 He established himself as one of the toughest players in minor pro, recording a CHL record 411 penalty minutes in 1974–75, but also showed a fair amount of skill and was named a CHL First-Team All-Star in 1976 after scoring 52 points from the blueline.Just after the start of the 1977–78 season, Holt was dealt to the lowly Cleveland Barons and finally received a chance to stick in the NHL full-time.He finished the season with 1 goal and 4 assists in 52 games, along with 249 penalty minutes.