Player Profiles
(Listed by
NHL Draft year)
Todd M. Harkins, Centre
Born October 8, 1968 – Cleveland, OH
Selected by the Calgary Flames round 2 #42 overall 1988 NHL Entry Draft
Todd Harkins was the first player born and raised in Cleveland to be drafted by an NHL team. While at St. Edward High School Harkins was a two-time All-Scholastic selection and a member of the Eagles first two OHSAA State Championship hockey teams. Harkins would forgo his senior year at St. Edward in favor of junior hockey before enrolling at Miami University (OH). Harkins played three seasons for the Red Hawks where he scored 44 goals and had 31 assists for 75 points. Harkins’ NHL totals in 48 games played with the Calgary Flames and Hartford Whalers were 3 goals, 3 assists for 6 points. Harkins is a member of the St. Edward High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
Mark Smith, Left Wing
Born October 13, 1969 – Garfield Heights, OH
Selected by the Winnipeg Jets round 8 #157 overall 1988 NHL Entry Draft
Mark Smith has the distinction of being the only player from Northeast Ohio to be drafted right out of high school. During his playing career at Trinity High School Smith was a three-time All-Scholastic selection.
Brett A. Harkins, Left Wing
Born July 2, 1970 – North Ridgeville, OH
Selected by the New York Islanders round 7 #133 overall 1989 NHL Entry Draft
Brett Harkins is the second member of the Harkins family to be drafted by an NHL team. While at St. Edward High School Harkins was an All-Scholastic selection and a member of the Eagles’ 1986 OHSAA State Championship hockey team and like his brother Todd before him, the younger Harkins would skip his senior year to further develop his skills at the junior level. Harkins played four seasons at Bowling Green State University where he scored 60 goals and had 148 assists for 208 points. Harkins ranks fifth all-time in career assists and eleventh all-time in career points for the Falcons. During his professional career Harkins twice led the AHL in assists. Once with the Providence Bruins during the 1994-95 season with 69 and again during the 1995-96 season as a member of the Carolina Panthers with 71. Harkins also led the IHL in assists during the 2000-01 season totaling 64 with the Houston Aeros. Harkins’ NHL totals in 78 games played with the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets were 6 goals and 30 assists for 36 points.
Born October 10, 1972 – Parma, OH
Selected by the Buffalo Sabres round 6 #124 overall 1991 NHL Entry Draft
Brian Holzinger would go on to be the most decorated hockey player to come out of Greater Cleveland. Holzinger played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Padua High School were he would be a two-time All-Scholastic selection and a key member on the Bruins’ back-to-back OHSAA State Championship hockey teams in 1988, 89. During his two seasons at Padua, Holzinger scored 62 goals and had 72 assists for an impressive 134 points. Holzinger would spend his junior and senior years playing for the Detroit Jr. Red Wings of the NAHL. Holzinger played his college hockey at Bowling Green State University where he scored 102 goals and had 82 assists for 184 points. Holzinger’s goal total ranks him seventh all-time in career goals for the Falcons. While at BGSU Holzinger was a CCHA Second Team All-Star in 1993. In 1995 Holzinger was named a CCHA First Team All-Star, NCAA First Team West All-American and CCHA Player of the Year culminating in the awarding of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the top collegiate player in the country. Holzinger played a total of 547 games in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lighting, Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets where he scored a total of 238 regular season points off of 93 goals and 145 assists.
Christopher Bogas, Defense
Born November 12, 1976 – Cleveland Heights, OH
Selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs round 6 #148 overall 1996 NHL Entry Draft
Chris Bogas, in his only season of high school hockey, was a 1992 All-Scholastic selection from Cleveland Heights High School. Bogas would forgo the next three seasons of high school hockey in favor of junior hockey. Bogas would go on to play defense for the Spartans of Michigan State University. During his four seasons at MSU Bogas would score 13 goals and 46 assists for 59 points. Bogas played 11 seasons of professional hockey for various teams in the AHL, ECHL, IHL, UHL and one season in Italy.
Ben Clarke Simon, Centre
Born June 14, 1978 – Shaker Heights, OH
Selected by the Chicago Black Hawks round 5 #110 overall 1997 NHL Entry Draft
Ben Simon played three years of high school hockey for Shaker Heights High School. During his freshman season Simon was a member of the Red Raiders’ 1993 OHSAA State Championship hockey team. Simon was a two-time All-Scholastic selection in 1994 and 95, taking home Player of the Year honors as a junior. As a senior in high school Simon played for the Cleveland Jr. Barons of the NAHL where he would go onto win the NAHL’s 1995-96 Rookie of the Year award. Simon played collegiately at Notre Dame University. While at Notre Dame, Simon scored 44 goals and had 86 assists for a total of 130 points. During his junior year Simon was named to the CCHA Second All-Star Team. Internationally, Simon was a two-time member of the United States World Junior Team (1997 & 98). Professionally, Simon was a member of the IHL’s Orlando Solar Bears Turner Cup Championship team in 2001 and in 2002 Simon played for the AHL’s Calder Cup Champion Chicago Wolves. At the NHL level Simon played in a total of 81 games with the Atlanta Thrashers, and Columbus Blue Jackets where he scored 3 goals and had 1 assist for 4 points.
Born January 13, 1980 – Cleveland, OH
Selected by the New York Islanders round 1 #9 overall 1998 NHL Entry Draft
Selected by the New Jersey Devils round 3 #76 overall 2000 NHL Entry Draft
Of all the goals scored by Mike Rupp during his hockey career none were bigger than the one he scored at 2:22 of the second period during game seven of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals. Rupp scored what proved to be the cup clinching goal against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks giving the New Jersey Devils their third Stanley Cup. Rupp played his high school hockey at Saint Edward High School where he was a member of the Eagles’ OHSAA State Championship hockey teams in 1995 and 96. He was an All-Scholastic Selection in 1996 and the Sun Newspapers Player of the Year in 1997. Unlike his fellow GCHSHL Alumni before him, Rupp honed his hockey skills playing Major Jr. ‘A’ hockey in the OHL as opposed to playing NCAA Division I college hockey. Rupp spent three seasons in the OHL where he played a total of 185 games with the Windsor Spitfires and Erie Otters scoring 127 points on 70 goals and 57 assists. To date Rupp has played a total of 416 NHL games as a member of the New Jersey Devils, Phoenix Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets and most recently the Pittsburgh Penguins where he has scored 40 goals and had 32 assists for 72 points. Rupp is a member of the Saint Edward High School Athletic Hall of Fame.