward. ... Spent first three months of 1970-71 season with Team USA.
Career Vitals
| First contract: | 1971 |
| Debut: | October 9, 1971 (Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia) |
| Final NHL game: | January 17, 1974 (Buffalo at Philadelphia) |
| Retired: | 1980 |
| Stanley Cup: | Never won |
| Numbers worn: | 27 (Pittsburgh); 20 (St. Louis); 23 (Buffalo) |
Career NHL Statistics
Teams:
Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Buffalo
Years: 1971-1974. Playoffs:
None
| Regular Season | |||||
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 3 years | 55 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 22 |
| Stanley Cup Playoffs | |||||
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 0 years | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Complete statistics available at NHL.com | |||||
Career Highlights
Played center for all of his pro career after 1974. ... Made Pittsburgh NHL roster out of training camp as a 19-year-old rookie in 1971 and remained with team until he was sent to Hershey (AHL) on Jan. 1, 1972. ... Played on Team USA squad that placed fifth at the inaugural Canada Cup tournament in 1976, finishing with one assist in four tournament games. ... Played center for San Diego (WHA) throughout 1976-77 season, when he scored WHA career-highs of 35 goals, 57 assists, and 92 points. ... Represented San Diego in WHA All-Star Game at Hartford on Jan. 18, 1977. ... Led PHL in points (104) and assists (77) with San Diego in 1978-79. ... Won PHL MVP award with San Diego in 1978-79. ... Named to PHL All-Star First Team with San Diego in 1978-79.
Transaction History
Dec. 4, 1970 -- Traded by Kitchener
(OHA) to Toronto in exchange for Bruce Herridge and Pat Tims. Nov. 7, 1972 --
Loaned by Pittsburgh to San Diego (WHL, Philadelphia affiliate) for
balance of 1972-73 season. Jan. 8, 1973 -- Traded by Pittsburgh
to St. Louis in exchange for Jim Shires.
June 12, 1973 -- Claimed by Buffalo from St. Louis in NHL
Intra-league Draft. June 1975 --
Claimed by Calgary (WHA) off waivers from Toronto (WHA).
Aug. 28, 1975 -- WHA rights traded by
Calgary to San Diego in exchange for Dick Sentes.
August 1977 -- Signed with Birmingham
(WHA) as an unrestricted free agent.
Life Outside the NHL
Full Name: Joseph S.
Noris Jr.
Other Post-Draft Teams: Hershey (AHL); San Diego, Denver (WHL); Cincinnati, Syracuse (AHL); San Diego, Birmingham (WHA); San Diego (PHL); Graz (Austria)
Coaching Career: Served as
assistant coach at U.S. International University in San Diego during the
1980s up until the school's Division I program folded in after 1988-87
season.
Management Career: Was the
President and CEO of inline hockey's San Diego Barracudas (Roller Hockey
International) from 1995 through 1996 season, when team folded.
Education: Was student at Denver's
Thomas Jefferson High School before moving to Canada after his junior
year in 1968.
Career Beyond Hockey: Returned to
San Diego and settled in La Jolla after retirement, working for many years as
a local youth hockey coach for both ice and inline hockey. He eventually established himself as
a leading local advocate for the growth of both ice and inline hockey in
the San Diego area. His work included hosting a San Diego talk radio
show about hockey and later owning and running an inline hockey facility
called Skate San
Diego that began in National City in 2002 and later moved to El
Cajon, Calif. He is also Skate San Diego's lead hockey instructor,
played for a national championship over-35 inline team Called the Sprung
Hosers in the early 2000s, and has been part of the overall effort to
get inline hockey recognized as an Olympic sport.
Significant Injuries
Suffered facial damage in automobile accident during summer of 1976. ... Missed part of 1977-78 season with torn ligaments in left knee, suffered in Birmingham's Nov. 8, 1977, game vs. New England. He was leading the team with 15 points in 11 games at the time of the injury, which required surgery. He did not return until Birmingham's Jan. 25, 1978, game vs. Winnipeg.
Miscellaneous:
| Selected by Ottawa Nationals in 1972 WHA Draft -- the first-ever WHA Draft -- in February 1972. | Practiced with University of Denver team while working as stickboy from ages of 14 to 16. | Moved to Kitchener at age 17 to board with former Denver/NHL player Tom Miller's in-laws. | Had planned to play for USA in 1971 World Championships but left team in December 1970. |
| Agreed to return to OHA if Toronto was able to obtain his rights from Kitchener. | Began playing center for the first time with Hershey (AHL) during his rookie season of 1971-72. | Began playing center on a full-time basis with Syracuse (AHL) to open 1974-75 season. | Became unrestricted free agent after his San Diego (WHA) team folded in June 1977. |
| Was member of San Diego (PHL) team that folded at the end of the 1978-79 season. | Played briefly for San Diego Surf (Pacific Sr.) at age 41 during 1992-93 season. | Was teammate of Herb Brooks with Team USA and Willie O'Ree with San Diego (PHL). | Was the first U.S. player born and raised in Colorado to be drafted and to play in NHL. |
| SNAPSHOT '71 | |
| Total Selected: | 117 |
| Forwards: | 63 |
| Defense: | 45 |
| Goaltenders: | 9 |
| Major Junior: | 84 |
| College Players: | 19 |
| Canadian: | 107 |
| Euro-Canadian: | 2 |
| American: | 8 |
| European: | 0 |
| Reached NHL: | 50 |
| Won Stanley Cup: | 5 |
| Hall of Fame: | 3 |
| All-Star Game: | 10 |
| Year-end All-Star: | 5 |
| Olympians: | 4 |
| Picks Traded: | 18 |
| 1971 PICKS BY TEAM | ||
| Boston | Buffalo | California |
| Chicago | Detroit | Los Angeles |
| Minnesota | Montreal | New York |
| Philadelphia | Pittsburgh | St. Louis |
| Toronto | Vancouver | |
OTHERS DRAFTED IN 1971