NASHVILLE, Tennessee, 23 June 2003 — Marc-Andre Fluery, a Canadian junior goaltender compared to star goalies Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur, was taken on Saturday by Pittsburgh with the top pick in the National Hockey League Draft.
The Penguins obtained the first choice in a trade with the Florida Panthers, which dealt away the number one selection for the second year in a row.
Panthers general manager Rick Dudley, who traded last year’s top pick to Columbus, obtained Pittsburgh’s third overall pick and Swedish right wing Mikael Samuelsson in exchange for sending Pittsburgh the pick used on Fluery. The Penguins made Fleury only the second goalie ever taken first overall, joining Rick DiPietro, who was drafted by the New York Islanders in 2000.
Fleury won all-tournament honors for a spectacular performance for Canada at the World Junior Championships, where Russia beat Canada in the final. Fleury was compared to fellow Quebec netminders Brodeur, who guided New Jersey to the Stanley Cup title, and Colorado’s Patrick Roy, who has led Colorado to the NHL title.
“I’m a little bit like Brodeur and Patrick, maybe a mix of both,” Fleury said. “It’s a different kind of pressure but it’s fun.”
Penguins general manager Craig Patrick was skeptical that Fleury would join the rebuilding NHL club this season, but would not rule it out. Canadian centers went second and third overall, with Carolina selecting Eric Staal and Florida using the pick from Pittsburgh for Nathan Horton.
Carolina, like NHL scouts, had Staal rated as the top overall prospect.
It was the first time in 12 years that North Americans went 1-2-3 in the draft.
Columbus, picking fourth, broke the streak by selecting top-rated European prospect Nikolai Zherdev, a left wing from CSKA Moscow. Blue Jackets general manager Doug MacLean said Zherdev, 18, would return to play in Russia if he does not reach the NHL this season. Buffalo made Austrian left wing Thomas Vanek the fifth selection, highest ever for a player from his homeland.
As a freshman, Vanek led the University of Minnesota to a second consecutive United States college crown, winning the final in Buffalo. He scored 31 goals, 17 of them in the third period or over-time, and has NHL-level speed and stick skills. Czech right wing Milan Michalek went sixth to San Jose while Ryan Suter of the US national team went seventh to Nashville, the first defenseman selected.
Hall of Fame NHL
Coach Dies of Cancer
In Nashville, Tennessee, Hall of Fame National Hockey League coach Roger Neilson died Saturday after a lengthy battle with cancer at the age of 69.
Neilson’s death was announced here at the NHL Draft by league commissioner Gary Bettman, who hailed him as a “great innovator, great coach and great person.”
Nicknamed “Captain Video” for his trail-blazing use of videotape as a teaching tool, Neilson coached during a 26-year span with eight NHL teams — Toronto, Buffalo, Vancouver, Los Angeles, the New York Rangers, Florida, Philadelphia and Ottawa.
