RALEIGH, N.C. - A pick in the hand was worth more than a number of intriguing trade packages to Washington Capitals GM George McPhee, and, as a result, Alexander Ovechkin became the top selection in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Ovechkin was the consensus top prospect for the draft and the Capitals didn't waste a lot of time in making the selection from the stage of the RBC Center.

Ovechkin is considered a potential franchise player, combining skill with character and a work ethic into one dynamic package. Playing for Dynamo Moscow last season, he scored 13 goals and 10 assists in 53 games, numbers that fail to touch on the potential that Ovechkin brings to the table. A better harbinger of things to come is Ovechkin's performance at the World Junior Championships, where the winger scored five goals and two assists in six games. He also was selected to play for Russia at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

"I've waited two years," Ovechkin said. "I'm very happy."

As expected, the Pittsburgh Penguins, selecting second overall, drafted forward Evgeni Malkin, another consensus pick as the second-best player to Ovechkin.

It marked the first time in NHL Entry Draft history that Russian-born players were taken first and second overall.

"We did have some serious offers, be we wanted to keep this pick," Penguins GM Craig Patrick said, noting that he doesn't expect Malkin to challenge for a roster spot this season and will, instead, continue to play in Russia.

There was no surprise at No. 3, where the Chicago Blackhawks selected defenseman Cam Barker, a 6-foot-3, 214-pound defenseman who reminded many scouts of Edmonton's Eric Brewer and Florida's Jay Bouwmeester, giving the Hawks an important building block on defense.

"Chicago is definitely rebuilding," Barker said. "So, picking a defenseman, I am really looking forward to trying to make the team."

The host Carolina Hurricanes shook up the proceedings, swinging a deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets to move into the No. 4 hole, dealing the eighth-overall pick and the 59th overall selection to Columbus in order to select for Andrew Ladd, the top rated North American skater by the NHL's Central Scouting Service.

Ladd is considered a burgeoning power forward who played for the Western Hockey League's Calgary Hitmen last season, scoring 30 goals and 45 assists in 71 games.

Combined with Carolina's top pick in the 2003 Entry Draft, Eric Staal, the Hurricanes now boast two very impressive young forwards.

When the Pittsburgh Penguins, selecting second overall, drafted forward Evgeni Malkin, it marked the first time in NHL Entry Draft history that Russian-born players were taken first and second overall.

"Last year we were able to get Eric Staal, the No. 1 North American skater and this year we were able to get Andrew Ladd, who also is the No. 1 North American skater," said Jim Rutherford, the Carolina general manager. "If he is ready to play, we'll give him the opportunity."

With Phoenix Coyotes Executive Director Wayne Gretzky earning a rousing ovation from the large crowd in attendance, the Coyotes dipped into the Minnesota high school ranks and grabbed Blake Wheeler, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound right wing who was a bit of a surprise that high in the draft. Wheeler is still 17, so he's one of the youngest players selected in the draft and Gretzky said he liked his up-side. Wheeler was named the most valuable player at the prestigious Minnesota high school tournament this season and also played tight end for his high school's football team.

The first of several highly regarded goaltenders was selected sixth overall by the New York Rangers, who took Al Montoya from the University of Michigan. Montoya also was a standout for Team USA at the World Junior Championships, where the Americans won the gold medal.

The first selection of Mike Keenan's era as the general manager of the Florida Panthers, seventh overall, yielded Czech center Rostislav Olesz, considered an all-around solid player in just about every aspect of the game.

The Blue Jackets went for a scorer at No. 8, taking Alexandre Picard from Lewiston of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, who led the QMJHL in scoring with 39 goals last season. He is regarded as an extremely hard-working player who stands out on the ice because of a unique skating style that is the result of his experiences as a speed skater at an early age.

Czech defenseman Ladislav Smid was taken ninth overall by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, who were looking to stockpile defensemen.

Ladd is considered a burgeoning power forward who played for the Western Hockey League's Calgary Hitmen last season, scoring 30 goals and 45 assists in 71 games.

Smid stands 6-3, 202 pounds and has terrific overall skills that saw him play the point on the power play while also serving as a penalty killer. He scored a goal and an assist in 45 games for Liberec in the Czech League and also represented the Czech Republic at the World Junior Championships and the World Under-18 tournament.

The Atlanta Thrashers got big in a hurry in the first round Saturday, picking defenseman Boris Valabik from Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey League. Valabik, a Slovakian native, stands 6-7 and weighs 212 pounds, playing a mean, physical game.

His size reminds many of Ottawa Senators defenseman Zdeno Chara, but he plays a very nasty game as evidenced by his 278 penalty minutes with the Kitchener Rangers last season. His game is still in need of some developing and he will likely return to the junior ranks next season.

The Los Angeles Kings were delighted to see Finnish forward Lauri Tukonen still available at No. 11 overall. He had been ranked fourth overall by The Hockey News and was the fifth-ranked European by Central Scouting.

Tukonen is a very adept two-way player with good size at 6-2, 198 pounds and is considered by many scouts to be ready for NHL action as early as next season.

The Minnesota Wild stayed home with their first-round selection, drafting defenseman A.J. Thelen who played with the Michigan State Spartans last season. He showed an offensive touch with the Spartans, scoring 11 goals and 18 assists in 42 games. He plays a confident, poised game and his size, 6-3, 205 pounds, doesn't hurt him either. A native of Savage, Minn., he will likely continue to play in the college ranks for at least another season.

At No. 3, the Chicago Blackhawks selected defenseman Cam Barker, a 6-foot-3, 214-pound defenseman who reminded many scouts of Edmonton's Eric Brewer and Florida's Jay Bouwmeester.

The Buffalo Sabres also dipped into the college ranks at No. 13, selecting North Dakota's Drew Stafford, a 6-2, 202-pound right wing who earned a solid reputation as a grinding winger who played the role to near perfection at the World Junior Championships. With the Fighting Sioux last season, Stafford scored 11 goals and 21 assists in 36 games.

Goaltender Devan Dubnyk, a Ken Dryden-like 6-foot-6 is slated to fill the nets for the Edmonton Oilers after being taken 14th overall. Dubnyk was 20-18-5 with a 2.51 goals-against average for the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League last season. He also was 3-0-3 with a 2.02 GAA for Team Canada at the World Under-18 tournament.

Speed and skill were the order of the day for the Nashville Predators, who took Russian right wing Alexander Radulov at No. 15. He has considerable skill, but raised some questions because of some run-in with coaches. But with time and maturity, the Predators figure those will be problems of the past.

The Islanders, at No. 16, had said he wouldn't draft a goalie or a European with his first-round selection, but the Isles couldn't resist Finnish center Petteri Nokelainen, who already is an adept defensive forwards, but will need to emphasize his offensive skills for success at the NHL level.

Looking to restock their goaltending, the St. Louis Blues were stunned that Czech goalie Marek Schwarz was still around at No. 17. He was the top European goalie prospect according to Central Scouting and was a pre-draft top 10 prospect.

Schwarz brings a considerable arsenal of skills to the table, with scouts raving about his agility and competitiveness. Schwarz is said to inspire teammates because of his ability to make the big save.

Wojtek Wolski of the Ontario Hockey League's Brampton Battalion went to the Colorado Avalanche at No. 21.

The Montreal Canadiens took Kyle Chipchura at No. 18, acquiring a player widely lauded for his character and solid all-around game while with the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL. There are questions about his ability to score at the NHL level, but he does everything well and will be a solid penalty killer and checker at the NHL ranks.

The Rangers made a deal to acquire the 19th pick, swapping the 24th and 46th selections to the Calgary Flames for the 19th and 247th picks.

New York used the 19th pick for the third of the trio of highly regarded Finns, Lauri Korpikoski, a 6-1, 183-pound left wing who is considered a legitimate prospect with a big up-side.

The New Jersey Devils swapped the 22nd and 88th selections to the Dallas Stars to acquire the 20th pick. With the pick, the Devils took big center Travis Zajac, who will play at the University of North Dakota next season. Last season, Zajac played Tier Two hockey at Salmon Arm, scoring 43 goals and 69 assists in 59 games. He tested very highly for overall fitness and follows a pattern for the Devils, who like players from North Dakota, having previously selected defenseman David Hale and winger Zach Parise from the Fighting Sioux.

Wojtek Wolski of the Ontario Hockey League's Brampton Battalion went to the Colorado Avalanche at No. 21. He was the fifth-ranked North American skater by Central Scouting and scored 29 goals and 41 assists last season. Wolski has a considerable up-side to his game.

Dallas made another trade, dealing the 22nd and 153rd picks in 2004 to the San Jose Sharks for the 28th, 52nd and 91st selections, giving the Sharks the chance to swoop in and take Lukas Kaspar from the Czech Republic. He has the reputation as a pure scorer and great skater. He is still a boy among men in the Czech League, hence his statistics weren't great last season, four goals and two assists in 37 games. He also had three assists in six World Junior Championship games.

The Ottawa Senators liked what they see in Slovakian defensemen who play with Dukla Trencin, already having Zdeno Chara anchor their blue line. In fact, they like Chara so much that they grabbed another defenseman from Trencin, Andrej Meszaros, at No. 23. He is a solid two-way player who mans the point on the power play and is projected to be a regular defenseman for an NHL team in the next couple seasons.

The Calgary Flames went with Kris Chucko, a 6-2, 190-pound winger from Salmon Arm of Tier Two. He is the kind of character player that Flames GM-coach Darryl Sutter loves, so it wasn't surprising that the Flames added another player with the characteristics the team embraces.

The Oilers used their second first-round selection on London Knights center Rob Schremp who scored 30 goals and 45 assists in 63 games last season.

He is a cocky kid whose stock appeared to drop after requesting a trade from Mississauga to London early in the season. But there is no doubting his offensive skills.

The Vancouver Canucks, with David Nonis as the GM, took goaltender Cory Schneider from Phillips-Andover (Mass.) and will play for Boston College next season. He is widely lauded as a character player who started for Team USA at the World Under-18 tournament and went 5-0-1 with a 1.71 goals-against average. Schneider also impressed plenty of teams with his poise and character during pre-draft interviews.

Using the pick acquired from the Boston Bruins in the trade for Sergei Gonchar, the Capitals added big defenseman Jeff Schultz from the WHL's Calgary Hitmen. At 6-6, 212-pounds, Schultz could be a formidable force when he fills out in the next couple seasons.

After dealing down twice, the Stars finally got around to making a selection at No. 28, Mark Fistric, a 6-2, 230-pound defenseman who tends to business in his own end before coming involved in the offensive end of things.

The Tampa Bay Lightning closed out the first round by selecting another defenseman from the Calgary Hitmen. Andy Rogers is an impressive 6-foot-5 206-pounder who isn't much of a point producer, but will make very valuable contributions in his own end.