Ron Ashton

Ron Ashton
Date of birth	May 8, 1954
place of birth	Saskatoon , Saskatchewan , Canada
Nickname	The Beast
size	188 cm
Weight	95 kg
position	Left wing
Shot hand	Left
Draft
WHA Secret Amateur Draft	1974 , 2nd lap, 27th position Winnipeg Jets
NHL Amateur Draft	1974 , 5th round, 78th position Minnesota North Stars
Career stations
1971-1972	Saskatoon Olympics
1972-1974	Saskatoon Blades
1974-1975	Winnipeg Jets
1975-1976	Roanoke Valley Rebels
1976-1977	Tidewater Sharks
1976-1977	Winston-Salem Polar Twins
1978-1979	Port Huron flags

Ronald "Ron" Ashton (born May 8, 1954 in Saskatoon , Saskatchewan ) is a former Canadian ice hockey player who played 36 games for the Winnipeg Jets in the World Hockey Association (WHA) in the course of his active career between 1971 and 1979 Has contested the left winger's position . However, Ashton spent most of his career in the Southern Hockey League (SHL), where he played for three different franchises . His younger brother Brent was also a professional ice hockey player and was active in the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Canadian national ice hockey team .

Career

Ashton played junior ice hockey for the Saskatoon Blades in the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) between 1972 and 1974 . He played his first full season in the 1973/74 season . As a left winger at the age of 18, he played 67 games, scored nine points scorer and served 77 penalty minutes. In his sophomore season, Ashton showed he brought size and toughness to the Blades lineup. He collected 232 penalty minutes and 28 points in 65 games. Ashton hardness remained in the NHL - and WHA - scouts not go unnoticed and the NHL Amateur Draft in 1974 Ashton was by the Minnesota North Stars selected in the fifth round at the 78th position. Conversely, the Winnipeg Jets from the WHA in Ashton saw a talented player and so he was drawn in the second round in 27th place in the WHA Secret Amateur Draft 1974 .

Ashton signed his first professional contract with Winnipeg and was in the starting lineup of the Jets at the beginning of the 1974/75 season . Due to stamina problems and injuries, Ashton played in parts of the 1974/75 season with their farm team , the Roanoke Valley Rebels , in the Southern Hockey League (SHL). In the 1974/75 WHA season he scored four points in 36 games on the left wing. After spending almost half of the season in the minor league , Ashton did not make it to the Winnipeg lineup in the WHA for the following season. He began the 1975/76 season with the Roanoke Valley Rebels and was then transferred within the WHA to the Cincinnati Stingers , where he continued his career with their lower class partner, the Tidewater Sharks . In 53 games he achieved a respectable 30 points with 14 goals and 16 assists. Since he did not make it into the WHA in the 1976/77 season , he moved again. This time he signed with the Winston-Salem Polar Twins in the SHL, where he only played six games. The last game the Canadian played was with the Port Huron Flags from the International Hockey League (IHL) in the 1978/79 season . He then announced his retirement from professional sport at the age of 25.

Ashton later worked as an agent for the Labatt Brewing Company and as a broker .

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
season	team	league		Sp	T	V	Pt	SM		Sp	T	V	Pt	SM
1971/72	Saskatoon Olympics	SJHL		Statistics not available
1971/72	Saskatoon Blades	WCHL		3	0	0	0	0	-	-	-	-	-
1972/73	Saskatoon Blades	WCHL		67	4th	5	9	77	-	-	-	-	-
1973/74	Saskatoon Blades	WCHL		65	8th	20th	28	232	-	-	-	-	-
1974/75	Winnipeg Jets	WHA		36	1	3	4th	66	-	-	-	-	-
1974/75	Roanoke Valley Rebels	SHL		26th	6th	8th	14th	33	4th	0	0	0	2
1975/76	Roanoke Valley Rebels	SHL		8th	0	2	2	26th	-	-	-	-	-
1975/76	Tidewater Sharks	SHL		53	16	14th	30th	101	-	-	-	-	-
1976/77	Winston-Salem Polar Twins	SHL		6th	3	1	4th	14th	-	-	-	-	-
1977/78	without a contract			not played
1978/79	Port Huron flags	IHL		1	2	0	2	0	-	-	-	-	-
WCHL overall				135	12	25th	37	309	-	-	-	-	-
SHL total				93	25th	25th	50	174	4th	0	0	0	2

( Legend for player statistics: Sp or GP = games played; T or G = goals scored; V or A = assists scored ; Pkt or Pts = scorer points scored ; SM or PIM = penalty minutes received ; +/− = plus / minus balance; PP = overpaid goals scored ; SH = underpaid goals scored ; GW = winning goals scored; ¹  play-downs / relegation )

Web links

• Ron Ashton at eliteprospects.com (English)
• Ron Ashton at hockeydraftcentral.com