Inside College Hockey | Recruiting Trail

September 4, 2003
Recruiting Trail: Top Defensemen and Goalies

2003 INCH Recruiting Rankings
Sept. 3: Top Forwards
Sept. 5: Top 12 Classes
Sept. 6: The All-Name Team

Each fall, college hockey fans salivate over the prospect of rookie forwards their teams have lured from the junior ranks, guys with goal-assist-point numbers that resemble Anna Nicole Smith's measurements.

But as any coach will tell you, defense wins championships which, in addition to being a nice slogan for a locker room placard, makes for a great lead-in to our countdown of the top freshmen blueliners and goaltenders. Inside College Hockey compiled our 2003 Recruiting Rankings with input from college and junior coaches, as well as professional scouts.

TOP EIGHT INCOMING DEFENSEMEN
No.	Name	School	Last Team
1.	Ryan Suter	Wisconsin	U.S. NTDP
2.	Matt Carle	Denver	River City (USHL)
3.	Jonathan Sigalet	Bowling Green	Salmon Arm (BCHL)
4.	Matt Hunwick	Michigan	U.S. NTDP
5.	Sean Sullivan	Boston University	St. Sebastian's H.S.
6.	Dylan Reese	Harvard	Pittsburgh (NAHL)
7.	Mike Vannelli	Minnesota	Sioux Falls (USHL)
8.	Jeff Likens	Wisconsin	U.S. NTDP

TOP SIX INCOMING GOALTENDERS
No.	Name	School	Last Team
1.	Glenn Fisher	Denver	Fort Saskatchewan (AJHL)
2.	Dominic Vicari	Michigan State	River City (USHL)
3.	Matt Zaba	Colorado College	Vernon (BCHL)
4.	Chris Holt	Nebraska-Omaha	U.S. NTDP
5.	David Brown	Notre Dame	Hamilton (OPJHL)
6.	Steve Hartley	Miami	Gloucester (CJHL)

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