NHL 2003 Entry Draft

In a shocking move, my hometown Pittsburgh Penguins moved up to get the #1 pick in the draft and used it on highly sought after goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. They traded up with the Florida Panthers who selected in the number three spot. Here is the top 5 selections in the first round.

1. Marc-Andre Fleury (G) - Pittsburgh


2. Eric Staal (C) - Carolina


3. Nathan Horton (C) - Florida


4. Nikolai Zherdev (W) - Columbus


5. Thomas Vanek (LW) - Buffalo

In Nashville, TN the host city of the draft, the Nashville Predators selected defenceman Ryan Suter with the 7th pick overall.

With a very classy move, the NHL paid respect to the memory of Roger Nielson who died this morning. He was currently serving as assistant coach of the Ottawa Senators. He also worked for Florida, Philly, NY Rangers, and other teams. When representatives of teams Nielson worked for, they expressed their condolences. They also paused for a moment of silence. Roger Nielson died of cancer at his home in Peterborough, Ontario at the age of 69.