Brian Lee (ice hockey)

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For other uses, see Brian Lee (disambiguation)

Brian Lee (born March 26, 1987 in Fargo, North Dakota, USA) is an amateur ice hockey player who is a top prospect for the Ottawa Senators.

[edit] Playing career

Lee was drafted 9th overall by the Senators in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. The Senators drafted Lee with the view that their top three defensemen (Zdeno Chara, Wade Redden, and Chris Phillips) would become free agents in the upcoming years and hope that Lee can fill the void should any of them leave the team. He was selected Minnesota's Mr. Hockey as the number one player in Minnesota high school boys hockey in 2005.

Lee attends the University of North Dakota and plays for the college team, which is expected to allow him to develop his skills. He has often been compared to his role model, Brian Leetch. John Muckler, the General Manager of the Ottawa Senators compared him to one of his own top defensemen, Wade Redden. Lee played for the USA at the 2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Lee grew up in Moorhead, Minnesota and was a stand out player for the Moorhead High School Spuds hockey team. In 2005, his senior year, he was the only high school player to play for Team USA in the World Junior Hockey Championships. He was also named the Associated Press' Player of the Year for Minnesota prep boys hockey that year.