Green with envy
Good pick up! I even had a copy of the 2004 entry draft. I should have changed the wording to say he was taken in the first round by the Caps. That\'s what happens when you leave an article until the last minute!
I had a look at the defensemen of the 2004 entry draft. Even though it\'s too early to tell who were busts, we are starting to separate prospects from NHL players.
Cam Barker, taken 3rd overall, in his best junior season had very similar numbers to Green. Of course Barker is a couple of inches taller and 20 pounds heavier and may have more raw talent than Green.
Ladislav Smid went 9th (Ana), Boris Valabik 10th (Atl), A.J. Thelen 12th (Min). Then came the best D pick so far; Andrej Meszaros 23rd (Ott). After that came Schultz 27th (Was), Mark Fistric 28th (Dal), Mike Green 29th and the last pick of the first round was Andy Rogers (TB ).
Outside of the first round there are two defensemen who stand out: Chris Campoli taken in the 7th round (227 overall) and Mark Streit in the 9th round (262 overall).
Of course Ovechkin and Malkin headline the draft, but some others will be making names for themselves in the very near future:
Stafford 13th overall
Radulov 15th
Zajac 20th
Wolski 21st
Others from the class of \'04 already have great names: Clayton Stoner, Josh Disher, Karri Ramo, Yutaka Fukufuji and Grant Clitsome come to mind.
"For I am a sinner in the hands of an angry God. Bloody Mary, full of vodka, blessed are you among cocktails. Pray for me now and at the hour of my death, which I hope is soon. Amen." - Sterling Archer
"Don't spray that urine on my sons window. If you want a dollar for doing nothing, walk to Canada." - Malory Archer
“Anyone who thinks the pen is mightier than the sword has not been stabbed with both.” - Lemony Snicket