Inside College Hockey | 2003 INCH Wish List Draft

March 25, 2003
NCAA Tournament
INCH Wish List Draft

NCAA Tournament Coverage

We often say that playoff hockey is the best time of the year. That said, even the greatest things in life have flaws (like, say, light beer). In the case of the NCAA Tournament, even with 16 teams participating this year, scores of fantastic players have played their last college games of the year – and perhaps their career. Second, no team is perfect – and that may be more true than ever this season.

Here at Inside College Hockey, we set out to solve both those problems. The result? Our own one-of-a-kind NCAA Tournament Dream Draft. We took the tourney teams and split into 16 scouting staffs to select players from teams that didn’t make the field. The Dream Draft featured two rounds of picks, with the first pick of each round belonging to the 16th seed.

Now, we know, these players won’t be taking the ice this weekend. But it was fun to see how each team could improve – and fun to picture some of our favorite players back on the ice for at least one more weekend.

FIRST ROUND
TEAM	WHO THEY PICKED AND WHY
16. Wayne State	John-Michael Liles, Michigan State – Any team in the field would be thrilled to add a smooth-skating, offensive-minded defenseman who's a demon on the power play, kills penalties and logs 30-plus minutes a game.
15. Mercyhurst	Jon DiSalvatore, Providence – The Lakers are deep up front, but young. With DiSalvatore, they get a senior captain who is among the best two-way forwards in the game.
14. Minnesota State University, Mankato	Chris Higgins, Yale – He's 10th nationally in points per game and would give the Mavs a dynamic scoring threat to complement Grant Stevenson and Shane Joseph.
13. St. Cloud State	Brad Fast, Michigan State – Not as smooth as Liles, but just as competent and versatile, with a little more size.
12. Harvard	Hugh Jessiman, Dartmouth – Let's put the 6-foot-5 Jessiman and 6-5 Dennis Packard at wing with Dominic Moore. And get out of the way.
11. Ohio State	Kevin Doell, Denver – He plays with a toughness the Buckeyes lack and his 14 power-play goals would jump start OSU's effectiveness with the extra man.
10. North Dakota	Yann Danis, Brown – Jake Brandt has stepped to the fore as the Sioux's No. 1 goaltender, but Danis is a nice insurance policy.
9. Michigan	Thomas Pöck, UMass – The Minuteman junior would shore up the Wolverines' depth troubles on the blue line and give them a sorely needed presence at the point on the power play.
8. Maine	Aaron MacKenzie, Denver – Another defenseman would allow Tom Reimann to rejoin the talented stable of forwards. Could also help fill the void if a cut from a skiing accident keeps Cliff Loya out of action (although he's expected to play).
7. Ferris State	Brian Maloney, Michigan State – By a nose over Lowell's Ed McGrane, the Bulldogs will take Maloney for his ability to score "ugly" goals, toughness, strong defensive play, playoff experience, character and leadership.
6. Boston College	Devin Rask, Providence – The Eagles also consider McGrane, but with Ben Eaves and Ryan Shannon, they don’t need another elite center. They’ll opt for Rask, who can play with Eaves and Tony Voce as the Eagles try to reach the championship game – at which point Patrick Eaves would be eligible to play again.
5. Boston University	Ed McGrane, UMass Lowell – Deep on defense, the Terriers jump at the chance to add a go-to guy up front. McGrane can do it all.
4. New Hampshire	Lee Stempniak, Dartmouth – The Wildcats stay within the Granite State and turn to Stempniak, the high-scoring sophomore who helped lead Dartmouth to its first 20-win season since 1948.
3. Minnesota	Evan Nielsen, Notre Dame – He's not a household name, but Nielsen would provide the young Gophers with the steadying influence of a senior and, with his strong defensive play, would give Paul Martin, Keith Ballard and Chris Harrington the freedom to be creative.
2. Colorado College	Joe Exter, Merrimack – It’s a dream draft, and what better thought than Exter back in the nets in the NCAAs?
1. Cornell	Chris Gobert, Northern Michigan – The Big Red don’t need any grit, thank you, but they’ll happily take a creative playmaker. Gobert gives them that – he can create offense on his own or set up those around him.

Proceed to the Second Round