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.
| 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). |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 8 | Atlanta | Zach Parise | C | Another WCHA player goes as Atlanta continues to add to its embarrasing wealth of talent up front. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 11 | Philadelphia | Dion Phaneuf | D | Flyers are happy to see Phaneuf, who some compare to Scott Stevens, fall to them. |
| 12 | New York Rangers | Andrei Kastitsyn | C | 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. |
| 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. |
| 14 | Chicago | Konstantin Glazachev | LW | Hawks love drafting Russians, and Glazachev is another good one. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 17 | Edmonton | Ryan Kesler | C | Big, two-way player. Perfect fit in Edmonton. |
| 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. |
| 19 | Anaheim | Ryan Getzlaf | C | Solid two-way player with strong leadership skills will fit in well with Ducks team-oriented philosophy. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 22 | New Jersey | Shawn Belle | D | Devils begin to prepare for life without Stevens by drafting Belle, who's slapshot commands attention. |
| 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. |
| 24 | Philadelphia | Hugh Jessiman | RW | Power forward who will help soften the blow of the expected loss of Leclair. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 27 | Los Angeles | Nathan Paetsch | D | Kings use third pick to move to defense and take Paetsch, who Washington drafted but couldn't sign. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
