logo
FlamesNation has no direct affiliation to the Calgary Flames, Calgary Sports and Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
A Flame from the Past: Willi Plett
alt
Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Ryley Delaney
Jun 21, 2025, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 21, 2025, 02:00 EDT
Comments
Do you remember Willi Plett?
Every week, we’ll look at a forgotten Calgary Flames player in the weekly series “A Flame From the Past.” Of course, the player had to have played a significant number of games for the Flames – at least a full season. Each week, I’ll put every Flames season (since moving to Calgary) in the Wheel of Names. This week, it landed on the 1981-82 season, with the player we’ll look at in today’s article being Willi Plett.
Plett holds the distinction of being the only known hockey player from Paraguay, a South American country that seemingly doesn’t play any ice hockey. Although he was born in Asuncíon, Plett’s ancestry is from Russia, and he moved to Southern Ontario when he was a toddler.
Plett played for the St. Catharines Black Hawks in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League in 1974-75, scoring six goals and 14 points in 22 games. In the 1975 draft, the then-Atlanta Flames selected him 80th overall. He began his professional career with the Central Hockey League’s Tulsa Oilers, scoring 30 goals and 50 points in 73 games, with five goals and nine points in nine post-season games. Plett also played four National Hockey League games that season.
In 1976-77, Plett played 14 CHL games, scoring eight goals and 12 points in 14 games, with 68 penalty minutes. That season, he became a regular with the Flames, scoring 33 goals and 56 points in 64 games. The following season saw him score 22 goals and 43 points in 78 games, posting a similar stat line of 23 goals and 43 points in 74 games in 1978-79. In the Flames’ final season in Atlanta, he scored 13 goals and 32 points in 76 games.
Plett remained with the Flames organization when they relocated to Calgary before the 1980-81 season. That season, the forward scored a career-high 38 goals and 68 points in 78 games, with 239 penalty minutes. His goal scoring continued in the post-season, as he scored eight goals and 12 points in 15 games. In his final season with the Flames in the following season, Plett scored 21 goals and 57 points in 78 games, along with 288 penalty minutes.
Before the 1982-83 season, Plett was traded to the Minnesota North Stars, scoring 25 goals and 39 points in 71 games in his first season south of the border. In 1983-84, Plett scored 15 goals and 38 points in 73 games, followed by 14 goals and 28 points in 47 games in 1984-85. 
Plett’s career started to slow down after that, scoring 10 goals and 17 points in 59 games in 1985-86, but finishing with 231 career penalty minutes. For the first time in a full season, Plett failed to reach the double-digit goal mark in 1986-87, scoring six goals and 11 points in 67 games in what was his final season with the North Stars.
In 1987-88, his final season in the NHL, Plett played for the Boston Bruins, scoring just two goals and five points in 65 games, with 170 penalty minutes. Plett finished his career with 222 goals and 437 points in 834 games, along with 2,572 penalty minutes. In the post-season, Plett scored 24 goals and 46 points with 466 penalty minutes in 83 games.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
Tune in for The Sheet Draft Special, streaming live on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel on Friday, June 27th at 7 PM EST. Hosted by Jeff Marek, this live special will cover all the action from the 2025 Draft, including expert analysis of top prospects, team-by-team breakdowns, and real-time reactions to every pick. Whether you’re tracking your team’s future stars or just love the drama of draft night, this is your go-to destination for all things Draft.

Editorials

Breaking News