The 2003 NHL Entry Draft is highly regarded as the best draft in NHL history because of how many great players were selected. The Nashville Predators were a big part of that history. Two of the top tier players drafted that year were by the Predators. These players being Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. The Predators had really only hit on 4-6 players that the organization drafted in the first five years of existence, so 2003 really changed the direction of the team and established what kind of franchise the Nashville Predators would be. In the 2003 draft, the Predators drafted 13 players. Only four of those players ended up playing a game at the NHL level and they were all defensemen. Besides Suter (7th overall) and Weber (49th overall), the other two were Kevin Klein and Alexander Sulzer. Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi speaks to the media following the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. Klein made more of an impact in Nashville than Sulzer due to playing in parts of nine seasons for the Predators and he had a career of 627 games. Sulzer played 53 of his 131 games for the Predators, but these two aren't the big reason Nashville became and stayed a defensively focused team over the years. Along with the coaching style of Barry Trotz and the help of great goaltending, the organization has always been able to draft high-level talent on the back-end and roster a strong defensively responsible team. Two of the best examples were from the 2003 draft, Weber and Suter. While Weber had a booming shot and was more impressive offensively, his play without the puck was strong too. Suter was excellent defensively and one of the best in the league for a long time. To add to his play, he was able to produce offensively a good amount too. The Predators' current roster includes drafted defensemen such as Roman Josi, Dante Fabbro, Alexandre Carrier, Spencer Stastney, and Marc Del Gaizo, while a highly anticipated Tanner Molendyk is in the system as well. Looking around the league there's even more impressive defensemen like Mattias Ekholm, Seth Jones, and Sam Girard that were once drafted by Nashville. The Predators have drafted some talented forwards in recent years, but the defensive side of the game is where the Predators have always excelled at and will likely continue to, whether later picked defensemen surprise or top projected d-men turn into exactly what they're expected to. After all these years after the 2003 draft, the Predators still have the same defensive prowess on their roster and in their system. RECENT PREDATORS NEWS Nashville Predators Need to Part Ways With 3 Players [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/latest-news/nashville-predators-need-to-part-ways-with-3-players] Predators Prospect Luke Prokop Headlines Seattle Pride Classic [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/latest-news/predators-prospect-luke-prokop-headlines-seattle-pride-classic] Predators Have Been Contacted About Saros by Team Desperate for Goaltending [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/latest-news/predators-have-been-contacted-about-saros-by-team-desperate-for-goaltending] Podcast: Predators Free Agent Targets, Draft Strategy & Breakout Stars [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/podcasts/podcast-predators-free-agent-targets-draft-strategy-breakout-stars]
