Inside College Hockey | 2007 INCH Wish List Draft

March 20, 2007
NCAA Tournament
INCH Wish List Draft | Round Two

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Midwest Regional
Northeast 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.

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 collegiate ice for at least one more weekend.

NCAA Team	Who They Picked
Alabama-Huntsville	Travis Morin, F, Minnesota State
The Reasoning: The Chargers, like everyone, could use some more scoring, and Morin jumps in and becomes their top threat. First Round Pick: Brian Elliott, G, Wisconsin
Air Force	Joe Fallon, G, Vermont
The Reasoning: The Falcons have played musical 'tenders the entire season. The addition of Fallon instantly gives them the best netminder in the West Regional. First Round Pick: Ryan Dingle, F, Denver
Miami	Jon Landry, D, Holy Cross
The Reasoning: He's no Andy Greene, but Landry gives the RedHawks the type of two-way defenseman they had when Greene patrolled their blueline before graduating last spring. And he's upset a No. 1 seed before. First Round Pick: Scott Parse, F, Nebraska-Omaha
Massachusetts	Derek Smith, D, Lake Superior State
The Reasoning: Blueliners who can also score goals are a hot commodity in this draft. For UMass, which has just four players with 10 or more goals, anyone who can light the lamp will help. Smith also registered 20 assists while playing solid defense for the Lakers. First Round Pick: Mike Santorelli, F, Northern Michigan
Maine	Mark Dekanich, G, Colgate
The Reasoning: The Black Bears snag some insurance just in case Ben Bishop can’t go. Backup Dave Wilson has been in net for six straight losses. First Round Pick: Kyle Greentree, F, Alaska
St. Lawrence	Ted Cook, F, Niagara
The Reasoning: Subscribing to the T.T.H.S.F.A. (Take The Highest-Scoring Forward Available) Theory, the Saints nab the country's leading goal scorer. He'll help the SLU power play, which ranks 38th in the nation with a 16.1 percent success rate. First Round Pick: Matt Niskanen, D, Minnesota Duluth
Michigan State	Ryan Maki, F, Harvard
The Reasoning: The Spartans get some grit up front in the form of Maki, who didn't have big numbers but will go to the net hard. They also got a nice scouting report on his character from MSU SID Jamie Weir, who was previously with the Crimson. First Round Pick: Sean Collins, D, Ohio State
North Dakota	Brandon Wong, F, Quinnipiac
The Reasoning: The Sioux ponder taking a backup for G Philippe Lamoureux, but instead opt for a luxury item in grabbing Wong and his 27 goals. First Round Pick: David Jones, F, Dartmouth
Michigan	Sean Bentivoglio, F, Niagara
The Reasoning: The Wolverines don’t have a fancy acronym for it like St. Lawrence, but they’ll also go for a lesser-known player who put up big numbers. And Bentivoglio was the CHA Player of the Year, so they figure they got a steal over the Saints. First Round Pick: Jeff Jakaitis, G, Lake Superior State
Boston University	Marc Fulton, F, Colgate
The Reasoning: The Terriers a) can't score, ranking 42nd nationally with an average of 2.58 goals per game, and b) have a crummy power play, ranking 42nd in the country in that category, too. Fulton helps in both areas. Among his 39 points this season were 10 PPGs. First Round Pick: Mason Raymond, F, Minnesota Duluth
St. Cloud State	Sean Hurley, D, Brown
The Reasoning: It's a run on the ECACHL, as this makes it four out of five picks. The Huskies opt to help their defensive depth this round with a mobile, puck-moving type with a good shot from the point. First Round Pick: Paul Szczechura, F, Western Michigan
Boston College	Torrey Mitchell, F, Vermont
The Reasoning: The Eagles toy with adding another defenseman for depth or making a potential home-run pick at forward, but they'll take the proven vet in Mitchell and his 105 points in 110 career games. First Round Pick: Dylan Reese, D, Harvard
New Hampshire	Jack Skille, F, Wisconsin
The Reasoning: It wasn’t a great season for the first-round pick of the Blackhawks, but he was great in the tournament last year. That – and the experience of hoisting the trophy – lures the Wildcats to this pick. First Round Pick: Reid Cashman, D, Quinnipiac
Clarkson	Brandon Straub, D, Colorado College
The Reasoning: The Knights only list six defensemen on their roster, so in addition to taking DU's Chris Butler in the first round, they'll grab Straub, the Tigers' captain who started his college career at Findlay and, at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, can intimidate opponents just by stepping off the bus. First Round Pick: Chris Butler, D, Denver
Notre Dame	Chad Rau, F, Colorado College
The Reasoning: It’s not that the Irish are a dull team, but they lack a little sizzle up front. Rau gives them that, and can fit at either center or wing. First Round Pick: Andrew Joudrey, F, Wisconsin
Minnesota	Ross Carlson, F, Wisconsin
The Reasoning: A Badger joining M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A? Blasphemy! The Gophers have tons of talent up front, but we like his willingness to play a variety of roles, penalty-killing prowess, and energy. He's also a good guy in the room .. in addition to being 206 years old. First Round Pick: Grant Lewis, D, Dartmouth

Be sure to check out what happened in Round 1.