Four Harvard Players Taken in NHL Draft

Four members of the Harvard men's hockey team were selected in the National Hockey League's annual entry draft last weekend.

Center Dominic M. Moore '03 and wingers J. Brett Nowak '03, along with incoming first-years Robert Fried and Tyler Kolarik, all have a golden chance to turn pro when their collegiate days are over.

Moore and Fried were picked on Friday in the third round while Nowak was chosen in the fourth round. The expansion Columbus Blue Jackets took Kolarik in the fifth.

The New York Rangers selected Moore 95th overall. He led the Crimson last season with 12 goals and also tacked on eight assists, earning the Ivy League Rookie of the Year award for his efforts.

The speedy Moore impressed the scouts with his ability to break down defenders one-on-one and his natural instinct for the goal. The NHL's Central Scouting Bureau (CSB) praised him as a "smart, patient playmaker in the offensive zone...[that] plays a focused and controlled finesse game."

His one liability at this stage of his development may be his size. He may have to add some more weight to his 185-pound frame to excel in the rough-and-tumble Eastern Conference.

"Dom is a really good prospect for our organization," said Rangers Assistant General Manager Don Maloney. "I like the subtleties in his game with his smart stick and his hockey instincts. He shows a lot of courage in his play, and when he gets stronger, should be a dominant player in college."

Moore joins older brothers Mark ('00) and Steven ('01) in the ranks of NHL draftees.

Steven Moore, next year's team captain and the Crimson's leading scorer for each of his first three seasons, was taken in the second round, 53rd overall, by the Colorado Avalanche in 1998. The Pittsburgh Penguins nabbed Mark in the seventh round of the 1997 draft.

Nowak 's future NHL employer is just a T ride away as the Boston Bruins took him with the 103rd pick overall. The winger bagged five goals and 10 assists in his rookie campaign for the Crimson.

The fourth round selection, however, was a bit of a disappointment for him. The CSB ranked him 22nd overall among forwards in the draft and early season projections had him going as high as the first round.

"My predictions were much higher, maybe in the second round, but you can never tell with this system. There are so many variables," said Nowak on the Bruins official website. "But I'm happy where I am, I'm on a great team. Living in Boston and going to Harvard, I follow the Bruins as much as possible."

Nowak's ability earned him a spot on the U.S. Junior National Team, which competed at the 2000 World Junior Championships in December. However, he suffered a shoulder injury before the tournament that limited his production for the rest of the season.

The Bruins, however, were still attracted by Nowak's size and strength with the puck. It often took two defenders to knock the puck off his stick this past season, an asset that should generate more offense as he develops at Harvard.

"He had a good tournament at the World Juniors and was used more in a checking role. He's always been thought of as an offensive guy, so some people might have gone just on his numbers," said Jeff Gorton, an aide to Bruins Assistant General Manager Mike O'Connell.

"But we're happy he was here at this pick. He's got good size, protects the puck well and his skating has improved every year," he added.

The names of the other two Harvard draftees are not yet familiar to Crimson hockey fans. Kolarik and Fried were the prize recruits among the nine Coach Mark Mazzoleni induced to come to Harvard this year.

Kolarik and Fried were linemates and roommates at Deerfield Academy and reportedly have incredible chemistry together. They were paired for all four years at Deerfield despite both of them playing wing, with Fried on the right and Kolarik on the left.

Fried, at 6'3" and 190 lbs., was the higher rated of the tandem and wound up tops among those drafted from Harvard, taken 77th overall by the Florida Panthers.

He had 45 points (25 goals, 20 assists) in his senior season at Deerfield. Scouting reports have touted his blistering slapshot when given a chance to wind-up and a lightning-quick release around the goal.

It may be a good thing Kolarik has four years of college before turning pro, because there are likely some rough times ahead for the expansion Blue Jackets. Columbus took the Philadelphia native 150th overall, making him the first U.S.-born draftee in franchise history.

Kolarik racked up 31 goals last year with 22 assists. Despite weighing a hefty 190 lbs., he is said to have remarkable acceleration and as indicated by his output, finishes a high percentage of his chances.

These four join wingers Christopher Bala '01, Kyle Clark '02, and Steven Moore to give Harvard the most draftees of any ECAC team.

Unlike other sports, a college hockey player is allowed to retain his NCAA eligibility when he is drafted. The team that selects him retains his rights throughout his collegiate career.

NHL teams normally draft college players before or after their first season and allow the school to develop them. Players are automatically eligible for the draft at age 19.

In most drafts, college hockey stars are overshadowed by the Canadian junior leagues and European players. This, however, was a banner year for students as the top two picks overall of the draft were Boston University goaltender Ricky DiPietro (New York Islanders) and University of Wisconsin winger Dany Heatley (Atlanta Thrashers).

DiPietro, however, lost his NCAA eligibility by declaring for the draft. Only 18 years old, he was not automatically placed on the list of available players and had to "opt-in" to the draft. In the process, he had to forgo his remaining three years at B.U. and is now the latest goaltending savior for the Islanders as the first netminder ever selected with the No. 1 pick overall.

A record seven college players were taken in the first round of the 2000 draft and 66 were picked altogether.