The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.

June 1, 2003

The Hockey News June 1, 2003

<div class="byline">BY DERRICK GOOLD</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0060-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0278/8600782-1-eng-US/f0060-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">PAVOL DEMITRA 227TH OVERALL BY OTTAWA (&rsquo;93) (JOHN RUSSELL/BBS)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-01126/8600789-1-eng-US/f0060-012.jpg" title="f0060-01" width="232" height="281"></div>Cursed by their 24-year run of post-season appearances and punishments for misdeeds of administrations past, the Blues continue to seek other avenues beyond the draft to fill their needs.St. Louis&rsquo;s first round pick, 22nd overall, will be swapped for New Jersey&rsquo;s No. 27 as the last vestige of punishment from the Scott Stevens tampering case. (The league ruled the Blues broke NHL guidelines by approaching Stevens&rsquo;s agent in 1994 about signing with St. Louis.)Recent trades depleted the Blues&rsquo; cache of youthful skill, but late round picks and free agent signings have helped to replenish their depth. Now, the Blues look to their post-CBA plan and how they can augment a nucleus that is getting older.&ldquo;Sometimes we&rsquo;ve had to take that risk (in the draft),&rdquo; said GM Larry Pleau.But mostly they have to dial for trades or-assuming they&rsquo;re confined to their current budget-scouring for second-tier free agents.CALLING THE SHOTS Newcomer Jarmo Kekalainen will have the final say in his first draft as director of amateur scouting with the Blues.Kekalainen, hired away from Ottawa last summer, brings a plethora of personal and professional experience. He played for a U.S. college, has scouted all over North America, has a home in his native Finland and was Ottawa&rsquo;s European scout for many years.GRAFT TENDENCY It would be difficult to zero in on a positional need if a higher-skilled player is available at their pick, according to Blues execs. They also aren&rsquo;t expecting to get a player who can play in the NHL next season.That approach puts an emphasis on potential-and increases the likelihood of St. Louis taking a foreign player who may be two or three seasons away from North America.IMMEDIATE NEED With Al MacInnis potentially entering his final season and Chris Pronger returning from a washed-out season due to injuries, the Blues will continue their quest for a No. 3 or 4 defenseman, preferably a right-handed shot. And preferably an 18-minute guy. You know, just like everybody else is looking for.Christian Backman is still a season or so away and the Blues need a given, not a prospect. The team doesn&rsquo;t expect to find their target in the draft, nor do they have the budget space to hunt big-game free agents in July. Pleau plans to try riding the trade winds again, and then, if necessary, dipping into the free agent market.LONG-TERM NEED The Blues are going to need a slow infusion of wingers as some retire (Scott Mellanby), some move elsewhere (potentially Cory Stillman and Dallas Drake) and some break the bank for what they do (possibly Tyson Nash).The team&rsquo;s depth at center (Doug Weight, Pavol Demitra, Petr Cajanek) and the centers coming through the Blues system (John Pohl, Jay McClement) could switch Demitra or other centers to the wing. But that&rsquo;s a move the team wants to be forced to make by a player&rsquo;s performance, not because they don&rsquo;t have enough wingers to flank their stable down the middle.READY TO STEP IN Defenseman Matt Walker, drafted 83rd overall in 1998, spent the post-season in the press box, but he is a rugged blueliner the Blues must use or lose in the coming season.Walker must get acclimated to the speed of play in the NHL-not the speed of skating, but the actual speed at which decisions and plays are created. If he does that, his size (6-foot-3, 236 pounds) and oak-barrel toughness could fill a need for the Blues.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Pavol Demitra, C, 28; Brent Johnson, G, 26; Ryan Johnson, C, 27; Christian Laflamme, D, 26; Reed Low, RW, 27; Tyson Nash, LW, 28; Chris Osgood, G, 30; Bryce Salvador, D, 27; Cory Stillman, LW, 29; Sergei Varlamov, LW, 24.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Rich Pilon, D, 35; Shjon Podein, LW, 35.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in St. Louis&rsquo;s system:1. John Pohl, C, Worcester (AHL)2. Matt Walker, 0, Worcester (AHL)3. Christian Backman, D, Worcester (AHL)4. Peter Sejna, LW, Colorado (WCHA)5. Alexei Shkotov, RW, Central Army (Rus.) &#9632;

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TEAM DRAFT REPORTS

Aging Blues need youth

The following legend lists abbreviations for statistics and leagues that are found in player prospect and update sections as well as the Central Scouting Service listing. European players are identified by team and country or level of hockey. Europeans playing in divisions below the elite leagues are denoted with a .2, A, B or Jr. American high school players are identified by USHS.Other abbreviations are: bantam (Ban.), midget (Mid.), junior (Jr., Jr. A or Jr. B), USA Hockey national under-17 (U17) or under-18 programs (U18), World Junior Championship (WJC), Four Nations tournament (4-Nat.), Five Nations tournament (5-Nat.), World under-17 Championship (WU17), World under-18 Championship (WU18). Heights and weights are figures provided by Central Scouting.<h2>STATISTICS</h2>GP-games; G-goals; A-assists; P-points; PIM-penalty minutes; W-L-T-wins-losses-ties; SV%-save percentage; GAA-goals-against average.<h2>MINOR PRO</h2>American League (AHL) Albany, Binghamton, Bridgeport, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Grand Rapids, Hamilton, Hartford, Hershey, Houston, Lowell, Manchester, Manitoba, Milwaukee, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Portland, Providence, Rochester, Saint John, St. John&rsquo;s, San Antonio, Springfield, Syracuse, Utah, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Worcester.<h2>MAJOR JUNIOR</h2>Ontario League (OHL) Barrie, Belleville, Brampton, Erie, Guelph, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Mississauga, Oshawa, Ottawa, Owen Sound, Peterborough, Plymouth, Toronto St. Michael&rsquo;s, Saginaw, Sarnia, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Windsor.Quebec League (QMJHL) Acadie-Bathurst, Baie-Comeau, Cape Breton, Chicoutimi, Orummondville, Halifax, Hull Moncton, Montreal, Quebec, Rimouski, Rouyn-Noranda, Shawinigan, Sherbrooke, Val d&rsquo;Or, Victoriaville.Western League (WHL) Brandon, Calgary, Kamloops, Kelowna, Kootenay, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Moose Jaw, Portland, Prince Albert, Prince George, Red Deer, Regina, Saskatoon, Seattle, Spokane, Swift Current, Tri-City, Vancouver.<h2>JUNIOR</h2>Alberta Junior League (AJHL), British Columbia League (BCHL), Eastern Junior League (EJHL), North American League (NAHL), Ontario Provincial Junior League (OPJRA), Saskatchewan Junior League (SJHL), United States League (USHL), U.S. Midget League (USMHL).<h2>U.S. COLLEGE</h2>Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Alaska-Fairbanks, Bowling Green, Ferris State, Lake Superior, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Northern Michigan, Nebraska-Omaha, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Western Michigan.Eastern College Athletic Association (ECAC) Brown, Clarkson, Colgate, Cornell Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Renssalaer, St. Lawrence, Union, Vermont, Yale.Hockey East (HE) Boston College, Boston University, UMass.-Amherst, UMass.-Lowell, Maine, Merrimack, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Providence.Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Alaska-Anchorage, Colorado College, Denver, Michigan Tech, Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, Minnesota State-Mankato, North Dakota, St. Cloud, Wisconsin.<h2>EUROPE</h2>Austria (Aus.), Belarus (Bel.), Czech Republic (Cze. or Czech), Finland (Fin.), Germany (Ger.), Kazakhstan (Kaz.), Poland (Pol), Russia (Rus.), Slovakia (Slo.), Sweden (Swe.), Switzerland (Switz, or Sui.). &#9632;

DRAFT PREVIEW

Your Guide to Draft Preview Abbreviations

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IN THIS ISSUE

SCOREBOARD

<h2>HASEK IN HOT WATER</h2>PARDUBICE, Czech Republic Former NHL goaltending star Dominik Hasek is under police investigation for an incident during an in-line hockey game that left an opposing player in hospital. Hasek was a skater for Bonfire Stirda when he confronted Martin Sila, a player on SK Pardubice. Reports said Hasek cross-checked Sila and hit him in the neck with his stick. Sila sustained a broken nose, concussion and spine contusion. &ldquo;I have never seen such unbelievable behavior during my 15-year career,&rdquo; said referee Tomas Wutherle. Hasek released a statement saying he was cross-checked first. &ldquo;In any case, I regret his alleged injuries happened in the following scrum. If that is the case, I hope he heals soon,&rdquo; he wrote.<h2>TURGEON CLEARS WAIVERS</h2>DALLAS The Stars don&rsquo;t want Pierre Turgeon, at least not at his current price. Problem is, neither does anyone else. The 16-year vet with three years and $20.5 million left on his contract cleared waivers in mid-May. A buyout would cost Dallas roughly $13 million. The Stars want to free up money to re-sign potential free agent Derian Hatcher, but are hampered by Turgeon&rsquo;s contract and no-trade clause. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not just going to waive it and say do whatever you want,&rdquo; said agent Bob Sauve. &ldquo;If something serious comes along, of course we would be willing to listen.&rdquo; Turgeon had just 12 goals and 42 points last season.<h2>HELLO, HOCKEY CANADA</h2>REGINA The Canadian Hockey Association is no longer. At its annual general meeting, the governing body of minor hockey and international programs voted to change its name to Hockey Canada. Also at the AGM, Hockey Canada voted to raise the minimum age for bodychecking in minor hockey to 11 from nine, reversing a position it had taken a year ago. A study that purported to show injuries would not increase if bodychecking was allowed at nine was shown to be based on faulty evidence.<h2>CHABOT HALL BID</h2>NEW YORK A groundswell bid to get former goalie Lorne Chabot into the Hall of Fame could see final triumph June 11 when the Hall&rsquo;s selection committee votes on inductees for 2003. Selected by The Hockey News as the 84th-best player of all-time, Chabot won two Stanley Cups, had 73 shutouts and a career 2.04 goals-against average from 1926 to 1937, numbers that stack up well with Hall of Fame goalies of his era. &#9632;

HOCKEY WORLD IN BRIEF

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-011056/8602102-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"></div>2003 DRAFT PREVIEWOUR DAY WITH STANLEYSTANLEY CUP PLAYOFFSJ-S Giguere&rsquo;s Incredible RunDRAFT SPECIALStaal No.1 ProspectRanking the Top 10030 NHL Team Reports &#9632;

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BEST GOALIE PERFORMANCE EVER?

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012008/8596847-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">FOCUS ON FLEURY&nbsp;Top-rated goalie prospect Marc-Andre Fleury will be square in GMs&rsquo; sights at the NHL entry draft.(COVER: GIGUERE: JIM LEARY/BBS CONTENTS: PHILIP MACCALLUM/HHOF)</figcaption></div><h2>NOTE TO READERS</h2>As the playoffs draw to a close, so too does our cycle of weekly issues. Here&rsquo;s our publishing schedule for the coming months. Be sure to also check out our 2003-04 Yearbook and 2003-04 Ultimate Pool Book/Fantasy Guide. Both are available in August.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021582/8596840-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="1018" height="198"></div> &#9632;

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<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011962/8596913-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="281" height="353"><figcaption class="caption-body">EDITOR&rsquo;S NOTEBOOK&nbsp;Brian Costello Draft Preview Editor</figcaption></div>The question comes from the same source every time we analyze his team&rsquo;s list of prospects: &ldquo;How are we supposed to get a good grade when we never have any early draft picks?&rdquo;It&rsquo;s a reference to our annual Future Watch issue, in which we get a panel of scouts to grade each team&rsquo;s top 10 prospects. It&rsquo;s our most comprehensive look at players in the system and a team&rsquo;s ability to develop those building blocks. The complaint comes from one NHL team&rsquo;s director of scouting. That team routinely finishes near the bottom of the Future Watch Report Card grades.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not criticizing our GM, but we trade away a lot of our draft picks, even some early ones,&rdquo; the director said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve been good trades, but we don&rsquo;t have nearly as many draft picks as other teams and as a result fewer prospects coming up through the system.&rdquo;Point well taken.For you, Mr. Director, we&rsquo;ve assigned our &lsquo;Draft Watchdog&rsquo; to take care of a project that occupies the sidebars on each of the NHL team reports in Draft Preview 2003. (See pgs. 36-65.)&lsquo;Draft Watchdog&rsquo; is a subjective look at each team&rsquo;s selections over the past 10 drafts (since 1993). The choices are categorized as &lsquo;Astute Selections&rsquo; or &lsquo;Disappointing Picks.&rsquo;An &lsquo;Astute Selection&rsquo; is a player delivering above and beyond what was expected from the slot he was taken in the draft. For example, Pavol Demitra was taken 227th overall in 1993. Ottawa looks great for taking him there. The players on each team page are listed in descending order from most astute. Some names are obvious, others less so. Paul Kariya, for example was taken fourth overall in 1993. We consider that astute because he was selected behind Alexandre Daigle and Chris Gratton and was the best of the bunch from No. 4 on.&lsquo;Disappointing Picks&rsquo; are the players who have underperformed to the expectations from the slot they were taken in the draft. Daigle is an obvious example. Less obvious under-performers are players such as Aki Berg (third overall in 1995) and Manny Malhotra (seventh overall in 1998). They&rsquo;ve both been in the NHL since getting drafted, but have failed to play to the standards projected of them. Factor in that many current NHL stars were selected in the slots after them and they&rsquo;re even more disappointing.Most players drafted since 1993 fall into a category not listed in the team sidebars. They are players who have closely performed to the level at which they were taken. Two such examples are Jay McKee (14th in 1995) and Harold Druken (36th in 1997).A few players appear on both sides of the slate. Lance Ward was a disappointment as the 10th overall pick by New Jersey in 1996, but he&rsquo;s doing reasonably well as the 63rd choice of Florida in 1998.Matt Zultek is a double disappointment; 15th overall to Los Angeles in 1997, then 56th to Boston in 1999.The Ottawa Senators come out looking the best in this study-13 astute choices compared to just three underachievers. The Washington Capitals are the poorest performers, with four astute selections and 10 disappointments since 1993.As for Mr. Director&rsquo;s team? It had more astute selections than disappointments.DRAFT NOTEBOOK We marvelled at last year&rsquo;s draft class when the sons of three former NHLers were rated among our top 60-Eric Nystrom, Alexander Steen and Gregory Campbell. This year, we have Zach Parise, Robert Nilsson, Jeff Tambellini, Patrick Eaves and Ryan Suter (nephew of Gary Suter) among our top 60, plus Liam Lindstrom and B.J. Crombeen among the top 100. And contrary to popular opinion, No. 23-rated Richard Stehlik is not the pride and joy of former Toronto GM Gord Stellick&hellip;The &lsquo;Future Watch 2003&rsquo; box on NHL team pages reflects the top five prospects from The Hockey News Future Watch 2003 (Feb. 21). In some cases, the order has changed due to a prospect being traded, acquired or through accelerated development&hellip;The action photos on the NHL team pages are each team&rsquo;s leading scorer this season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-06534/8596906-1-eng-US/f0004-062.jpg" title="f0004-06" width="661" height="171"></div><h2>SHREWD DRAFTERS</h2>Ottawa and Philadelphia have a positive balance when comparing shrewd draft picks to disappointing ones since 1993. Here are the top and bottom teams.<h3>SURPLUS</h3><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021650/8596899-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="81" height="65"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031343/8596892-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="414" height="368"></div><h3>DEFICIT</h3><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-041093/8596885-1-eng-US/f0004-042.jpg" title="f0004-04" width="72" height="69"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-05883/8596878-1-eng-US/f0004-052.jpg" title="f0004-05" width="418" height="252"></div> &#9632;

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Watchdog studies past drafts

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY &#x2022; Senior Writer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012181/8596989-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">HOCKEY&rsquo;S NEXT FAMILY&nbsp;Top prospect Eric Staal, in front, might be just the first note to a great quartet of hockey-playing brothers. Behind Eric, from left, are siblings Jared, 12, Jordan, 14, and Marc, 16. The rink in the background was built by father Henry, at right.</figcaption></div>It was the kind of play that could haunt a guy for the rest of his life. A fluke-no question about it-but a bitter pill to swallow nonetheless.With the Peterborough Petes up by a goal in Game 7 of the opening round of the Ontario League playoffs against their arch-rivals, the Oshawa Generals, and less than three seconds remaining in regulation time, Eric Staal could smell victory for his team. Less than three stinking seconds.But the sweet taste of a home victory turned into the bitter taste of a stunning defeat when a Hail Mary shot from an impossible angle by Oshawa&rsquo;s Brandon Nolan deflected off Staal and past startled Peterborough goaltender David Currie. And when his team lost early in overtime, the feeling that came over Staal-the top-ranked prospect for the 2003 NHL draft-was one of sickening devastation.<h2>FRUSTRATING FINISH TO FANTASTIC SEASON</h2>Skating on the impressive backyard rink that his dad, Henry, makes each year at his rural Thunder Bay home, this was not the way the big game played out. He was supposed to score the winning goal. Just like the million game-winners he scored under the stars when everyone else had gone home and Staal remained behind&hellip;skating and scoring&hellip;skating and scoring. And dreaming.&ldquo;(Nolan) shot it from the comer and it hit my stick,&rdquo; Staal said. &ldquo;It was absolutely heartbreaking.&rdquo;Indeed it was. Truth be told, though, the Petes would not have been in a Game 7 against the Generals had it not been for Staal&rsquo;s heroics. He singlehandedly carried his team in the series, scoring nine goals and 14 points. Two of his goals were shorthanded markers, two came on the power play and he managed one game-winner. Staal was pounded and hacked and whacked, but he never gave in. He kept his cool and played his game.&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s a guy that you have to play physical against and to his credit, he handled it,&rdquo; said Oshawa coach George Burnett, who coached Staal on the Ontario under-18 team two years ago.&ldquo;He is resilient and in control of his emotions. He makes the people around him better and that&rsquo;s the sign of a star player.&rdquo;The 6-foot-3, 182-pound Staal is not the swiftest of skaters, but he is a deft stickhandler, a superb passer and possesses a sneaky hard shot. And he is dogged on the puck, which makes him a threat to score every time he is on the ice. He will need to get stronger to compete at the pro level, however, especially if he is going to remain the center of attention.&ldquo;He joined us as a 148-pounder and has put on about 15 pounds each year,&rdquo; said Peterborough coach Rick Allain. &ldquo;He started on our fourth line as a 16-year-old (in 2000-01) and by Christmas, he was centering the No. 1 line. As he got stronger, it allowed him to skate and perform in traffic. He doesn&rsquo;t need players around him to make him better; he makes others better.&rdquo;If Staal does indeed go No. 1 this year, then perhaps the first assist on his selection should go to his father, Henry. Each winter on the family farm just outside Thunder Bay near Slate River, Ont., Henry Staal would build a 50-by-100-foot rink, complete with rickety boards, regulation nets and lights for his sons Eric, Marc, Jordan and Jared.Marc, 16, was recently selected second overall in the Ontario League draft by the Sudbury Wolves; Jordan, 14, plays Bantam AAA for the Thunder Bay Kings; and 12-year-old Jared, if you believe those who have seen him play, might be the best of the Staal boys. (Keep in mind some people said the same thing about Keith and Brent Gretzky.)All through the winters, when he was growing up, Eric lived in his skates. And remember, in Thunder Bay, on the shores of Lake Superior in northwestern Ontario, the winters are long.Henry Staal built the rink 10 years ago using scrap sections of actual arenas in Thunder Bay that had been discarded after being replaced.&ldquo;I knew a guy at the parks and recreation department who told me about the boards and said I could have them,&rdquo; Henry Staal said. &ldquo;I loaded them into the truck and brought them home. I welded some pipes together and bought some mesh for the nets.&rdquo;Eric Staal has played in some great facilities, but he&rsquo;ll always hold a special place in his heart for his dad&rsquo;s home rink.&ldquo;We used to be out on the rink for hours and hours,&rdquo; Staal said. &ldquo;My cousin, Ian, and I would play on it all the time. Playing hockey was all we thought about. When you live out in the country, like we do, there&rsquo;s not a lot else to do in the winter.&rdquo;Day and night the Staal brothers and their cousins would be on Henry&rsquo;s rink. Once, while attending a tour-nament in Minneapolis, the Staals were fortunate enough to catch one of those flashing pucks that Fox Network experimented with (and which drove long-time fans to distraction). It was a great souvenir, to be sure, but it also opened the door to allowing the boys to stay out on the rink even later.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d call the boys to come in late at night, but they would just keep on playing,&rdquo; said the boys&rsquo; mom, Linda Staal. &ldquo;So I would turn out the lights, but they had that flashing puck and they could see it in the dark so they&rsquo;d just keep on playing.&rdquo;Added Henry Staal: &ldquo;Even before they got that puck, there was one night when I kept calling the boys to come in and they wouldn&rsquo;t so I turned the lights off from inside the house expecting them to come in then.&ldquo;I waited for about 10 minutes and they still hadn&rsquo;t come in so I turned the lights back on. When the lights came on, they were just standing there looking at the house and as soon as they were on, they just started playing again.&rdquo;It is hard to say what the future holds for the rising star, but one thing is for certain: if Staal is selected high, yet returned to junior, you can count on him staying humble and doing whatever he can to make the Petes a champion.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a coach&rsquo;s dream,&rdquo; Allain said.&ldquo;A lot of times with your top players, you have to treat them differently, but with Eric, he&rsquo;s just one of the guys. He&rsquo;s the hardest working guy every day.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021547/8596982-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="1696" height="3280"><figcaption class="caption-body">PISTOL PETE&nbsp;Eric Staal, in his third season with the Ontario League&rsquo;s Peterborough Petes, scored 39 goals and 98 points in 66 games. The Hockey News rates Staal as the No. 1 prospect for the 2003 NHL entry draft.(ACTION: HHOF; SET-UP: BRENT LINTON)</figcaption></div><h2>1st Round Brother Acts</h2>Eric Staal is destined to be a high draft pick on June 21- and he has three younger brothers with NHL aspirations. Here, in alphabetical order, are the 11 sets of brothers that have been drafted in the first round. Note that four of the six Sutter brothers were first-rounders.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012072/8596975-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="708" height="1168"></div> &#9632;

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That’s Staal, folks

Alan Adams is a regular contributor to The Hockey News and is project writer for Draft Preview. He determined the Hot 100 ranking of prospects for the 2003 draft and wrote each of the 60 profiles based on consultation with a panel of NHL scouts.This is a problem NHL teams wouldn&rsquo;t mind having every summer.The 2003 draft is one of the best in many years. There is loads of top-end talent and excellent depth.The problem is, with so many good options, who do you pick?&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve asked our guy to give us his top four and it changes on a daily basis,&rdquo; said Columbus GM Doug MacLean.&ldquo;There are 12 guys in our top five,&rdquo; said another GM.Some clubs have Eric Staal of the Peterborough Petes as their No. 1 guy. Some have goalie Marc-Andre Fleury of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Others think Russia&rsquo;s Nikolai Zherdev is the top dog. Other names dropped as potential No. 1 candidates include center Nathan Horton of the Oshawa Generals and Milan Michalek of the Czech Republic.It shows there&rsquo;s not much separation in the top prospects this year and it will be hard to quibble with the selections when they are finally made.The supporting cast-running from, say, seventh overall to 45th over-all-is also well above average, which is why scouts are excited.&ldquo;Anywhere from one to 45 is real good. You&rsquo;ll get a player at 45 and the guy could end up being as good as the guy at 10,&rdquo; said Detroit assistant GM Jim Nill.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012043/8597020-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="294" height="391"><figcaption class="caption-body">Alan Adams&nbsp;Project Writer</figcaption></div>&ldquo;Some of those (late first round and second round) guys will turn out to be real solid, franchise-type players.&rdquo;It&rsquo;s a huge change from last year, when scouts were speaking in less glowing terms about the class of &rsquo;02 and its relative dearth of blue-chippers. This year&rsquo;s draft looms large on a number of levels by comparison. Many prospects are 6-foot-l or 6-foot-2 and tip the scales at between 210 and 220 pounds.<h2>WEAKER EUROPEAN CLASS</h2>This is also one of the best years for North Americans in recent times. That said, there are relatively weak crops from Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Russia, but only to a slightly lesser degree.Staal, who has the distinction of being our No. 1 prospect, has great size and strength and has been likened to Ron Francis of the Carolina Hurricanes (see pg. 6 for more on Staal). Then there&rsquo;s Horton, who has size, skills and great hands. Zherdev is said to be the flashiest offensive talent and the type of player people will pay to see.There will be no shortage of intrigue June 21 in Nashville as the clock ticks toward the announcement of the No. 1 pick. Given the depth of talent, there will be as much speculation over who makes that first pick as which player will be chosen.<h2>PANTHERS MAY DEAL</h2>The Florida Panthers own the first overall pick and GM Rick Dudley has shown he&rsquo;s not afraid to wheel and deal on draft day.Fleury is considered the best goalie in the draft by a wide margin. The issue for Dudley is one of priority and price. How much would a team pay to move up and get Fleury?Dudley has spent extensive time scouting in Europe this spring, but the Panthers already have more than their fair share of Europeans on their roster.Will the fact Dudley probably doesn&rsquo;t need another European make him move away from Zherdev or trade down a few picks? How will the fact that Florida doesn&rsquo;t need a goalie-while Carolina in the No. 2 slot and Pittsburgh at No. 3 both do-play into the equation?Given the depth of this draft, any-thing is possible. &#9632;

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No clear-cut No. 1

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TOP 60 DRAFT PROSPECT PROFILES

<div class="byline">BY DENIS GIBBONS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0029-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02730/8598380-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">PUCK DREAMS Five players from the 1962-63 Georgetown (Ont.) midget championship team were among the first 19 players picked in the 1963 draft, but not one of them played an NHL game. They are: Wayne Davison (second from left in back row), Terry Lane (second from right in back row), Rod Presswood (third from right in back row), Mike Cummins (fourth from right in back row) and Jim Blair (third from right in front row). Al Blair (second from left in front row) and Jan Popiel (third from left in front row) were selected in the 1964 draft, but also never made it to the NHL</figcaption></div>They are tales you save for your grandchildren-sports stories of great intrigue and what might have been. And so it is for five men who dreamed of playing in the NHL, but had their hopes dashed.It&rsquo;s the 40th anniversary of the first amateur draft in 1963, when NHL dubs selected the entire power play unit of the Georgetown (Ont.) midget team.(Only amateur players aged 16 and older whose rights were not already owned by NHL clubs were eligible to be picked. The league did not conduct a wide-open entry draft until 1969.)Chicago and Detroit opted not to use all of their selections, so the six NHL clubs chose a total of 21 players in four rounds; nearly one-quarter of them came from a town of 11,000. The Georgetown club was coached by Del Beaumont, a former Toronto Marlboros junior who interrupted his hockey career to serve in the Navy in World War II; he participated in the D-Day landings in France in 1944.With Rod Presswood and Wayne Davison at the points and Terry Lane centering Jim Blair and Mike Cummins, Georgetown bested six teams to win the Ontario Minor Hockey Association title. In fact, they did it with ease, losing only one of 14 games and outscoring opponents by an average of 6-2. One by one the opposition went down-Preston, Mount Hamilton, Fort Erie, St. Thomas, Leamington and, finally, Orillia. But although they saw some action in junior, not one of the five draftees ever played a pro game.<h2>STIFF COMPETITION FOR NHL JOBS</h2>With NHL expansion still four years away, the competition for jobs was ferocious. Wren Blair was doing double-duty at the time as a scout for Boston and GM of the Bruins&rsquo; junior affiliate, the Oshawa Generals.&ldquo;When you went to a game in Georgetown, there was a ton of scouts there,&rdquo; he recalled.Scotty Bowman, the chief Eastern Canada scout for Montreal at the time, also remembers tracking the Georgetown midgets.&ldquo;I was based in Montreal, but I used to come up to Ontario for about four to six weeks in the fall and stay at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto,&rdquo; he said.The ice surface the boys cut their teeth on at the old Georgetown Memorial Arena measured only 175 feet by 70, which made the leap to top-level junior hockey even more difficult.&ldquo;If there was any part of my game that needed improvement, it was my skating,&rdquo; Presswood said. &ldquo;In George-town, you could get away with it.&rdquo;The Canadiens made Garry Monahan the first overall pick and the Toronto St. Michael&rsquo;s juveniles center went on to play 748 NHL games. But the best player selected was his St. Mike&rsquo;s teammate, Peter Mahovlich, who went second overall to Detroit and had an impressive NHL career with 288 goals and 773 points in 884 games. From that inaugural draft, Walt McKechnie, Jim McKenny and Gerry Meehan also carved out NHL careers.The Habs made Presswood, a heady player with good offensive skills, their second pick (seventh overall). But with future NHL stars such as Yvan Cournoyer, Jacques Lemaire and Serge Savard in the lineup, the junior Canadiens (Montreal&rsquo;s affiliate) were stacked and Presswood wound up with the Maisonneuve Braves of the Montreal Metro Hockey League. Presswood operated Rod&rsquo;s Barber Shop on the main street of Georgetown for several years before going into real estate with his wife, Dinah.Lane was selected by Boston in the second round (ninth overall), while Blair went to the Bruins in the fourth round (19th overall).&ldquo;Some of the guys on the team were rink rats and they had keys for the arena,&rdquo; Blair said. &ldquo;So we&rsquo;d practise until one or two in the morning, then be back for the regular team practice at 7 a.m.&rdquo;<h2>TEAMMATES INCLUDED ORR, CASHMAN</h2>Both Lane and Blair played two seasons with Oshawa before returning home and launching careers in the business world. Bobby Orr and Wayne Cashman were among their teammates.A stringbean 6-foot, 165-pounder, Lane tired of sitting on the bench and gradually lost his confidence.&ldquo;I think it (16) was too young to go away,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We were playing against 20-year-olds. They had to keep me fed, just to keep my weight up.&rdquo;Lane worked for Nortel for 32 years, retiring to Kingsville, Ont., in 1996 following his final posting as the company&rsquo;s director of operations for the Caribbean and Latin America in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Blair, who later played at the University of Guelph, spent 25 years in sales and marketing with Bell Canada and now lives near Owen Sound on Georgian Bay.Selected by the New York Rangers in the third round (15th overall), Cummins played briefly with the Kitchener Rangers and later with Laurentian University before undertaking a teaching career in Sudbury.&ldquo;We had our own strategies in the small rink,&rdquo; Cummins recalled. &ldquo;A lot of it was shoot the puck in and go get it. The first guy takes the man, the next one picks up the puck.&rdquo;Davison, who had a wicked slapshot, went to St. Catharines, Ont, where he had a cup of coffee with the Jr. A Black Hawks after Chicago made him their second pick (11th overall). After retiring from hockey, he moved to British Columbia.(Incredibly, two more players from that powerhouse Georgetown team-Jan Popiel and Al Blair-were chosen in the second NHL draft in 1964, Popiel by Chicago and Blair by Boston. Neither made the NHL, although Popiel spent seven years in the World Hockey Association.)In junior hockey the long-shot prospects received compensation for their room and board, school books and tuition, along with $10-a-week spending money. In the end, the biggest beneficiary of the whole scenario in 1963 was the Georgetown Minor Hockey Support which received $10,000 from the NHL clubs&mdash;$2,000 for each of the five players drafted.Art Shepherd was secretary of the support group at the time.&ldquo;I remember there was quite a controversy,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Some of the parents figured the money should have gone to them. Then it all died down.&rdquo;<h2>1963 NHL AMATEUR DRAFT</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011087/8598373-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="1044" height="1412"></div><h2>CENTRAL SCOUTING FINAL RANKINGS</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011227/8598366-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="3106" height="1449"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011131/8598359-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="3097" height="1434"></div> &#9632;

f0029-02

1963: The Georgetown draft

The Hockey News Hot 100 is a listing of the top prospects for the June 21-22 NHL entry draft in Nashville. It was determined by project writer Alan Adams and is the consensus of a panel of NHL GMs and scouts.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011203/8598411-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="604" height="680"><figcaption class="caption-body">Oshawa center Nathan Horton is the No. 3-ranked prospect in our Hot 100. (CLAUS ANDERSEN/HHOF)</figcaption></div>1. Eric StaalC. Peterborough, OHL2. Marc-Andre FleuryG, Cane Breton. QMJHL3. Nathan HortonC, Oshawa, OHL4. Nikolai ZherdevW, Central Army, Russia5. Ryan SuterD. Under-18. United States6. Milan MichalekLW, Budejovice, Czech Republic7. Braydon Coburn D, Portland, WHL8. Thomas VanekLW, Minnesota, WCHA9. Ryan GetzlafC, Calgary, WHL10. Zach PariseC. North Dakota. WCHA11. Dion PhaneufD, Red Deer, WHL12. Dustin BrownRW, Guelph, OHL13. Andrei KastsitsynC, Central Army, Russia14. Marc-Antoine PouliotC, Rimouski, QMJHL15. Konstantin GlazachevLW, Yaroslavl Jr., Russia16. Jeff CarterC, Sault Ste. Marie, OHL17. Ryan KeslerC, Ohio State, CCHA18. Robert NilssonF. Leksands, Sweden19. Anthony StewartC/RW, Kingston, OHL20. Patrick O&rsquo;SullivanC, Mississauga, OHL21. Mark StuartD, Colorado College, WCHA22. Hugh JessimanRW. Dartmouth, ECAC23. Richard StehlikD, Sherbrooke, QMJHL24. Steve BernierRW, Moncton, QMJHL25. Jeff TambelliniLW, Michigan, CCHA26. Brent SeabrookeD, Lethbridge, WHL27. Dan FritscheC. Sarnia, OHL28. Eric FehrRW, Brandon, WHL29. Corey PerryRW, London, OHL30. Kevin KleinD, St. Michael&rsquo;s, OHL31. Mike RichardsC, Kitchener, OHL32. Ryan StoneC, Brandon, WHL33. Dmitri KosmachevD. Central Army, Russia34. Vojtech PolakF, Karlovy Van/, Czech Republic35. Michal BarinkaD. Budejovice, Czech Republic36. Brian BoyleC, St. Sebastian&rsquo;s, USHS37. Shawn BelleD, Tri-City, WHL38. Ivan KhomutovF, Central Army, Russia39. Jeremy CollitonC. Prince Albert. WHL40. Ryan MunceG, Sarnia, OHL41. Tim RamholtD, Zurich, Switzerland42. Petr VranaC. Halifax, QMJHL43. Loui ErikssonC, Frolunda Jr., Sweden44. Kamil KrepsC, Brampton, OHL45. Denis EzhovD. Togliatti, Russia46. Igor MirnovRW, Central Army. Russia47. PatrickEavesRW, Boston College, HE48. Marc-Andre BernierRW, Halifax, QMJHL49. Konstantin ZakharovF, Minsk Jr., Belarus50. Jim HowardG, Maine, HE51. Jonathan FilewichRW. Prince George, WHL52. Josh HennessyC, Quebec, QMJHL53. Mike EgenerD, Calgary, WHL54. Paul BissonnetteD. Saginaw, OHL55. Stefan MeyerLW, Medicine Hat, WHL56. Alexei IvanovL, Yaroslavl Jr. Russia57. Alexandre BolducC, Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL58. Corey CrawfordG, Moncton. QMJHL59. Grigori ShafigulinF, Yaroslavl Jr., Russia60. Alexander SulzerD, Hamburg, Germany61. Yevgeni TunikF, Elektrostal, Russia62. David LiffitonD. Plymouth, OHL63. Maxim LapierreC, Montreal, QMJHL64. Branislav FabryF, Bratislava Jr., Slovakia65. Ivan DomicC/W. Bratislava Jr., Slovakia66. Dimitri ChernikhF, Chimik, Russia67. Kevin NastiukG, Medicine Hat, WHL68. Ivan BarankaD. Dubnica Jr., Slovakia69. Andreas ValdixRW, Malmo, Sweden70. Corey LockeC, Ottawa, OHL71. Dimitri PestunovF, Magnitogorsk, Russia72. Cory UrquhartC, Montreal, QMJHL73. Frank RedikerD, Windsor, OHL74. Liam LindstromF, Mora, Sweden75. Shane HynesRW, Cornell, ECAC76. Shea WeberD, Kelowna, WHL77. Teemu NurmiF, Taooara, Finland78. Alexandre PicardD, Halifax, QMJHL79. Matt SmabyD, Shattuck-St. Mary&rsquo;s, USHS80. Patrick EhelechnerG, Hannover, Germany81. Daniel CarcilloLW, Sarnia, OHL82. Tyler RedenbachC/LW, Swift Current, WHL83. Alexander VoroninC, Yaroslavl Jr., Russia84. Jean-Michel BolducD, Quebec, QMJHL85. Masi MarjamakiLW, Red Deer, WHL86. Greg MooreRW, Maine, HE87. B.J. CrombeenRW, Barrie, OHL88. Aaron DawsonD, Peterborough, OHL89. Jamie TardifC/RW, Peterborough, OHL90. Anton KhovrinF, Samara. Russia91. Alexander NaurovC/RW, Yaroslavl Jr., Russia92. Robbie EarlLW, Under-18, United States93. Colin FraserC, Red Deer, WHL94. Mark McCutcheonC, New England, EJHL95. Jean-Francois JacquesLW, Baie-Comeau, QMJHL96. Anton PonomarevD. Perm. Russia97. Linus VidellF, Brynas Jr., Sweden98. Patric ValcakW, Ostrava Jr., Czech Republic99. Evgeni IsakovF, Cherepovec, Russia100. Zack FitzgeraldD, Seattle, WHL &#9632;

f0032-01

HOT 100

<div class="byline">BY MATTHEW WUEST</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0033-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011087/8598442-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">MATTHEW WUEST IS A FREELANCE HOCKEY WRITER (ALEXANDER OVECHKIN NO. 1 DRAFT PROSPECT IN 2004)</figcaption></div>Rarely does an NHL team have the opportunity to draft a franchise player like Russian phenom Alexander Ovechkin. Already crowned by most scouts as the top prospect available in the 2004 draft, Ovechkin will make next season&rsquo;s draft lottery one of the most highly anticipated events of the year.&ldquo;Ovechkin can turn a franchise around,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;He has the size, the skating, the puckhandling and the mobility. He&rsquo;s not afraid to be physical and to hit guys. He just dominates.&rdquo;The 17-year-old collected eight goals and 16 points in 40 games this season as a second-year player with Dynamo Moscow of the Russian elite league. A dangerous scorer with terrific vision and hockey sense, Ovechkin mesmerizes scouts with his brilliant skating, magical 1-on-l moves and lethal shooting ability.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a special player, the Next One,&rdquo; said another scout. &ldquo;He has everything you need and everything you want. This kid would probably be No. 1 this year.&rdquo;The 6-foot-2,203-pound right-shooting forward has a wealth of high-level experience for his age and is poised and mature enough to step into the NHL immediately after being drafted. Scouts see a clear separation between Ovechkin and the rest of the 2004 draft class.&ldquo;The benchmark is Ovechkin and it&rsquo;s tough to justify anyone else (for No. 1 overall) right now,&rdquo; one scout stated.The 2004 draft is June 25-27 at the RBC Center in Raleigh. While Ovechkin is a lock to go No. 1, several exciting prospects will make a push for top-10 status next season. Listed in alphabetical order are six other significant 2004-eligible players, listed with position, height, weight and 2002-03 team, league and stats.Cam Barker&nbsp;D, 6-3, 212, Medicine Hat (WHL), 64-10-37-47-79. Barker is the complete package, a gifted offensive defenseman with the physi-cal tools to develop into a No. 1 NHL blueliner. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a dominating force and he controls the tempo of play,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a guy that doesn&rsquo;t have any weaknesses. He&rsquo;s the best (2004) draft-eligible kid in Canada.&rdquo;Devan Dubnyk&nbsp;G, 6-5, 182, Kamloops (WHL), 11-6-1, 3.00 GAA, .907 SP. The early favorite to be the top goaltender in 2004, Dubnyk plays a stand-up style and covers a lot of net with his imposing 6-foot-5 frame. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s not much room to get it by him,&rdquo; a scout said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s technically sound, one of the best goalies I&rsquo;ve ever seen at this stage.&rdquo;Rostislav Olesz&nbsp;RW, 6-2, 200, Vitkovice (Cze), 406-3-9-41. An explosive winger with a threatening arsenal of offensive weapons, Olesz had a successful rookie season in the top Czech Republic league. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a very gifted player,&rdquo; a scout said. &ldquo;He has a little bit of Marian Gaborik in him at the same age.&rdquo;Adam Pineault&nbsp;RW, 6-3,196, U.S. under-18 team, 46-18-16-34-85. A power forward, Pineault finished second in scoring in the U.S. under-18 program and made a big impression with his aggressive, physical style and scoring touch.Robbie Schremp&nbsp;C, 6-0, 200, Mississauga (OHL), 65-26-48-74-25. The Ontario League&rsquo;s top-scoring rookie is a game-breaking offensive pivot with smarts, vision and playmaking ability. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s an offense-generating center who has exceptional game instincts,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s crafty with superior hockey sense.&rdquo;Wojtek Wolski&nbsp;LW, 6-3, 185, Brampton (OHL), 64-25-32-57-26. Born in Poland, but raised in Canada, Wolski is a dangerous finisher who drives hard to the net and buries the puck with his incredibly soft hands. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a sniper and he has got a good two-way game,&rdquo; said a scout. &ldquo;He just has a history of getting it done.&rdquo;<h2>OTHERS TO WATCH</h2>Among other notables, Evgeny Malkin and Dmitri Shitikov posted impressive numbers on a line with Ovechkin at the world under-18 championship this spring.Drew Stafford, a U.S. high school power forward, and skilled Kitchener (OHL) center Evan McGrath are also first round candidates.Finnish forward Lauri Tukonen was injured for part of this season, but could make a first round bid with his lightning speed. &#9632;

f0033-01

Ovechkin up in ’04

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011223/8598480-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="289" height="391"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bobby Smith&nbsp;Guest Columnist</figcaption></div>On the Monday morning after the NHL draft I like to sit down and dissect the selections to see which teams drafted well and which ones squandered opportunities to really help themselves. This year I&rsquo;ll be rating the 1994 draft. That&rsquo;s a safe waiting period to judge draft-day performance.In June, 1994, nobody knew that Vancouver&rsquo;s first round pick, 17-year-old Mattias Ohlund, would become a pillar on the team&rsquo;s defense. I&rsquo;m sure Devils fans weren&rsquo;t giddy with delight after the selection of future star Patrik Elias with the 51st pick. They may have been pleased with Vadim Sharifijanov, who was taken in the first round 25th overall, but Elias, Sheldon Souray (71st) and Steve Sullivan (233rd) would all turn out to be better picks by New Jersey.For NHL scouting staffs, projecting which 17- and 18-year-old players will become the best NHLers can be daunting task. What makes the job even harder is the fact that draftees hail from more than a dozen countries and a variety of levels of competition; some play lowly Tier II junior or Division III college hockey, while others play in European pro leagues.<h2>PROSPECTS NEED PATIENCE</h2>The good news is that all teams can credibly claim to be thrilled with the products of their draft. So let&rsquo;s not be cynical when teams announce they &ldquo;couldn&rsquo;t believe Joe Blueline was still available in the seventh round.&rdquo; We can judge this draft sometime around 2012.My friends at The Hockey News asked me for a few thoughts on the NHL draft and mentioned that it has been 25 years since I was the first player chosen. My initial reaction was that they were confusing me with Rejean Houle, the former Montreal Canadiens star who had been the first pick in the first amateur draft. But Rejean was drafted in 1969. After some quick calculating, I realized it indeed has been two-and-a-half decades since June 15,1978.In the late 1970s the World Hockey Association was still in existence. As it became apparent during my last junior season that I was the top prospect available in the draft, my agent, the late Norm Caplan, began fielding calls from WHA teams. I didn&rsquo;t want to hinder Norm&rsquo;s negotiating leverage, but I did make one thing perfectly clear: I did not grow up dreaming of skating around a rink with the Avco Cup hoisted over my head. I was going to play in the NHL. Norm asked me not to go public with that sentiment and I eventually signed with the Minnesota North Stars.<h2>DRAFT-DAY DISAPPOINTMENT</h2>To this day, my actual draft day remains a disappointment. I had signed a contract with the North Stars about a month before the draft so there was no drama for me. I knew where my NHL career would begin and I slept well on the eve of the draft. I was looking forward to having my name called, visiting the North Stars draft table and sitting back to watch the draft unfold. I had my own ideas as to where my contemporaries should be picked. Unfortunately, after my selection I was escorted to an interview room and not released until the first round was over. I did emerge in time to shake hands with my junior linemate, Steve Payne, who was the North Stars&rsquo; first pick in the second round. Steve and I lived together our rookie season and we are good friends to this day.It&rsquo;s a bit extraordinary that my junior linemates, Payne and Tim Higgins (10th overall to Chicago) were among the first 19 picks in 1978. I find it more unusual Mike Meeker was taken by Pittsburgh with the 25th pick. Nine years prior to the 1978 draft, Meeker, Higgins and I had played on the same line on our peewee team. We were the team&rsquo;s second fine! I don&rsquo;t know if there has ever been another peewee team that could make such a claim.<h2>MINIMUM AGE LOWERED TO 18</h2>My draft year was the last time prospects had to finish their junior eligibility before being drafted. I was 20 when I was drafted and it&rsquo;s safe to say under today&rsquo;s rules I would not have gone No. 1. In my first year of junior I was a good third line player who scored 24 goals. Two years and 25 pounds later, things were a little different. I won the Ontario Hockey Association scoring championship and was taken ahead of a slew of players who had been better prospects than me two years earlier.As hockey fans watch and analyze the draft, we tend to think of the effect the day&rsquo;s events will have on teams. Being the father of an 18-year-old who has just inextricably altered his future by choosing to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder over schools in Arizona or California, I have a different slant. The selections made will have a profound outcome on the lives of the young men chosen. Their professional success, the girl they marry and the country in which their kids are raised may all be determined by which team calls their name.My life was changed on draft day. The Cleveland Barons and Minnesota North Stars merged the day I was selected. We ended up with a group of players strong enough to make the semifinal two years later, eliminating the Montreal Canadiens who were going for their fifth-straight Stanley Cup. The following year we were in the final, but couldn&rsquo;t overcome the New York Islanders. On a personal front I have lived much of my adult life in the Twin Cities and was hired to manage the Phoenix Coyotes by a businessman I met in Minneapolis.Some amazing stories and journeys will begin on June 21 in Nashville. It will be decades before the final chapters are written.BOBBY SMITH WAS THE NO. 1 PICK 25 YEARS AGO; MORE RECENTLY, HE WAS PHOENIX&rsquo;S GM (1996-01)<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02826/8598473-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="3166" height="3048"><figcaption class="caption-body">BOBBY SMITH NO. 1 PICK. 1978 (BBS)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0034-01

Draft results take time

The Minnesota North Stars made the right call by choosing Bobby Smith first overall in 1978. Smith&rsquo;s career production and impact place him ahead of draft contemporaries such as Ryan Walter, Ken Linseman and Al Secord. But the cases of Smith, Mike Modano (1988), Mats Sundin (1989) and a handful of other top guns are the exceptions to the rule. Usually, a player not selected first overall runs away with the draft-class glory. A look back at No. 1s over 24 years from 1978 to 2001 reveals that just nine turned out to be the without-a-doubt right call. Below are the 25 No. 1 picks since 1978 and who the top player from that draft class turned out to be.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03651/8598511-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="706" height="1082"></div> &#9632;

f0034-03

TIME TELLS WHO’S NO. 1

<div class="byline">BY DAN WOOD</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02724/8598542-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">PAUL KARIYA 4TH OVERALL BY ANAHEIM (&rsquo;93) (DALE MACMILLAN/BBS)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011112/8598549-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="216" height="276"></div>While their playoff success this year was great news for the Mighty Ducks, even better might be the fact the number of highly regarded prospects within the organization has increased dramatically in the one year since Bryan Murray took over as GM.Besides wingers Stanislav Chistov and Alexei Smirnov, draftees who skated for the Ducks this season, Anaheim also signed free agent defenseman Kurt Sauer away from Colorado.Deeper in the organization, the Ducks finally signed Swedish center Mikael Holmqvist, a first round selection in 1997, as well as right winger Joffrey Lupul, a 2002 first round pick. Anaheim is also high on minor league goalie Ilja Bryzgalov and defenseman Mark Popovic, as well as junior centers Tim Brent, Joel Perreault and Igor Pohanka and former Ferris State University left winger Chris Kunitz.CALLING THE SHOTS Alain Chainey, who has been with the Ducks since the franchise&rsquo;s inception in 1993, is in his seventh year as Anaheim&rsquo;s director of amateur scouting. On his watch, the Ducks drafted Lupul, Chistov, Smirnov and defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski, among others.Tim Murray, former director of amateur scouting for Florida, is in his first year with Anaheim and will help with draft preparations as well as doing pro scouting in his role as director of player personnel.DRAFT TENDENCY In a significant departure from the approach under former GM Pierre Gauthier, who often favored smaller, skilled players, Anaheim went for more size last year and is likely to continue with that strategy.Murray&rsquo;s basic premise, not unlike that of most NHL GMs, is that size, strength and grit are mandatory for playoff success. The Ducks also drafted seven North Americans with their eight selections last season, another apparent departure from the Gauthier regime that often preferred Europeans.IMMEDIATE NEED Despite on-ice improvement in the past year, Anaheim still has holes-and others that could develop. The impending unrestricted free agency of center Adam Oates and right winger Steve Thomas could leave a void, while a lack of depth on the fourth line was evident in the playoffs.Rumors of a free agent return to Anaheim by San Jose right winger Teemu Selanne figure to get nothing but stronger as July 1 approaches. Coach Mike Babcock is a big proponent of speed, so any acquisitions figure to be top-end skaters.LONG-TERM NEED With Giguere and Bryzgalov, the Ducks are set in goal for the foreseeable future. There also is a nice collection of potential game-breakers at forward, including Chistov, Smirnov and Lupul. It&rsquo;s on the blueline where Anaheim has the greatest need for prospects, with Popovic perhaps the only one with real promise.Still, don&rsquo;t look for the Ducks to pass up a talented forward, or goalie for that matter, just for the sake of drafting a defenseman.READY TO STEP IN While Lupul, who will turn 20 in September, will get a chance to earn a roster spot next season after a strong junior career with Medicine Hat of the Western League, nothing will be handed to him. It&rsquo;s likely he&rsquo;ll need some seasoning in the American League with Cincinnati.The more likely candidate to win a job in training camp might be Holmqvist, who played the past four seasons with TPS Turku in the Finnish elite league. Holmqvist, 23, had 15 goals and 40 points in 56 games this season and is a 6-foot-3, 210-pounder who was impressive during a brief stint in camp last year.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Marc Chouinard, C, 26; Jean-Sebastien Giguere, G, 26; Nidas Havelid, D, 30; Paul Kariya, LW, 28; Mike Leclerc, LW, 26; Samuel Pahlsson, C, 25; Kevin Sawyer, LW, 29; Petr Sykora, RW, 26; Vitaly Vishnevski, D, 23.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Patric Kjellberg, RW, 34; Adam Oates, C, 40; Fredrik Olausson, D, 36; Steve Thomas, RW, 39.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Anaheim&rsquo;s system:1. Joffrey Lupul, C, 19, Medicine Hat (WHL)2. Ilja Bryzgalov, G, 23, Cincinnati (AHL)3. Mark Popovic, D, 20, Cincinnati (AHL)4. Tim Brent, C, 19, St. Michael&rsquo;s (OHL)5. Joel Perreault, C, 20, Baie Comeau (QMJHL) &#9632;

f0036-02

Deep pool of young Ducks

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04461/8598587-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="702" height="206"></div>Here are Anaheim&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Jeremy Stevenson, 262nd overall, 1994After toiling in the minors for most of eight seasons, Stevenson proved to Minnesota coach Jacques Lemaire that he can play tough and be responsible defensively.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03599/8598594-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="232" height="362"></div>Bates Battaglia, 132nd overall, 1994Paul Kariya, 4th overall, 1993Martin Gerber, 232nd overall, 2001Niclas Havelid, 83rd overall, 1999Mike Leclerc, 55th overall, 1995Joel Perreault, 137th overall, 2001Pierre Parenteau, 263rd overall, 2001<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Mikael Holmqvist, 18th overall, 1997Brian Wesenberg, 29th overall, 1995Nikolai Tsulygin, 30th overall, 1993Chad Kilger, 4th overall, 1995* Stanley Cup winner drops to 30th overall in the draft order.<h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05387/8598580-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="174" height="294"><figcaption class="caption-body">JOFFREY LUPUL (DALE MACMILLAN/BBS)</figcaption></div>Chosen: 7th overall 50-41-37-78-82 with Medicine Hat (WHL). Did nothing to hurt reputation as capable scorer. Now must prove he can do the rest. &#9632;

f0036-04

DRAFT WATCHDOG

If Los Angeles GM Dave Taylor thinks there&rsquo;s an irresistible player within the first 10 picks of the draft, he could easily put together a package his earlier-picking colleagues would find tough to turn down.The Kings are the only team with three picks in the first round of the 2003 draft. Their own pick comes in at No. 13 and they also have No. 26 (from Colorado in the Rob Blake deal, awarded because Blake re-signed with the Avs) and No. 28 (from Detroit in the Mathieu Schneider deal). In what is considered a deep draft through the first two rounds, Los Angeles could package two or perhaps all three of their first round picks to move up in the order and try for forwards Eric Staal or Nikolai Zherdev or, more likely, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-06337/8598625-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="320" height="126"></div>Alternatively, the quality of the draft might lead the Kings to stock up on several talented players rather than go for the home run. Florida has the first pick, thanks to its good fortune at the April 7 draft lottery. The rest of the non-playoff teams select in reverse order of regular season points. The Panthers revert to their natural position-the fourth pick-in subsequent rounds. Playoff teams also select in reverse order of regular season finish, with two exceptions. The six division winners automatically hold draft spots 25-30 and the Stanley Cup winner automatically picks 30th, with other teams moving up a spot if affected. These conditions hold throughout all rounds of the draft.Four teams do not have a first round pick-Phoenix, Toronto, Colorado and Detroit. San Jose and Philadelphia each have two first-rounders.<h2>2003 1ST ROUND DRAFT ORDER</h2>1. Ronda2. Carolina3. Pittsburgh4. Columbus5. Buffalo6. San Jose7. Nashville8. Atlanta9. Calgary10. Montreal11. Philadelphia (from Pho)12. NY Rangers13. Los Angeles14. Chicago15. NY Islanders16. Boston17. Edmonton18. Washington19. Anaheim20. Minnesota21. San Jose (from or)22. New Jersey (from StL)23. Vancouver24. Philadelphia25. Tampa Bay26. Los Angeles (from Col)27. St. Louis (from NJ)28. Los Angeles (from Det)29. Dallas30. Ottawa**Stanley Cup winner drops to 30th overall in the draft order. &#9632;

f0036-06

Pick-packin’ Kings could skake up draft

<div class="byline">BY JEFF SCHULTZ</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0037-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02674/8598656-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">DANY HEATLEY 2ND OVERALL BY ATLANTA (&rsquo;00) (BRAIN WINKLER/BBS)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01992/8598663-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="226" height="258"></div>Atlanta&rsquo;s suffering hockey fans have heard so much about &ldquo;the future&rdquo; it should come as a great relief to learn &ldquo;the future&rdquo; now only refers to next October. The Thrashers will be entering Year 5 of a five-year plan and believe they finally have a roster and a coaching staff that can get them to the playoffs.It would help if the team doesn&rsquo;t go winless in the first 10 games, as it did this season. It also would help if the Thrashers can pick up a ready-for-NHL player at this year&rsquo;s draft.It&rsquo;s unlikely that any 18-year-old the team selects with the eighth overall pick will be ready to turn pro. But it&rsquo;s conceivable GM Don Waddell will deal the pick if he believes he can add a forward or defenseman to help the Thrashers reach the post-season.Waddell has discussed trading away his first-rounder before, but in the end held on to it or moved up a spot. &ldquo;This may be the year we see what options we have with the pick,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;given where we feel our team is at right now.&rdquo;CALLING THE SHOTS Waddell makes the final call on any pick, but he relies heavily on director of player development Bob Owen and chief scout Dan Marr. Both have been with Waddell since the franchise&rsquo;s inception and are widely respected.Atlanta ranks the top 100 players overall and then has sub-categories: goalies, skilled forwards, tough guys, etc. Before each pick, the three cross-reference the top 100 picks and the sub-categories before making the selection.&ldquo;There haven&rsquo;t been any disagreements because otherwise the guy wouldn&rsquo;t be on our list,&rdquo; Waddell said. &ldquo;The disagreements come at our pre-draft meetings. We want to avoid controversies at the draft table.&rdquo;DRAFT TENDENCY Drafting first or second in their first four seasons, it was easy for the Thrashers to select the best available player: center Patrik Stefan (1999), right winger Dany Heatley (2000), left winger Ilya Kovalchuk (2001) and goalie Kari Lehtonen (2002). That likely won&rsquo;t change if the Thrashers keep the eighth overall pick, although there is a greater organizational need at forward than on defense. Waddell likes drafting college players, knowing the team can retain a player&rsquo;s rights for up to four years without signing him.IMMEDIATE NEED If free agents Slava Kozlov (unrestricted) and Marc Savard (restricted) can both be resigned, the Thrashers are not desperate for scoring help. But they could use a No. 2 or No. 3 center (with Stefan filling one of those spots) and another winger, preferably with some grit, who can play on the third line. Defensively, Waddell believes youngsters Garnet Exelby and Kirill Safronov are ready to make the jump. That may be, but it&rsquo;s taking a risk to count on both.LONG-TERM NEED Assuming goalie Lehtonen develops as expected, Atlanta should be solid in its own end. The challenge will be continuing to support Heatley and Kovalchuk with offensive talent. Savard played well centering Heatley and Kozlov on the top line, but the Thrashers have never had a big, tough top center and generally continue to be weak down the middle.READY TO STEP IN Defenseman Exelby quickly became a favorite of coach Bob Hartley after a late-season call-up. Exelby is tough and seldom gets out of position. Hartley already likens him to a young Adam Foote. Barring a disastrous training camp, Exelby is a lock to make the roster and it won&rsquo;t be a surprise if he plays a significant role, given the team&rsquo;s need for a physical edge.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Lubos Bartecko, LW, 26; Joe DiPenta, D, 24; Andreas Karlsson, C, 27; Norm Maracle, G, 28; Pasi Nurminen, G, 27; Kamil Piros, C, 24; Marc Savard, C, 26; Andy Sutton, D, 28; Per Svartvadet, LW, 28.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Tony Hrkac, C, 37; Slava Kozlov, LW, 31; Uwe Krupp, D, 38; Jeff Odgers, RW, 34; Damian Rhodes, G, 34; Ben Simon, C, 25.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Atlanta&rsquo;s system:1. Kari Lehtonen, G, 19, Jokerit (Fin.)2. Jim Slater, C, 20, Michigan St. (CCHA)3. Garnet Exelby, D, 21, Chicago (AHL)4. Kirill Safronov, D, 22, Chicago (AHL)5. Libor Ustrnul, D, 21, Chicago(AHL) &#9632;

f0037-02

Trading pick not ruled out

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05401/8598701-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="712" height="172"></div>Here are Atlanta&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past four drafts, since the Thrashers began participating in the entry draft in 1999. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Pasi Nurminen, 189th overall, 2001He has won and lost the starting goaltending job a couple of times the past two years, but he&rsquo;s not playing behind any Selke or Norris candidates.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03536/8598715-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="223" height="357"></div>Garnet Exelby, 217th overall, 1999Simon Gamache, 290th overall, 2000Tommi Santala, 245th overall, 1999<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Patrik Stefan, 1st overall, 1999Luke Sellars, 30th overall, 1999Ilja Nikulin, 31st overall, 2000<h2>THRASHERS FAST FACT</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04450/8598708-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="132" height="74"></div>Atlanta has picked either first or second overall in its first four NHL drafts-first in 1999 and &rsquo;01 and second in &rsquo;00 and &rsquo;02. This year, though, they wait until No. 8.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06353/8598694-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="174" height="282"><figcaption class="caption-body">KARI LEHTONEN</figcaption></div>Chosen: 2nd overall 45-23-14-6, 1.98 with Jokerit (Fin). Highly touted stopper has been signed and will likely start 2003-04 in AHL Chicago. &#9632;

f0037-05

<div class="byline">BY MIKE LOFTUS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0038-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02725/8598746-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">JOE THORNTON 1ST OVERALL BY BOSTON (&rsquo;97) (SPORTS ACTON PHOTOGRAPHY)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011076/8598753-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="190" height="266"></div>During a 14-game stint as interim coach that ended with a first round loss to New Jersey, GM Mike O&rsquo;Connell saw a team he said was so close-knit that the players couldn&rsquo;t &ldquo;call a spade a spade.&rdquo;O&rsquo;Connell might be a bit guilty, too.The Bruins-2001-02 Eastern Conference regular season champions and first round losers who then lost key players to free agency and holdouts-were left largely intact for this season. Seeing the core as a contender, O&rsquo;Connell removed few players in preparing and then supplementing the 2002-03 roster.The result: barring trades, Day 1 of draft weekend this June might be short. Boston has its first round pick, but its second- and third-rounders were traded in deals for defenseman Dan McGillis and goalie Steve Shields, as was a fourth round pick to get defender Ian Moran. A compensatory pick for departed free agent Bill Guerin could replace the second-rounder, but Boston also might lose Moran and goalie Jeff Hackett to unrestricted free agency.CALLING THE SHOTS O&rsquo;Connell takes input from several sources, but director of amateur scouting Scott Bradley&rsquo;s opinion is most convincing. Bradley, 38, enters his sixth draft. Over the first five, he has helped Boston overhaul what had been an aging defense by selecting the likes of Nick Boynton (1999), Jonathan Girard (1998) and Shaone Morrisonn (2001).DRAFT TENDENCY The Bruins generally select the player they like most, regardless of position or birthplace. Lately, though, the B&rsquo;s have favored Europeans-all seven of last year&rsquo;s choices were Euro-bred-and have chased defensemen and goalies available at the tops of drafts.Finnish netminding prospect Hannu Toivonen was last year&rsquo;s top pick (29th overall), joining Matti Kaltiainen, another goalie from Finland who was picked 111th overall in 2001. For four straight drafts before that (1997 through 2000), defensemen were the first players claimed.IMMEDIATE NEED Goaltending is as big a question as it was last summer, when the Bruins decided they weren&rsquo;t going any further with Byron Dafoe. Heir apparent John Grahame has since been traded; results from Shields were mixed; and Hackett is an unrestricted-free-agent-to-be who has hinted at retirement. The team wants to give Raycroft a shot after consecutive strong seasons with Providence, but if the Bruins can&rsquo;t or don&rsquo;t keep Hackett, they&rsquo;re bound to try to find an established No. 1 goalie by the start of next season.LONG-TERM NEED The center position has been neglected recently in drafts and trades and with Jozef Stumpel and Brian Rolston playing next season at ages 31 and 30, respectively, it&rsquo;ll soon be time to replenish. Andy Hilbert may eventually be pegged as a center, but Boston will need even more new blood behind Joe Thornton. There&rsquo;s a bit of age on the wings as well, but there&rsquo;s also more depth there at the NHL level and below than exists down the middle.READY TO STEP IN The Bruins have a host of players who have probably put in enough time at the minor pro level. Raycroft has the best chance of sticking in Boston next season while wingers Hilbert, Ivan Huml and Lee Goren, all of whom spent time in Boston in 2002-03, may get caught up in a numbers game. Those prospects&rsquo; best hope may be that Mike Sullivan, who coached them this season at Providence, moves up to Boston as head coach or as an assistant.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS P-J Axelsson, LW, 28; Bryan Berard, D, 26; Nick Boynton, D, 24; Hal Gill, D, 28; Jonathan Girard, D, 23; Mike Knuble, LW, 30; Brantt Myhres, RW, 29; Brian Rolston, C, 30; Sergei Samsonov, LW, 24; P.J. Stock, C, 28; Jozef Stumpel, C, 30.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Lee Goren, RW, 25; Jeff Hackett, G, 35; Michal Grosek, RW, 28; Ian Moran, D, 30; Tim Thomas, G, 29; Don Sweeney, D, 37.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Boston&rsquo;s system:1. Shaone Morrisonn, D, 21, Providence (AHL)2. Ivan Huml, LW, 21, Providence (AHL)3. Andy Hilbert, LW/C, 22, Providence (AHL)4. Andrew Raycroft, G, 23, Providence (AHL)5. Martin Samuelsson, RW, 21, Providence (AHL) &#9632;

f0038-02

Earlier trades limit options

Here are Boston&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Hal Gill, 207th, &rsquo;93With a wingspan wide enough to span the old Boston Garden, Gill has gained a reputation as a miserable defenseman to beat wide or to rumble with in the corners.P-J Axelsson, 177th overall, 1995Shawn Bates, 103rd overall, 1993Ivan Huml, 59th overall, 2000John Grahame, 229th overall, 1994Antti Laaksonen, 191st overall, 1997Sergei Samsonov, 8th overall, 1997Andre Roy, 151st overall, 1994Andrew Raycroft, 135th overall, 1998Jay Henderson, 246th overall, 1997<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Johnathan Aitken, 8th overall, 1996Evgeni Ryabchikov, 21st overall, 1994Lars Jonsson, 7th overall, 2000Henry Kuster, 45th overall, 1996Paxton Schafer, 47th overall, 1995Daniel Goneau, 47th overall, 1994Matt Alvey, 51st overall, 1993Eric Naud, 53rd overall, 1996Mattias Karlin, 54th overall, 1997Matt Zultek, 56th overall, 1999<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03588/8598791-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="698" height="160"></div><h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-04473/8598784-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="172" height="287"><figcaption class="caption-body">HANNU TOIVONEN</figcaption></div>Chosen: 29th overall 16-2-4, 2.26 GAA, .912 SP with HPK (Fin.) Big butterflier enjoyed strong first season in top Finnish league. &#9632;

f0038-03

<div class="byline">BY BUCKY GLEASON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0039-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02649/8598822-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIROSLAV SATAN 111TH OVERALL BY EDMONTON (&rsquo;93) (USA MEYER/BBS)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-011001/8598829-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="215" height="274"></div>The Buffalo Sabres finally have their ownership situation settled and new boss Tom Golisano sounds like he is intent on fixing two years worth of problems. It can&rsquo;t all be done in a day, of course, but Buffalo can help secure its future with a good showing at the draft.The Sabres are younger and cheaper than they were a year ago as they prepare for life after the next collective bargaining agreement. It means they must do a better job with the selection process, especially in the early rounds.Buffalo had shaky draft-day performances in 1999 and 2000 and the team is feeling the effects. If Sabres scouts don&rsquo;t find the right players this year, a few could be looking for new employment.CALLING THE SHOTS Don Luce is entering his 17th season as the Sabres&rsquo; director of player personnel and he has major influence at the draft table. He has spent much of the last month following the Ontario League playoffs. This is an important year for Luce because it marks the first time since 1996 the Sabres have a top-10 pick. He is also among many top scouts being evaluated by Golisano and managing partner Larry Quinn. Sabres scouts haven&rsquo;t selected a 30-goal scorer since 1988, when they nabbed Alexander Mogilny with the 89th pick.DRAFT TENDENCY The Sabres picked five blueliners in 2002, but they took only seven in the three previous years combined. And the search for a productive forward has been problematic-only three taken since 1995 (Erik Rasmussen, Maxim Afinogenov, Ales Kotalik) have played 60 games for Buffalo.The Sabres picked Barrett Heisten in 1999 and Artem Kryukov in 2000, but neither signed with Buffalo and are considered first round busts. They have fared much better with defensemen since the 1995 draft, including NHL regulars Dmitri Kalinin, Brian Campbell, Henrik Tallinder, Cory Sarich and Jay McKee.IMMEDIATE NEED For years, Buffalo has been looking for a power forward that can work the front of the net. So far, they&rsquo;ve had little luck finding one. They could grab one this year if the University of Minnesota&rsquo;s Thomas Vanek falls to the fifth pick or Buffalo trades up to get him. If not, they should be looking for anyone who can help this goal-starved team find the net. With a new owner on board, they might look to the free agent market for help, but they won&rsquo;t be seeking a marquee player that would throw off their salary structure. There has been talk they could trade one of their goalies or defenseman Alexei Zhitnik in hopes of addressing their deepest need.LONG-TERM NEED The Sabres need someone who can take over the scoring load if right winger Miroslav Satan ever becomes an unrestricted free agent. The 28-year-old made it clear he wants to play for a contender and the Sabres would be lost without him. Worse, he could wind up on the open market should the minimum age be lowered in the next collective bargaining agreement. Either way, Buffalo knows it has three years to develop another top-flight scorer.READY TO STEP IN Look out for goalie Ryan Miller, whom the Sabres think will eventually be a great one. Buffalo has No. 1 goalie Martin Biron and two valuable prospects in Miller and Mika Noronen, both of whom were shuttled between Buffalo and American League Rochester last season. It&rsquo;s unlikely the Sabres would trade Miller, but they could decide to move either Biron or Noronen before next season. Miller played very well in spots this year and is eager to start his full-time NHL career.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Eric Boulton, LW, 26; Curtis Brown, C, 27; Tim Connolly, C, 22; Rory Fitzpatrick, D, 28; Denis Hamel, LW, 26; Dmitri Kalinin, D, 22; Ales Kotalik, RW, 24; Adam Mair, C, 24; Jay McKee, D, 25; Taylor Pyatt, LW, 21; Miroslav Satan, RW, 28; Henrik Tallinder, D, 24; Rhett Warrener, D, 27.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS None.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Buffalo&rsquo;s system:1. Ryan Miller, G, 22, Rochester (AHL)2. Keith Ballard, C, 20, Minnesota (WCHA)3. Derek Roy, C, 20, Kitchener (OHL)4. Daniel Paille, LW, 19, Guelph (OHL)5. Jiri Novotny, C, 19, Rochester (AHL) &#9632;

f0039-02

Sabres scouts on hot seat

Here are Buffalo&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Ryan Miller, 138th overall, 1999Played 15 NHL games in his rookie pro season before finishing the year in Rochester. It&rsquo;s just a matter of time before he rates as a blue-chip, big-league stopper.Ales Kotalik, 164th overall, 1998Maxim Afinogenov, 69th overall, 1997Brian Campbell, 156th overall, 1997Curtis Brown, 43rd overall, 1994Scott Nichol, 272nd overall, 1993Steve Webb, 176th overall, 1994Cory Sarich, 27th overall, 1996Paul Gaustad, 220th overall, 2000Sean McMorrow, 258th overall, 2000<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Artem Kryukov, 15th overall, 2000Andrew Peters, 34th overall, 1998Milan Bartovic, 35th overall, 1999Mark Dutiame, 42nd overall, 1995Denis Tsygurov, 38th overall, 1993Darren Van Oene, 33rd overall, 1996Wayne Primeau, 17th overall, 1994Barrett Heisten, 20th overall, 1999<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03503/8598867-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="705" height="157"></div><h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04414/8598860-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="175" height="287"><figcaption class="caption-body">KEITH BALLARD</figcaption></div>Chosen: 11th overall 45-12-29-41-78 with Minnesota (WCHA). Led Gophers defensemen in scoring and contributed to a second straight national title. &#9632;

f0039-03

<div class="byline">BY ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02425/8598898-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">JAROME IGINLA 11TH OVERALL BY DALLAS (&rsquo;95) (JOHN RUSSELL/BBS)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01693/8598905-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="216" height="264"></div>After three years with Craig Button leading the way, the Flames made an abrupt front office switch in April, installing coach Darryl Sutter as their new GM. Sutter has no previous draft-related track record, so all bets are off in terms of what Calgary may or may not do heading into the 2003 entry draft.Philosophically, Sutter believes in the importance of allowing young players to develop at their own pace and accordingly, is not one to rush a prospect that isn&rsquo;t ready to play in the NHL.Sutter will get a lot of help, officially and unofficially, in the days leading up to the draft-from a bevy of scouts, in Europe and across North America. He may even be tempted to use his brother Brent, who runs the Red Deer Rebels in the Western League, as a resource.CALLING THE SHOTS Although he was immersed in coaching and thus didn&rsquo;t see a lot of prospects play, Sutter will ultimately make the final decision on the team&rsquo;s No. 1 choice.Tod Button, brother of the ex-GM, is the team&rsquo;s scouting director and spent the season alternately watching the the amateurs and pros. Sutter&rsquo;s younger brother, Ron, is the Flames&rsquo;s western professional scout.DRAFT TENDENCY In each of the past two seasons, Calgary&rsquo;s first choice has been a forward playing U.S. college, but that hardly qualifies as a tendency. Before that, they took a goalie from Western Canada and a Russian playing for a U.S.-based team.Sutter understands better than most that drafted players tend to represent a longterm investment, so he isn&rsquo;t out to satisfy any particular need or shortcoming through the draft, knowing full well circumstances could change dramatically by the time even the most precocious members of the 2003 draft class are ready for regular NHL duty.IMMEDIATE NEED As the second-lowest scoring team in the Western Conference, the priority is clearly to get more offense from every corner of the lineup. Calgary&rsquo;s secondary scoring (from the third and fourth lines) is a major weakness as only four forwards contributed more than 10 goals.Offense from the defense is another shortcoming-in all, the Flames received only 19 goals from their rearguards. It wouldn&rsquo;t hurt either to have some of their bigger names improve on this season&rsquo;s totals (Jarome Iginla and Craig Conroy were down from a year ago as well).LONG-TERM NEED Until Brent Krahn&rsquo;s strong playoff for the Western League Seattle Thunderbirds, the team&rsquo;s goaltending prospects were largely in the hands of Russia&rsquo;s Andrei Medvedev, a Gump Worsleyish character who played goal for Russia&rsquo;s last two world championship teams.Roman Turek is 33 and coming off a mediocre season, but is signed for three more years. At some point, if Turek cannot get it turned around, the Flames either need to develop a goaltender or trade for one.READY TO STEP IN Right winger Chuck Kobasew opened last season with the Flames, but found the pace and physical challenges of NHL play too demanding, so they shipped him to the minors, where he had a decent first pro season.Kobasew&rsquo;s primary strength is his ability to find the seams between the defensemen and get in position to score goals from close range. To play in close quarters, he needs to become physically stronger, so that when he does arrive in the NHL full-time, he can withstand the league&rsquo;s day-in, day-out rigors.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Steve Begin, C, 25; Blair Betts, C, 23; Chris Clark, RW, 27; Mike Commodore, D, 23; Shean Donovan, RW, 27; Chris Drury, C, 26; Andrew Ference, D, 23; Toni Lydman, D, 25; Steve Montador, D, 23; Scott Nichol, C, 28; Robyn Regehr, D, 23; Oleg Saprykin, RW, 22; Blake Sloan, RW, 27; Stephane Yelle, C, 29.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Craig Berube, RW, 37; Dave Lowry, LW, 38.<h2>IN THE SYSTEM</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Calgary&rsquo;s system:1. Chuck Kobasew, RW, 20, Saint John (AHL)2. Eric Nystrom, LW, 19, Michigan (CCHA)3. Andrei Taratukhin, C, 19, Avangard Omsk (Rus.)4. Blair Betts, C, 22, Saint John (AHL)5. Matthew Lombardi, C, 20, Saint John (AHL) &#9632;

f0040-02

Sutter at helm tor first time

Here are Calgary&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Derek Morris, 13th overall, 1996The Flames were flogged for taking him too early in his draft year. Now he&rsquo;s the best first-rounder from 1996 and one of just 10 playing regularly in the NHL.German Titov, 252nd overall, 1993Toni Lydman, 89th overall, 1996Ronald Petrovicky, 228th overall, 1996Micki Dupont, 270th overall, 2000Clarke Wilm, 150th overall, 1995Ladislav Kohn, 175th overall, 1994<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Daniel Tkaczuk, 6th overall, 1997Jesper Mattsson, 18th overall, 1993Rico Fata, 6th overall, 1998Evan Lindsay, 32nd overall, 1997Brent Krahn, 9th overall, 2000Kurtis Foster, 40th overall, 2000Dmitri Ryabykin, 45th overall, 1994Pavel Smirnov, 46th overall, 1995Travis Brigley, 39th overall, 1996Dan Cavanaugh, 38th overall, 1999<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03321/8598943-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="706" height="172"></div><h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04258/8598936-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg" title="f0040-04" width="174" height="287"><figcaption class="caption-body">ERIC NYSTROM</figcaption></div>Chosen: 10th overall 39-15-11-26-81 with Michigan (CCHA). Sound sophomore season, but still at least a year away from making jump to pro hockey. &#9632;

f0040-03

<div class="byline">BY LUKE DECOCK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0041-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02362/8598974-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">JEFF O&rsquo;NEILL FIFTH OVERALL BY HARTFORD (&rsquo;94) (SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01590/8598981-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg" title="f0041-01" width="237" height="230"></div>By the time the Carolina Hurricanes clinched last place in the NHL-with a week remaining in the regular season, no less-they had already begun to put a positive spin on their journey from the back row of the draft floor to front and center.&ldquo;As silly as it sounds, I feel better about being in the position we&rsquo;re in than if we knew we were out of the playoffs and would pick 12th or 14th,&rdquo; GM Jim Rutherford said. &ldquo;This has been a bad season and nobody feels any good about it, but this is one time where you say if you&rsquo;re going to be bad, you might as well be real bad.&rdquo;Of course, they lost the draft lottery to Florida and will pick second, but it&rsquo;s still the franchise&rsquo;s first top-10 pick since Jeff O&rsquo;Neill (fifth overall in 1994). That makes it imperative the Canes get the kind of pure talent their system has lacked for years.CALLING THE SHOTS Rutherford isn&rsquo;t the type who goes to the World Junior Championship or spends a weekend at an under-18 tournament. He leaves the scouting and all but the last word at the draft table to director of amateur scouting Sheldon Ferguson.Ferguson, who has aspirations to be a GM, has orchestrated the past eight drafts for Carolina. He has snagged late gems such as Sami Kapanen (87th, 1995) and produced 21 NHL players out of his first six drafts with very few high picks.DRAFT TENDENCY In nine drafts under the current administration, the Canes have taken Canadian juniors (Jean-Sebastien Giguere), Europeans (Igor Knyazev) and U.S. collegians (David Tanabe) with their first pick. They&rsquo;ve taken forwards (Jeff Heerema), defensemen (Nikos Tselios) and goalies (Cam Ward). The closest thing to a common thread is the Canes&rsquo; quest for &ldquo;character&rdquo; players in the past two drafts-potential captain-types such as Knyazev and Mike Zigomanis.The Canes have also been willing to part with picks on a regular basis-they&rsquo;ve traded five first round picks in the past eight years and traded four late picks in last year&rsquo;s draft for a fourth-rounder this season. (Carolina had only four picks last June and nine in the past two drafts combined.)IMMEDIATE NEED If there&rsquo;s one lesson the Canes learned this year-OK, there were many-it&rsquo;s that they&rsquo;re woefully shallow on defense. The failure of Niclas Wallin and David Tanabe to progress and the trades of Marek Malik and Glen Wesley leaves the Canes in a dire situation.With money tight, the deficiencies will have to be solved via trades, most likely from a group of young wingers who auditioned at the NHL level during the season. That group includes Heerema, Pavel Brendl, Brad DeFauw and Tomas Kurka.LONG-TERM NEED Believe it or not, Ron Francis can&rsquo;t play forever. Neither can Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour. And Josef Vasicek didn&rsquo;t exactly dazzle this year as his sophomore slump turned into a season-long swoon. With Zigomanis considered the only bona fide prospect in the system, the Canes need serious help up the middle.READY TO STEP IN Called up in mid-season, Ryan Bayda clicked quickly with Francis and O&rsquo;Neill in the middle of what should have been his senior year at North Dakota.A third round pick (80th overall, 2000), Bayda turned pro last summer after three successful seasons with the Fighting Sioux. With four goals and 14 points in 25 games after his February recall, Bayda led all Canes rookies in scoring (and he retains his rookie status for 2003-04). He showed hockey smarts and a scoring touch, but has yet to prove he can hold up over an 82-game grind. Whether he gets the chance to play with Francis and O&rsquo;Neill again will depend on his showing in training camp.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Erik Cole, RW, 24; Jan Hlavac, LW, 26; Craig MacDonald, C, 26; Bruno St-Jacques, D, 22; Jaroslav Svoboda, RW, 23; David Tanabe, D, 22; Josef Vasicek, C, 22; Kevin Weekes, G, 28.DNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS None.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Carolina&rsquo;s system:1. Igor Knyazev, D, 20, Lowell (AHL)2. Tomas Malec, D, 21, Lowell (AHL)3. Jeff Heerema, RW, 23, Lowell (AHL)4. Cam Ward, G, 19, Red Deer (WHL)5. Mike Zigomanis, C, 22, Lowell (AHL) &#9632;

f0041-02

Pivots, D-men in demand

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04246/8599019-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="711" height="166"></div>Here are Carolina&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Sami Kapanen, 87th overall, 1995We all know his penchant for going missing in the playoffs, but until this season he was a lock for 20 goals and 50-plus points. He&rsquo;s sure to bounce back.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03288/8599026-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="226" height="355"></div>Manny Legace, 188th overall, 1993Jaroslav Svoboda, 208th overall, 1998Erik Cole, 71st overall, 1998Marek Malik, 72nd overall, 1993Craig Adams, 223rd overall, 1996Josef Vasicek, 91st overall, 1998Niclas Wallin, 97th overall, 2000J-S Giguere, 13th overall, 1995<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Nikos Tselios, 22nd overall, 1997Jeff Heerema, 11th overall, 1998Trevor Wasyluk, 34th overall, 1996Sergei Fedotov, 35th overall, 1995Brad DeFauw, 28th overall, 1997<h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05223/8599012-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="177" height="285"><figcaption class="caption-body">CAM WARD</figcaption></div>Chosen: 25th overall 40-14-3, 2.14 GAA, .919 SP with Red Deer (WHL). Goalie&rsquo;s strong numbers aided by playing behind one of WHL&rsquo;s top teams. &#9632;

f0041-04

<div class="byline">BY TIM SASSONE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0042-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02369/8599057-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">STEVE SULLIVAN 233RD OVERALL BY NEW JERSEY (&rsquo;94) (GLENN JAMES/SA)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01606/8599064-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="209" height="279"></div>Blackhawks GM Mike Smith considers himself halfway through the rebuilding process he was hired to oversee.This will be Smith&rsquo;s fourth draft and so far he has done an admirable job of stockpiling a group of promising prospects. But even Smith knows it&rsquo;s time to find out whether those prospects can play.Smith is hoping at least three or four rookies find their way on to the Hawks roster in 200304, adding to what the team feels is a solid nucleus of young players that includes forwards Kyle Calder, Mark Bell and Tyler Arnason and defenseman Steve McCarthy.&ldquo;Part of what we&rsquo;re doing here with rebuilding the organization is putting a core of young players together who are going to carry the Chicago Blackhawks team for at least a decade,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;If and when that is successful, you&rsquo;ll have a team here whose goal every year will be to win the Stanley Cup and not just make the playoffs.&rdquo;CALLING THE SHOTS Smith trusts his scouts, particularly director of amateur scouting Bill Lesuk. In last year&rsquo;s draft, Smith allowed Lesuk and his staff to draft Alexander Kozhevnikov in the third round after seeing the Russian left-winger play only on videotape.And there will be a new face at Chicago&rsquo;s draft table in former Ottawa GM Marshall Johnston, who&rsquo;s now Chicago&rsquo;s director of player evaluation. Johnston&rsquo;s scouting and drafting record with Ottawa speaks for itself.DRAFT TENDENCY Smith&rsquo;s history of drafting Euros can&rsquo;t be ignored. Twenty of the 37 players drafted by Chicago in the three years under Smith have been European, including four of five first-rounders.But Smith and his staff also believe the players they have drafted, European or not, have been the best players available. That will be the approach taken again this season when the Hawks pick 14th overall in the first round.Smith is a believer in accumulating as many picks as possible, but that philosophy could change. Smith is on record saying he would trade draft picks, his No. 1 included, for players who can help the Hawks now.IMMEDIATE NEED This draft certainly won&rsquo;t help Chicago fill their many holes. This is a team that must upgrade its top-four on defense in addition to finding another winger who can score, a power play quarterback and a backup goalie.The Hawks also need a makeover when it comes to their physical play because it is basically non-existent.Smith said he plans to be aggressive in the trade market and free agency in his search for help on defense.LONG-TERM NEED Defense. Defense. Defense.The Hawks haven&rsquo;t had a bona fide No. 1 defenseman since Chris Chelios was traded to Detroit in 1999. Some would argue they haven&rsquo;t had a No. 2 guy, either, since Steve Smith temporarily retired due to health reasons in 1997.Developing a No. 1 defenseman might be easier than finding one in a trade or free agency and the Hawks think they could have the guy in Anton Babchuk, selected 21st overall last June. Look for the Hawks to go after defense in this year&rsquo;s draft as well.READY TO STEP IN In a seven-game tryout at the end of the year, left winger Igor Radulov fired five goals and gave the Hawks hope he could play on one of the top two lines next season.Tuomo Ruutu remains the big unknown. He could be the star Chicago desperately needs, but first they must sign their ninth overall pick from 2001 who is considered one of hockey&rsquo;s premier prospects. That may or may not happen.&ldquo;If we get Ruutu signed, we project him to be on our team,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Are we going to give him the so-called model (contract)? I don&rsquo;t think so.&rdquo;RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Tyler Arnason, C, 24; Mark Bell, LW, 23; Sami Helenius, D, 29; Steve McCarthy, D, 22; Jason Strudwick, D, 28.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Louie DeBrusk, LW, 32; Mike Eastwood, C, 36; Todd Gill, D, 37; Chris Simon, LW, 31; Garry Valk, LW, 35.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Chicago&rsquo;s system:1. Tuomo Ruutu, C, IFK Helsinki (Fin.)2. Mikhail Yakubov, C, Norfolk (AHL)3. Pavel Vorobiev, RW, Yaroslavl (Rus.)4. Michael Leighton, G, Norfolk (AHL)5. Duncan Keith, D, Kelowna (WHL) &#9632;

f0042-02

Rebuilding job continues

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04233/8599102-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="706" height="162"></div>Here are Chicago&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Eric Daze, 90th overall, 1993We were told his awkward skating would prevent him from becoming a bona fide NHLer. Well, he gets there soon enough and averages 30 goals a year when he does.Tyler Arnason, 183rd overall, 1998Kyle Calder, 130th overall, 1997Tuomo Ruutu, 9th overall, 2001<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03290/8599109-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="222" height="360"></div><h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Ty Jones, 16th overall, 1997Eric Lecompte, 24th overall, 1993Dmitri Nabokov, 19th overall, 1995Jeremy Reich, 39th overall, 1997Remi Royer, 31st overall, 1996Geoff Peters, 46th overall, 1996Jeff Paul, 42nd overall, 1996Adam Munro, 29th overall, 2001<h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-05201/8599095-1-eng-US/f0042-052.jpg" title="f0042-05" width="173" height="285"><figcaption class="caption-body">ANTON BABCHUK</figcaption></div>Chosen: 21st overall 33-4-0-4-22 with St. Petersburg (Rus). Already signed and expected to play with Norfolk in the American League next season. &#9632;

f0042-04

The NHL draft lottery was instituted nearly a decade ago to ensure that prodigious losing all winter does not guarantee prodigious talent acquisition in the summer.In the NHL offices, the last-place-picks-first system was thought to be too open to, er, abuse. Better to find a way that discourages teams from tanking-as Ottawa was accused of in 1993 to get Alexandre Daigle (!)-while still respecting the principle of competitive balance, the need to generally allocate top young talent to teams which need it most.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-06185/8599140-1-eng-US/f0042-062.jpg" title="f0042-06" width="321" height="116"></div>Hence the draft lottery. But it appears the hockey gods weren&rsquo;t satisfied with the change. Recent history suggests that the NHL&rsquo;s worst team is not just in competition for the top pick, but actually has become disqualified from getting it.Not one last-placed team in the past six years has wound up with the first overall pick-this despite having nearly 50 per-cent odds of winning it in the lottery. Cruel punishment, but definitely not unusual. Imagine how it feels to 30th-place Carolina, in the Stanley Cup final a year ago only to be pounded on the ice all season and then ingloriously kicked in the teeth by ping pong balls.The worst team in the league has received the top pick just twice since the lottery was introduced, in 1996 (Ottawa, Chris Phillips) and 1997 (Boston, Joe Thornton). This year, Florida, with the NHL&rsquo;s third-worst record, won the right to select first for the second year in a row. Last year, the Panthers traded the top pick to Columbus. (See pg. 36 for first round draft order).The NHL&rsquo;s 14 non-playoff teams participate in the spring lottery, held at the NHL&rsquo;s New York offices. Fourteen balls, numbered 1 to 14, are placed in a lottery machine and four are eventually dropped to reveal the winning combination. The first pick then goes to the lucky team with the corresponding digits.The last-place team is assigned 25 per cent of the possible combinations, the second-last place team 18.8 per cent, and so on down the ladder. Teams finishing 17th through 25th in the regular season are assigned a total of 23.2 per cent of combinations. Given that no team can move up more than four spots, the 30th-place club has a 48.2 per-cent chance of winning the first pick.Which, in the minds of the hockey gods, is not much of a chance at all. &#9632;

f0042-06

Better lucky than last: lottery is Cats meow

<div class="byline">BY ADRIAN DATER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0043-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02393/8599171-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">PETER FORSBERG 6TH OVERALL BY PHILADELPHIA (&rsquo;91) (JIM MCISAAC/BBS)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01598/8599178-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="226" height="273"></div>For the second time in three years, the Colorado Avalanche are going to the NHL entry draft without a selection in the first round.A handful of trades over the years by GM Pierre Lacroix helped bring two Stanley Cups to Denver, but part of the price included trading away selections in the opening round. Colorado&rsquo;s first round pick this year belongs to the Los Angeles Kings, as part of the Rob Blake deal of 2001.While the Avs insist they have good prospects scattered throughout various junior and minor pro leagues, no one selected since 1999 has made an impact with the big club. And not having a crack at any of the top prospects in what is considered a deep draft this year could spell trouble down the road, although the Avs have managed to find hidden gems in past drafts (Chris Drury, 72nd overall in 1994; Milan Hejduk, 87th, 1994; Radim Vrbata, 212th, 1999). They&rsquo;ll have to hope for that to happen again this year.CALLING THE SHOTS While chief scout Jim Hammett&rsquo;s voice is probably the most influential at the draft table, others such as pro scout Brad Smith, European scout Yvon Gendron and director of player personnel Michel Goulet all have a large say in things. And, of course, Lacroix has the final word on everything.Hammett is your typical chief scout-a member of just about every airline mileage club and someone who lives and breathes the game. He was all over the hockey world again this year, although perhaps not as much as he would have been had the Avs owned a first round selection.DRAFT TENDENCY Colorado has been a tough team to slap a trend-line on over the years. Not only do the Avs draft at all positions, they take prospects from everywhere, including six players from American colleges the past two years. Still, if anything can be said of a certain tendency in recent years, it is the Avs&rsquo; favoring of European prospects. Colorado&rsquo;s past four top selections have been Europeans, after taking North Americans for seven straight years.Colorado is used to picking late in the draft order, which means they are also used to taking the best player available regardless of position. That appears to be the case again this year.IMMEDIATE NEED More depth on the third and fourth lines. Colorado needs to restock and get more scoring punch-the Avs had the lowest-scoring bottom two lines in the NHL last season. Recent first round forward picks, such as Mikhail Kuleshov and Vaclav Nedorost, have yet to pan out. Anybody who can help kill penalties effectively would do well to make themselves known to Avalanche scouts as well.LONG-TERM NEED It was unthinkable two or three years ago, but the Avs might be facing an impending shortage at center. Peter Forsberg may only play one more season and Joe Sakic turns 34 in July. The Avs do have Nedorost in the pipeline, but the play of the No. 14 overall pick in 2000 has been erratic. There&rsquo;s not much else on the farm to look toward in hope. More size at the wing is also desirable.READY TO STEP IN Goalie Philippe Sauve should get his best shot yet at cracking the roster. David Aebischer did not have a great season as Patrick Roy&rsquo;s backup. After three years of Aebischer holding the job, the Avs may look to someone else and Sauve appears ready.The son of former NHL goalie (and player agent) Bob Sauve had an excellent season with American League Hershey, playing in the AHL All-Star Game, and acquitted himself well at Colorado&rsquo;s training camp last fall. If Roy plays another year-as he likely will-Sauve probably wouldn&rsquo;t play more than 15-20 games, roughly the same number as Aebischer traditionally has handled.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Bates Battaglia, LW, 27; Peter Forsberg, C, 29; Derek Morris, D, 24; Steve Reinprecht, C, 27; Jeff Shantz, C, 29; Alex Tanguay, LW, 23; Brian Willsie, RW, 25;.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Greg deVries, D, 30; Bryan Marchment, D, 34.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Colorado&rsquo;s system:1. Philippe Sauve, G, 23, Hershey (AHL)2. Jonas Johansson, RW, 19, Kamloops (WHL)3. Peter Budaj, G, 21, Hershey (AHL)4. Sergei Soin, C/LW, 21, Soviet Wings (Rus.)5. Tom Gilbert, D, 20, Wisconsin (WCHA) &#9632;

f0043-02

Who’ll replace star centers?

Here are Colorado&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Milan Hejduk, 87th overall, 1994Forty-nine forwards were taken ahead of the 2002-03 Rocket Richard winner in the 1994 draft; only 18 of them are in the NHL. Even the Avs (Quebec) took Wade Belak 12th overall.Chris Drury, 72nd overall, 1994Mark Parrish, 79th overall, 1996Radim Vrbata, 212th overall, 1999David Aebischer, 161st overall, 1997Dan Hinote, 167th overall, 1996Sami Pahlsson, 176th overall, 1996Kurt Sauer, 88th overall, 2000Riku Hahl, 183rd overall, 1999Brent Johnson, 129th overall, 1995Charlie Stephens, 196th overall, 2001<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Jeffrey Kealty, 22nd overall, 1994Kevin Grimes, 26th overall, 1997Mikhail Kuleshov, 25th overall, 1999Wade Belak, 12th overall, 1994Martin Grenier, 45th overall, 1999Ashley Buckberger, 49th overall, 1993Nic Beaudoin, 51st overall, 1995Yuri Babenko, 51st overall, 1996Peter Ratchuk, 25th overall, 1996<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03330/8599216-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="707" height="156"></div><h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04242/8599209-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="171" height="284"><figcaption class="caption-body">JONAS JOHANSSON</figcaption></div>Chosen: 28th overall 20-8-22-30-6 with Kamloops (WHL). Right winger was having great rookie season until sustaining broken ankle in November. &#9632;

f0043-03

<div class="byline">BY AARON PORTZLINE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0044-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02274/8599247-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">RAY WHITNEY 23RD OVERALL BY SAN JOSE (&rsquo;91) (DALE MACMILLAN/BBS)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01489/8599254-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="209" height="273"></div>That Columbus once again finished near the bottom of the NHL standings holds a silver lining for the Blue Jackets.Though the team harbored dreams of qualifying for the playoffs in only their third NHL season, what the organization really needs is young talent for the future, not a flash-in-the pan, miracle playoff run.So it&rsquo;s good news for the Blue Jackets they will pick fourth overall.&ldquo;In years past, there has been one or two or three guys who really stood out,&rdquo; said GM Doug MacLean, &ldquo;but this year it goes five or six guys, maybe more. We&rsquo;re going to get a very good player, so I&rsquo;m excited.&rdquo;The Blue Jackets traded up to get the No. 1 overall pick last season, drafting Calder Trophycandidate Rick Nash. Don&rsquo;t look for similar fireworks this year.CALLING THE SHOTS MacLean has the final word at all levels of the organization. Even late last season, when he added interim coaching to his already burdensome workload, MacLean was making trips to see potential No. 1 draft picks in action.Weighing in heavily on all decisions&mdash;especially as the draft progresses-is Don Boyd, the director of amateur scouting. He and MacLean go way back and no one travels as much or sees more amateur players in action than Boyd.IMMEDIATE NEED The Jackets need bigger, tougher forwards who can play on both sides of the ice and won&rsquo;t wilt when faced with the rigors of the road.MacLean thinks there will be a number of quality players on the free agency market this summer, players whose contracts aren&rsquo;t qualified by their current team. He&rsquo;ll make a push to sign at least a couple of them.The blueline is a more curious problem.The Blue Jackets spent a lot of money to sign unrestricted free agents Luke Richardson and Scott Lachance last summer, then went out and allowed even more goals this year.It looks as if the same defense corps will be back next season, but they&rsquo;ll have to play better in front of goaltender Marc Denis.LONG-TERM NEED Like all expansion teams, the Blue Jackets need a wave of young, dynamic players to fill their roster before they&rsquo;ll thrive in the tough, talent-laden Western Conference. This can only be done with the draft. Of course, finding another Nash would be great. The youngest player in the NHL, Nash more than held his own in 2002-03. Late in the season, he was creating scoring chances and throwing his body around with abandon, like a true power forward. And he doesn&rsquo;t turn 19 until June 16.Adding another big-time threat up front would be a huge help.Defenseman Rostislav Klesla (fourth overall in 2000) had a shaky start to 2002-03, but was dramatically better in the last 20 to 30 games of the season.Klesla and Nash are the building blocks for the Jackets&rsquo; future.READY TO STEP IN The Jackets wanted to give Andrej Nedorost an extended run in Columbus this season, but it didn&rsquo;t happen. Their four lines remained remarkably intact and the offense clicked for most of the 82 games-they averaged 2.60 goals per game, 16th in the league, after scoring 2.00 per game in 2001-02.Next season, they&rsquo;ll have to give Nedorost a shot. He has been an effective player in the American League for the past two-plus seasons, but most scouts think he plays better in the NHL than he does in the minors.The question is, where does Nedorost fit in? Is he a grinder on a checking line? That&rsquo;s where he has played when he has been recalled. Or does he get a chance to show his skill on a top fine?RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Jamie Allison, D, 28; Lasse Pirjeta, RW, 29; Derrick Walser, D, 25.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Andrew Cassels, C, 33; Matt Davidson, RW, 25; Jean-Francois Labbe, G, 30; David Ling, RW, 28; Darren Van Impe, D, 30; Ray Whitney, LW, 31.1<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Columbus&rsquo;s system:1. Pascal Leclaire, G, 20, Syracuse (AHL)2. Kiel McLeod, C, 20, Kelowna (WHL)3. Joakim Lindstrom, C, 19, MoDo (Swe.)4. Tim Jackman, RW, 21, Syracuse (AHL)5. Andrej Nedorost, C, 23, Syracuse (AHL) &#9632;

f0044-02

GM thrilled by draft crop

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-05144/8599292-1-eng-US/f0044-052.jpg" title="f0044-05" width="697" height="156"></div>Here are Columbus&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past three drafts, since the Blue Jackets began participating in the entry draft in 2000. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Lasse Pirjeta, 133rd overall, 2002The Blue Jackets have only had three drafts to pluck gems and they used a mid-round pick last year to select veteran Pirjeta, who scored 11 goals in 51 games from the third line.Andrej Nedorost, 286th overall, 2000<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-03211/8599306-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg" title="f0044-03" width="222" height="354"></div><h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Ben Knopp, 69th overall, 2000Pascal Leclaire, 8th overall, 2001<h2>BLUE JACKETS FAST FACT</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-04169/8599299-1-eng-US/f0044-042.jpg" title="f0044-04" width="134" height="75"></div>Two of Columbus&rsquo;s three No. 1 picks played for the Jackets this season-Rick Nash (1st, &rsquo;02) and Rostislav Klesla (4th, &rsquo;00). The third is Pascal Leclaire (8th, &rsquo;01).</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-06127/8599285-1-eng-US/f0044-062.jpg" title="f0044-06" width="170" height="285"><figcaption class="caption-body">RICK NASH</figcaption></div>Chosen: 1st overall 74-17-22-39-78 with Columbus. Eighteen-year-old Calder finalist established himself as an up-and-coming NHL power forward. &#9632;

f0044-05

It&rsquo;s a gamble for both sides when a player reenters the draft. Sometimes neither party can tell at the time who will be the better or worse for the decision.Take the case of defenseman Nick Boynton. Washington originally selected Boynton with the ninth over-all pick in the 1997 draft. After two years of watching, the Caps weren&rsquo;t willing to meet Boynton&rsquo;s contract demands, so back into the 1999 draft he went. Boston snapped up Boynton with the 21st pick that year. Four years later, Boynton is the Bruins&rsquo; most valuable defender and led the team in 2002-03 at nearly 23 minutes of ice time a night.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-07116/8599337-1-eng-US/f0044-072.jpg" title="f0044-07" width="330" height="120"></div>If the Caps regret their decision to play hardball, Ottawa must feel the exact opposite in the case of goalie Mathieu Chouinard. The Sens originally chose Chouinard with the 15th overall pick in 1998. After the Quebec League all-star spurned all of Ottawa&rsquo;s contract offers, the Sens picked him again in 2000, but this time with the 45th overall pick. D&rsquo;oh!Major junior players have until June 1 two years after they are first drafted to sign a contract with the NHL team holding their rights. If they do not, they can re-enter the draft. NHL teams retain the rights of European players not playing in North America and U.S. college players beyond the two-year window.A handful of 2001 first- and second-rounders from major junior remained unsigned as of late May. They are (position, when drafted, NHL rights): Tim Gleason (D, 23rd, Los Angeles); Adam Munro (G, 29th, Chicago); Matthew Spiller (D, 31st, Phoenix); Derek Roy (C, 32nd, Buffalo); Greg Watson (C, 34th, Ottawa); Duncan Milroy (RW, 37th, Montreal); Doug Lynch (D, 43rd, Edmonton); Kiel McLeod (C, 53rd, Columbus); and Nathan Paetsch (D, 58th, Washington).McLeod and Munro would become unrestricted free agents if unsigned by June 1 because they are too old to re-enter the draft.Where the Sabres and Ontario League playoff MVP Roy are concerned, Buffalo&rsquo;s financial difficulties factored in the decision not to open negotiations until recently. GM Darcy Regier admitted Roy&rsquo;s strong play in training camp last fall and in the 2002-03 season could end up vaulting him to a pay level above his 32nd overall selection. &ldquo;He certainly hasn&rsquo;t hurt himself,&rdquo; Regier said. &#9632;

f0044-07

Re-entering draft provides no guarantees

<div class="byline">BY CHUCK CARLTON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01415/8599375-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="256" height="249"></div>Think of the Dallas Stars as two teams.First, there&rsquo;s the current group, the one that won the Western Conference, signed enough free agents to have a $66-million payroll and wants to win the Stanley Cup very soon.The other Stars team is the one that realizes the days of the big spenders may be numbered. This is the organization, led by GM Doug Armstrong, that had five picks in the top 43 of the draft last June and knows its future lies very soon in mixing in young players.&ldquo;Doug has done a good job balancing that,&rdquo; said amateur scouting director Tim Bernhardt. &ldquo;He has positioned us well now and for the future.&rdquo;Still, with the Stars&rsquo; return to prominence, management faces a difficult task finding topend talent. While Brenden Morrow and Niko Kapanen have both blossomed, the Stars don&rsquo;t have the overall depth of other organizations.CALLING THE SHOTS Les Jackson has the final say as the director of hockey operations. Both he and Bernhardt have been with the organization, on and off, for at least a decade. Each has traveled extensively to Europe this year, although this is an especially strong North American draft class.While on the road, Jackson discovered the perils of commercial travel. He scouted the world 18-and-under tournament in Russia during the Iraq conflict, which made everybody a little uneasy. He also made three trips to Halifax. &ldquo;And I got snowed in all three times,&rdquo; he said.DRAFT TENDENCY The Stars still value character and work ethic, something unchanged from the Bob Gainey era. But under Armstrong and coach Dave Tippett, the Stars have become a slightly more open offensive team. Armstrong likes strong, physical forwards who can skate. The idea is to incorporate that vision into the draft.&ldquo;Everybody is looking for size and speed,&rdquo; Bernhardt said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s probably in the top four or five picks. It&rsquo;s just the way it is. There&rsquo;s not many Mike Modanos who are 6-foot-3 and can play.&rdquo;Given a choice the Stars will gravitate toward a strong skater. Last year, they took 5-foot-9 defenseman Trevor Daley, who was considered undersized by some teams. Daley was one of the last cuts in training camp.IMMEDIATE NEED When the Stars took Swiss goalie Tobias Stephan in the second round last season, that gave the team four solid 22-and-under goalie prospects in the organization. (Jason Bacashihua, Dan Ellis and Mike Smith are the others.)&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll take the best player (this year), but goaltender is probably out,&rdquo; Bernhardt said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re in the business of collecting assets, not in building a team.&rdquo;With the exception of a few European prospects, the Stars really don&rsquo;t have creative offensive players in their system. Expect them to look hard at Europe on the second day of the draft, trying to find a late bloomer who might be able to contribute 20 goals.LONG-TERM NEED Age isn&rsquo;t an immediate concern. Most of the key players (Mike Modano, Jere Lehtinen, Bill Guerin, Derian Hatcher, Sergei Zubov) are still in their prime. That said, most have already hit 30, with the notable exception of goalie Marty Turco (28). The Stars need to find a way to replace their impact players, either through the draft or whatever version of free agency exists after 2004.READY TO STEP IN The Stars already have gleamed Lehtinen and Kapanen from Finland and could add Antti Miettinen (224th overall, 2000) to that list next season. Miettinen, who can play all three forward spots, netted 25 goals and 50 points this season in the Finnish elite league and played in the World Championship. He is considered a solid two-way player.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS John Erskine, D, 23; Richard Matvichuk, D, 30; Stephane Robidas, D, 26; Marty Turco, G, 27.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Ulf Dahlen, LW, 36; Derian Hatcher, D, 31; Kirk Muller, LW, 37.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02250/8599368-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="2350" height="2091"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE MODANO 1ST OVERALL BY MINNESOTA (&rsquo;88) (SPORTS ACTION/GLENN JAMES)</figcaption></div><h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Dallas&rsquo;s system:1. Jason Bacashihua, G, 20, Utah (AHL)2. Steve Ott, LW, 20, Utah (AHL)3. John Erskine, D, 23, Utah (AHL)4. Antti Miettenin, LW, 22, HPK5. Trevor Daley, D, 19, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) &#9632;

f0045-01

Youth sought tor Star roles

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04174/8599413-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="714" height="200"></div>Here are Dallas&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Marty Turco, 124th overall, 1994Turco was the ninth goalie selected in 1994 behind such luminaries as Eric Fichaud, Evgeni Ryabchikov, Bryan Masotta, Mark McArthur and Frederic Deschenes.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03204/8599420-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="223" height="356"></div>Marty Turco, 124th overall, 1994Jarome Iginla, 11th overall, 1995Niko Kapanen, 173rd overall, 1998Brenden Morrow, 25th overall, 1997Jamie Langenbrunner, 35th overall, 1993Joel Kwiatkowski, 194th overall, 1996<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Richard Jackman, 5th overall, 1996Patrick Cote, 37th overall, 1995Jason Botterill, 20th overall, 1994Todd Harvey, 9th overall, 1993* Dallas picks 29th if Ottawa wins Cup; 28th if Ducks or Devils win.<h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-05153/8599406-1-eng-US/f0045-052.jpg" title="f0045-05" width="170" height="285"><figcaption class="caption-body">MARTIN VAGNER</figcaption></div>Chosen: 26th overall 53-1-12-13-98 with Hull (QMJHL). Strong-skating Czech defenseman a key performer as Hull reached Memorial Cup. &#9632;

f0045-04

<div class="byline">BY NICK COTSONIKA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0046-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02246/8599451-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">SERGEI FEDOROV 74TH OVERALL BY DETROIT (&rsquo;89) (SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01406/8599458-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="236" height="267"></div>For the fifth time in seven years, the Detroit Red Wings won&rsquo;t select anyone in the first round of the NHL draft. They traded their top pick in 2003 to Los Angeles at the trade deadline in a package for Mathieu Schneider.But the Wings might end up with a top-notch player, anyway. They have a history of making the best with what they have.Center Pavel Datsyuk (171st overall, 1998) finished fourth in Calder Trophy voting last season. Right winger Henrik Zetterberg (210th, 1999) is a finalist for the Calder this season. Dmitri Bykov (258th, 2001) was more than reliable on defense as a 25-year-old rookie this season.And there&rsquo;s more on the way, such as last June&rsquo;s third round steal Jiri Hudler (58th, 2002).CALLING THE SHOTS Ken Holland rose from Western Canada scout up to GM, but assistant GM Jim Nill will make the final decisions, as he has for years.Nill travels extensively in Europe and North America, overseeing amateur scouting, trusting what he describes as a &ldquo;very close&rdquo; staff. No doubt Nill will listen closely to Hakan Andersson, the Wings director of European scouting, and who&rsquo;s credited for so much of their success in finding good players across the pond.DRAFT TENDENCY The Red Wings emphasize skill and smarts. If a kid can do good things with the puck, he has a good chance to excel, even if he lacks size, because of their puck-possession style. The Wings also draft a lot of Europeans. They draft late and Holland has said if you&rsquo;re going to find a diamond in the rough, you&rsquo;re more likely to find him in Europe, which isn&rsquo;t scouted as heavily.IMMEDIATE NEED Every team has holes, but Holland has said he would take his team&rsquo;s holes over those of other teams in the league. The Wings are set in goal with Curtis Joseph and Manny Legace. They should have a strong defense with Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Chelios, Jiri Fischer, Mathieu Schneider, although they could use some depth. They&rsquo;re as deep and talented as any team in the league up front. If they need to do anything, it is to keep adding top-notch young talent as they have with Datsyuk, Fischer, Zetterberg and Bykov.LONG-TERM NEED Most, if not all, of the Wings&rsquo; expensive, older stars might be gone shortly, thanks to retirements and perhaps a new salary system under a revamped collective bargaining agreement.Luc Robitaille is already gone. Sergei Fedorov and Igor Larionov might be the next to go, depending on what happens in the free agent market. Chelios, Brett Hull and Steve Yzerman might not play beyond next season. Brendan Shanahan and Joseph could be gone after that.The Wings have been building a new core of young players-Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Fischer-and they must continue to do so. Position doesn&rsquo;t matter so much; the Wings need the best players-the best assets-they can find.READY TO STEP IN The Wings were negotiating with 20-year-old Russian right winger Igor Grigorenko, in the hopes he would sign a contract and play in Detroit next season. But Grigorenko was hospitalized after crashing his car May 15, reportedly sustained a broken left femur, broken left tibia and potentially fatal complications. (See pg. 72 for more.)&ldquo;The condition of Grigorenko is very worrisome, the prognosis remains unfavorable,&rdquo; said the head of the hospital&rsquo;s intensive-care unit, according to a Russian news agency.With Grigorenko&rsquo;s future in doubt, everything was on hold. The Wings were looking into signing Hudler and the question was whether Grigorenko&rsquo;s situation would spur the Wings to pursue Hudler more aggressively.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Dmitri Bykov, D, 26; Mathieu Dandenault, D, 27; Pavel Datsyuk, C, 24.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Patrick Boileau, D, 28; Sergei Fedorov, C, 33; Igor Larionov, C, 42; Darren McCarty, RW, 31; Jesse Wallin, D, 25; Jason Woolley, D, 33; Steve Yzerman, C, 38.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Detroit&rsquo;s system:1. Igor Grigorenko, RW, 20, Lada Togliatti (Russia)2. Jiri Hudler, C, 19, Vsetin (Czech)3. Nicklas Kronwall, D, 22, Djurgarden (Sweden)4. Stephan Liv, G, 22, HV 71 Jonkoping (Sweden)5. Tomas Kopecky, C, 21, Lethbridge (WHL) &#9632;

f0046-02

Late steals usually Euros

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-04154/8599496-1-eng-US/f0046-042.jpg" title="f0046-04" width="703" height="163"></div>Here are Detroit&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Henrik Zetterberg, 210th overall, 1999The league&rsquo;s top offensive rookie dazzled foes and teammates with his speed and moves. He&rsquo;s destined to challenge Alexei Zhamnov (673 points) as the league&rsquo;s top Z-man of all-time.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-03182/8599503-1-eng-US/f0046-032.jpg" title="f0046-03" width="227" height="360"></div>Pavel Datsyuk, 171st overall, 1998Tomas Holmstrom, 257th overall, 1994Dmitri Bykov, 258th overall, 2001Jiri Fischer, 25th overall, 1998Igor Grigorenko, 62nd overall, 2001Jiri Hudler, 58th overall, 2002<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Yan Golubovsky, 23rd overall, 1994Anders Eriksson, 22nd overall, 1993Ryan Barnes, 55th overall, 1998<h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-05120/8599489-1-eng-US/f0046-052.jpg" title="f0046-05" width="174" height="287"><figcaption class="caption-body">JIRI HUDLER</figcaption></div>Chosen: 58th overall, 2002 46-15-31-46-54 with Vsetin (Czech). The center continues to overcome a lack of size (5-9, 178) with a speedy, skilled game. &#9632;

f0046-04

<div class="byline">BY ROBERT TYCHKOWSKI</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0047-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-02276/8599534-1-eng-US/f0047-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">RYAN SMYTH 6TH OVERAU BY EDMONTON (&rsquo;94) (SPORTS ACTION)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01415/8599541-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg" title="f0047-01" width="186" height="266"></div>The Edmonton Oilers already are the second-youngest team in the NHL having finished the season with five rookies on the roster. And they plan on getting even younger next season, with draft picks such as Jani Rita and Jarret Stoll expected to win jobs.With negotiations for the new collective bargaining agreement approaching, GM Kevin Lowe is trying to assemble a team of future stars he can keep together under what he hopes will be a new financial climate in the NHL. The Oilers already have a solid base in Mike Comrie, Shawn Horcoff, Ales Hemsky, Alex Semenov, Eric Brewer and Ryan Smyth. In the short term they&rsquo;re no real threat, but when these kids mature-and if Edmonton can indeed compete on equal financial footing in 2005 and beyond-the team should be in good shape.CALLING THE SHOTS Edmonton vice-president of hockey operations Kevin Prendergast spent seven years as assistant director of the NHL&rsquo;s Central Scouting Service before joining the Oilers in 1990. He now co-ordinates and oversees the team&rsquo;s entire amateur and professional scouting operations and was part of Canada&rsquo;s management team at the 2002 World Championship in Sweden. Lowe, meanwhile, with three years&rsquo; experience under his belt, has become very hands-on and will have the final say in all hockey decisions.DRAFT TENDENCY The Oilers love Europeans and U.S. college players, sometimes to a fault. Of their top five picks over the last four years, 13 of the 20 players were from Europe or U.S. college. That has left the team a little soft at key positions and has fans clamoring for more battle-tested major junior players, preferably from the Western League. Only seven of the Oilers&rsquo; previous 54 picks have been from Western Canada.IMMEDIATE NEED The Oilers are beginning to develop top talent such as Hemsky and Comrie, but where they are lacking-and it showed in their first round playoff loss to Dallas-is talented size on the first two lines. They need a couple of big veteran forwards with skill. Their top two lines managed just seven points in six playoff games this year because they couldn&rsquo;t get a cycle going against the big Dallas defense.LONG-TERM NEED Tommy Salo is 32 and coming off a sub-par season, so a goalie vacuum isn&rsquo;t very far off. There are some bright prospects in the system, but it&rsquo;ll be a few years before any of those are ready to try their luck as full-time NHL starters.On defense, skilled youngsters Brewer and Semenov figure to be around for a while. After that there are sure to be some changes. Jason Smith almost priced himself out of the market in his 2002 arbitration victory; Cory Cross is 32 and eligible for unrestricted free agency; Scott Ferguson is 30; and Steve Staios is two years away from UFA status and if he keeps developing like he has there&rsquo;s no way the Oilers will be able to match the offers.READY TO STEP IN Jarret Stoll, the former captain of the Memorial Cup-champion Kootenay Ice, is expected to move into the second or third line center position, which will be vacated by UFA Todd Marchant. Stoll isn&rsquo;t spectacular in any one area, but is solid and complete in all of them. A very good two-way player, Stoll has been well-schooled by four years in the WHL and one in the American League. The Oilers aren&rsquo;t expecting him to make a sensational impact, but if he can chip in a dozen goals and show the kind of reliability and character that made him such a respected player in major junior, he will go a long way towards filling Marchant&rsquo;s vacancy.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Mike Comrie, C, 22; Shawn Horcoff, C, 24; Brad Isbister, LW, 25; Georges Laraque, RW, 26; Jussi Markkanen, G, 27; Ethan Moreau, LW, 27; Fernando Pisani, RW, 26; Marty Reasoner, C, 26; Jason Smith, D, 29; Ryan Smyth, LW, 27.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Todd Marchant, C, 29; Cory Cross, D, 32.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Edmonton&rsquo;s system:1. Jani Rita, RW, 21, Hamilton (AHL)2. Jarret Stoll, C, 21, Hamilton (AHL)3. Raffi Torres, LW, 21, Hamilton (AHL)4. J. Drouin-Deslauriers, G, 19, Chicoutimi (QMJHL)5. Ty Conklin, G, 27, Hamilton (AHL) &#9632;

f0047-02

Oilers commit to youngsters

Here are Edmonton&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Mike Comrie, 91st overall, 1999The Oilers were the first team to take a chance on the undersized center, partly because he&rsquo;s a local product. Still, they waited until the third round and drafted four others before selecting him.Miroslav Satan, 111th overall, 1993Tom Poti, 59th overall, 1996Ales Pisa, 272nd overall, 2001Jussi Markkanen, 133rd overall, 2001Jason Chimera, 121st overall, 1997Fernando Pisani, 195th overall, 1996Alexei Semenov, 36th overall, 1999Shawn Horcoff, 99th overall, 1998<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Jason Bonsignore, 4th overall, 1994Steve Kelly, 6th overall, 1995Michael Henrich, 13th overall, 1998Michel Riesen, 14th overall, 1997Nick Stajduhar, 16th overall, 1993Alexei Mikhnov, 17th overall 2000Matthieu Descoteaux, 19th overall, 1996Boyd Devereaux, 6th overall, 1996Patrick Dovigi, 41st overall, 1997<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-03220/8599579-1-eng-US/f0047-032.jpg" title="f0047-03" width="712" height="166"></div><h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-04167/8599572-1-eng-US/f0047-042.jpg" title="f0047-04" width="175" height="285"><figcaption class="caption-body">JESSE NIINIMAKI</figcaption></div>Chosen: 15th overall 41-4-13-17-12 with Ilves Tampere (Fin.) Still very early in pivot&rsquo;s development. He&rsquo;s a role player on Ilves Tampere. &#9632;

f0047-03

<div class="byline">BY DAVID J. NEAL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0048-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-02175/8599610-1-eng-US/f0048-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">OLLI JOKINEN 3RD OVERALL BY LOS ANGELES (&rsquo;97) (RICHARD LEWIS/SA)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01273/8599617-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg" title="f0048-01" width="211" height="264"></div>Don&rsquo;t think it hasn&rsquo;t been noticed in Sunrise, Fla., that if the Panthers&rsquo; home winning percentage in 200203 was the same as their draft lottery winning percentage-.500&mdash;they would&rsquo;ve made the playoffs.But missing the post-season, a short-term economic disadvantage, might&rsquo;ve been even better for Florida&rsquo;s long-term on-ice situation. It led to getting the No. 1 overall pick for the second consecutive draft, a draft that&rsquo;s considered knee-deep in serious talent.Barring a trade, this will be five first round picks in the last three drafts, four of which were in the top nine and three in the top five. They&rsquo;ve already gotten two NHL players from those picks in defenseman Jay Bouwmeester (third overall in 2002) and center Stephen Weiss (fourth, 2001). Another one, blueliner Lukas Krajicek (ninth, 2001), could make the team next season and a fourth could come from this No. 1 pickThe hope in Florida is the Panthers are a good draft and some maturity away from being able to be factors some time other than on draft day.CALLING THE SHOTS Scott Luce is the director of amateur scouting and Darwin Bennett is the head amateur scout, but the puck stops on draft day with GM Rick Dudley.Dudley takes pride in seeing draft prospects a number of times that you&rsquo;d associate more with a scout than an NHL GM. This season, he saw only 50 to 60 Panthers games. It wasn&rsquo;t tension with coach Mike Keenan-although that didn&rsquo;t help-that kept him away. With the Panthers owning 14 picks, he wanted to blanket view the talent pool even more than usual.DRAFT TENDENCY This will be the first Panthers draft since 1994 without a Murray&rsquo;s fingerprints (former GM Bryan or former scouting director Tim). It&rsquo;s Dudley&rsquo;s second draft with Florida.Dudley is the only GM to trade the No. 1 overall pick on draft day. He did it in 1999 while with Tampa and last year when he flip-flopped first-rounders with No. 3 Columbus.The years in Tampa when Dudley held on to the pick, he took big European forwards such as Nikita Alexeev (2000) and Alexander Svitov (2001). Should they hold on to the pick, expect the Panthers to take another big, skilled forward because&hellip;IMMEDIATE NEED&hellip;Florida doesn&rsquo;t have a power forward on the roster or in the system. That need prompted them to flirt with trading for Brad Isbister of the Islanders throughout the season.The other need for a team young enough to have rookie dinners at Chuck E.Cheese, is veteran leadership. Entering next season, the most career NHL games by any Florida defenseman could be Andreas Lilja&rsquo;s 101.LONG-TERM NEED The Panthers are so young and their development uncertain enough that discussing long-term needs is like a kid using his allowance to start a retirement annuity.Another goaltending prospect wouldn&rsquo;t hurt. Should the Panthers trade Jani Hurme, it would leave 24-year-old Roberto Luongo and 22-year-old Simon Lajeunesse as the team&rsquo;s future in net.READY TO STEP IN In five games as an emergency call-up at the end of 2001-02 and in training camp this season, Krajicek demonstrated a complete and superior array of offensive talents. Sheer numbers pushed the Panthers to reluctantly send him back to Peterborough of the Ontario League.Now, Dudley thinks Krajicek can be one of the keys to an improved Panthers offense.&ldquo;Phil Housley was a puck-carrying defenseman for us in Buffalo,&rdquo; Dudley said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not saying Lukas Krajicek is Phil Housley, but he has the capability to be.&rdquo;Off-season shoulder surgery could prevent Krajicek from having as strong a training camp as he did last September. But it&rsquo;ll be a shock if he isn&rsquo;t with the Panthers by Christmas.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Viktor Kozlov, C, 28; Olli Jokinen, C, 24; Kristian Huselius, LW, 24; Peter Worrell, LW, 25.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Stephane Matteau, LW, 34.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Florida&rsquo;s system:1. Lukas Krajicek, D, Peterborough (OHL)2. Petr Taticek, C, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)3. Denis Shvidki, RW, San Antonio (AHL)4. Rob Globke, C, Notre Dame (CCHA)5. Filip Novak, D, San Antonio (AHL) &#9632;

f0048-02

Another No.1 is Cat’s meow

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-04107/8599655-1-eng-US/f0048-042.jpg" title="f0048-04" width="701" height="159"></div>Here are Florida&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Filip Kuba, 192nd overall, 1995After four years on Florida&rsquo;s farm, the sturdy Czech has become the unheralded horse on Minnesota&rsquo;s blueline. He regularly leads the Wild in time on ice.,<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-03129/8599662-1-eng-US/f0048-032.jpg" title="f0048-03" width="226" height="354"></div>Ivan Majesky, 267th overall, 2001Jaroslav Spacek, 117th overall, 1998Kristian Huselius, 47th overall, 1997Peter Worrell, 166th overall, 1995Niclas Hagman, 70th overall, 1999Kevin Weekes, 41st overall, 1993Ivan Novoseltsev, 95th overall, 1997<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Rob Niedermayer, 5th overall, 1993Mike Brown, 20th overall, 1997Jason Podollan, 31st overall, 1994Kyle Rossiter, 30th overall, 1998Greg Watson, 34th overall, 2001<h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0581/8599648-1-eng-US/f0048-052.jpg" title="f0048-05" width="174" height="283"><figcaption class="caption-body">JAY BOUWMEESTER</figcaption></div>Chosen: 3rd overall 82-4-12-16-14 with Florida (NHL). Surpluses in speed, poise and intelligence helped him sur-vive physical strength shortage. &#9632;

f0048-04

<div class="byline">BY MATT MCHALE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0049-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02165/8599693-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">ZIGGY PALFFY 26TH OVERALL BY ISLANDERS (&rsquo;91) (SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01243/8599700-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="200" height="279"></div>The Kings might have failed to make the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, but they have a great opportunity to improve the club at the June entry draft.They have three picks in the first round, including Detroit&rsquo;s from the Mathieu Schneider trade in March and Colorado&rsquo;s from the Rob Blake deal two years ago. The Kings are expected to use one of those picks in a package to obtain offensive help. After they lost Adam Deadmarsh and Jason Allison in the second half of this season due to injuries, they had no depth to pick up the slack. They still don&rsquo;t know whether Deadmarsh will play next season; he didn&rsquo;t play after Dec. 15 following a pair of severe concussions.The Kings insist they won&rsquo;t try to build by signing unrestricted free agents, so the draft is critical for talent to nurture through the system or use for future deals. They found a winner in Alexander Frolov (20th overall in 2000), who was a solid everyday player this season. Injuries, however, derailed the development of youngsters Mike Cammalleri and Jared Aulin. The Kings do not know how much either will contribute in 2003-04.CALLING THE SHOTS Entering his 15th year with the organization and 10th in his current position, director of amateur scouting Al Murray is in charge of compiling the final list for the draft. Although GM Dave Taylor does extensive scouting of the college and junior loops, Murray has the final say on talent.He was critical to taking a chance on Cammalleri, who dropped in the 2001 draft because of his size. Before entering scouting, Murray, a Saskatchewan native, was a coach at the college and junior levels.DRAFT TENDENCY Murray said the Kings look at the best athletes available rather than what they need. Because L.A. wants to build through player development, most of their recent picks have been long-range; Cammalleri is the only one to play in the NHL in the year after college.&ldquo;This is not the NFL or the NBA, where teams can fill an immediate need through the draft,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;A team&rsquo;s needs now could be completely different in four years when the player is ready.&rdquo;IMMEDIATE NEED Offensive scoring help. Frolov will continue to develop, but Cammalleri and Aulin still have injury labels to overcome.As well, the goaltending picture is cloudy. Felix Potvin is an unrestricted free agent and will have to accept a one-year deal to return. Jamie Storr had a chance to win the No. 1 job when Potvin missed the final 10 weeks with an injury, but did not.LONG-TERM NEED The development of Frolov, Cammalleri and Aulin is critical. Allison is the team&rsquo;s cornerstone, but he is in the final year of his contract and past negotiations with Washington and Boston have been messy.Deadmarsh still wasn&rsquo;t skating at the beginning of May, but the Kings said they will re-sign the restricted free agent. Cristobal Huet, impressive in goal at the end of the season, could emerge as the backup next year.READY TO STEP IN Although injuries derailed his first professional season, Aulin, acquired from Colorado in the Blake deal, is highly touted by scouts, both for his skill and for the way he improved when healthy.Aulin was considered behind Frolov and Cammalleri entering camp last summer. Now, he might be rated ahead of Cammalleri.&ldquo;There were injuries, but I didn&rsquo;t think I hurt my position with the team,&rdquo; Aulin said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be home in Calgary this summer working on my skating. I think everyone is going to bounce back strong after all that happened this year.&rdquo;RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Adam Deadmarsh, LW, 27; Mikko Eloranta, LW, 27; Jamie Storr, G, 27.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Craig Johnson, RW, 31; Felix Potvin, G, 32.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Los Angeles&rsquo;s system:1. Denis Grebeshkov, D, Yaroslavl (Rus.)2. Mike Cammalleri, C, Manchester (AHL)3. Jared Aulin, C, Manchester (AHL)4. Jens Karlsson, LW, Vastra Frolunda (Swe.)5. Sergei Anshakov, LW, Central Red Army (Rus.) &#9632;

f0049-02

Trio of No. 1s pleases Kings

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-04102/8599738-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="741" height="163"></div>Here are Los Angeles&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Kimmo Timonen, 250th overall, 1993 &lsquo;He has been the responsible leader of the Nashville defense for five seasons and all the Kings got in return was Jan Vopat (not to be confused with Roman Vopat).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03116/8599745-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="227" height="363"></div>Eric Belanger, 96th overall, 1996LuBornir Visnovsky, 118th overall, 2000Mike Cammalleri, 49th overall, 2001Frantisek Kaberle, 76th overall, 1999Jaroslav Bednar, 51st overall, 2001Andreas Lilja, 54th overall, 2000Kai Nurminen, 193rd overall, 1996<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Aki Berg, 3rd overall, 1995Matt Zultek, 15th overall, 1997David Steckel, 30th overall, 2001Don MacLean, 33rd overall, 1995Andre Shefer, 43rd overall, 1999Shayne Toporowski, 42nd overall, 1993Josh Green, 30th overall, 1996Mathieu Biron, 21st overall, 1998<h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0569/8599731-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="174" height="290"><figcaption class="caption-body">DENIS GREBESHKOV</figcaption></div>Chosen: 18th overall 49-0-7-7-26 with Yaroslavl (Rus). Agile, defensive defenseman skates well, expected to return to Russia for another year of development. &#9632;

f0049-04

<div class="byline">BY BRIAN MURPHY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01237/8599783-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="251" height="243"></div>For the first time in its brief history, the Wild will not have a top-10 pick in the entry draft. In fact, Minnesota barely made it into the top 20.That was the tab that arrived after a surprise post-season party that stretched well into May. But there will be no hand-wringing in St. Paul.Despite raising the bar of expectations by making the playoffs in just their third season, the Wild is staying the course toward building a team that can consistently qualify for the postseason and contend for a Stanley Cup.&ldquo;I think it has created a solid base where players know what&rsquo;s expected of them and how it&rsquo;s going to be approached,&rdquo; said GM Doug Risebrough. &ldquo;But as much as I&rsquo;ve said we&rsquo;re further along in team development and use of our players, there is a bigger picture of getting there on a consistent basis. It&rsquo;s still imperative to talk about down the road as much as we&rsquo;re talking about today.&rdquo;CALLING THE SHOTS Risebrough is among the most aggressive talent evaluators in the NHL. He is as interested in players&rsquo; character and mental makeup as he is in their skills and often he will cross-examine his scouts like a prosecutor.Tom Thompson, Minnesota&rsquo;s assistant GM and chief amateur scout, ought to know. Thompson is a lawyer who held similar roles in the mid-1990s when Risebrough was in the front offices of Calgary and Edmonton.With this draft expected to be very deep-and the Wild picking in the bottom third-Thompson spent the winter criss-crossing the continent. He also went to Russia four times and scoured eastern and central Europe for skill.DRAFT TENDENCY After selecting two goaltenders last June, including Western League player-of-the-year Josh Harding, the Wild is not going to select a netminder unless a potential diamond falls in their lap.Like most teams, the Wild does not draft positionally. In accordance to their system, though, they will not draft three straight defensive players. They are interested in good skaters with hockey sense and players who can grow into their roles on a team that stresses speed and sound positional play.IMMEDIATE NEED The Wild does not have a glass-rattling defenseman or somebody who can quarterback the power play while logging 30 minutes a night. They use a committee system, relying on eight rotating blueliners who helped forge the fourth-lowest goals-against average in the league this year (2.14).Nick Schultz, Filip Kuba and Willie Mitchell absorbed a ton of quality minutes against some of the best forwards in the game. They are mobile and handle the puck well, but for the Wild to maintain that level of consistency, it might be ready for some new blood.LONG-TERM NEED With Mikko Koivu another year away from the NHL and Pierre-Marc Bouchard still developing, the Wild is getting older at center. Jim Dowd (34), Wes Walz (33) and Darby Hendrickson (30) are over 30 and it is likely one or two of them might be gone by the end of next season.Rickard Wallin, a former standout pivot in the Swedish elite league, finished a solid first season in the American League with Houston. The Wild likes his playmaking skills, which is one reason they converted him from a winger to a center.READY TO STEP IN Right winger Kyle Wanvig has the size (6-foot-4,220 pounds) and grit to fill the void. The Wild drafted Wanvig 36th overall in 2001 and have been patient with him.He is a strong skater with a swagger and edge that should gel with Minnesota&rsquo;s swift system. Wanvig, 22, played seven games with the Wild early this season and scored one goal.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Pascal Dupuis, LW, 23; Manny Fernandez, G, 28; Marian Gaborik, C, 21; Matt Johnson, LW, 27; Willie Mitchell, D, 25; Andrei Zyuzin, D, 25.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Cliff Ronning, C, 37.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02154/8599776-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg" title="f0050-02" width="2341" height="2064"><figcaption class="caption-body">MARIAN GABORIK 3RD OVERALL BY MINNESOTA (&rsquo;00) (JIM MCISAAC/BBS)</figcaption></div><h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Minnesota&rsquo;s system:1. Mikko Koivu, C, TPS Turku (Fin.)2. Rickard Wallin, C, Houston (AHL)3. Kyle Wanvig, RW, Houston (AHL)4. Travis Roche, D, Houston (AHL)5. Erik Reitz, D, Houston (AHL) &#9632;

f0050-01

Wild on track for contention

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0553/8599821-1-eng-US/f0050-052.jpg" title="f0050-05" width="702" height="158"></div>Here are Minnesota&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past three drafts, since the Wild began participating in the entry draft in 2000. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>LuBornir Sekeras, 232nd overall, 2000He&rsquo;ll never be confused with Scott Stevens or Ray Bourque, but the 34-year-old Czech vet is giving the Wild a reliable building block on the blueline for four or five seasons.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0395/8599835-1-eng-US/f0050-032.jpg" title="f0050-03" width="226" height="356"></div>Nick Schultz, 33rd overall, 2000Stephane Veilleux, 93rd overall, 2001<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>None.<h2>WILD FAST FACT</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0481/8599828-1-eng-US/f0050-042.jpg" title="f0050-04" width="132" height="75"></div>Minnesota selected Josh Harding 38th overall and Barry Brust at 73rd in 2002. The significance? They&rsquo;re the only goalies selected by the Wild in three entry drafts.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0644/8599814-1-eng-US/f0050-062.jpg" title="f0050-06" width="174" height="284"><figcaption class="caption-body">P-M BOUCHARD</figcaption></div>Chosen: 8th overall 50-7-13-20-18 with Minnesota (NHL). For an 18-year-old, he demonstrated wealth of poise and deft playmaking touch. &#9632;

f0050-05

<div class="byline">BY HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0051-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-02160/8599866-1-eng-US/f0051-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">SAKU KOIVU 21 ST OVERALL BY MONTREAL (&rsquo;93) (SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-01227/8599873-1-eng-US/f0051-012.jpg" title="f0051-01" width="219" height="244"></div>After missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five years, it would be easy for anyone associated with the Montreal Canadiens to panic.But don&rsquo;t include assistant GM Martin Madden among those about to hurl themselves off one of the many bridges in Montreal.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m still optimistic,&rdquo; Madden said. &ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re still in a situation where our young guys have really progressed in Hamilton (of the American League). We can fight for the sixth, seventh or eighth spot (in the Eastern Conference) next season, if everything works our way.&rdquo;Selecting 10th overall, Madden expects the Canadiens to draft a prospect who&rsquo;s a year or two away from the NHL. He admitted the chances of getting a future superstar are slim.CALLING THE SHOTS As director of player personnel, Trevor Timmins is responsible for the Canadiens&rsquo; amateur scouting system. The 35-year-old joined Montreal last July after 10 years with the Ottawa Senators, including the past three as director of hockey operations.Timmins looks for speed, talent, hockey sense and work ethic. But the most important ingredient, he said, is character. It&rsquo;s why he believes the Senators have prospered recently.DRAFT TENDENCY Though it&rsquo;s beginning to sound like a broken record, the Canadiens maintain they&rsquo;ll draft the best player available regardless of position. That was the organization&rsquo;s philosophy under recent GMs Serge Savard and Rejean Houle and it remains the same under current GM Andre Savard.By coincidence, Montreal, which hasn&rsquo;t had great success with its first round selections, hasn&rsquo;t chosen a Canadian Hockey League prospect in the first round since 1998. Each of the team&rsquo;s last three opening round picks have been U.S. collegians.IMMEDIATE NEED Help is required in virtually all areas, except in the crease. Like so many NHL teams, the Canadiens are in desperate need of a superstar forward, but one isn&rsquo;t about to materialize. Montreal makes trades to fill a gap, not to obtain a franchise player. Besides, how many assets do the Canadiens possess that would be coveted by other teams?And don&rsquo;t expect owner George Gillett Jr. to dig deep into his pockets and sign a $10-million free agent. He and the organization simply do not operate that way.The Habs scored only 206 goals last season-2.5 per game-and need help offensively. Also, they still lack a physical defenseman that can keep forwards from crashing the net.LONG-TERM NEED The Canadiens are relatively deep up the middle, but are also aging: Joe Juneau is 35, Yanic Perreault, 32, and captain Saku Koivu, already an eight-year veteran, turns 29 in November.Several wingers are also long in the tooth: Randy McKay is 36, Donald Audette 33 and Mariusz Czerkawski 31. There&rsquo;s no guarantee any of the three will be back with the team.READY TO STEP IN He might have been the last player recalled from Hamilton, but right winger Jason Ward showed he&rsquo;s finally ready for regular NHL employment, almost six years after being drafted (11th overall in 1997).Ward, called up to Montreal March 11, scored three goals and five points in eight games. While that hardly makes a career, consider the 6-foot-3, 198-pounder had only five goals and eight points in his previous 51 NHL games.&ldquo;(He) is ready to contribute energy and grit to the third line,&rdquo; Madden said.Defenseman Mike Komisarek (seventh, 2001) played 21 games following his recall Feb. 8. His game still needs improvement, but at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, he should prove to be a capable roadblock in front of goalie Jose Theodore.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Francis Bouillon, D, 27; Chad Kilger, C, 26; Saku Koivu, C, 28; Andrei Markov, D, 24; Mike Ribeiro, C, 23.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Gino Odjick, RW, 32.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Montreal&rsquo;s system:1. Alexander Perezhogin, C, 19, Omsk (Rus.)2. Ron Hainsey, D, 22, Hamilton (AHL)3. Chris Higgins, C, 20, Yale (ECAC)4. Mike Komisarek, D, 21, Hamilton (AHL)5. Jozef Balej, RW, 21, Hamilton (AHL) &#9632;

f0051-02

Habs hopeful, but realistic

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0490/8599911-1-eng-US/f0051-042.jpg" title="f0051-04" width="703" height="157"></div>Here are Montreal&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Jose Theodore, 44th overall, 1994He had a forgettable season with the Habs, but any time your second round pick goes on to win the Hart, you treat your scouting department to an evening at Ruth&rsquo;s Chris.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-03113/8599918-1-eng-US/f0051-032.jpg" title="f0051-03" width="228" height="354"></div>Tomas Vokoun, 226th overall, 1994Darcy Tucker, 151st overall, 1993Andrei Markov, 162nd overall, 1998Saku Koivu, 21st overall, 1993Stephane Robidas, 164th overall, 1995Alexander Perezhogin, 25th overall, 2001<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Terry Ryan, 8th overall, 1995Jason Ward, 11th overall, 1997Eric Chouinard, 16th overall, 1998Matt Higgins, 18th overall, 1996Gregor Baumgartner, 37th overall, 1997Alexander Buturlin, 39th overall, 1999<h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0563/8599904-1-eng-US/f0051-052.jpg" title="f0051-05" width="173" height="287"><figcaption class="caption-body">CHRIS HIGGINS</figcaption></div>Chosen: 14th overall 28-20-21-41-41 with Yale (ECAC). Center led all Bulldogs in points. He complements his scoring skills with grit and desire. &#9632;

f0051-04

As the birthplace of 27 of The Hockey News&rsquo; first 60 projected picks for the 2003 entry draft, Canada figures to have nearly as many top up-and-coming NHLers as the rest of the world combined.The United States has eight players ranked in the top 60, followed by Russia with eight and the Czech Republic with five. It&rsquo;s a weak year for Northern Europe as Finland doesn&rsquo;t have any players in the top 60 and Sweden just two.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0655/8599963-1-eng-US/f0051-062.jpg" title="f0051-06" width="320" height="128"></div>For Canada, which had 21 players selected in the first two rounds last year, the numbers are an affirmation of the continued strong talent base in hockey&rsquo;s historical home.The three top-rated players are Canadian-center Eric Staal at No. 1, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury at No. 2 and center Nathan Horton at No. 3-as are 15 of the first 30 projected picks.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0740/8599956-1-eng-US/f0051-072.jpg" title="f0051-07" width="228" height="352"><figcaption class="caption-body">MARC-ANDRE FLEURY</figcaption></div>It could be argued the future of Canadian hockey is as strong as ever.The rest of the world might take a slightly different view.Canadian-born players made up roughly 54 per cent of the NHL this season, so the draft projections suggest the league&rsquo;s non-Canadian flavor will continue to grow.In last year&rsquo;s draft, Canadian-born players accounted for just 37 per cent (107 out of 290) of all players selected.<h2>2003 DRAFT BREAKDOWN BY NATIONALITY</h2>Here is how The Hockey News projects the first two rounds to unfold: Canada (27); US (12); Russia (8); Czech Republic (5); Belarus and Sweden two each; and Austria, Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland one apiece.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0829/8599949-1-eng-US/f0051-082.jpg" title="f0051-08" width="886" height="587"></div> &#9632;

f0051-06

TOP two rounds awash in maple leaf red

<div class="byline">BY DAVID BOCLAIR</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0052-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-02123/8599994-1-eng-US/f0052-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">DAVID LEGWAND 2ND OVERALL BY NASHVILLE (&rsquo;98) (JOHN RUSSELL/BBS)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-01216/8600001-1-eng-US/f0052-012.jpg" title="f0052-01" width="237" height="227"></div>The Predators, one of the NHL&rsquo;s youngest teams, continue to experience growing pains.Denis Arkhipov, at 23, was counted on to be a No. 1 center in 2002-03, but scored just 11 goals and 35 points in 79 games. David Legwand, at 22, had begun to build a defensive reputation, but ended up the team&rsquo;s leading scorer with a relatively low 17 goals and 48 points in 64 games.As long as Nashville keeps on thrusting players 25 and under-Scott Hartnell, Adam Hall and Mark Eaton are others-into critical roles there will continue to be peaks and valleys along the way, such as the 9-2-1-0 stretch that raised playoff hopes in February and the 0-10-3-2 drought that concluded the season.CALLING THE SHOTS Paul Fenton, the team&rsquo;s director of player personnel for five years, dropped down to fill the role of chief amateur scout as Craig Channell-the last word for the first five drafts-was re-assigned and, then, resigned. Fenton reportedly has instilled a greater sense of unity among the staff and likely will oversee the amateur scouting department beyond this draft. &ldquo;I think in some regards we weren&rsquo;t utilizing Paul&rsquo;s talents and the contributions he could make,&rdquo; said GM David Poile. &ldquo;The chemistry that we have with our scouts is very good.&rdquo;DRAFT TENDENCY Nashville looks west for prospects early on, then looks across the ocean. For the past three years Nashville&rsquo;s first round pick has come from the Western League. Management even has stated a preference for players from that loop.Although no European has been tabbed in the first round, plenty have come in later rounds-21 in all from 1999 through 2001. In part because so many of those selected players have decided to stay home, all eight of Nashville&rsquo;s selections in 2002 were North American.IMMEDIATE NEED The Predators never have landed that unique offensive talent, such as Minnesota&rsquo;s Marian Gaborik, who makes an immediate impact and stirs the imagination of the fan base. They&rsquo;re not apt to get one with the seventh overall pick, which is why they likely will try to trade up. With three anticipated picks in the second round, four in the third and three in the fourth, Poile has more than enough assets to make a move-and with Nashville hosting the draft, extra motivation to do so.LONG-TERM NEED Given the constant commitment to youth, there is no gaping hole on the horizon&hellip;or there are several. It remains to be seen who develops and how fast.Two key players entering the latter stages of their careers are center Greg Johnson and right winger Scott Walker. Johnson has good speed and is a well-rounded player who does nothing spectacularly so his eventual departure won&rsquo;t cripple the team. Walker&rsquo;s eventual absence will take away an emotional leader, but young players currently on the roster should step up.READY TO STEP IN Left winger Scottie Upshall made the team out of training camp and played eight NHL games, but was reassigned due to concern over his ability to withstand the physical demands of the NHL.Upshall has exceptional savvy and awareness and will be a welcome addition to the 2003-04 lineup. His ability to see the ice should allow him to contribute to the power play while his hockey sense will make him a capable defensive player and penalty-killer. Of course he won&rsquo;t intimidate the likes of Chris Pronger or Ed Jovanovski on the forecheck, but he has a chance to make a greater impact than any previous Predators rookie.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Denis Arkhipov, C, 24; Andy Delmore, D, 26; Mark Eaton, D, 26; Scott Hartnell, LW, 21; Andreas Johansson, LW, 30; David Legwand, C, 22; Rem Murray, C/LW, 30; Denis Pederson, C, 27; Karlis Skrastins, D, 28; Kimmo Timonen, D, 28; Todd Warriner, C, 29; Clarke Wilm, LW, 26; Vitali Yachmenev, LW, 28.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Wade Flaherty, G, 35; Brent Gilchrist, RW, 36; Cale Hulse, D, 29; Bill Houlder, D, 36; Oleg Petrov, RW, 32; Reid Simpson, LW, 34.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Nashville&rsquo;s system:1. Scottie Upshall, LW, 19, Kamloops (WHL)2. Dan Hamhuis, D, 20, Milwaukee (AHL)3. Jordin Tootoo, RW, 20, Brandon (WHL)4. Brian Finley, G, 21, Milwaukee (AHL)5. Denis Platonov, RW, 21, Kazan (Rus.) &#9632;

f0052-02

Young Preds stumble along

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0550/8600039-1-eng-US/f0052-052.jpg" title="f0052-05" width="706" height="162"></div>Here are Nashville&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past five drafts, since the Predators began participating in the entry draft in 1998. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Karlis Skrastins, 230th overall, 1998We don&rsquo;t hear much about the low-profile, stocky Russian, but he&rsquo;s strong, dependable, logs plenty of ice time in key situations and hasn&rsquo;t missed a game in three seasons.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0382/8600053-1-eng-US/f0052-032.jpg" title="f0052-03" width="224" height="358"></div>Martin Erat, 191st overall, 1999Denis Arkhipov, 60th overall, 1998Adam Hall, 52nd overall, 1999Jordin Tootoo, 98th overall, 2001Darren Haydar, 248th overall, 1999<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Brian Finley, 6th overall, 1999Daniel Widing, 36th overall, 2000<h2>PREDATORS FAST FACT</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0470/8600046-1-eng-US/f0052-042.jpg" title="f0052-04" width="134" height="74"></div>The Predators prey on major junior with their top pick. They took OHLers in 1998 and &rsquo;99 and WHLers the past three drafts.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0643/8600032-1-eng-US/f0052-062.jpg" title="f0052-06" width="175" height="287"><figcaption class="caption-body">SCOTTIE UPSHALL</figcaption></div>Chosen: 6th overall 42-25-31-56-113 with Kamloops (WHL). Upshall has battled through greater attention from opponents and still excelled. &#9632;

f0052-05

When the 2003 entry draft was awarded to Nashville last January, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called the Predators a &ldquo;model expansion franchise&rdquo; committed to building a brighter future as an expansion team should.We&rsquo;re not entirely sold on the &ldquo;model franchise&rdquo; stuff, but the devout-to-the-draft element is irrefutable. When the hockey world lands in Nashville June 22-23, on the 40th anniversary of the annual teenage talent grab, the Preds will trot out their best young faces to prove it.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0731/8600084-1-eng-US/f0052-072.jpg" title="f0052-07" width="330" height="120"></div>As part of the festivities the Preds are hosting an autograph session at Gaylord Entertainment Center, featuring their top pick from each of the past five drafts-David Legwand (second overall, 1998); Brian Finley (eighth, 1999); Scott Hartnell (sixth, 2000); Dan Hamhuis (12th, 2001); and Scottie Upshall (sixth, 2002).While none has yet made Nashville management look like geniuses, there remains hope for each, better than some teams can say.The first three rounds of the draft get underway at noon local time (1 p.m. EST) Saturday. Three hours of live TV coverage will be provided by TSN and RDS in Canada and ESPN2 in the U.S. Rounds four to nine will be held Sunday.Draft festivities kick off on Thursday with youth ice hockey and street hockey clinics, featuring some of the draft&rsquo;s top prospects as instructors. Friday will be the public coming-out party for the highly ranked players at the Top Prospects Preview showcase.As the prospects are getting primed for selection the next morning, fans can check out a fan festival at Gaylord Entertainment Center starting at 9 a.m. The Stanley Cup, Art Ross Trophy and other NHL hardware will be on display. Doors open for draft seating at 10:30 a.m., the same time as the autograph session.Tickets to the draft are free. They can be reserved by calling (615) 770-7825.And yes, the Predators have another high draft pick, this time seventh overall, the second-lowest pick in franchise history (Hamhuis was 12th in 2001). That&rsquo;s a good sign for development, a bad sign for developing fans. After five playoff-less seasons, it&rsquo;s safe to say this &ldquo;model expansion franchise&rdquo; doesn&rsquo;t want to be picking this high again in the foreseeable future. &#9632;

f0052-07

NHL heads to Nashville for 2003 entry draft

<div class="byline">BY RICH CHERE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0053-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-02128/8600115-1-eng-US/f0053-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">PATRIK ELIAS 51 ST OVERALL BY NEW JERSEY (&rsquo;94) (LISA MEYER/BBS)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-01203/8600122-1-eng-US/f0053-012.jpg" title="f0053-01" width="188" height="269"></div>It has been director of scouting David Contes legwork, judgment and skill at the draft table that have allowed the Devils to avoid a rebuilding phase over the last decade. But with nearly one-half of the Devils&rsquo; defense corps getting up in age, the next few seasons may put Conte&rsquo;s foresight to its biggest test.&ldquo;I think if you look at this team and there is any area you wonder about, it&rsquo;s the age of some pretty critical people, guys like Scott Stevens and Ken Daneyko,&rdquo; said Conte of the two 39-year-old defensemen. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re happy with prospects like Paul Martin, Matt DeMarchi and David Hale. We think we&rsquo;ll be OK in that area.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve also made a lot of trades over the years to make a run at the Cup. We&rsquo;ve traded guys that could make up a pretty good NHL team. Guys like Brendan Morrison, Willie Mitchell, Petr Sykora and Brad Bornbardir. So we&rsquo;d like to catch up. Replenishing that depth is not an easy thing to do.&rdquo;CALLING THE SHOTS Conte, who remains the voice GM Lou Lamoriello trusts the most, is respected throughout the NHL for his ability to judge talent and he does work that others avoid. Many scouts bypassed the recent world under-18 tournament in Russia, but Conte was there.&ldquo;Some teams didn&rsquo;t send scouts because of the war,&rdquo; Conte said. &ldquo;They thought there would be anti-American sentiment. But I didn&rsquo;t see any. It was one of the best trips I&rsquo;ve had. We had great weather, great games and Sergei Nemchinov hooked us up with some great restaurants.&rdquo;DRAFT TENDENCY New Jersey has always made selections looking down the road and never for immediate help. Traditionally, Conte has polled his scouting staff and given-Lamoriello the names of three or four players he would pick if they were still available when the Devils got their turn. This year that list will include more like 13 or 14 names.&ldquo;I think what has made us so successful over the years is David and our scouting staff stay the same,&rdquo; Lamoriello said. &ldquo;And we feel it&rsquo;s important to get people who have been in our organization and have been elsewhere. They can bring new ideas they&rsquo;ve learned elsewhere.&rdquo;IMMEDIATE NEED The Devils lost a lot of their size over the past two seasons as they leaned towards speed, but they have always been a team that recognizes the importance of size and strength up front.Players most likely to step in won&rsquo;t come from this draft, but from recent drafts. One of them is Thomas Pihlman, a 6-foot-4,230-pound left winger from Finland. And there&rsquo;s also right winger Barry Tallackson, a 6-foot-4,195-pounder from Minnesota.LONG-TERM NEED With a goalie like Ari Ahonen, a defenseman like David Hale and several intriguing forward prospects on the horizon, the Devils don&rsquo;t have any pressing long-term concerns.&ldquo;Just the best player we can get,&rdquo; Conte said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an interesting draft. The depth is abnormally large. There isn&rsquo;t a clear-cut consensus guy who&rsquo;ll jump out at you. There might be 10 players who can go No. 1 overall. The volume is more than I can ever recall.&rdquo;READY TO STEP IN Hale was recently signed and will be given an opportunity to make the team in training camp next fall. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s at the point where he needs a bigger challenge,&rdquo; said Conte of Hale, a 6-foot-2,205-pounder who played at North Dakota.The Devils may not keep Oleg Tverdovsky next season and Tommy Albelin-another 39-year-old-will be an unrestricted free agent. If there&rsquo;s room on the roster for Hale, he&rsquo;d benefit from the experience of playing with Stevens, to whom he has been compared.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Jiri Bicek, RW, 24; Jeff Friesen, LW, 26; Brian Gionta, RW, 24; Oleg Tverdovsky, D, 27; Colin White, D, 25.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Tommy Albelin, D, 39; Ken Daneyko, D, 39; Jim McKenzie, LW, 33; Joe Nieuwendyk, C, 36; Pascal Rheaume, C, 30.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in New Jersey&rsquo;s system:1. Ari Ahonen, G, 22, Albany (AHL)2. Paul Martin, D, 22, Minnesota (WCHA)3. David Hale, D, 22, North Dakota (WCHA)4. Alexander Suglobov, RW, 21, Yaroslavl (Rus.)5. Thomas Pihlman, LW, 20, Jyvaskyla (Fin.) &#9632;

f0053-02

Conte’s picks on the mark

Here are New Jersey&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Steve Sullivan, 233rd overall, 1994Remember those decades when they said no one under 5-foot-10 would ever play in the NHL? And virtually every team bought into it?Wonderful, isn&rsquo;t it, that we&rsquo;re now open-minded.Patrik Elias, 51st overall, 1994Willie Mitchell, 199th overall, 1996Brendan Morrison, 39th overall, 1993Scott Gomez, 27th overall, 1998Alyn McCauley, 79th overall, 1995Colin White, 49th overall, 1996Brian Gionta, 82nd overall, 1998Andreas Salomonsson, 163th overall, 2000<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Lance Ward, 10th overall, 1996Vadim Sharifjanov, 25th overall, 1994Wes Mason, 38th overall, 1996Stanislav Gron, 38th overall, 1997Denis Pederson, 13th overall, 1993J-F Damphousse, 24th overall, 1997Teemu Laine, 39th overall, 2000<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0387/8600160-1-eng-US/f0053-032.jpg" title="f0053-03" width="708" height="215"></div>* Stanley Cup winner drops to 30th overall in the draft order.<h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0477/8600153-1-eng-US/f0053-042.jpg" title="f0053-04" width="175" height="295"><figcaption class="caption-body">ANTON KADEYKIN</figcaption></div>Chosen: 51st overall 55-2-8-10-34 with Sarnia (OHL). 6-foot-3, 200-pounder just getting feet wet after first year in North America. &#9632;

f0053-03

<div class="byline">BY PETER BOTTE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0054-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-02115/8600191-1-eng-US/f0054-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">ALEXEI YASHIN 2ND OVERALL BY OTTAWA (&rsquo;92) (DAVID KAYE/BBS)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-01210/8600198-1-eng-US/f0054-012.jpg" title="f0054-01" width="195" height="276"></div>There are a couple of things you can count on to happen at every NHL entry draft.There will be 18-year-old young men with enough savvy to suggest whichever organization drafts them represents the &ldquo;perfect situation&rdquo; for their careers.And New York Islanders GM Mike Milbury will do or say something to cause headlines.After the Islanders finished eighth in the Eastern Conference and were bounced in five games by Ottawa in the first round, it was widely acknowledged this was a &ldquo;step back&rdquo; year for the franchise. Milbury now appears ready to revisit his &lsquo;Mad Mike&rsquo; days after keeping his alter ego in the closet for much of the past two seasons.That should make for an interesting summer for anyone regularly perusing the transactions wire, especially since Milbury has been known in the past to turn the draft into his personal show.CALLING THE SHOTS Milbury remains the overriding decision-maker at the draft table and will likely retain that role for the foreseeable future. But while Milbury used to escape the second half of one lost season or another by scouting for the draft, most of that work is now the responsibility of amateur scouting head Tony Feltrin, especially since longtime assistant GM Gordie Clark resigned his post last summer.In recent years, the Islanders&rsquo; European scouts have convinced Milbury to land players such as shifty left winger Mattias Weinhandl (78th overall in 1999) and 2002 first-rounder Sean Bergenheim (22nd over-all).DRAFT TENDENCY This will be the second straight summer the Islanders won&rsquo;t have a top-10 pick, following several consecutive years at the high end of the draft.Milbury went with the highest-rated player remaining on his draft board when he selected Bergenheim last June and he isn&rsquo;t likely to draft solely for need with the 15th selection this summer.If nothing else, Milbury hasn&rsquo;t been gun-shy about risking ridicule by making bold moves, such as trading goalie Roberto Luongo and snapping up Rick DiPietro with the first overall pick in 2000.IMMEDIATE NEED Milbury chose to upgrade the Islanders&rsquo; toughness last summer rather than address what most saw as a glaring need for offensive skill players to complement No. 1 center Alexei Yashin.In their five-game ouster versus Ottawa, Yashin and journeyman Randy Robitaille were the only Islander forwards to record more than one point. Perhaps Milbury finally will see the light, instead of hoping again that inexpensive, but unproven forwards such as Oleg Kvasha, Brad Isbister (since traded) or Weinhandl will fill that role.LONG-TERM NEED The Isles boast a formidable top-four defense corps, although none of Kenny Jonsson, Adrian Aucoin, Roman Hamrlik or Janne Niinimaa are signed beyond next season, when the current collective bargaining agreement expires.Defense prospects such as Eric Brewer, Zdeno Chara and Branislav Mezei have been moved in recent years in trades for Hamrlik, Yashin and Jason Wiemer. The blueline cup-board is pretty bare in terms of prospects and eventually will need to be replenished.READY TO STEP IN The team appears set in goal for the future with the brash DiPietro ready to push veteran Garth Snow for the No. 1 job next season. The top overall pick in 2000 still must learn the difference between overplaying the puck and using his lauded stickhandling skills as a valuable weapon.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Arron Asham, RW, 25; Rick DiPietro, G, 21; Eric Godard, RW, 23; Trent Hunter, RW, 23; Kenny Jonsson, D, 28; Radek Martinek, D, 26; Justin Papineau, C, 22; Randy Robitaille, C, 27; Steve Webb, RW, 28; Jason Wiemer, LW, 27.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS None.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in the Islanders&rsquo; system:1. Rick DiPietro, G, 21, Bridgeport (AHL)2. Sean Bergenheim, C, 19, Jokerit (Fin.)3. Trent Hunter, RW, 22, Bridgeport (AHL)4. Justin Mapletoft, C, 21, Bridgeport (AHL)5. Justin Papineau, C, 22, Bridgeport (AHL) &#9632;

f0054-02

GM Milbury ready to deal

Here are the Islanders&rsquo; best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Todd Bertuzzi, 23rd overall, 1993The Isles grew impatient with Bertuzzi, so they sent him to Vancouver with Bryan McCabe and a third-rounder (Jarkko Ruutu) for Trevor Linden. Now the Isles have Jason Wiemer to show for the four of them.Zdeno Chara, 56th overall, 1996Tommy Salo, 118th overall, 1993Dick Tarnstrom, 272nd overall, 1994Bryan McCabe, 40th overall, 1993Radek Martinek, 228th overall, 1999Darren Van Impe, 170th overall, 1993Mattias Weinhandl, 78th overall, 1999Vladimir Orszagh, 106th overall, 1995Justin Mapletoft, 130th overall, 1999<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Jeff Zehr, 31st overall, 1997Mike Rupp, 9th overall, 1998Jason Holland, 38th overall, 1994Branislav Mezei, 10th overall, 1999Kristian Kudroc, 28th overall, 1999Tim Connolly, 5th overall, 1999Raffi Torres, 5th overall, 2000<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0378/8600236-1-eng-US/f0054-032.jpg" title="f0054-03" width="703" height="155"></div><h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0458/8600229-1-eng-US/f0054-042.jpg" title="f0054-04" width="174" height="292"><figcaption class="caption-body">SEAN BERGENHEIM</figcaption></div>Chosen: 22nd overall 38-3-3-6-4 with Jokerit (Fin.) Speedy, gritty center stood out at the 2003 World Junior Championship for Finland. &#9632;

f0054-03

If anyone insists Mike Richter has been property of the New York Rangers for his entire career, the appropriate response is, &ldquo;You want to bet lunch on that?&rdquo;Richter was actually property of the Edmonton Oilers for a few hours last summer. The Rangers traded him toEdmonton for future considerations June 30, one day before he became an unrestricted free agent.The Rangers knew they wouldn&rsquo;t be eligible for a compensatory draft pick for losing Richter. The collective bargaining agreement assigns &ldquo;points&rdquo; to UFAs based on criteria including salary, production, age, All-Star Games, captaincies and other factors. The more points, the higher the compensatory draft pick.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0543/8600267-1-eng-US/f0054-052.jpg" title="f0054-05" width="318" height="116"></div>The catch is that teams active in the free agent market that summer aren&rsquo;t compensated for losing a player, as the CBA assumes the loss is negated by an incoming player or players. So, the Rangers received something for Richter instead of nothing and the Oilers stand to gain a mid-round pick this summer. Richter ended up re-signing with New York, but not before the Oilers and Rangers each made the situation work to their advantage.Last year Phoenix received the highest free agent compensatory pick, 46th overall, for losing Jeremy Roenick to Philadelphia. The Coyotes used their pick to select Cornell goal-tender David Leneveu, who was Canada&rsquo;s backup at the 2003 world junior championship.St. Louis received the 48th pick for losing Pierre Turgeon to Dallas and New Jersey the 51st pick for losing Alexander Mogilny to Toronto.The actual slotting of compensatory picks isn&rsquo;t determined until shortly before the draft. The earliest a club can receive a compensatory pick for losing an unrestricted free agent is the 11th pick of the second round (41st overall).Teams which lose their rights to unsigned first round draft picks also receive compensatory draft picks. These selections are slotted in the same position in the second round as the lost player was chosen in the first round two years earlier. For example, a lost 16th pick in the first round is compensated by the 16th pick of the second round. (See pg. 44 for unsigned 2001 first-rounders.)A maximum of 30 compensatory picks are allotted in the draft. &#9632;

f0054-05

Compensatory picks all about league balance

<div class="byline">BY LARRY BROOKS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0055-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-02131/8600298-1-eng-US/f0055-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">ALEXEI KOVALEV 15TH OVERALL BY RANGERS (&rsquo;91) (BRUCE BENNETT/BBS)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-01200/8600305-1-eng-US/f0055-012.jpg" title="f0055-01" width="194" height="271"></div>The New York Rangers conducted their spring organizational meetings confronted by question marks beyond the obvious even for a team coming off a franchise-record sixth consecutive playoff miss.GM Glen Sather, who finished the season behind the bench after dismissing Bryan Trottier just prior to the all-star break, hadn&rsquo;t announced whether he&rsquo;d be returning to coach on a full-time basis.Captain Mark Messier hadn&rsquo;t revealed whether he intends to return for a 25th NHL campaign.Pavel Bure, who missed most of the year in the aftermath of two right knee scopes, didn&rsquo;t know whether he&rsquo;d be able to play next season.The status of veteran goalie Mike Richter, who missed the final five months of the season after sustaining his second concussion in fewer than eight months, was unknown.What&rsquo;s more, if the Rangers weren&rsquo;t actively shopping disappointing forward Eric Lindros, they were certainly encouraging all interested parties to inquire about dealing for the enigmatic No. 88.CALLING THE SHOTS He has pretty much done it all in hockey, so it&rsquo;s no surprise vicepresident of player development Tom Renney is the man on whom Sather relies at the draft table. The former vice-president and coach of Canada&rsquo;s national team, also having coached the Vancouver Canucks after winning a Memorial Cup behind the bench of the Kamloops Blazers, Renney not only directs the Rangers&rsquo; amateur scouting department, but is a key figure in the pro scouting department, too.DRAFT TENDENCY The Rangers have generally drafted by the &ldquo;best player on the board&rdquo; philosophy, though the team last year did draft as much size as possible, starting with 6-foot-4 center Lee Falardeau (33rd overall) with its first pick.Over the years, however, there has been no discernible pattern regarding positional or stylistic preferences. And if there is a pattern, perhaps they should change it. Not counting Dan Blackburn (10th, 2001), the Rangers haven&rsquo;t drafted a player who has made a significant impact in the big leagues since Mike York (136th, 1997).IMMEDIATE NEED The organization is essentially bereft of size-and-strength power wingers and checking-oriented forwards. Over the past four years the Rangers have finished 22nd, 29th, 30th and 24th in goals allowed, a reflection in no small part of the forwards&rsquo; collective unwillingness or inability to make defense a priority. The Blueshirts will not be able to seriously compete until they address these deficiencies.LONG-TERM NEED The defense, suspect under the best of conditions, is aging rapidly, with Tom Poti the only top-five blueliner under the age of 30.Blueline mainstay Brian Leetch, 35, is expected to resign with the Rangers despite his impending unrestricted free agency. But if he doesn&rsquo;t-or as soon as Leetch departs, whenever that may be-the modifier &ldquo;gaping&rdquo; doesn&rsquo;t even begin to describe the apartment-sized hole this team will face.READY TO STEP IN Fedor Tyutin, the defenseman who turns 20 in July, has been on the fast track to Manhattan since he was drafted out of Russia as the 40th overall pick in 2001. The Rangers are counting on Tyutin, a two-way defender with an edge who excelled in the World Junior Championship, to force his way into the lineup next season.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Anson Carter, RW, 29; Alexei Kovalev, RW, 30; Dan LaCouture, RW, 26; Ronald Petrovicky, LW, 26; Tom Poti, D, 26.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Ted Donato, C, 34; Brian Leetch, D, 35; Sandy McCarthy, LW, 31; Boris Mironov, D, 31.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in the Rangers&rsquo; system:1. Fedor Tyutin, D, 19, Kazan (Rus.)2. Jamie Lundmark, C, 22, Hartford (AHL)3. Garth Murray, C, 20, Hartford (AHL)4. Lee Falardeau, C, 19, Michigan State (CCHA)5. Bryce Lampman, D, 20, Hartford (AHL) &#9632;

f0055-02

Big questions on all fronts

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0464/8600343-1-eng-US/f0055-042.jpg" title="f0055-04" width="696" height="160"></div>Here are New York&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Kim Johnsson, 286th overall, 1994Remarkably, four defenseman drafted in the 11th (and last) round of 1994 have gone on to play in the NHL. The slick, puck-moving blueliner was the last player selected that year.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0391/8600350-1-eng-US/f0055-032.jpg" title="f0055-03" width="226" height="350"></div>Todd Marchant, 164th overall, 1993Mike York, 136th overall, 1997Marc Savard, 91st overall, 1995Dan Cloutier, 26th overall, 1994Fedor Tyutin, 40th overall, 2001<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Jeff Brown, 22nd overall, 1996Stefan Cherneski, 19th overall, 1997Pavel Brendl, 4th overall, 1999Lee Sorochan, 34th overall, 1993Christian Dube, 39th overall, 1995Manny Malhotra, 7th overall, 1998Randy Copley, 40th overall, 1998Wes Jarvis, 46th overall, 1997<h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0542/8600336-1-eng-US/f0055-052.jpg" title="f0055-05" width="173" height="279"><figcaption class="caption-body">LEE FALARDEAU</figcaption></div>Chosen: 33rd overall 38-9-6-15-39 with Michigan State (CCHA). Possibility exists 6-foot-4, 196-pound checking center could sign contract this summer. &#9632;

f0055-04

<div class="byline">BY BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0056-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-02108/8600381-1-eng-US/f0056-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">MARIAN HOSSA 12TH OVERALL BY OTTAWA (&rsquo;97) (SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-01161/8600388-1-eng-US/f0056-012.jpg" title="f0056-01" width="230" height="277"></div>There&rsquo;s yet another new sheriff in town as the Ottawa Senators prepare for the 2003 NHL entry draft June 21-22.This time it will be John Muckier who will lead the Senators on draft day. He is the latest in a long line of GMs in Canada&rsquo;s capital, following Mel Bridgman, Randy Sexton, Pierre Gauthier, Rick Dudley and Marshall Johnston.Unlike his predecessors, though, Muckier brings a winning past with the Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres to the table. He also represents a change in direction because the Senators are determined to remain a Stanley Cup contender.&ldquo;I know the importance of having a good draft,&rdquo; Muckier said. &ldquo;You have to make sure that with your No. 1 pick you at least get somebody who is going to play in the league. If he doesn&rsquo;t play for you, then at least he should be an asset you can send elsewhere.&rdquo;CALLING THE SHOTS Director of player personnel Anders Hedberg will have the loudest voice at the Senators draft table. While he makes his home in Sweden and spends plenty of time scouting in Europe, Hedberg has seen all the North American prospects as well. Having held a similar position with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Hedberg has a good handle on the talent, but he&rsquo;ll consult with Muckier before the Senators make any important decisions.DRAFT TENDENCY Ottawa always has been able to get a potential impact player on draft day. But with the decisions to trade 2001 first round pick Tim Gleason (23rd overall) to Los Angeles for center Bryan Smolinski and 2002 first-rounder Jakub Klepis (16th overall) to Buffalo in exchange for right winger Vaclav Varada, the Senators need to do a little restocking.Don&rsquo;t be surprised if they try to move up to the middle of the draft order because there are players the scouting staff covets and it would give the team a better chance to improve.IMMEDIATE NEED The Sens need to get bigger at center-look down the middle and with the exception of Radek Bonk, they don&rsquo;t have much size. Ideally, Muckier would like to get a big pivot such as Keith Primeau or a power forward type.Still, the Sens always have believed in developing players slowly. That shouldn&rsquo;t change under Muckier, which means no one drafted in June will be ready to step in next year. The Senators aren&rsquo;t thin at forward and most of their players still have a lot of hockey in front of them.LONG-TERM NEED Ottawa has to address its left side. With Magnus Arvedson set to become an unrestricted free agent and veteran Jody Hull long in the tooth, the Senators need to develop players who can move pick up the slack. During the playoffs, coach Jacques Martin used center Mike Fisher as a winger, but it&rsquo;s not something the Senators can do for the long term as the team needs him at center.The Senators were deep on defense entering 2002-03, but veteran Sami Salo (Vancouver) and Joel Kwiatkowski (Washington) were traded early in the season. The Senators have an option on Brian Pothier&rsquo;s contract.READY TO STEP IN Nobody is going to stop Jason Spezza from being a full-time player for the Sens next year. Nevertheless, his time in the American League has served him well. The Senators didn&rsquo;t want Spezza getting on-the-job training in Ottawa and Binghamton coach John Paddock has taught the prospect a lot about how to play away from the puck.Spezza&rsquo;s biggest impact should be on the power play; there is no denying he can move the puck. With his innate hockey sense, he should be a solid NHLer for a long time.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Martin Havlat, RW, 22; Shane Hnidy, D, 27; Wade Redden, D, 26; Martin Prusek, G, 27; Vaclav Varada, RW, 27.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Magnus Arvedson, LW, 31; Jody Hull, LW, 34; Bryan Smolinski, C, 31.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Ottawa&rsquo;s system:1. Jason Spezza, C, 20, Binghamton (AHL)2. Ray Emery, G, 20, Binghamton (AHL)3. Alexei Kaigorodov, C, 19, Magnitogorsk (Rus.)4. Antoine Vermette, C, 20, Binghamton (AHL)5. Brooks Laich, C, 20, Seattle (WHL) &#9632;

f0056-02

Muckler’s time to stamp Sens

Here are Ottawa&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Pavol Demitra, 227th overall, 1993The Senators pride themselves on finding gems in the late rounds. Daigle was a flop as the top pick in 1993, but 226 selections later, Ottawa found a jewel. Too bad the Sens let him get away.Daniel Alfredsson, 133rd overall, 1994Sami Salo, 239th overall, 1996Magnus Arvedson, 119th overall, 1997Karel Rachunek, 229th overall, 1997Andreas Dackell, 136th overall, 1996Marian Hossa, 12th overall, 1997Martin Havlat, 26th overall, 1999Martin Prusek, 164th overall, 1999Mike Fisher, 44th overall, 1998Ivan Ciernik, 216th overall, 1996Anton Volchenkov, 21st overall, 2000Toni Dahlman, 286th overall, 2001<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Alexandre Daigle, 1st overall, 1993Mathieu Chouinard, 15th overall, 1998Marc Moro, 27th overall, 1995<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0364/8600426-1-eng-US/f0056-032.jpg" title="f0056-03" width="704" height="203"></div>* Stanley Cup winner drops to 30th overall in the draft order.<h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0451/8600419-1-eng-US/f0056-042.jpg" title="f0056-04" width="171" height="281"><figcaption class="caption-body">ALEXEI KAIGORODOV</figcaption></div>Chosen: 47th overall 32-6-10-16-10 for Magnitogorsk (Rus.) Possesses strong skating and puck-moving skills, but will need seasoning in the minors. &#9632;

f0056-03

<div class="byline">BY WAYNE FISH</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0057-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-02105/8600457-1-eng-US/f0057-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">JEREMY ROENICK 8TH OVERALL BY CHICAGO (&rsquo;88) (SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-01148/8600464-1-eng-US/f0057-012.jpg" title="f0057-01" width="207" height="230"></div>Call it 2003: A Draft Odyssey.The Flyers began preparing two years ago for what they feel will be a talent-rich 2003 entry draft by trading Daymond Langkow to Phoenix for the Coyotes&rsquo; No. 1 pick this year.Last June, after trading up to No. 4 to secure Finnish defenseman Joni Pitkanen, the Flyers started unloading picks to stockpile for 2003.So the Flyers arrive in Nashville with two first round picks (Phoenix&rsquo;s at No. 11 and their own at No. 24) plus four third-rounders, two sixth-rounders and two seventh-rounders, along with expected compensation for losing Adam Oates and Luke Richardson to unrestricted free agency.The Flyers&rsquo; farm system is already considered the deepest it has been since the 1980s and a good draft in Tennessee would improve its standing.Philadelphia would like to get more homegrown talent on its roster. Only seven players from the Flyers system-Simon Gagne, Justin Williams, Chris Therien, Roman Cechmanek, Radovan Somik, Dmitry Yushkevich and Jim Vandermeer-were in the lineup for the playoffs.CALLING THE SHOTS Assistant GM Paul Holmgren doesn&rsquo;t have a loud voice, but he&rsquo;s the one everyone listens to at the Flyers table.Holmgren coordinates the scouting from top to bottom. The former NHL player, coach and GM travels throughout North America and Europe to follow prospects. He has put the final stamp of approval on such players as Gagne, Williams, Pitkanen, Cechmanek and Jeff Woywitka.DRAFT TENDENCYAfter years of leaning toward North American players, the Flyers have been looking much more toward Europe to upgrade the team&rsquo;s skill and speed levels.More scouting hours have been spent in European countries, producing prospects such as Pitkanen, Seidenberg, Alexander Drozdetsky, Vaclav Pletka and Tomas Divisek. Also, the team has taken its last three goalies-Antero Niittymaki (1998), Roman Cechmanek (2000) and Roman Malek (2001)-from the other side of the pond.IMMEDIATE NEED Cechmanek, coming off a third straight uneven performance in the playoffs, has one season remaining at $3 million on his contract, GM Bob Clarke indicated he may not return. The Flyers don&rsquo;t have any surefire prospects at the goalie position, so a free agent signing or trade isn&rsquo;t out of the question.If the Flyers can&rsquo;t come to terms with Eric Desjardins, he can become an unrestricted free agent July 1.Even if Pitkanen is close to playing in the NHL, the Flyers will need an experienced top defenseman to take Desjardins&rsquo; place if he decides to walk.LONG-TERM NEED A few years from now, the Flyers will need some new forwards in place. By then, Mark Recchi, John LeClair, Jeremy Roenick and Tony Amonte will be in their mid-to-late 30s.The blueline may also need an overhaul, with Kim Johnsson the only starter under 30.The Flyers have had difficulty cultivating homegrown talent on defense, so look for them to scour the free agent and trade markets.READY TO STEP IN Pitkanen figures to make a strong challenge for a spot on next season&rsquo;s roster. The only thing that might hold him back is his health. Last July he had major reconstructive surgery on his right knee.Then, in February, Pitkanen had to have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, which shelved him for the rest of his season in the Finnish elite league. The Flyers brought Pitkanen over to the U.S. during the Ottawa playoff series to do a little skating with his future teammates as well as to give team doctors a chance to examine the prospect&rsquo;s knees. The doctors turned in a good report.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Justin Williams, RW, 21; Sami Kapanen, LW, 29; Eric Chouinard, LW, 22; Radovan Somik, RW, 26.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Eric Desjardins, D, 33; Claude Lapointe, C, 34; Joe Sacco, RW, 34; Dmitry Yushkevich, D, 31.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Philadelphia&rsquo;s system:1. Joni Pitkanen, D, Karpat Oulu (Fin.)2. Jeff Woywitka, D, Red Deer (WHL)3. Jim Vandermeer, D, Philadelphia (AHL)4. Antero Niittymaki, G, Philadelphia (AHL)5. Patrick Sharp, C, Philadelphia (AHL) &#9632;

f0057-02

Stash of picks helps Flyers

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0461/8600502-1-eng-US/f0057-042.jpg" title="f0057-04" width="697" height="163"></div>Here are Philadelphia&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Roman Cechmanek, 171st overall, 2000Maybe the scouts saw him as a &ldquo;disaster waiting to happen,&rdquo; too. He lasted into the sixth round, was the 18th goalie taken, 170 spots after No. 1 overall pick Rick DiPietro.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0374/8600509-1-eng-US/f0057-032.jpg" title="f0057-03" width="225" height="359"></div>Vaclav Prospal, 71st overall, 1993Johan Hedberg, 218th overall, 1994Simon Gagne, 22nd overall, 1998Janne Niinimaa, 36th overall, 1993Denis Seidenberg, 172nd overall, 2001Justin Williams, 28th overall, 2000Todd Fedoruk, 164th overall, 1997Alexander Selivanov, 140th overall, 1994Bruno St-Jacques, 253th overall, 1998Radovan Somik, 100th overall, 1995Guillaume Lefebvre, 227th overall, 2000<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Shane Kenny, 48th overall, 1995Jason Beckett, 42nd overall, 1998Ian Forbes, 51st overall, 1998<h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0537/8600495-1-eng-US/f0057-052.jpg" title="f0057-05" width="175" height="290"><figcaption class="caption-body">JONI PITKANEN</figcaption></div>Chosen: 4th overall 35-5-15-20-38 with Karpat (Fin.). Voted best defenseman at World Junior Championship, but slowed by pair of knee operations. &#9632;

f0057-04

<div class="byline">BY BOB MCMANAMAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0058-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-02102/8600540-1-eng-US/f0058-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE JOHNSON FREE AGENT SIGNED BY TORONTO (&rsquo;97) (DALE MACMILLAN/BBS)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-01158/8600547-1-eng-US/f0058-012.jpg" title="f0058-01" width="200" height="323"></div>The Coyotes don&rsquo;t have a first round pick in this year&rsquo;s draft, but don&rsquo;t be surprised if they land one or obtain a young player with first round credentials by the time they make their first pick in Nashville.&ldquo;I think you&rsquo;ll find that (GM) Mike (Barnett) is going to be very active and very aggressive in pursuing possibilities,&rdquo; said Coyotes senior vice-president Cliff Fletcher. &ldquo;He has got a lot of options.&rdquo;Looking for scoring help up front and a power play specialist on the blueline, Barnett has several exchangeable parts he can package to broker a deal. With nine blueliners and three goalies on the roster, he has at least three extra defensemen and a top-end goalie at his disposal.Brian Boucher appears to be the most likely netminder to be moved and the Coyotes believe there are six to eight clubs looking to solidify their goaltending.CALLING THE SHOTS The Coyotes have upgraded their scouting department the past few years with the additions of Dave Draper, the vice-president of scouting and director of player personnel, and amateur scouts Shane Churla and Keith Gretzky. But the common denominator, once again, is director of amateur scouting Vaughn Karpan.Karpan does most of the legwork, making several trips to Europe to redefine the prospect ratings. When it comes to the final say, it&rsquo;s a deliberation process between Draper and Karpan, with insight coming from Barnett and managing partner Wayne Gretzky.DRAFT TENDENCY In three of the past four drafts, the Coyotes used their first pick on a center, grabbing the likes of Scott Kelman (a bust in 1999 with the 15th overall pick), Krys Kolanos (a definite find at No. 19 in 2000) and Jakub Koreis (No. 19 last year).In general, they&rsquo;ve also made it a point to draft big, preferring to pass on smaller prospects they might have rated slightly higher to grab taller, wider bodies.IMMEDIATE NEED Now that the center position has been shored up with the March acquisitions of Chris Gratton and Jan Hrdina, the Coyotes are in the market for at least one quality scoring winger and perhaps a reliable twoway winger for the third or fourth line.There are holes to fill with the departures of right winger Tony Amonte, who didn&rsquo;t work out in Phoenix and was dealt to Philadelphia, and left winger Ramzi Abid, who was traded to Pittsburgh.If left winger Brian Savage doesn&rsquo;t get healthy and productive-he was ravaged by injuries and inconsistency last season-they may cut their losses and look for more help.LONG-TERM NEED Because the roster is stacked with youth in so many key positions, the Coyotes may have leadership problems once veterans such as Sean Burke and Teppo Numminen move on.Burke has been about the only vocal presence in the dressing room whose voice and actions carry any weight and when the starting goalie has that type of burden on his shoulders, it can lead to dysfunction.If new leaders don&rsquo;t emerge, management needs to bring in a capable captain-type or two to help get the ship moving in the right direction.READY TO STEP IN As long as he accepts the role that is assigned to him, center Jeff Taffe should shine next season and break down the door toward a long and successful NHL career.He retains his Calder Trophy eligibility having played in only 20 games this season for Phoenix. The Coyotes saw enough, though, to know he&rsquo;s an integral part of the puzzle.Taffe is a capable playmaker with a nose for the net, and if he plays his cards right, he could be handed the keys to a second line job.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Zac Bierk, G, 26; Chris Gratton, C, 27; Jan Hrdina, C, 27; Mike Johnson, RW, 28; Daymond Langkow, C, 26; Danny Markov, D, 26; Landon Wilson, RW, 28.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Frank Banham, RW, 28; Scott Pellerin, LW, 33; Paul Ranheim, RW, 37.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Phoenix&rsquo;s system:1. Jeff Taffe, C, Springfield (AHL)2. Fredrick Sjostrom, RW, Calgary (WHL)3. David LeNeveu, G, Cornell (ECAC)4. Ben Eager, LW, Oshawa (OHL)5. Jakub Koreis, C, Plzen (Czech.) &#9632;

f0058-02

Trade time for Coyotes?

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0449/8600585-1-eng-US/f0058-042.jpg" title="f0058-04" width="699" height="152"></div>Here are Phoenix&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Daniel Briere, 24th overall, 1996The first round of 1996 is destined to go down as the poorest crop in a generation. Fewer than l0 players have established themselves as regulars. Derek Morris (13th) and Briere are the best.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0361/8600592-1-eng-US/f0058-032.jpg" title="f0058-03" width="225" height="370"></div>Ossi Vaananen, 43rd overall, 1998Ramzi Abid, 85th overall, 2000Robert Esche, 139th overall, 1996Trevor Letowski, 174th overall, 1996Wyatt Smith, 233rd overall, 1997David LeNeveu, 46th overall, 2002<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Dan Focht, 11th overall, 1996Scott Kelman, 15th overall, 1999Scott Langkow, 31st overall, 1993Marc Chouinard, 32nd overall, 1995Alexei Budayev, 43rd overall, 1993Mats Lindgren, 15th overall, 1993Patrick DesRochers, 14th overall, 1998Brad Ralph, 53rd overall, 1999<h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0532/8600578-1-eng-US/f0058-052.jpg" title="f0058-05" width="175" height="297"><figcaption class="caption-body">JAKUB KOREIS</figcaption></div>Chosen: 19th overall 23-1-6-7-8 with Plzen (Czech). The sturdy 18-year-old center struggled frequently and regressed offensively in Czech&rsquo;s top league. &#9632;

f0058-04

About six years ago, older Europeans were all the rage-the instant-meal replacement for NHL teams looking for a depth chart pick-me-up. Can&rsquo;t afford free agents? Don&rsquo;t want to wait for the kids? No problem. Somewhere in the Elite League, Superleague or Extra League there&rsquo;s a LuBornir (Visnovsky) or a Radek (Martinek) or a magical Magnus (Arvedson) just waiting to be drafted and step in.Not any longer, if you listen to the pessimists. They say the pipeline is finished.It&rsquo;s true things have slowed. In fact, 29-year-old Columbus forward Lasse Pirjeta was the only European veteran drafted last summer able to make an impact. But is it right to say there&rsquo;s no one left? &ldquo;There might be that perception,&rdquo; said one scout, &ldquo;but I think that&rsquo;s the furthest from the truth. It&rsquo;s like anything else, you&rsquo;ve got to spend time combing those areas.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0624/8600630-1-eng-US/f0058-062.jpg" title="f0058-06" width="318" height="116"></div>Detroit assistant GM Jim Nill said he believes the crop of European players between 25 and 30 have been looked over closely, but there will always be some late-blooming players who surprise, just as players do coming out of the AHL.Many of those late-bloomers have recently been goalies. Anaheim&rsquo;s Martin Gerber (232nd, 2001), Los Angeles&rsquo;s Cristobal Huet (214th, 2001), Edmonton&rsquo;s Jussi Markkanen (133rd, 2001), Atlanta&rsquo;s Pasi Nurminen (189th, 2001) were all 25 or 26 when they were selected.And when a player such as Ivan Majesky can come in to rave reviews in Florida after being selected 267th a year earlier; when Petr Cajanek (253rd, 2001) can be a valuable top-nine forward on upper-tier team like St. Louis, it&rsquo;s foolish to think the pond is empty.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0716/8600623-1-eng-US/f0058-072.jpg" title="f0058-07" width="228" height="356"><figcaption class="caption-body">LUBornIR VISNOVSKY</figcaption></div>One candidate, this year for the mid-rounds is 26-year-old Finnish forward Esa Pirnes, MVP of Tappara&rsquo;s Finnish championship season. The 6-foot, 187-pounder led his team with 23 goals.Other possible draftees include 23-year-old Czech defenseman Michal Dobron; 26-year-old Slovak forward Martin Kulha; and 27-year-old Czech forward Juraj Stefanka. &#9632;

f0058-06

How much for that Euro vet in the window?

<div class="byline">BY JOE STARKEY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0059-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0289/8600661-1-eng-US/f0059-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">MARIO LEMIEUX 1ST OVERALL BY PITTSBURGH (&rsquo;84) (SPORTS ACTION/MATT POLK)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-01136/8600668-1-eng-US/f0059-012.jpg" title="f0059-01" width="209" height="282"></div>The Penguins are convinced they have a boatload of talented prospects who one day will form the core of the team.Few would dispute many of Pittsburgh&rsquo;s prospects had good years at their respective levels, or that many have an NHL future. But it&rsquo;s questionable as to how many will become impact players. That is why the next two drafts are so critical.With Mario Lemieux&rsquo;s retirement pending, this team needs top-end skill and lots of it. The Penguins appear to have done well by taking defenseman Ryan Whitney fifth overall last June and this year they have the third overall pick, their highest since 1985. Another top-five pick is possible next year. They cannot afford to make bad selections.CALLING THE SHOTS Head scout Greg Malone, who is 10th on the Penguins all-time scoring list, will run his 12th draft and will be afforded the highest pick (third overall) of his tenure.Since Scotty Bowman left the franchise in 1993, Malone has had as much power as any head scout in the NHL, because GM Craig Patrick does no amateur scouting. Malone oversees his team of eight scouts-including director of player development Herb Brooks-while Patrick serves as arbiter on draft-day disputes.DRAFT TENDENCY It&rsquo;s too early to judge the past three drafts or so, but the Penguins under Malone have fared better in the later rounds. Their first round picks tend to be disastrous or mediocre, although they went a decade without a top-15 pick before choosing fifth last year.In the later going, the Penguins have procured several NHL players, although 1993 sixth-rounder Patrick Lalime (later traded to Anaheim for Sean Pronger) is the only Penguin draftee in a decade who has approached star status. After years of choosing mostly European forwards early, the Penguins have emphasized defense in the past two years.IMMEDIATE NEED Besides a coach, a system and core of legitimate NHL defensemen? And offense, too. The once goal-happy Pens finished with only 189 this year, tied for the second-lowest total in franchise history and lowest in a full season since 1969-70. Factor in Lemieux, who might retire, contributed to more than 50 per cent of the team&rsquo;s goals in his 67 games, that second-leading scorer Martin Straka is a trade possibility and left winger Tomas Surovy looks like the only natural goal-scorer in the system, and the situation appears dire.LONG-TERM NEED Sebastien Caron&rsquo;s 24-game performance sparked hope he is the goalie of the future. If management is not convinced, it might want to consider drafting a franchise-type goaltender.The biggest long-term need, however, appears to be skill. The Penguins need a young star who can put a face on their rebuilding movement and generate some excitement if and when the club moves into a new arena.Philosophically, the Penguins must decide whether speed will become a cornerstone of their system. If so, it could halt the already decelerated progress of fading first round picks Kris Beech (seventh overall by Washington in 1999) and Milan Kraft (23rd, 1998), who have not shown NHL-caliber speed.READY TO STEP IN Brooks Orpik, the team&rsquo;s first round pick (18th overall) in 2000, took a big step forward in his second professional season. The 6-foot-3,217-pound defenseman settled into a stay-at-home, physical role with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the American League.He hasn&rsquo;t been the feared open-ice hitter many predicted him to be, but Orpik can fill a need for the Penguins simply by clearing the front of the net, winning battles along the boards and making smart first passes.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Ramzi Abid, LW, 23; Joel Bouchard, D, 29; Matt Bradley, RW; 24; Sebastien Caron, G, 22; Alexandre Daigle, RW, 28; Rico Fata, LW, 23; Shawn Heins, D, 29; Hans Jonsson, D, 29; Eric Meloche, RW, 27; Ville Nieminen, LW, 26; Dick Tarnstrom, D, 28.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Mario Lemieux, C, 37; Kent Manderville, C, 32; Jamie Pushor, D, 30.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Pittsburgh&rsquo;s system:1. Ryan Whitney, D, Boston University (HE)2. Brooks Orpik, D, Wilkes-Barre (AHL)3. Tomas Surovy, LW, Wilkes-Barre (AHL)4. Konstantin Koltsov, RW, Wilkes-Barre (AHL)5. Shane Endicott, C, Wilkes-Barre (AHL) &#9632;

f0059-02

Talent needed immediately

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0453/8600706-1-eng-US/f0059-042.jpg" title="f0059-04" width="702" height="163"></div>Here are Pittsburgh&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Patrick Lalime, 156th overall, 1993It looked like a perfect marriage when Lalime debuted with style in 1996. A contract dispute led to two years in the minors.Now he has 30 shutouts in four seasons&hellip;with Ottawa.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0363/8600713-1-eng-US/f0059-032.jpg" title="f0059-03" width="230" height="353"></div>Jan Hrdina, 128th overall, 1995Hans Jonsson, 286th overall, 1993Andrew Ference, 208th overall, 1997Michal Rozsival, 105th overall, 1996Tomas Surovy, 120th overall 2001<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Craig Hillier, 23th overall, 1996Stefan Bergkvist, 26th overall, 1993Brian Gaffaney, 44th overall, 1997Robert Dome, 17th overall, 1997Jeremy Van Hoof, 57th overall, 1999Pavel Skrbek, 28th overall, 1996Chris Wells, 24th overall, 1994Milan Kraft, 23rd overall, 1998Alexander Zevakhin, 54th overall, 1998<h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0536/8600699-1-eng-US/f0059-052.jpg" title="f0059-05" width="173" height="287"><figcaption class="caption-body">RYAN WHITNEY</figcaption></div>Chosen: 5th overall 34-3-10-13-19 with Boston University (HE). Ankle injury contributed to sub-par season, but starred for Team USA at WJC. &#9632;

f0059-04

For those who really, truly, absolutely love watching hockey games, the Central Scouting Service might be the perfect employer.Under the careful eye of scouting director Frank Bonello, the CSS provides the annual rankings of nine rounds worth of draft-eligible players&mdash;270 to be exact. Each of the CSS&rsquo;s nine full-time scouts in North America forms opinions by attending about 125 games from major junior, U.S. college and other leagues every year. Another eight part-timers catch between 50 and 60 each.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0628/8600751-1-eng-US/f0059-062.jpg" title="f0059-06" width="310" height="119"></div>That works out to some 1,600 games watched-and that&rsquo;s only to decide on about 170 names, since roughly 40 per cent of drafted players these days are from Europe. European scouting is headed up by Goran Stubb, based in Espoo, Finland, and his staff is spread across Europe.One of this year&rsquo;s challenges is ranking the top of the draft, given the depth of upper-tier talent.&ldquo;We feel it&rsquo;s a deep draft of good players,&rdquo; said Bonello, who coached and managed the Toronto Marlboros for 18 years before joining CSS in 1988. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not saying franchise players or anything like that, but very good players. The first two rounds are full of players that have a chance.&rdquo;CSS scouts get together for a series of meetings in late April and early May to hash out the final rankings. Because of the sheer volume of players, the process can take a while. Bonello has the final say on how things shape up. When it gets down to the latter half of the draft, &ldquo;we just listen to the most expert scout on that particular player,&rdquo; Bonello says. &ldquo;(The order) is discussed and debated. It&rsquo;s my call who I&rsquo;m going to listen to.&rdquo;While all teams rely on CSS rankings as a reference, their assessments inevitably vary from that of the CSS&rsquo;s. Teams&rsquo; chief scouts sometimes call Bonello seeking more info on players the CSS ranked significantly higher or lower than they did.Bonello said it&rsquo;s a good year for the CSS if 70 per cent of its players are selected in the draft. As for the ranking order, Bonello is in the same position as NHL teams in that it will be three or four years down the road, minimum, before anyone can say how well he and his staff have done their job.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0721/8600744-1-eng-US/f0059-072.jpg" title="f0059-07" width="213" height="343"><figcaption class="caption-body">FRANK BONELLO</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0059-06

Central Scouting home for hockey fanatics

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0441/8600827-1-eng-US/f0060-042.jpg" title="f0060-04" width="713" height="204"></div>Here are St. Louis&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Ladislav Nagy, 177th overall, 1997He has had back-to-back 20-goal seasons in Phoenix since the deal with Michal Handzus and Jeff Taffe for Keith Tkachuk. A big scorer in junior, the Coyotes think he has 30-goal skills.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0351/8600834-1-eng-US/f0060-032.jpg" title="f0060-03" width="226" height="364"></div>Mike Grier, 219th overall, 1993Petr Cajanek, 253rd overall, 2001Eric Boguniecki, 193rd overall, 1993Alexander Khavanov, 232nd overall, 1998Barret Jackman, 17th overall, 1999Michal Handzus, 101st overall, 1995Reed Low, 177th overall, 1996Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, 179th overall, 1995Tom Koivisto, 253rd overall, 2002<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Maxim Bets, 37th overall, 1993Maxim Linnik, 41st overall, 1998Tyler Rennette, 40th overall, 1997* Stanley Cup winner drops to 30th overall in the draft order.<h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0531/8600820-1-eng-US/f0060-052.jpg" title="f0060-05" width="176" height="287"><figcaption class="caption-body">ALEXEI SHKOTOV</figcaption></div>Chosen: 48th overall 32-5-1-6-18 with Central Army (Rus). Playing time was sparse and success limited, but excelled in 5 Nations Tournament. &#9632;

f0060-04

<div class="byline">BY ROSS MCKEON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0061-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-0290/8600865-1-eng-US/f0061-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">TEEMU SELANNE 10TH OVERALL BY WINNIPEG (&rsquo;88) (DALE MACMILLAN/BBS)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-01129/8600872-1-eng-US/f0061-012.jpg" title="f0061-01" width="232" height="298"></div>After a season in which they fired a coach and a GM and missed the playoffs for the first time in seven springs, the Sharks could look at owning six picks out of the first 100 in the 2003 entry draft as a positive.While it&rsquo;s unknown what direction new GM Doug Wilson will take the Sharks, the draft will provide a stepping stone to a new future. San Jose is set to draft sixth overall thanks to their disappointing performance in 2002-03.A loyal fan base that has consistently filled HP Pavilion allowed the Sharks to have patience and build through the draft. But all bets are off now that the franchise is heading into an unplanned rebuilding mode. If fans don&rsquo;t renew season-ticket plans, the Sharks may go in a new direction to fix what has gone very wrong.CALLING THE SHOTS Assuming Wilson doesn&rsquo;t shake things up too much, San Jose&rsquo;s director of amateur scouting Tim Burke will have the most clout at the draft table.A member of the organization since 1992, Burke was promoted to his current position in 1996. Since then, he has been responsible for evaluating amateur talent at every level and has supervised the club&rsquo;s scouting efforts. Burke was with the New Jersey Devils from 1987 to 1992, serving in several capacities including coaching and scouting.DRAFT TENDENCY Under former GM Dean Lombardi&rsquo;s regime, the Sharks snapped up defensemen in the early rounds like they were going out of style because-in today&rsquo;s 30-team NHL-they are in short supply.The Sharks have selected a defenseman with either their first or second pick for seven straight years, including four times in the first round.IMMEDIATE NEED Speed at the forward position is definitely an area San Jose intends to improve before next season. The Sharks could not capitalize fast enough on neutral-zone turnovers to earn scoring chances this year.The lack of speed showed up most at center ice, where, aside from Patrick Marleau, all of San Jose&rsquo;s pivots graded out with below-average speed.The possible addition of prospect Marcel Goc could help, or Vincent Damphousse might find himself on a wing. Otherwise, the unrestricted free agent market might be the only other way to improve.LONG-TERM NEED With a solid nucleus of young stars in goal and on defense, the Sharks turn their attention to their forwards, where, aside from Marleau, Marco Sturm, Alyn McCauley and Wayne Primeau, there&rsquo;s a number of unproven, inexperienced players trying to find roles.Size is also a concern. Of the top forward prospects-Boyes, Niko Dimitrakos, Miroslav Zalesak, Alexander Korolyuk, Mike Morris and Lynn Loyns-none have good size. Even if the NHL is changing, the playoffs are still a big man&rsquo;s game and the Sharks roster doesn&rsquo;t reflect enough muscle to go with their skill.READY TO STEP IN A combination of his development and the lack of depth at the center position gives Boyes the opportunity to step into as a second- or third-liner.Boyes was the key to San Jose&rsquo;s trade of Owen Nolan to Toronto late last season, a deal that also brought McCauley and a first round draft pick to the Sharks for their longtime captain.An American League standout this season, Boyes is smart, clever with the puck and has a nose for the net. His biggest challenge will be skating at the NHL level, a skill he figures to improve upon in the off-season.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Scott Hannan, D, 24; Miikka Kiprusoff, G, 26; Alexander Korolyuk, LW, 27; Patrick Marleau, C, 23; Alyn McCauley, C, 25; Mark Smith, C, 24.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Vincent Damphousse, C, 34; Adam Graves, LW, 35; Mike Ricci, C, 31; Teemu Selanne, RW, 32.<h2>FUTURE WATCH 2003</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in San Jose&rsquo;s system:1. Brad Boyes, C, Cleveland (AHL)2. Marcel Goc, C, Mannheim (Ger.)3. Mike Morris, RW, Northeastern (HE)4. Christian Ehrhoff, D, Krefeld (Ger.)5. Miroslav Zalesak, RW, Cleveland (AHL) &#9632;

f0061-02

New GM, new direction

Here are San Jose&rsquo;s best and worst picks in the past 10 drafts. Astute selections are players delivering above and beyond expected from that spot in the draft. Disappointing picks are players performing exceedingly below expectations.<h2>ASTUTE SELECTIONS</h2>Evgeni Nabokov, 219th overall, 1994NHL teams would be wise to select a European goalie with a late pick every year. There&rsquo;ll be a lot of misses, but the occasional Cechmanek, Vokoun, Nurminen and Nabokov, as well.Miikka Kiprusoff, 116th overall, 1995Marco Sturm, 28th overall, 1996Mikael Samuelsson, 145th overall, 1998Mark Smith, 219th overall, 1997Jim Fahey, 212th overall, 1998Vaclav Varada, 89th overall, 1994Niko Dimitrakos, 155th overall, 1999Christian Ehrhoff, 106th overall, 2001Jeff Friesen, 11th overall, 1994<h2>DISAPPOINTING PICKS</h2>Teemu Riihijarvi, 12th overall, 1995Angel Nikolov, 37th overall, 1994Peter Roed, 38th overall, 1995Terry Friesen, 55th overall, 1996Tero Maatta, 41st overall, 2000Andrei Zyuzin, 2nd overall, 1996<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-0361/8600910-1-eng-US/f0061-032.jpg" title="f0061-03" width="712" height="170"></div><h2>PROGRESS REPORT 2002</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-0450/8600903-1-eng-US/f0061-042.jpg" title="f0061-04" width="173" height="282"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE MORRIS</figcaption></div>Chosen: 27th overall 26-9-12-21-16 with Northeastern (HE). Played in all situations, logged good minutes and named to conference&rsquo;s all-rookie team. &#9632;

f0061-03

For eight long months, NHL scouts huddle in cold arenas to watch top prospects rev their engines. In late May, scouts finally get a chance to look under the hood.The fifth-annual NHL prospect medical and fitness testing takes place May 30 and 31 in Toronto. This year, the Central Scouting Service invited the top 75 North American skaters, the top seven North American goalies and 33 Europeans for a battery of off-ice tests and interviews that can lay bare a player&rsquo;s assets and potential trouble spots.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-0540/8600941-1-eng-US/f0061-052.jpg" title="f0061-05" width="316" height="114"></div>Players are tested in five areas: body composition; strength, power and muscular endurance; flexibility; anaerobic fitness; and aerobic fitness. At the end of it all, teams are left with detailed assessments on more than 100 players, including their performance levels in various categories-body fat, vertical jump, lung capacity (VO2 max), etc.-and how they ranked among all the players tested.A sample of results from the class of 2002: the average consecutive number of push-ups was 28, with a high of 42 and a low of 16. In the category of 150-pound bench press, at least one player tested couldn&rsquo;t lift the bar according to specifications; at least one other player did 22 repetitions.Strength and endurance tests-such as pushups, chin-ups and bench press-are done in time to a metronome. Push-ups, for example, are measured at a rate of 25 per minute. The test is over when a player falls behind.The May 30-31 weekend and surrounding days also provide NHL GMs with the opportunity to conduct their first set of pre-draft interviews with prospects on their wish lists.Physicians also give all players complete head-to-toe medicals, providing teams with relevant findings on the basics (heart rate and blood pressure, for example) and the specific (cranial nerve responses, deep tendon reflexes&hellip;).&ldquo;I think Central Scouting does a tremendous job of organizing this and throwing information our way,&rdquo; said St. Louis GM Larry Pleau. &ldquo;How we use it is up to us.&rdquo;Pleau said information gleaned is more likely to raise a red flag than boost a player&rsquo;s stock. At the same time, he believes that at age 18-20, most draft-eligible players are still young enough that any fitness deficiencies can be addressed. &#9632;

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June 1, 2003

Aging Blues need youth

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