The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Canada's six NHL teams looked to the future and sparked a few surprises during last Saturday's entry draft in Ottawa. Selecting the highest were the Montreal Canadiens, who stunned observers by using their No. 5 pick on goaltender Carey Price. Though promising, Price did not appear poised to go so early, and the Habs, who already have Hart and Vezina Trophy winner Jose Theodore between the pipes, weren't expected to go the goalie route. "I wasn't really expecting to go this high but I'll take it," Price told reporters. The Vancouver native starred in the Western Hockey League last season, posting a 2.34 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage in 63 games with the Tri-City Americans. The six-foot-two, 225-pound netminder, known for grace under pressure and a quick glove hand, was also a member of Canada's under-18 national team. The host team, the Ottawa Senators, also raised a few eyebrows with their first round choice, taking a two-way defenseman ninth overall. Brian Lee is now property of a team already loaded with talented blueliners such as Wade Redden, Zdeno Chara, Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov. But Ottawa GM John Muckler said that with the new collective bargaining agreement, teams are going to lose players. In other words, Lee may very well replace a defenseman who opts for free agency. Lee, who stands six-foot-two and weighs in at 202 pounds, scored eight goals and 17 assists in 18 games last season with Moorhead High School in Minnesota. The Associated Press named him the state's "Mr. Hockey." "He's kind of an all-around player," Muckler told reporters. "I guess if you were going to compare him, it'd be to a guy like [Wade] Redden." Next in the drafting line were the Vancouver Canucks, who took highly-touted defenceman Luc Bourdon with the No. 10 pick. Described as agile and a talented passer, Bourdon was named the top defenceman at April's IIHF world under-18 championship. The six-foot-two, 199-pound blueliner had 13 goals and 19 assists in 70 games last season with Val D'Or of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. "He's a guy we had our eye on, we didn't know if he'd be available at 10," said Vancouver GM Dave Nonis. "If you look at the way the game is going to be played now, a guy like him who can get around the ice, agile and mobile, and size on top of that, it made him a pretty enticing package." Bourdon told reporters he is happy to go to Vancouver but didn't expect they would be the team to call out his name. With the aging Ed Belfour manning their crease, the Toronto Maple Leafs didn't surprise anyone by selecting goalie Tuukka Rask 21st overall. Ranked as the top European netminder by NHL Central Scouting, Rask posted a 1.86 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage in 26 games last season with the Ilves Juniors team of Finland. Known for his size (he's six foot two and 183 pounds) and quick reflexes, the butterfly-style goaltender played for Finland at the last world junior hockey championship. "We project him to be a No. 1 goalie in the NHL Ð down the road," Toronto GM John Ferguson told reporters. Ferguson conceded that it may be a while before Rask is ready to step into pros, saying the prospect could take up to four years to fully develop. Meanwhile out West, the Calgary Flames looked to help out their blueline by using the No. 26 pick on a strong, stay-at-home defenseman named Matt Pelech. Pelech's stock has dropped over the past year due to jaw injuries, but the Flames have no problem believing the six-foot-three, 220-pound defender will live up to his initial promise. The Toronto native had one goal, five assists and 74 penalty minutes last season with the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League. "He missed a lot of games last year and we felt he was probably under the radar a bit," Calgary coach and GM Darryl Sutter told reporters. "He's a big, mobile player... He's a big guy and he's going to get bigger still." Later in the draft, Sutter faced jokes about his bias when he selected son Brett in the sixth round. In an incredible coincidence, the younger Sutter went 179th overall Ð the same as his father had 27 years earlier. The Edmonton Oilers were the last of the Canadian squads to make a selection, choosing the diminutive Ð but speedy and skilled Ð Andrew Cogliano. The Oil hope the five-foot-nine, 179-pound centre will excel given measures to open up the game and crack down on obstruction. Cogliano spent last season with the St. Michael's Buzzers, leading the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League in scoring with 36 goals, 66 assists and 102 penalty minutes in 49 games. "Someone compared him to Todd Marchant, but he has hands," Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe told reporters. "If he has Marchant's grit and he has hands, he'll have a good chance of playing in the NHL."
