NHL Draft Story Lines Past, Present and Future

The Past

Andrew Ladd was a player with his stock on the rise as the 2004 NHL Entry Draft was drawing near. A few weeks before the draft he had some hopes and dreams that a lot of young players have.

When I asked him about playing in the Stanley Cup someday he got very serious and said, "That's the next step after the draft. It's the pinnacle of hockey."

Now we are closing in on another draft and he has once again made some headlines. He was a big part of the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes game 7 victory. When his teammate Aaron Ward took a long slapper that gave his team the 1-0 lead he set the biggest screen in a double slot. It gave Carolina the all-important 1-0 lead and he helped his team win, and made his dreams come true all in the same game.

"I couldn't ask for anything more. I am kind of speechless," said Ladd.

What will he do for an encore? He will be 21 in December and that means setting some new career goals.

Back in 2003, Doug Cataldo and myself were waiting on the buffet line at the prospects luncheon when we noticed one of the rookies eyeing the Norris Trophy that was on display. After the player turned around we noticed that it was Dion Phaneuf. In a casual way he told us, "I will win this award someday" and we could see the fire in his eyes and never doubted it. So far he is well on his way to reaching that goal.

The Present

Here is The Top 165 Prospects by McKeens Hockey Prospects staff. They are the real experts.

The Future - Will 2007 Be Esposito's Year?

Angelo Esposito is a 17-year-old phenom who currently plays for the Quebec Ramparts. He won the Michel-Bergeron Award as the offensive rookie of the year. The 6-foot-1, 174 lb center had 98 points in 57 games with 39 goals. He was a +42 on the season and most are expecting him to be the #1 at next year's draft.

The NHL has had a huge youth infusion the past two seasons and Esposito will just add to the depth that is building in the league. Few sports have the kind of talented young players that the NHL possesses and that's a real positive sign that the future of the league is secure. The old NHL was built on star power and veterans and the new NHL is built on youth and speed and that's what makes it so exciting.

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