CBC Sports Online

Medicine Hat Tiger Jay Bouwmeester is expected to go first overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft in Toronto. (CP Photo)

For most players, the NHL Entry Draft marks the beginning of what's already been a long journey

After years of playing in the junior or university ranks, honing their skills in front of hundreds of scouts during that time, this is where every young hockey player's dream of reaching the big time becomes almost reality.

While many of the names called out in draft, held this year in the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, will never make it to the NHL, some will become future stars in the league.

The Florida Panthers are in the enviable position of having the first overall pick this year and while general manager Rick Dudley hasn't said who he will pick up with the selection, many scouts say that the team can't go wrong with Medicine Hat defenceman Jay Bouwmeester.

Bouwmeester, who has drawn comparisons to Paul Coffey due to his skating ability and is believed to be ahead of where former Hart Trophy winner Chris Pronger was at his age, is tabbed as a future franchise player.

Here's a short scouting breakdown on some of the top players in this year's draft:

HT		WT		BIRTHDATE	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
6-3		206		9/27/83	61	12	49	61	42

General managers have been waiting for this day for a long time.

Ever since Bouwmeester joined the Canadian junior team as an 16-year-old, GMs and talent scouts have been praising the Edmonton native's puck possession and skating ability, comparing his talents to the legendary Bobby Orr. Defencemen rarely make the jump from junior to NHL after their draft year, but Bouwmeester appears more than ready to take on the challenge. At 6'4" and 206 pounds, he's rare commodity in this draft, combining size and skill. He has all the skills to be a franchise defenceman in the NHL, but many wonder if this shy and quiet kid has the drive to be a star.

HT		WT		BIRTHDATE	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
6-3		188		6/16/84	54	32	40	72	88

Nash can be any type of player. He can play with power or finesse. He can get dirty in the corners or score a highlight goal. The second-ranked North American prospect was a dangerous threat on the power play and has the ability to take over a game and dominate it. Was an alternate captain on the silver-medal Canadian junior team. Some believe that Nash is a better long-term option than Bouwmeester.

HT		WT		BIRTHDATE	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
6-3		202		9/19/83	49	4	15	19	65

A smooth-skating puck-handler who draws comparison to Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom, Pitkanen has been the star of Finnish junior teams for some time. Pitkanen isn't ready to jump to the NHL right now like Bouwmeester. He still needs to add more muscle to his 6-3, 192-pound frame and work on adding some speed to his shot.

HT		WT		BIRTHDATE	GP	GAA	SV PCT
6-3		189		11/16/83	23	1.79	.941

The top goaltending prospect this year. Lehtonen rounds out a group of four that stands out from the rest of the players in the draft. Lehtonen earned his status with his impressive poise in international tournaments. Scouts first learned of Lehtonen at the U-18 championships in 2000, when his efforts gave the underdog Finns a 2-1 upset victory over the Russians. Uses a butterfly style, but he can still cover the upper half of the net with his big 6-3 frame.

HT		WT		BIRTHDATE	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
6-3		202		2/19/83	31	4	15	19	44

Good quality defencemen are hard to find in the NHL draft, so that's why Whitney stands out like a sore thumb. The 6-3, 200-pound prospect had a strong year at Boston College and asserted himself as one of the top offensive blue liners in the draft. He has excellent playmaking abilities and uses his long reach to be an effective stickchecker. Has improved the defensive aspects of his game since joining Boston.

HT		WT		BIRTHDATE	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
6-1		194		9/23/83	72	56	51	107	95

A deceptive skater who can celebrate quickly, Lupul led the WHL in goals and finished second in scoring. Lupul looks like a natural scorer who is very versatile, playing all three forward positions. He is dangerous on special teams, leading the league with eight short-handed goals and picking up 19 on the power play.

HT		WT		BIRTHDATE	GP	GAA	SV PCT
6-3		176		5/15/84	51	3.51	.900

Deslauriers made a big impression in the offensively-minded QMJHL. He was named the defensive rookie of the year and selected to the league's all-rookie team. His quick legs and glove hand, as well as an ability to maintain his composure despite a rough outing, have opened the eyes of some NHL scouts.

HT		WT		BIRTHDATE	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
5-11		176		10/7/83	61	32	51	83	139

Upshall made quite an impression for Canada at the world junior championships, recording three goals and three assists in the tournament. Upshall is a great two-way player, using his skating and playmaking ability as well as his grit in the corners to create scoring opportunities. Coaches and scouts love his attitude.

HT		WT		BIRTHDATE	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
5-9		155		4/27/83	69	46	94	140	54

Arguably, the most offensively-gifted player in the draft. There are some that argue that Bouchard can't possibly thrive in the NHL based on his small 5-9, 155-pound frame, but the little forward showed in junior that he has an amazing ability to adapt. Nicknamed the "Little Gretzky" for his vision and playmaking abilities, he was a scoring threat every time he was on the ice last season. He was so highly regarded that he won the Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year award ahead of such prospects as Dan Hamhuis and Brad Boyes.

HT		WT		BIRTHDATE	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
6-1		196		10/31/83	64	19	39	58	93

An offensive-minded defenceman who excels in special team situations, Eminger is a strong skater who possesses superior puck-handling skills. He shows great potential in his own end.

HT		WT		BIRTHDATE	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
6-5		190		05/06/84	23	1	4	5	42

Scouts love his imposing presence on the ice. Although he still needs to fill out and add 20 more pounds, Babchuk has already developed a nasty physical edge to his game and is more than willing to deliver a hard hit along the boards. He won't score a lot of goals in the NHL, but he will be valuable in a defensive role, using his large frame for blocking shots and getting players out of the crease area.