Inside College Hockey | 2005 INCH Wish List Draft

March 21, 2005
NCAA Tournament
INCH Wish List Draft | Round 1

Regional Capsules
East Regional
Northeast Regional
Midwest Regional
West Regional

We often say that playoff hockey is the best time of the year. That said, even the greatest things in life have flaws. In the case of the NCAA Tournament, even with 16 teams participating, scores of fantastic players have played their last college games of the year – and perhaps their career. Second, no team is perfect – everybody has areas where they could improve.

Here at Inside College Hockey, we set out to solve both those problems. The result? Our own one-of-a-kind NCAA Tournament Wish List Draft. We took the tourney teams and split into 16 scouting staffs to select players from teams that didn’t make the field. The Wish List Draft will feature two rounds of picks, with the first pick of each round belonging to the 16th seed.

You can follow the picks as they are made – round one will take place Monday, round two on Tuesday. Click refresh to see the latest picks.

Now, we know, these players won’t be taking the ice this weekend. But it's fun to see how each team could improve – and fun to picture some of our favorite players back on the ice for at least one more weekend.

NCAA Team	Who They Picked
Mercyhurst	Colin Murphy, F, Michigan Tech
The Reasoning: Depth at forward is a strength of the Lakers, who have scorers spread out over three lines. Murphy, the best player available here, will give them one standout line (or two if he double shifts).
Bemidji State	Evan Schwabe, C, Minnesota Duluth
The Reasoning: With Andrew Murray on the shelf with an injury, the Beavers could use a playmaking centerman. Who better than Schwabe, who has tournament experience and knows the Pioneers well?
Colgate	Lee Stempniak, F, Dartmouth
The Reasoning: The Raiders are the lowest scoring team in the tournament field, averaging 2.7 goals per game. Stempniak and his 43 points would be a welcome addition to the roster.
Maine	Ben Walter, F, UMass Lowell
The Reasoning: Maine owned the River Hawks this year (5-0-0); one of them might as well suit up for the club. Even though Walter and his team didn't make a great first-hand impression on the Black Bears, Tim Whitehead's club could use a pure finisher of Walter's ilk.
Wisconsin	Andy Greene, D, Miami
The Reasoning: The Badgers are awfully young, especially on the blueline. Adding Greene, a junior, gives them experience and a defenseman who does everything well.
Ohio State	Jim Slater, F, Michigan State
The Reasoning: The Spartan senior played his best hockey down the stretch as MSU battled to get into playoff position; the Buckeyes would love his versatility – he can score, defend, play a physical style and help out on special teams.
Boston University	Elias Godoy, F, UMass Lowell
The Reasoning: The Terriers could use a creative offensive threat, especially one that could spark their power play. Godoy was the key to UMass Lowell's 23.2 percent success rate, and they don't even have to spring for a hotel room for him in Worcester.
Harvard	Chris Conner, F, Michigan Tech
The Reasoning: His numbers were down from what they were a year ago, but his 14 goals would rank first on the Crimson and his 24 points would rank third. Don't forget the eight shorthanded goals he scored in 2003-04.
New Hampshire	Jaime Sifers, D, Vermont
The Reasoning: The Wildcats give Sifers an early welcome to Hockey East, grabbing a do-it-all defenseman. He was the ECACHL's Best Defensive Defenseman, but can still make a crisp first pass to keep UNH's transition game moving.
North Dakota	Jeff Legue, F, Ferris State
The Reasoning: With Brady Murray's status uncertain, Legue serves as a pretty solid Plan B. He led the Bulldogs with 44 points and among his 24 goals were eight PPGs, three shorties and two game-winners.
Michigan	Nathan Oystrick, D, Northern Michigan
The Reasoning: He scored 20 points for the Wildcats, but the Wolverines defensive unit would benefit from his nasty streak – as evidenced by his 87 penalty minutes.
Cornell	Bryan Schmidt, D, Merrimack
The Reasoning: The only area where the Big Red is getting into trouble these days is when some of their defensemen over-handle the puck. Schmidt could give them more skill with the puck on his stick, without sacrificing Cornell's commitment to defense.
Minnesota	Cleve Kinley, D, UMass Lowell
The Reasoning: With Alex Goligoski and Nate Hagemo's status up in the air, a Gopher strength – puck-moving defensemen – is suddenly a question mark. Kinley addresses that need, and his all-around game is probably a bit better than those two rookies right now.
Colorado College	Jason Guerriero, F, Northeastern
The Reasoning: The Tigers are more than a one-line team, but they certainly wouldn't object to more offense from the second group. Guerriero – himself the leader of a one-line team all year – would deliver support to Sertich and Sterling.
Denver	Marty Guerin, F, Miami
The Reasoning: You've really got to look hard to find a weakness here. Among the 16 teams in the tournament field, however, the Pioneers rank 10th on both the power play and penalty kill. Guerin's nine PPGs and two SHGs solve that dilemma.
Boston College	Scott Parse, F, Nebraska-Omaha
The Reasoning: Even with Patrick Eaves, the addition of another scorer to the Eagles lineup would be welcome. With their star's status in doubt, they could definitely use Parse's finishing ability and would likely benefit from his size, too.

Round Two has begun.