The 2003 NHL draft is still considered one of the best ever

The 61st NHL Draft will take place on June 28 and 29, 2023. This time the host city will be Nashville. Longtime fans of the league might take that as a good omen, remembering the fact that, exactly 20 years earlier, the 2003 NHL Draft was also held there. This is still considered one of the best drafting of its kind. Thus, NHL.com/de reminds us of the old draft that shaped the league for many years and which in some cases still leaves its mark to this day.

In retrospect, the 2003 Classic was marked not only by a massive number of first-class talents, but also by an unusually high number of successful shots outside the first round. These facts allowed the franchises to add an unusually large number of players who would later become true stars of the league. In this context, it is worth remembering Patrice Bergeron (No. 45, Boston), Shea Weber (No. 49, Nashville) or Dustin Byvoglin (No. 245, Chicago).

Believe it or not, 29 of his 30 first-round draft picks have subsequently made it to the NHL. Thirteen of them surpassed 300 league games, and nine became All Stars later in their careers. Later superstars seen individually such as Bergeron, Ryan Getzlaf, and Marc Andre Fleuryand Brent Bruns, Weber, and Joe Pavelsky In the eyes of many safe future members of the Toronto Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.

But many other players soon evolved into player personalities that ice hockey fans should still be familiar with today. Sizes like this should be indicated here Corey PerryCorey Crawford Ryan SouterAnd Jeff CarterMike Richards, Zack ParisOr Dion Fanouf, Pivoglin, Austrian Thomas Vanek, Dustin Brown, Ryan Kessler, David Bax, Louis Erickson or Nathan Horton.

Most scored player in this year’s draft Eric Stahlwho after 1,365 regular season games with the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabers, Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers has reached 1,063 points in the NHL and most recently was in the Stanley Cup Finals again with the Panthers, losing 4-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights in the best of 7 series.

Video: FLA @ VGK, Sp1: Staal with SHG cross-convolution in the first

The fact that the Nashville Predators signed four players at the time, who all later became part of the club’s star formation, also shows how special the 2003 edition was. As then-General Manager of the Predators David Boyle was recently called up in connection with the 2023 NHL Draft, in 2003 his team was It mainly focuses on strengthening the defensive structure of the list.

That’s why draft host Nashville selected Ryan Sutter as No. 7. Kevin Kline was then brought in with No. 37 in the second round. Added to this is a young man named Shea Weber in 49th place. The Predators also defeated German Alexander Sulzer, also in the third round (92nd place). With him, Sutter, Klein and Weber, all four selected defensive specialists made it to the NHL as active players by the 2008/09 season. “Four defensemen that were drafted in one draft year and played for the team in the NHL at the same time, that’s pretty unique,” Boyle said proudly in the past.

Two-thirds of the defensive lineup on an NHL team that comes from a single draft year is very unusual in the league and demonstrates the impressive quality that characterized this draft class. And this is just one of the many notable stories written by the 2003 NHL Draft.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have won three Stanley Cups over the years (2009, 2016, and 2017) with guard Marc-Andre Fleury, their #1 pick for 2003. The Anaheim Ducks brought in future franchise greats, 2007 Stanley Cup winners Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, and the Philadelphia Flyers brought in Legends now services Jeff Carter and Mike Richards. By the way, these four were selected outside the top ten. The Carolina Hurricanes grabbed their No. 2 pick, Staal, the 1,000-point all-time leading scorer and future Stanley Cup champion (2006).

Vintage 2003 also brought several top scorers to the league, including Carter (#11 pick), Perry (#28), Zach Barris (#17), Vanek (#5) and Pavelski (#205). It was also the sporting birth of future Vezina Trophy winners like Fleury, including and with Perry’s famous MVP Brent Burns (No. 20) later winner of the Norris Cup.
However, the stroke of luck of the year came from the Boston Bruins, who landed Bergeron in the second round (#45), a player who would later mature into one of the best defensive tackles in NHL history and (so far) five Selke Awards (2012 and 2014). and 2015, 2017, and 2022) should reap the rewards. A sixth award could follow soon.

From the point of view of players from the DACH region, of course, Vanek’s career will be remembered first and foremost. The leading scorer played 1,029 regular season games, scoring 373 goals and 789 points. So far he is the most successful German-speaking player in the NHL ever, but for that matter he should be gone soon Leon Drystel change it. There have also been 69 appearances in the Stanley Cup playoffs, as he has managed 21 other hits. Vanek was the fifth top scorer in the league twice (2006/07 and 2008/09) and was named Austria’s Sportsman of the Year in 2007.

Video: All 52 goals scored by Leon Draistel this season

In retrospect, the vintage 2003 NHL Draft didn’t have a single star to offer, as there was no absolute top scorer or scorer. But this vast breadth of talent has made it one of, if not the best draft year in league history. After all, nine players this year have reached the 1,200 league appearances mark.

Many participants hope that this year’s event at Bridgestone Arena, which will feature near-future top talent Conor Bedard and other promising talents, will be decided in retrospect as a success story as the NHL draft of 20 years ago.