Barry Trapp is finally getting his day in the sun.

After 18 years of scouting teenagers in all corners of the vast world of hockey, after almost two decades of sizing up the potential of prospects from Stockholm to Saskatoon, the affable director of amateur scouting for the Toronto Maple Leafs will run his first draft table at the 2003 Entry Draft in Nashville.

Trapper -- as Trapp is affectionately known in hockey circles -- will make the final decisions at the Leafs' draft table and it's a responsibility he relishes. His wish list is ready and he's certain the Maple Leafs will give the nod to a couple of players who will serve the blue and white well for years to come.

The Leafs don't have a first-round pick in what is considered one of the deepest drafts in years. They sent it to San Jose as part of the Owen Nolan deal, and the Leafs head to the capital of country music with picks in the second, fifth, seventh and eighth rounds.

The Leafs' first crack at the draft is late in the second round -- they are penciled in to make the 52nd overall selection - but that slot will change. The NHL still has to add what is known as compensatory picks (teams being compensated with draft picks for losing players in the free agent market) to the overall draft order and Toronto will pick up a pick (most likely in the third round) for losing Curtis Joseph to Detroit.

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