The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts (WCPHS) Foundation will hold its inaugural Wall of Honor Induction dinner on July 30, 2024, in Okotoks, Alberta. Two longtime Flyers scouts, John Chapman and the late Gerry Melnyk, are among the first group of inductees.
The Hockey Hall of Fame rarely inducts scouts in its Builders category, but amateur and pro scouts play indispensable roles in shaping the success of top National Hockey League franchises, as well as their farm teams. The WCPHS Foundation started as an idea for cataloging the rich history of scouting in the western regions of Canada and honoring prominent scouts who helped shape its history across different eras.
Melnyk is a prime example. He’s unlikely to be posthumously enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Most Flyers fans, especially from younger generations, may not even be aware of his vital contributions to the organization during his long tenure with Philadelphia (1969 until his retirement in 1997). However, the entire history of the Flyers’ organization — and the NHL as a whole — would have been very different without him.
Most famously, Melnyk was the scout who lobbied for the Flyers to select Flin Flon Bombers center Bobby Clarke in the 1969 Amateur Draft. Many teams, including the Flyers, were frightened off from selecting Clarke in the first round because of his Type 1 diabetes. Melnyk disagreed vehemently.
After the Flyers selected Bob Currier in the first round, Melnyk all but pounded on the table for general manager Keith Allen to choose Clarke when he was still available in Round 2. Allen was convinced, and the rest was history. That same year, the Flyers selected western Canadian junior players Dave Schultz (Swift Current Broncos), Don Saleski (Regina Pats) and Wille Brossart (Swift Current, Estevan Bruins).
As his scouting career progressed, former NHL player Melnyk identified a host of potential Draft candidates, not only from the western provinces but from across Canada, the U.S. and abroad. Two of his most notable recommendations: Swedish goaltender Pelle Lindbergh in the 1979 Draft and Brandon Wheat Kings goalie Ron Hextall in 1982. Both netminders went on to win the Vezina Trophy in the NHL.
Later, from the 1983-84 to 1995-96 seasons, Melnyk served as the Flyers’ Chief Scout. He was a mentor to dozens of younger scouts, and a trusted colleague among fellow scouts across the profession.
“Gerry always said, ‘At the end of the day, there’s no substitute for talent’, when it comes to scouting young players,” longtime Flyers Ontario-based scout and former player Dennis Patterson told the late Jay Greenberg in Flyers at 50.
Melnyk was not one to be territorial. He didn’t care whether a player was from his “home turf” or which scout had the most viewings. He always stressed teamwork and mutual trust. However, if he felt strongly enough about a certain player, whether it was in favor or opposed to his selection versus another candidate, Melnyk made his views clear.
“Gerry said, No kid is ‘my player or your player.’ We all worked together to find players for the Flyers. That’s what we were all there to do. It wasn’t about you, it was about the players and the team,” longtime Flyers player turned scout Simon Nolet said to Greenberg in Flyers at 50.
Melnyk passed away on June 14, 2001, at the age of 66.
Chapman, known to his colleagues as “Chappy”, had a 27-year “shift” as a Flyer scout from 1996 until his retirement in 2023. Previously, he worked for the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers.
During his long tenure with the Flyers, Chapman served as an amateur scout, pro scout, director of player development and director of player personnel.
“I can’t count the miles I traveled with Chappy, the games we viewed or the hours we talked on the road,” Nolet told Greenberg.
In addition to Chapman and Melnyk, the inaugural class of WCPHS Wall of Fame inductees include Blair Reid and the late Pat “Paddy” Ginnell. Both men had either direct (Reid) or indirect (Ginnell) ties to the Flyers during their prolific careers.
Ginnell, who later spent 14 seasons scouting in western Canada for the St. Louis Blues, was the longtime coach of the Western League’s Flin Flon Bombers. In Flin Flon, Ginnell coached future Flyers franchise icon Clarke and his linemate, future Flyers Hall of Fame inductee and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Reggie Leach.
It was also Ginnell who helped arrange for Clarke to visit the famed Mayo Clinic, where doctors concluded that diabetes would not prevent the hockey player from playing professionally.
Reid was a scout for the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbird when Russ Farwell was the team’s general manager. Hired in the NHL as the Flyers’ general manager (1990 to 1994), Farwell employed Reid as a part-time western scout for Philadelphia. Subsequently, Reid had lengthy amateur scouting careers with the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins. He retired in 2021.
Last but not least, it should be noted that Bill Lesuk is another inaugural inductee with ties to the Flyers. Lesuk played for the Flyers in 1970-71 and a portion of 1971-72 in a decade-long NHL and WHA playing career before becoming a scout for the original Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks and Phoenix Coyotes.
