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I examined Detroit’s past drafts, from 2002 - 2012. At this point, there is no one still with the organization that was drafted in those years. Filppula and Helm have both moved on (‘02 and ‘03 respectively) and the organization continues to get younger. An 11 year jump (from 2002 to 2013) is a significant wiping of the slate, and Yzerman continues to allow new blood to come in and replace the old guard.
In 2019, Steve Yzerman grabbed the reins to the organization, and Ken Holland moved to Edmonton. Holland’s final 6 drafts from 2013 - 2018 can be credited with some important building blocks. 2018 still has the possibility of yielding up to 4 NHL players. Zadina has currently locked down a spot, but Veleno, Berggren and McIsaac all still have the banner of “hopefuls” hanging around them. Here’s a look at Holland’s final contributions to the the current (and future) team.
2013 turned out to be a pivotal year, but not in the way I thought at the time. Detroit grabbed Anthony Mantha at 20th overall, and immediately GMs were making offers for the jr hockey scoring machine. Injuries had caused his draft stock to fall, and injuries seem to have derailed him off and on for the past 8 years.
There was a lot of buzz when “Mo” was picked, and a very opposite reaction happened in the second round. After Zach Nastasiuk was selected at 48, Tyler Bertuzzi was grabbed at 58. People immediately flooded the internet with the hate. This was way too early in the draft for Todd Bertuzzi’s nephew to be grabbed. It was Kris Draper who went to bat for Tyler. Since Draper has begun work with the scouting department, local scouting has received a boost. Guelph got a lot more attention. And, while “Drapes” gets a lot of grief for some picks, he nailed it with Tyler. Here’s a look at the first step toward the new look Red Wings.
2013:
Three players are in the league currently. Tyler Bertuzzi (208 games), Anthony Mantha (316 games) and Mattias Janmark (356 games). Bertuzzi has, for now, become part of the core of the rebuild. While trade rumors abounded, the gritty winger signed a new 2 year deal. Mantha may well have played an important part of the rebuild even in his departure. Jakub Vrana, newly inked to a 3 year deal, has stepped into the top line. Janmark was traded to Dallas in a bid for Detroit to continue the post season streak. He is now with the Golden Knights (seems like a lot of Detroit players make their way to sin city).
2014:
2014 yielded the current captain as Dylan Larkin was selected at 15 by his home town team. After just one year at the University of Michigan, Detroit’s leading players made a case to Ken Holland to keep Larkin on the team. He’s never looked back. 433 games played, and wearing the “C”, Larkin is the face of the franchise at this point. Christopher Ehn, selected in the 4th round, has played 114 NHL but is currently not in the league. 3rd rounder Dominic Turgeon has played just 9 NHL games and is currently in the Minnesota Wild organization.
2015:
2015 was a nearly disastrous draft. Chase Pearson is still developing and could well end up being a 4th line player for Detroit. Evgeny Svechnikov is the only player from that drat listed as having NHL experience. 41 games with Detroit. The 19th overall pick made it through waivers last year, and is now a UFA. Not much seems to have come from the 2015 draft 6 years later.
2016:
The first round of 2016 was as big of a miss as the year before. Passing on Chycrun for Cholowski (and signing Nielsen) just continues to gall me. The divide between the players is a chasm, and it is the flip side of Draper finding Bertuzzi is the push for Cholowski. The argument that comes back is that the pick acquired from AZ was used on Hronek. (I can and will argue that he could have been gotten in lieu of Smith). Filip Hronek is the shining star of this draft for Detroit. His 167 games played and elevation to the top of Detroit’s defensive core. Those NHL appearance are also more than Cholo (104) and Givani Smith (37) combined. Goalie Filip Larsson hasn’t really elevated his status from a minor league goaltender at this point.
2017:
We’re now in the sweet spot of development. I talk a lot about the 3 to 5 year window of a player working toward attaining the NHL dream. So far, only 2 players from this draft have played NHL regular season games. First round pick Michael Rasmussen (102) and 2nd round pick Gustav Lindstrom (29). Rasmussen used last season to solidify his spot on the third line. He skates and plays hard and heavy. The work ethic was rewarded with a 3 year deal. Lindstrom looks to be eying a bottom pairing/7th defenseman spot. The big right shot defenseman isn’t lighting up the scoreboard, but is focused on defensive zone physical play. Keith Petruzzelli had been a top prospect, but refused his entry level deal with Detroit. He attended a Bruins development camp and is planning on another year of collegiate play. The remaining players in the draft have yet to carve out anything beyond an AHL career.
2018:
This is a draft the still holds the hope of yielding multiple NHL players for Detroit. 6th overall pick Filip Zadina grabbed a full time spot with the Wings and has played 86 NHL games. While his scoring touch hasn’t emerged yet at the NHL level, the 22 year old has worked hard to gain access to the team’s top 6. It’s easy to forget how young the player still is (and I’ve already heard someone say he’s not working out - brother) it is a credit to his work ethic that he’s an important part of the organization. Joe Veleno, selected at the end of the first round, was thought to be a “steal” at the time. As a center, JV just hasn’t been able to hold the position in the lower levels. He continues to be moved to wing, which may be a better fit for the speedy forward. He only has 5 NHL games on his resume, and is one player that will try to challenge for a spot in Detroit. A year in Grand Rapids may still be his best bet for now. Jonatan Berggren was selected in the second round, and is coming over for his first North American season. J.B. Received a lot of accolades as a centerman in Sweden with 45 points in 49 games last season. His play up the middle is stronger (at this point) than Veleno, and may well be a linemate. The 4th Detroit selection from this draft is arguably the most difficult to pinpoint. Jared McIsaac looks to have the tools to be a quality left side defenseman, he just continues to be derailed with health issues. Alec Regula, selected after McIsaac, was traded to Chicago for Brendan Perlini. He only shows 3 NHL games to his credit so far, but some fans were concerned that the West Bloomfield native was a loss in that deal. Perlini didn’t pan out for Detroit, and is trying now to find his game in Edmonton.
Check out some of my previous posts:
a href="https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=113030">I examined Detroit’s past drafts, from 2002 - 2012.
Svechnikov has been linked to the jets,
Carter Mazur’s “Coffee with Carley”
Vrana’s press conference
Vrana has a new three year deal with Detroit
Yesterday, I wrote about the gap between Detroit and Vrana.
Detroit still doesn’t have a top 6 right shot forward.
The second line continues to inch toward improving.
I have high (possibly too high) hopes for the top line this year.
The Griffins are worth the drive, at least I think so.
My third “looking forward” looked at Pius Suter.
My second “looking forward” focused on Alex Nedeljkovic.
My first “looking forward” talked about Moritz Seider.
Jakub Vrana and Adam Erne have filed for arbitration.
I posted “The Winged Wheel season 3, ep 1”
I posted Yzerman’s Zoom call
I posted Pius Suter’s Zoom call
I did a wrap up of the “Frenzy”.
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