Ronald ("the Beast") Ashton (born May 8, 1954) is a former WHA

left winger A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, p ...

. In the World Hockey Association, he played 36 games and registering 1 goal, 3 assists, and 66 penalty minutes. He was best known as a fourth line player and enforcer. Ashton's stint with the Jets included him playing with the likes of hockey superstars

Bobby Hull Robert Marvin Hull OC (born January 3, 1939) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His blonde hair, skating speed, end-to-end rushes, and ability to shoot the puck at very high veloc ...

Anders Hedberg Anders Hedberg (born 25 February 1951) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player who was one of the first European-born players to make an impact in North America. Along with countryman Ulf Nilsson, Hedberg signed a contract to play for ...

and

Ulf Nilsson Ulf Nilsson may refer to: * Ulf Nilsson (author) (born 1948), Swedish writer * Ulf Nilsson (ice hockey) (born 1950), Swedish ice hockey player *Ulf Nilsson (politician) (born 1945), Swedish politician and Member of Parliament *Ulf Nilsson (sailor) ...

Career

Ashton played junior hockey for his hometown

Saskatoon Blades The Saskatoon Blades are a major junior ice hockey team playing in the Eastern Division of the Western Hockey League, formerly the Western Canadian Hockey League (WCHL). They are based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, playing at the 15,195-seat Sask ...

of the

Western Canadian Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior ho ...

(now WHL), playing his first full season in 1972–73 with future

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

and WHA players

Bob Bourne Robert Glen Bourne (born June 21, 1954) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played for the New York Islanders and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1974 and 1988. He was inducted into the New ...

, Dave Lewis and George Pesut, among others. In his first season as a left winger at age 18, he played in 67 games, seeing limited action, logging 4 goals and 5 assists for 9 points, along with 77 penalty minutes. Brought in to add size and toughness to the Blade's lineup, in his second season, Ashton displayed his ability to shake things up, amassing 232 penalty minutes, with 28 points over 65 games. His brother Gary also joined the Blades in 1972–73, but only played in 10 games. Ashton's toughness did not go unnoticed by NHL and WHA scouts, and the 1974 NHL amateur draft saw Ashton get selected by the now defunct

Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors fo ...

in the fifth round at #78. Conversely, the WHA's

saw Ashton as a player who could step into the lineup and add the bruising elements they needed, and as a result, drafted him higher in the second round, #27 in the 1974 WHA Secret Draft. With almost a guarantee that he would step right into the Jet's opening night lineup for the 1974–75 season, Ashton signed his first pro contract with Winnipeg. He made the roster out of camp and saw his first action as a pro player that very season. However, due to conditioning issues and injuries, Ashton split the 1974–75 season playing with the Jet's minor league affiliate the

Roanoke Valley Rebels The Roanoke Valley Rebels were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in the Roanoke Valley in Virginia. The team first played in the Eastern Hockey League and then joined the Southern Hockey League. The team was originally known as ...

, of the now defunct Southern Hockey League. In the 1974-75 WHA season, he only logged 4 points (1 goal and 3 assists) over 36 games at his left wing position with Winnipeg, and after spending almost half the season in the minors, Ashton did not make the Jet's lineup in the 1975–76 season. He began the 1975–76 season with Roanoke and then was traded to the WHA

Cincinnati Stingers The Cincinnati Stingers were an ice hockey team based in Cincinnati that played in the World Hockey Association from 1975 to 1979 and in the Central Hockey League during the 1979–80 season. Their home arena was Riverfront Coliseum. They are ...

organization, where he resumed his career with their minor league affiliate, the

Tidewater Sharks The Tidewater Sharks were a minor league professional ice hockey team, based in Norfolk, Virginia, and members of the Southern Hockey League from 1975 to 1977. The Sharks played home games at the Norfolk Scope, and shared the Hampton Roads area wi ...

. In 53 games, he managed a respectable 30 points with 14 goals and 16 assists. Unable to make the WHA for the 1976–77 season, he was again on the move, this time he signed with the SHL's

Winston-Salem Polar Twins The Winston-Salem Polar Twins were a minor league professional ice hockey team from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Polar Twins were launched in the 2004–05 season of the Southern Professional Hockey League The Southern Professional Hockey ...

where he played only 6 games. The last game that Ron Ashton played in professional hockey was with the

Port Huron Flags The Port Huron Flags were a minor league professional ice hockey team located in Port Huron, Michigan. The Flags competed in the International Hockey League between 1962 and 1981. For three of those seasons from 1971 to 1974, Port Huron was a fa ...

of the International Hockey League 9 IHL), in the 1978–79 season. He announced his retirement from professional hockey after that.

Personal

Ron Ashton is the brother of former NHLer

Brent Ashton Brent Kenneth Ashton (born May 18, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who spent fourteen seasons in the National Hockey League between 1979 and 1993. Despite being a fine goalscoring winger, he was known during his career f ...

who had a lengthy

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

career, and Gary Ashton who played major junior hockey in the Western Canadian Hockey League, now called the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashton, Ron 1954 births Canadian ice hockey left wingers Living people Minnesota North Stars draft picks Roanoke Valley Rebels (SHL) players Saskatoon Blades players Ice hockey people from Saskatoon Tidewater Sharks players Winnipeg Jets (WHA) draft picks Winnipeg Jets (WHA) players Winston-Salem Polar Twins (SHL) players