1. Pittsburgh Penguins: Marc-Andre Fleury, G. The Pens trade up to get their man, and the price wasn't that high. GM Craig Patrick gave up versatile third-line forward Mikael Samuelsson and a second-round pick to move up to the top spot. Projected as a franchise goalie, Fleury gives the Pens something to rebuild around.

2. Carolina Hurricanes: Eric Staal, C. At some point in the near future, the Hurricanes will need to replace aging center Ron Francis. Staal, with excellent size and skill, probably will never be Francis. But, he should be a solid contributor at the NHL level.

3. Florida Panthers: Nathan Horton, C. GM Rick Dudley once again trades back from the No. 1 spot (like he did last year) and still gets the player that he wanted. Dudley loved the way that Horton performed for Oshawa in the OHL playoffs. Horton is a tough North American kid, which is exactly what they wanted.

4. Columbus Blue Jackets: Nikolai Zherdev, F. The Blue Jackets went for the highly-skilled Zherdev, who wowed scouts during international competition within his age group. With Rick Nash (last year's No. 1 pick) and Zherdev, the Jackets have a pair of dynamic young offensive players.

5. Buffalo Sabres: Thomas Vanek, LW. The Sabres needed offense. And, they got it with Vanek, who scored a ton of big goals during his freshman season at Minnesota. If he wants to leave school, he might be able to help the Sabres next season.

6. San Jose Sharks: Milan Michalek, RW. The Sharks are set in goal and on defense, so they selected a good, solid forward. Michalek is a low-risk player who should play in the league for many years.

7. Nashville Predators: Ryan Suter, D. Predators fans cheered the selection of Suter, the first defenseman taken in the draft. Those same fans will be cheering Suter for many, many years to come. Suter, the son of 1980 U.S. Olympian Bob Suter and nephew of long-time NHLer Gary Suter, already has a presence on the ice and might prove to be the steal of this draft.

8. Atlanta Thrashers: Braydon Coburn, D. Thrashers GM Don Waddell must carry a lucky rabbit's foot to the draft. In year's past, he found himself in a position to take Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk. This time, needing a defenseman, he watched as the 6-5 Coburn fell to him at No. 8. If you like big defensemen who have the ability to play in the league for 10-15 years, then you definitely like Coburn. A great pick for the Thrashers.

9. Calgary Flames: Dion Phaneuf, D. Well, new GM Darryl Sutter said he was going to pick a Canadian kid, and he wasn't kidding. In fact, he picked a kid who played for his brother, Brent, at Red Deer of the Western Hockey League. The older Sutter gets a solid defender in Phaneuf, who rated as the third defenseman behind Suter and Coburn. Phaneuf fits the Sutter mold. He's an aggressive player who plays with a nasty edge. Down the road, he'll be a good fit for the Flames.

10. Montreal Canadiens: Andrei Kastsitsyn, F. The Belarussian forward moved steadily up the draft board during the season, impressing scouts with his play at the World Junior Championships. Some insiders feel that Kastsitsyn could be the most talented player in the draft, but there is a risk factor because of past health issues. Still, new GM Bob Gainey might have plucked a big fish at No. 10.

11. Philadelphia Flyers: Jeff Carter, C. The Flyers might have reached a bit by taking Carter at No. 11. The 6-3 center was ranked as the 27th North American skater by the league's Central Scouting Service, but the Flyers obviously saw something they liked. Remember, just a couple of years ago (1998), Philly stole Simon Gagne at No. 22. Did they make a similar heist? Not likely.

12. New York Rangers: Hugh Jessiman, RW. The big 6-4, 200-pound winger from Dartmouth made huge strides during his freshman year, but he still needs time to develop. Hopefully, the Rangers -- not known for developing young players -- will allow Jessiman to develop at the proper pace. If they do, there might be a time in the future when they don't have to overpay for a top-end forward.

13. Los Angeles Kings: Dustin Brown, RW. For some reason, the league's Central Scouting Service ranked Brown as the No. 2 North American skater (behind Eric Staal). Sorry, we weren't biting on that one and neither were many other clubs. Brown dropped to No. 13. The Kings, with three first round picks, could afford to take a chance on a player that they liked. At best, he projects to a second-line role. More realistically, he seems best suited for the third line.

14. Chicago Blackhawks: Brent Seabrook, D. The Blackhawks reached up to select Seabrook, who was rated as the 25th North American skater by the league's CSS. In past years, we might have wondered about the pick, but with draft guru Marshall Johnston at the Hawks' table, we have to give them the benefit of the doubt. Seabrook has good size (6-2, 220 pounds) and produced solid numbers at Lethbridge of the Western Hockey League.

15. New York Islanders: Robert Nilsson, F. The son of former NHLer Kent Nilsson, Robert is a scratch golfer. But is he a scratch hockey player? The Islanders might have reached a bit to grab the Swedish forward. That said, he's a skilled forward, which is exactly what the Isles were looking to draft.

16. San Jose: Steve Bernier, RW. With their second pick in the first round, the Sharks grab another big forward with offensive touch. A 6-2, 233-pound right wing, Bernier displayed a nice scoring touch with Moncton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, scoring 49 goals and 101 points in 71 games. He could turn out to be a very nice selection at this point of the draft.

17. New Jersey Devils: Zach Parise, C. And the Devils win again! GM Lou Lamoriello traded up to take Parise, who might just be a better version of Scott Gomez. Parise, the son of former NHLer J.P. Parise, impressed scouts at the World Junior Championships in Halifax. During his freshman season at North Dakota, Parise piled up 25 goals and 57 points in 34 games, impressive numbers for a first-year college player. At 5-11, 186, he's not a monster, but you don't have to be in New Jersey (see also: Brian Gionta).

18. Washington Capitals: Eric Fehr, RW. The Brandon (WHL) right wing was another youngster who made a big move up the draft board during the season. He totaled 26 goals and 55 points for the Wheat Kings. At 6-2, 195 pounds, he brings size and some skill to the front line. In recent years, the Caps haven't enjoyed too much success in the draft. They're hoping that changes with Fehr.

19. Anaheim Mighty Ducks: Ryan Getzlaf, C. At 6-2, 195, Getzlaf disappointed some scouts with his inconsistent play. Still, he's a big body with some skill. He scored 29 goals and 68 points with Calgary of the WHL. The Ducks were looking to get bigger and tougher up front. They did that with Getzlaf. However, he might be no more than a third line player at the NHL level.

20. Minnesota Wild: Brent Burns, RW. Minny scouting boss Tom Thompson reached out to grab the 6-4, 210-pound right winger from Brampton of the OHL. Burns made a major move up the draft board during the season. He was ranked the 101st North American skater by the CSB in their midseason ratings. By the end of the year, he moved all the way to No. 39. Then, the Wild chose him 20th overall. If Thompson is right, the Wild could have a heck of a player. If not ... Oh well, they did get Mississauga F Patrick O'Sullivan in the second round.

21. Boston Bruins: Mark Stuart, D. After trading back from No. 16 to No. 21, the Bruins got the defenseman they wanted. Stuart fell into the second tier of blue liners -- after Suter, Coburn and Phaneuf. He's an aggressive player, who racked up 77 PIMs in 32 games with Colorado College. He does have a tendency to lose his cool under pressure. He projects to be a No. 4 defenseman at the NHL level.

22. Edmonton Oilers: Marc-Antoine Pouliot, C. A solid two-way center with just workmanlike skating skill, Pouliot projects as a second-line player at the NHL level. He sees the ice and competes well. In Edmonton, GM Kevin Lowe figures Pouliot could be a guy to set up speedy, more skilled wingers. The Oilers could have kept their pick at No. 17 and picked Parise, but they wanted a bigger player. They got one, but he might not be better.

23. Vancouver Canucks: Ryan Kesler, C. A gritty, hard-working two-way center, Kesler is a good fit for Canucks GM Brian Burke, who loves that type of player. He might not be more than a No. 3 center at the NHL level, but he'll be a good one. He's a coachable kid who competes hard every night. Definitely a good value pick for the Canucks at No. 23.

24. Philadelphia Flyers: Mike Richards, C. As Bruce Springsteen might say, "Someday we'll look back and it will all seem funny." Translated: Richards can play. Several scouts say he reminds them of Doug Gilmour. Richards isn't big (5-11, 185). That's why he lasted until the 24th pick. Richards is an excellent value pick for the Flyers, who grabbed bigger C Jeff Carter earlier in the first round. Richards might be the better player.

25. Florida Panthers: Anthony Stewart, F. The Panthers got another big North American forward by trading up to get Stewart, who is listed at 6-1, 240 pounds. Scouts would like to see him use his size more. Interestingly, he and Nathan Horton -- the Panthers' first pick -- had a nasty fight during the OHL season. Stewart broke Horton's jaw, sidelining him for several weeks. Hopefully, the two sluggers will kiss and make up. Stewart has the potential to be a top-six forward at the NHL level.

26. Los Angeles Kings: Brian Boyle, C. Clearly, the Kings like Boyle's size. The New England area high schooler stands 6-foot-5, 222 pounds. That's big. Very big. But does that mean good? He reminds some veteran draftniks of Joe Hulbig, who was selected by the Oilers with the 13th overall pick in 1992. Hulbig never panned out. (By the way, the Caps picked Sergei Gonchar with the next pick.) Several scouts weren't impressed by Boyle's off-ice demeanor. This seems like a high-risk pick for LA.

27. Los Angeles Kings: Jeff Tambellini, LW. The Kings did a bit better with the last of their three first-round picks. Tambellini is smart and talented. He tested extremely well both on and off the ice. One scout says Tambellini reminds him of Patrik Elias, which is pretty high praise. The son of ex-NHLer and Canucks exec Steve Tambellini, Jeff brings excellent value at No. 27.

28. Anaheim Mighty Ducks: Corey Perry, RW. The Ducks traded up to get another big forward. At 6-2, 185, Perry rang up 25 goals, 78 points and 145 penalty minutes in 67 games for London of the OHL. In the OHL playoffs, he tallied a team-best 23 points in 14 games. No doubt, that showing helped his draft status. He's an honest player who projects as a third or fourth liner at the NHL level. His size and competitive nature made him a fit for the Ducks.

29. Ottawa Senators: Patrick Eaves, RW. The son of ex-NHLer and currrent Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves, Patrick battled through a difficult first season at Boston College. He suffered a serious back/neck injury which kept him on the shelf for most of the season. Then, when he returned, he suffered a concussion (and was suspended) as a result of a nasty collision with Merrimack goalie Joe Exter, who also was badly injured on the play. He's a smaller player, which worked against him at the draft, but he can play. And the fact that a draft savvy club like the Senators selected him speaks volumes for his ability.

30. St. Louis Blues: Shawn Belle, D. The Tri-City (WHL) defenseman is a gifted skater with superb acceleration, but many scouts feel he lacks hockey sense. Against junior competition, his skating skill might be enough to get him out of trouble. At the pro level, you have to be able to think the game. Belle could be a long-term project for the Blues, who might have been better off selecting St. Michael's D-man Kevin Klein, who went to Nashville in the second round.

E.J. Hradek covers hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.