2004 NHA DRAFT COVERAGE

1ST ROUND
	#1 Pick – Hoboken Hellions Alexander Ovechkin, LW Comments: The Hellions make a no-brainer pick with this one; AO ought to be the cornerstone of this franchise for many years to come.
	#2 Pick – Chicago Purple Aces Evgeni Malkin, C Comments: The Purple Aces make another no-brainer pick here; the choice of Malkin surprises nobody in attendance.
	#3 Pick – St. Paul Knights Andrej Meszaros, D Comments: The Knights select the best-of-the-rest when they make Meszaros the # 3 overall.
	#4 Pick – Yellowknife Ice Dragons Wojtek Wolski, LW Comments: The Ice Dragons send many GMs scrambling to re-assess their upcoming choices when they make Wolski their first pick in this draft.
	#5 Pick – Summerside Sting Alexander Radulov, RW Comments: The Sting draft the very offensive-minded scoring machine that is Radulov with their first choice.
	#6 Pick – Florida Panthers Travis Zajac, C Comments: The Panthers make Zajac their choice at #6, overlooking several other highly-touted players, including Cam Barker.
	#7 Pick – Avangard Omsk Ladislav Smid, D Comments: The Omsk make Smid their choice to patrol their blue-line for the foreseeable future.
	#8 Pick – San Francisco Spiders Cam Barker, D Comments: Many GMs are surprised that Barker was not snapped up earlier, none more than the Spiders themselves, who should be quite pleased with the talented rearguard.
	#9 Pick – Quebec Nordiks Robbie Schremp, C Comments: The Nordiks make scoring-sensation Schremp their first round choice, much to the chagrin of several GMs who were hoping for their own chance to draft him.
	#10 Pick – Ottawa Vampyres Andrew Ladd, LW Comments: The Vampyres were quite pleased to be able to pick Ladd when their turn came; the budding power forward should fit in nicely with this young club.
	#11 Pick – Baltimore Bandits Alexei Emelin, D Comments: The Bandits decide to take a flyer on Russian defensive prospect, Alexei Emelin, causing quite stir among the GMs in attendance; all of the GMs agree that Emelin is talented, but with so many other talented players still on the table, some questioned making him such a high choice.
	#12 Pick – Avangard Omsk Al Montoya, G Comments: The Omsk, with their second 1^st rounder, solidify their club’s future between the pipes with the selection of talented netminder Al Montoya.
	#13 Pick – Summerside Sting Lauri Tukonen, RW Comments: The Sting increase their depth at right wing by selecting Tukonen with lucky pick #13.
	#14 Pick – Florida Panthers Rostislav Olesz, C Comments: Surely the Panthers were ecstatic at having the skillful Olesz available to them at #14; it speaks to the depth of this draft class that he fell this far.
	#15 Pick – Houston Rockhounds Drew Stafford, RW Comments: The Rockhounds address a glaring need for talented wingers with their choice of Stafford.
	#16 Pick – Arizona Eagles Mike Green, D Comments: With a pick acquired from the Devils, the Eagles select Mike Green, a smooth-skating and skilled defenseman from the Saskatoon Blades.
	#17 Pick – Minnesota Muskies David Bolland, C Comments: The Minnesota Muskies make pivot Bolland their first selection of the draft.
	#18 Pick – St. Michael’s Majors A.J. Thelan, D Comments: The Majors address an organizational need for talented rearguard with their selection of Thelan.
	#19 Pick – Manhattan Warriors Chris Campoli, D Comments: The Warriors cause a small stir when they select offensive defenseman Campoli with their 1^st round selection.
	#20 Pick – Summerside Sting Lauri Korpikoski, LW Comments: The Sting continue to stock up on wingers by making Lauri Korpikoski their 3^rd selection of this draft.
	#21 Pick – Arizona Eagles Andy Rogers, D Comments: The Eagles continue to add to their blue line depth with their choice of the big defenseman, Rogers, at #21 overall.
	#22 Pick – Montreal Barracudas Blake Wheeler, RW Comments: The Barracudas surprise a few GMs by making Wheeler their first round selection; the talented winger will be a project, but could ultimately pay dividends for Montreal.
	#23 Pick – Rochester Ruff Raiders Marek Schwarz, G Comments: The Ruff Raiders decide to address a need by using their #23 pick to add a future starting goalkeeper in Schwarz.
	#24 Pick – Helsinki Hotheads Alexandre Picard, LW Comments: The Hotheads make the talented Picard their first round choice for this draft.
	#25 Pick – Kitchener Wolf Pack Justin Pogge, G Comments: The Wolf Pack decide that they cannot afford to wait and snap up Pogge at # 35 overall.
	#26 Pick – San Francisco Spiders Lukas Kaspar, LW Comments: The Spiders use a pick obtained from the Wildcats to select the talented Czech winger, Lukas Kaspar.
	#27 Pick – San Francisco Spiders Devan Dubnyk, G Comments: The Spiders use their 3^rd pick of the first round to select Dubnyk as their future in the net.
	#28 Pick – Florida Panthers Johan Franzen, C Comments: The Panther make Franzen the final choice in the first round of this year’s draft.
2ND ROUND
	#29 Pick – Chicago Purple Aces Blake Comeau, RW Comments: The Purple Aces began the second round by adding to their impressive forward depth with Comeau.
	#30 Pick – Hoboken Hellions Boris Valabik, D Comments: The Hellions make a statement with their selection of the gigantic Czech rearguard, Valabik.
	#31 Pick – St. Paul Knights Dustin Boyd, C Comments: The Knights make Boyd, a product of the Moose Jaw Warriors, their first selection of the second round.
	#32 Pick – Summerside Sting Roman Voloshenko, LW Comments: The Sting continue to add skilled Russian forwards to their lineup when they pick Voloshenko to start their 2^nd round choices.
	#33 Pick – Yellowknife Ice Dragons Corey Schneider, G Comments: The Ice Dragons add a future starting netminder in Schneider.
	#34 Pick – Florida Panthers Kyle Chipchura, C Comments: The Panthers continue to add to their depth up the middle when they make Chipchura their fourth centreman in a row taken in this draft.
	#35 Pick – San Francisco Spiders Petteri Nokelainen, C Comments: The Spiders use their first pick of the 2^nd round to add talented two-way forward, Nokelainen.
	#36 Pick - San Francisco Spiders Scott Parse, C Comments: With another early 2^nd rounder, the Spiders dip into the college ranks to select Parse from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
	#37 Pick – Quebec Nordiks Chris Bourque, C Comments: The Nordiks bank on hockey skills being hereditary and select Chris Bourque.
	#38 Pick – St. Michael’s Majors Adam Pineault, C Comments: In what is quickly becoming a pattern, another pivot is selected, this time Pineault by the Majors.
	#39 Pick – Ottawa Vampyres Alexander Edler, D Comments: Using their first of several picks in the second round, the Vampyres select rearguard, Alex Edler, frustrating the plans of a few GMs who were eyeing the talented Swede.
	#40 Pick – Summerside Sting David Booth, LW Comments: The Sting decide to select Booth with this pick, hinting at a future All-American checking line.
	#41 Pick – Ottawa Vampyres Kris Chucko, LW Comments: The Vampyres continued to address a perceived need for forwards down the left side when they made Chucko their second selection of the round.
	#42 Pick – San Francisco Spiders Grant Lewis, D Comments: The Spiders rounded out their draft selections by choosing another defenseman, this time picking Lewis from Dartmouth College.
	#43 Pick – Houston Rockhounds Robbie Earl, LW Comments: The Rockhounds took a few moments to finalize their decision, but seemed to be quite pleased to be able to take Earl at #43 overall.
	#44 Pick – Ottawa Vampyres Nicklas Grossman, D Comments: The Vampyres decided to go with the BPA with their 3^rd selection of this round and choose Grossman, another Swedish defender.
	#45 Pick – Minnesota Muskies Pekka Rinne, G Comments: The Muskies used their second round selection to address an organizational need when they chose Rinne, a talented Finnish netminder.
	#46 Pick – Ottawa Vampyres Troy Brouwer, RW Comments: With the last of their four selections in this round, the Vampyres added some more talent to their wings with Brouwer; this caused a noticeable reaction from the Gladiators camp, who were hoping to have the skilled winger fall to them.
	#47 Pick – Waterloo Wildcats Karri Ramo, G Comments: The Wildcats decided to make Finnish goalkeeper, Karri Ramo, a part of their future plans in net.
	#48 Pick – Calgary Rockets Mark Fistric, D Comments: The Rockets used their first selection in this year’s draft to pick up Fistric, a Vancouver Giants rearguard.
	#49 Pick – Boston Murderer Carl Soderberg, C Comments: The Murderer decided to use their first selection in this year’s draft to grab Soderberg, a skilled Swedish pivot.
	#50 Pick – Helsinki Hotheads Justin Peters, G Comments: The Hotheads used the #50 overall pick to grab Peters, a product of the OHL.
	#51 Pick – Rochester Ruff Raiders Ryan Garlock, C Comments: In a bold move, the Ruff Raiders decided to use their pick to take a flyer on the mercurial Garlock, a Windsor Spitfires product.
	#52 Pick – Dallas Bulldogs Thomas Greiss, G Comments: With their first selection in this year’s entry draft, the Bulldogs snapped up German netminder, Greiss, as the market on talented goalkeepers continues to be strong.
	#53 Pick – Dallas Bulldogs Casey Borer, D Comments: The Bulldogs used their next selection to address an organizational concern for talented blueline prospects when they made Borer their final pick.
	#54 Pick – Waterloo Wildcats Enver Lisin, RW Comments: The Wildcats decide to take a chance when they make the speedy Lisin their choice at #54, despite the mercurial attitudes of the Russian prospect.
	#55 Pick – Toronto Gladiators Dylan Hunter, LW Comments: The Gladiators decided to use their first pick in this year’s draft to pick Hunter, a product of the OHL’s London Knights.
	#56 Pick – Trenton Titans Mark Streit, D Comments: The Titans, waiting patiently for almost two full rounds before being able to select, made Mark Streit their first selection of this draft.
3RD ROUND
#57 Pick – Chicago Purple Aces – Andrej Sekera, D
#58 Pick – Hoboken Hellions – Sami Lepisto, D
#59 Pick – St. Paul Knights – Martin Karsums, LW
#60 Pick – Summerside Sting – Mikhail Grabovski, C
#61 Pick – Yellowknife Ice Dragons – Alex Goligoski, D
#62 Pick – Florida Panthers – David Krejci, C
#63 Pick – Avangard Omsk – Jeff Schultz, D
#64 Pick – Waterloo Wildcats – Johannes Salmonsson, W
#65 Pick – Quebec Nordiks – Justin Keller, LW
#66 Pick – Montreal Barracudas – Dane Byers, LW
#67 Pick – Baltimore Bandits – Brandon Dubinsky, C
#68 Pick – Kitchener Wolf Pack – Logan Stephenson, D
#69 Pick – Summerside Sting – Jeff Glass, G
#70 Pick – Summerside Sting – Michael Funk, D
#71 Pick – Houston Rockhounds – Bryan Bickell, LW
#72 Pick – Summerside Sting – Wes O’Neill, D
#73 Pick – Minnesota Muskies – Ryan Callahan, RW
#74 Pick – Waterloo Wildcats – Evan McGrath, C
#75 Pick – New York Griffons – Nick Johnson, RW
#76 Pick – Calgary Rockets – David Shantz, G
#77 Pick – Boston Murderer – Clayton Stoner, D
#78 Pick – San Francisco Spiders – Jakub Sindel, C
#79 Pick – Rochester Ruff Raiders – Brett Carson, D
#80 Pick – Ottawa Vampyres – Nathan Paetsch, D
#81 Pick – Kitchener Wolf Pack – Mark Tobin, LW
#82 Pick – Waterloo Wildcats – Roman Teslyuk, D
#83 Pick – Toronto Gladiators – Kris Newbury, LW
#84 Pick – Waterloo Wildcats – Stephane Goulet, LW
4TH ROUND
#85 Pick - Chicago Purple Aces – Mike Lundin, D
#86 Pick – Minnesota Muskies – Brandon Prust, C
#87 Pick – St. Paul Knights – Kris Versteeg, LW
#88 Pick – Ottawa Vampyres – Tim Brent, C
#89 Pick – Yellowknife Ice Dragons – Jannik Hansen, RW
#90 Pick – Montreal Barracudas – Darin Olver, C
#91 Pick – Avangard Omsk – Bruce Graham, C
#92 Pick – San Francisco Spiders – Denis Parshin, LW
#93 Pick – Quebec Nordiks – Johan Fransson, D
#94 Pick – San Francisco Spiders – Viktor Alexandrov, RW
#95 Pick – Baltimore Bandits – Denis Kulyash, D
#96 Pick – Minnesota Muskies – Jake Dowell, C
#97 Pick – Waterloo Wildcats – Peter Regin, C
#98 Pick – St. Paul Knights – Kirill Lyamin, D
#99 Pick – Ottawa Vampyres – Kevin Porter, LW
#100 Pick – Mississauga Devils – Adam Berti, LW
#101 Pick – Minnesota Muskies – Raymond Sawada, RW
#102 Pick – St. Michael’s Majors – Jason Churchill, G
#103 Pick – New York Griffons – Geoff Paukovich, LW
#104 Pick – Calgary Rockets – Shawn Weller, LW
#105 Pick – Boston Murderer – Patrick Bordeleau, RW
#106 Pick – Montreal Barracudas – Julien Sprunger, RW
#107 Pick – Rochester Ruff Raiders – Chad Painchaud, RW
#108 Pick – Minnesota Muskies – Ben Walter, C
#109 Pick – Kitchener Wolf Pack – Victor Oreskovich, D
#110 Pick – Waterloo Wildcats – Matt Auffrey, RW
#111 Pick – Toronto Gladiators – Kyle Wharton, D
#112 Pick – Trenton Titans – Michal Birner, LW
5TH ROUND
#113 Pick – Chicago Purple Aces – Aki Seitsonen, C
#114 Pick – Helsinki Hotheads – Kyle Klubertanz, D
#115 Pick – St. Paul Knights – Johnny Oduya, D
#116 Pick – Summerside Sting – Mike Brown, RW
#117 Pick – Yellowknife Ice Dragons – Nils Backstrom, D
#118 Pick – Florida Panthers – Steven Regier, LW
#119 Pick – Avangard Omsk – Zdenek Bahensky, RW
#120 Pick – San Francisco Spiders – Dmitri Vorobiev, D
#121 Pick – Quebec Nordiks – R.J. Anderson, D
#122 Pick – Ottawa Vampyres – Torrey Mitchell, C
#123 Pick – Baltimore Bandits – Roman Wick, RW
#124 Pick – Waterloo Wildcats – Bryan Young, D
#125 Pick – Manhattan Warriors – Dan LaCosta, G
#126 Pick – Montreal Barracudas – Martin Houle, G
#127 Pick – Houston Rockhounds – Mathieu Roy, D
#128 Pick – Montreal Barracudas – Trevor Ludwig, D
#129 Pick – Minnesota Muskies – Anton Khudobin, G
#130 Pick – St. Michael’s Majors – Alexander Nikulin, LW
#131 Pick – New York Griffons – Ashton Rome, RW
#132 Pick – Calgary Rockets – John Lammers, LW
#133 Pick – Boston Murderer – Julien Ellis, G
#134 Pick – San Francisco Spiders – Yutaka Fukufuji, G
#135 Pick – Rochester Ruff Raiders – Mikhail Yunkov, C
#136 Pick – Montreal Barracudas – Fredrik Naslund, RW
#137 Pick – Kitchener Wolf Pack – Scott Lehman, D
#138 Pick – Waterloo Wildcats – Robert Page, D
#139 Pick – Toronto Gladiators – Greg Moore, RW
#140 Pick – Trenton Titans – Dan Turple, G