Quality Goalie Is Realistic Goal : Hockey: Because of draft rules, Orange County team will pick from among NHL’s best.

Anaheim’s new professional hockey team will be assured of getting quality goaltenders in the June expansion draft, thanks to the NHL’s plan for stocking rosters of the league’s two conditional members, Orange County and South Florida.

The plan, which was finalized Thursday, is contingent on Anaheim and Miami beginning play next season. However, the Toronto Star reported Thursday that the Miami team, owned by Blockbuster Entertainment chief Wayne Huizenga, is considering waiting until the 1994-95 season to start.

Anaheim, owned by the Walt Disney Co., is apparently moving forward with plans to begin play in October and, according to reports, has hired arena management specialist Tony Tavares as team president.

Despite opposition from several NHL executives, the league went forward with a format that would permit the current 24 teams to protect only one goaltender, along with five defensemen and nine forwards.

In the previous seven expansion drafts, only once (1967) were clubs allowed to protect fewer than two goaltenders.

Teams with two outstanding goaltenders, such as the Toronto Maple Leafs (Grant Fuhr and Felix Potvin), New Jersey Devils (Chris Terreri and Craig Billington), Chicago Blackhawks (Ed Belfour and Jimmy Waite) and New York Rangers (John Vanbiesbrouck and Mike Richter) will be especially vulnerable in the expansion draft.

“Teams certainly voiced some concerns, but overall, the consensus of the (Board of Governors) was that the key position in getting an expansion franchise competitive was goalie,” said Gary Meagher, NHL executive director for communications. “They recognized that and made the decision.”

The expansion draft will be conducted in two phases, with Phase I providing Anaheim and Miami with 24 players, including three goaltenders, eight defensemen and 13 forwards. Second-year players from Tampa Bay, Ottawa and San Jose will be exempt from the draft, but only first-year pros from the other 21 teams will be exempt.

Phase II will see the three 1992 expansion teams, Tampa Bay, Ottawa and San Jose, select two players each from the rosters of the Orange County and Miami franchises.

In the June entry draft, which NHL experts are calling one of the strongest in years, Tampa Bay, Ottawa and San Jose would have the first three picks if they finish with the league’s three lowest point totals, with Orange County and Miami picking fourth and fifth (decided by coin toss). But Orange County or Miami could move up should any of the 1992 expansion clubs not finish in the bottom three positions.

Orange County and Miami will also have the first two picks of the 1994 entry draft, regardless of their finish in 1993-94, but if Miami elects to wait until 1994-95 to play, it would have the No. 1 pick in 1994. NHL President Gil Stein said the two teams must decide by March 1 whether they will join the league for 1993 or ’94.