Official 2003 WildOnIce.net NHL Mock Draft
by Chris Thompson

Tuesday June 17, 2003

The 2003 NHL Entry Draft is nearly here. And how can we prepare for the NHL draft without a Mock Draft? The brain trusts at WildOnIce.net put their brains together and tried to predict who would go where in the first round. The resulting brain drain nearly killed them, so they just pointed to some names and wrote them down. None-the-less, enjoy our little prediction of who will go where in the draft. Be sure to tune back into WildOnIce.net after the draft for a complete review of who the Wild came home with and what to expect from them.

Atlanta

Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Mock Draft Notes	Actual Team	Actual Player	Pos	Notes
1	Florida	Eric Staal	C	Panthers consider Fleury, but Stall is too good to pass up. Tall for a center at 6'3", he needs to put on some weight (182 lbs), but boy can the guy score (98 points in OHL).	Pittsburgh	Fleury	G	Pittsburgh gave up a bunch to move up 2 spots. Fleury won't contribute for a while, risky pick for a club that needs help immediately.
2	Carolina	Marc-Andre Fleury	G	Many teams want to make this pick. But unless LA gives up all three of their #1's plus something else, Carolina will be happy to build around him for the next decade-plus.	Carolina	Staal	C	Will replace Francis someday. Best player in the draft gives Carolina hope for the future
3	Pittsburgh	Nikolai Zherdev	RW	Financial woes have bitten the Penguins hard. In desparate need of a star to receive the torch from Mario, Pittsburgh grabs mighty Zherdev who was once considered the top pick in the draft.	Florida	Horton	C	Physical center in the mold of a Lindros, will do well playing for Mike Keenan
4	Columbus	Ryan Suter	D	Columbus hasn't had problems scoring goals, they just seem to allow more than they score. Suter, son of Bob and nephew of Gary, will give the Jackets a solid nucleus to build around on the blue line with Klesla	Columbus	Zherdev	RW	Play making winger compared to Kovalchuk and Gaborik. Has some attitude problems and doesn't like contact, but scoring potential is high.
5	Buffalo	Nathan Horton	C	New ownership in Buffalo holds onto #5 pick and takes Horton, a big physical center who isn't afraid to mix it up, but has plenty of scoring punch too.	Buffalo	Tomas Vanek	LW	U of Minnesota Winger is exlosive and never quits. Pure goal scorer. Could return to WCHA, but will likely join a Buffalo club looking to renew ties with their fans.
6	San Jose	Milan Michelak	LW	One of the top offensive players in the draft, Michelak will help a disappointing Sharks team rebound in the very near future.	San Jose	Michelak	LW	Experts thought San Jose would target Suter, but San Jose got a scorer who will join Selanne and company. Some question if he'll score as much in the pros as the Sharks want.
7	Nashville	Tomas Vanek	LW	Pure scorer from Austria now playing for the Gophers, Vanek will stay in college for another season, but will be a HUGE drawing card when he finally hits Nashville's ice.	Nashville	Suter	D	Predators grab a franchise defenseman in front of their home fans. Comes from strong hockey family, will be a new fan favorite in Nashville.
8	Atlanta	Zach Parise	C	Another WCHA player goes as Atlanta continues to add to its embarrasing wealth of talent up front.	Coburn	D	Thrashers are loaded with offensive talent, now add a stud defenseman. Smart player who skates well, will contribute rapidly in Atlanta.
9	Calgary	Brandon Coburn	D	The Flames missed Derek Morris more than they thought they would. Coburn will help replenish their blue line. A stud 2-way D-man.	Calgary	Phaneuf	D	Solid defensive defenseman, plays a physical game, reads plays well and positions himself accordingly. Will step in and replace Morris well.
10	Montreal	Marc-Antoine Pouiot	C	Scoring machine from the QMJHL who isn't afraid to mix it up a little too. Is the kind of playmaker Montreal fans will appreciate.	Montreal	Kastitsyn	RW	High scoring Russian with medical concerns, Montreal will take advantage of his slide and add him to their offense.
11	Philadelphia	Dion Phaneuf	D	Flyers are happy to see Phaneuf, who some compare to Scott Stevens, fall to them.	Philadelphia	Carter	C	Big, fast center who moves well and is successful finding the net. Big, consistent player fits in well with Flyers.
12	New York Rangers	Andrei Kastitsyn	RW	Russian center has loads of talent, but epilepsy limited him to just 6 games. Look for Rangers to invest in him and hope their doctors can treat him.	Rangers	Jessiman	RW	Big forward outmuscles people and makes plays. Nickname is "Huge Speciman". Will add grit to a generally soft Rangers club.
13	Los Angeles	Dustin Brown	RW	Physical forward who has some offensive talent, though not overwhelming. But his grit and drive should make him a fan favorite in sunny LA.	Kings	Brown	RW	Outstanding skater. #2 rated NA skater by CSB. Has strong leadership skills as well. With Stumpel back in the mix now, Kings look solid.
14	Chicago	Konstantin Glazachev	LW	Hawks love drafting Russians, and Glazachev is another good one.	Chicago	Seabrook	D	Hawks wanted defense, and they got it. Captained Canada's under-18 team. Strong leadership skills and physical play, but some people question his conditioning. Very curable issue at the NHL level.
15	New York Islanders	Mark Stuart	D	Islander add D in hopes of helping keep the puck away from the net. Stuart's a WCHA player who should contribute quickly. A bit of a surprise this early.	Islanders	Nilsson	LW	Son of Kent Nilsson is a bit small, but played well in World Juniors. Somewhat inconsistent, some people surprised by this selection.
16	Boston	Brent Seabrook	D	Another reach, but D-men are going fast. Seabrook's a good, physical defenseman who will help bring some balance to Boston's lineup.	San Jose	Bernier	RW	Tested poorly in combine and was inconsistent, yet Sharks traded up to get him. Made lots of plays when out of shape, Sharks like to think about what he can do after losing some weight.
17	Edmonton	Ryan Kesler	C	Big, two-way player. Perfect fit in Edmonton.	New Jersey	Zach Parise	C	Son of J.P. Parise, slipped WAY too far in the draft. Devils traded up to steal him, showing why they're perennial contenders and the current Cup Champions. Minnesota fans are sad to see him go.
18	Washington	Patrick O'Sullivan	C	O'Sullivan slides all the way to Washington because of character issues, but he has the talent to make things happen for Jagr and company, assuming anyone's left when he makes the team of course.	Washington	Fehr	RW	Another high scoring forward, unusual to see this late in a draft. Good size too makes him a solid prospect for the future of the Caps, who may unload Jagr this offseason.
19	Anaheim	Ryan Getzlaf	C	Solid two-way player with strong leadership skills will fit in well with Ducks team-oriented philosophy.	Anaheim	Getzlaf	C	Top player left on the board goes to Ducks. Good two-way player will fit into Anaheim's defensively-responsible system. Adds some much needed size to the Ducks.
20	Minnesota	Robert Nilsson	LW	Similar background to Gaborik…young player playing in elite league with older players and succeeding. Wild hope they'll get to see him soon.	Minnesota	Brent Burns	RW	Projected as a 2nd rounder. Big physical forward who elevated his game from January on, used to play defense. His body has grown enormously the past year, as has his scoring ability. Lots of potential and upside. If he pans out, it will be a huge credit to the scouting staff of the Wild.
21	San Jose	Anthony Stewart	C/LW	A truck on the ice, he hits AND scores. Fits in well with the Sharks physical style of play.	Boston	Mark Stuart	Colorado College D-man is punishing physical forward. Smart player compared to Ray Bourque. Adds to a good, young Bruins D.
22	New Jersey	Shawn Belle	D	Devils begin to prepare for life without Stevens by drafting Belle, who's slapshot commands attention.	Edmonton	Pouliot	C	Numbers weren't impressive because of poor team he played on, caused him to slip. Good skater with balanced game, excellent addition to strong Edmonton team.
23	Vancouver	Jim Howard	G	Statement pick as club shows disappointment in Cloutier. With little depth in the system, Howard will be pushing Cloutier soon. Nucks could opt for Tambellini though as he's the son of the Canucks VP of player personnel.	Vancouver	Kesler	C	Solid, balanced player. Not expected to be a huge scorer, but is a gritty player who will contribute in other ways for the Canucks.
24	Philadelphia	Hugh Jessiman	RW	Power forward who will help soften the blow of the expected loss of Leclair.	Philadelphia	Richards	C	Plays strong 2-way game, going up against other team's top line in playoffs and succeeded. Scored plenty too. Good work habits. Smart pick for Flyers. Flyers were ready to take at #9.
25	Tampa Bay	Richard Stehlik	D	Tampa's desparate for D. Stehlik is a big guy at 6'4", 245 lbs. But his hockey skills are suspect. Pick of need that may not pan out for Tampa.	Florida	Stewart	C/RW	Averaged a point per game, plays physical game. Played with Brent Burns, who Minnesota selected. Dedicated player who will add gritto the Panthers.
26	Los Angeles	Jeff Tambellini	LW	Small, speedy forward who makes things happen. Kings will be thrilled to see him last this long. Comparisons have been made to John Madden.	Kings	Brian Boyle	C	High school player will take time to develop. Needs to add physical play, but is tall and has potential.
27	Los Angeles	Nathan Paetsch	D	Kings use third pick to move to defense and take Paetsch, who Washington drafted but couldn't sign.	Kings	Tambellini	LW	Comes from a great hockey family and a great hockey program. Good skating ability creates chances. Led Wolverines in scoring as a freshman, leading Michigan to the NCAA semi-finals.
28	Dallas	Steve Bernier	RW	Dallas always picks late, but always seems to have a gem slide their way. Happens again as Bernier, a stud scorer with 101 pts in 71 QMJHL games, falls into their lap.	Anaheim	Perry	RW	Ducks trade up to select Perry. Strong second half and playoffs helped him rebound from from disappointing start to season. Had to learn to make plays alone after losing teammate Rich Nash from last season. Good potential with strong ties to Ducks organization.
29	Ottawa	Dan Fritsche	C	Can handle the puck and has great ice vision, but has a history of health problems. If healthy, he'll be a real asset to the Sens.	Ottawa	Eaves	RW	Small, play-making forward. College player from BC could join Senators soon.
30	St. Louis	Jeff Carter	C	Tall, skinny forward who has drawn comparisons to a light Joe Thornton. Blues hope they hit a high note as they both played for Sault Ste. Marie of the OHL.	St. Louis	Belle	D	Blues will lose MacInnis before too long. Belle gives them another physical defenseman in the system who will help fill the gap someday.

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