Dartmouth men's hockey was represented three times over at the two-day NHL entry draft, held in Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday and Sunday.Star rookie defensemen Grant Lewis '07 was selected 40th overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the second round of the draft. Incoming freshmen forwards Nick Johnson and J.T. Wyman landed with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round and the Montreal Canadians in the early fourth round, respectively.
The NHL draft nod capped off a sensational season for Lewis.
Lewis' 2004 performance earned the blue-liner first team All-ECAC and All-Ivy selections and a spot on the Inside College Hockey All-Rookie Team.
"Dartmouth has been tremendous for me. My coaches have made a huge impact on my game," Lewis told Inside College Hockey.
The Upper St. Clair, Penn., native finished 2004 as the team's highest scoring defenseman, fourth overall, with 25 points in 34 games. He was the ECAC's top scoring defenseman in league games and was the second highest scoring rookie.
Lewis also topped all Dartmouth defensemen with three goals, and was third on the club and 13th in the ECAC with 57 penalty minutes.
By taking Lewis, the Thrashers drafted a player who could help transform the team's mediocre power play attack in the long run. In the 2003-04 season, Atlanta converted on only 14.6 percent of its opportunities with a man advantage, ranking the team 23rd in the 30-team league in that statistical category.
Lewis engineered Dartmouth's man-advantage attack in 2004, posting 15 power-play points in 2004.
The rookie defenseman was the second highest draft pick for Dartmouth in as many years. Hugh Jessiman '06 was the highest pick ever for the Big Green last year when he was tapped in the first round by the New York Rangers.
This year no players on 2003-04 ECAC rosters landed in the first round of the draft. Lewis, in fact, was the highest ECAC chosen in the draft. Cornell defenseman Jon Gleed, taken by the Montreal Canadians with the 212th pick overall in the ninth round, was the next ECAC player to come off the board.
The 6'-2", 190-pound Johnson was the second Dartmouth player to come off the board on day one of the draft.
Johnson was selected by Pittsburgh with the 67th pick overall following a 35-goal and 36-assist campaign for the St. Albert Saints of the Alberta Junior Hockey League in 2003-04, which earned the forward recognition as a First Team All-AJHL performer.
Johnson was also named the RBC Financial Group Canadian Junior "A" Player of the Year and the AJHL Most Dedicated Player for his on-ice efforts this past season.
The 6'-1", 180-pound Wyman was chosen by Montreal on the second day of the draft with the 100th pick overall.
In 2003-04 the native of Minnesota earned a spot on his league all-conference team and received his team's MVP award. Wyman was also a finalist for the prestigious Mr. Hockey Award.
The most notable overall event at the 2004 draft occurred when the Carolina Hurricanes traded up to the fourth pick to nab Canadian-born power forward Andrew Ladd.
Carolina's move to deal the eighth overall pick and a second rounder to the Columbus Blue Jackets for the right to step to the podium early brought a huge ovation from the packed house at the Raleigh, N.C., arena that hosted the draft.
As expected, Russian-born Alexander Ovechkin was chosen by the Washington Capitals with the first pick overall. Ovechkin is considered a potential franchise player, combining skill with character and a work ethic into one dynamic package.
The New York Rangers, who selected Hugh Jessiman '06 with the 12th pick overall in 2003, continued its recent youth movement, shedding high-salaried veterans in favor young talent.
The club picked twice in the first round, selecting highly regarded University of Michigan goaltender Al Montoya with the sixth overall pick, and Finnish forward Lauri Korpikoski with the 19th pick overall.
