In officially suspending of operations today, the Montreal Express waived the right to participate in the 2002 NLL Entry Draft next month in Toronto.

As a result, the NLL has revised the order of selection for the draft, slated for 21 September at Air Canada Centre's Platinum Club, vacating the eight positions in which the Express would have selected.

A second-round pick (twenty-first overall) acquired by Montreal from Philadelphia in a trade last fall will never be exercised, nor will the Express' picks in each following round. Montreal had been slotted to pick seventh of thirteen teams in each of the nine rounds of the draft.

Two picks originally owned by Montreal -- a first-rounder (seventh overall) now held by Ottawa and a second-rounder acquired by Buffalo (twentieth) -- will be retained. This means that the first round will include thirteen selections and the other eight rounds just twelve picks each.

The vacated selections reduces the overall number of picks from 117 to 109. NLL has renumbered the picks as a reflexion of this; however, in the updated draft order published below, the picks are not renumbered.

The complete draft order, with trade notes as appropriate:

FIRST ROUND
  1 Toronto (from Calgary) [Manning/Toth]
  2 Columbus (from Ottawa) [KBryde/RGraham]
  3 Columbus
  4 Columbus (from NJ via NY) [May '01 Picks, Bryde/Lunnie]
  5 Buffalo (from NY via NJ) [May '01 Picks, Colsey]
  6 Philadelphia (from Buffalo) [J Clark]
  7 Ottawa (from Montreal via Buffalo) [Dowling, Gelsvik/Self]
  8 Columbus (from Philadelphia via Buffalo)
       [Cromwell, Tayler/Wetherup/etc]
  9 Ottawa (from Colorado) [Halladay]
 10 Toronto (from Vancouver) [Gill/Rubel]
 11 Rochester
 12 Albany
 13 Toronto


SECOND ROUND
 14 Calgary (own pick, via Montreal) [B Alexander (2x)]
 15 Ottawa
 16 New Jersey (from Colu via Buff) [Tayler/etc, Colsey]
 17 Columbus (from New Jersey) [Reed]
 18 Rochester (from New York) [Steinwald]
 19 Rochester (from Buffalo) [Whipple]
 20 Buffalo (from Montreal) [Dowling]
 21 -- Vacated --
 22 Colorado
 23 Vancouver (own pick, via Toronto) [Dwane, Gill/Rubel]
 24 Rochester
 25 Albany
 26 Toronto


THIRD ROUND
 27 Calgary
 28 Colorado (from Ottawa) [3-way w/ Calg]
 29 Buffalo (from Columbus via Ottawa) 
       [Bryde/RGraham, Gelsvik/Self]
 30 Vancouver (from New Jersey) [Exp Draft '01]
 31 New York
 32 Buffalo
 33 -- Vacated --
 34 Philadelphia
 35 Colorado
 36 Vancouver
 37 Rochester
 38 Albany
 39 Toronto


FOURTH ROUND
 40 Calgary
 41 New Jersey (from Ottawa) [Barnes]
 42 Columbus
 43 Albany (from New Jersey) 
 44 New York
 45 Buffalo
 46 -- Vacated --
 47 Philadelphia
 48 New York (from Colorado) [Shirk/Rosa]
 49 Vancouver
 50 Rochester
 51 Albany
 52 Toronto


FIFTH ROUND
 53 Calgary
 54 Ottawa 
 55 Columbus
 56 New Jersey
 57 New York
 58 Buffalo
 59 -- Vacated --
 60 Philadelphia
 61 Colorado
 62 Vancouver
 63 Rochester
 64 Albany
 65 Toronto


SIXTH ROUND
 66 Calgary
 67 Ottawa
 68 Columbus
 69 New Jersey
 70 New York
 71 Buffalo
 72 -- Vacated --
 73 Philadelphia
 74 Colorado
 75 Vancouver
 76 Rochester
 77 Albany
 78 Toronto


SEVENTH ROUND
 79 Calgary
 80 Ottawa
 81 Columbus
 82 New Jersey
 83 New York
 84 Buffalo
 85 -- Vacated --
 86 Philadelphia
 87 Colorado
 88 Vancouver
 89 Rochester
 90 Albany
 91 Toronto


EIGHTH ROUND
 92 Calgary
 93 Ottawa
 94 Columbus
 95 New Jersey
 96 New York
 97 Buffalo
 98 -- Vacated --
 99 Philadelphia
100 Colorado
101 Vancouver
102 Rochester
103 Albany
104 Toronto


NINTH ROUND
105 Calgary
106 Ottawa
107 Columbus
108 New Jersey
109 New York
110 Buffalo
111 -- Vacated --
112 Philadelphia
113 Colorado
114 Vancouver
115 Rochester
116 Albany
117 Toronto