With the 29th pick in the NHL Draft this evening in Montreal, the Red Wings are hoping to emulate the success they had in 2000, when they selected Niklas Kronwall with the 29th overall pick. Mike Green of the Washington Capitals was also a 29th overall selection in 2004.

Let's begin our draft weekend preview with a thorough article from Red Wings beatwriter, Ansar Khan.

DETROIT -- This weekend's NHL entry draft in Montreal is widely considered to feature the strongest, deepest pool of talent teams have had to choose from in six years.

That increases the Detroit Red Wings' chances of landing a future impact player with the 29th overall pick in the first round.

"It has good depth to it," Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill said. "The top 10 is always good. There's a lot of good players 15 (and higher) that could be just as good as the top 10. The players that'll go 15 to 35 have just as good a chance to become solid NHLers as anyone else."

The first round is Friday (7 to 10 p.m., Versus). The remainder of the draft (rounds 2 through 7) is Saturday.

As always, Nill said the Red Wings will take the best available player (forward or defenseman, not a goaltender) with their first pick.

He said they will select a defenseman with at least one of their top two selections (Detroit picks 60th in the second round).

"You can never have enough defensemen," Nill said.

Jakub Kindl, Sergei Kolosov, Logan Pyett and Brian Lashoff are their top defense prospects in Grand Rapids (AHL). Brendan Smith, the Red Wings' first-round pick in 2007 who is playing at Wisconsin, is one of the top prospects in the organization.

Eric Gelinas and Dylan Olsen are among the defensemen who might be available for the Red Wings at the 29th pick.

Gelinas (Lewiston, Quebec Major Junior League) is a big, physical player (6-foot-4, 185) with good puck skills. Olsen (Camrose, Alberta Junior B League) also has good size (6-2, 206) and skills.

If the Red Wings opt for a forward, Swedish junior Carl Klingberg is a strong possibility. Klingberg (6-3, 205) has been compared to Tomas Holmstrom because of his strong play around the net and work ethic.

Others who might be available at No. 29 include centers Peter Holland of Guelph and Chris Kreider of Phillips-Andover Academy (Mass.) High School.

The playoffs showed how deep the Red Wings are at forward, as Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader and Ville Leino contributed to different degrees. Abdelkader will start next season in Grand Rapids, where the team has several other promising forward prospects, including Mattias Ritola, Cory Emmerton, Jan Mursak and Francis Pare.

They will be joined there next season by Dick Axelsson and Johan Ryno, who will return to Grand Rapids after returning to Sweden midway through the 2007-08 season.

Joakim Andersson will spend another season in Sweden before coming to North America.

Nill said selecting a goaltender is not a priority because the Red Wings have three in their system -- Daniel Larsson and Thomas McCollum, the 2008 top pick who will begin his pro career in Grand Rapids next season, and free agent Jordan Pearce.

Jimmy Howard, who is out of minor-league options, will serve as Chris Osgood's backup, unless veteran Ty Conklin is re-signed.

The Red Wings have six picks, missing only their fourth-round selection, which, along with their second-round pick in 2008, was dealt to Los Angeles for defenseman Brad Stuart.

Nill doesn't anticipate moving up in the first round because Detroit is reluctant to part with assets. He didn't rule out trading down for an extra pick, like the organization did in 2006.

This draft is being compared to the landmark 2003 draft that produced such talent as Marc-Andre Fleury (top overall pick by Pittsburgh), Eric Staal, Thomas Vanek, Dion Phaneuf, Zach Parise, Ryan Getzlaf, Mike Richards and Corey Perry.

Regardless of who the Red Wings pick, it will be three to five years before that player winds up in Detroit.

The prospect mentioned in the article above that I think Detroit will not pass on if he becomes available is centremen Peter Holland (Guelph - OHL). He has fantastic skill and can play effectively at both ends of the ice, a staple of this current Red Wings regime. His style of play is reminiscent of Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks. Unfortunately, it would not surprise if he is not avaiable when they come up to the podium with the next to last selection of the evening.

Carl Klingberg (Sweden) has been mentioned by many as a possible Red Wing selection due to his similarities to Tomas Holmstrom. Truth be told, I think the Red Wings require more skill than grit in their system of prospects as it currently stands. However, the report from International Scouting Services seems to peg him as a much more talented form of Holmstrom.

"Klingberg is a very talented playmaking winger who can also play center. He has great touch with the puck and is particularly strong on the PP. A very fluid and powerful skater, he is constantly in motion and understands the offensive zone very well, especially away from the puck. He always seems to get open at the right times and is not afraid to get to the net to make a play and with his great 6'3” 205lbs frame, he is very hard to contain inside the slot. Can really take over the offensive zone. Showed ability, skill and speed to beat defender wide and then cut back to the net. Displayed a good shot with quick release. Big player who skates well, plays physical, and is willing to go to those tough areas to score.

Although the Wings have some high-end prospects on the blueline such as Jonathan Ericsson, Jakub Kindl and Brendan Smith, the Wings appear to be looking for some depth to add to this stable of defensive prospects. As Nill mentions above, you can never have too many rearguards.

A couple of guys to look out for that the Wings may have serious consideration for following the first round are two defensive rearguards with solid top-4 potential; Matt Clark (Brampton - OHL) and Jesse Blacker (Windsor - OHL).

Here are the scouting reports on Clark (6'3", 205) and Blacker (6'1", 190):

"Clark is a steady d-man who generally plays a simple, safe game. Good sized defensive d-man who plays with a physical presence. Although his offensive output will never be very high, he certainly has the tools to become a steady defender that understands his limitations and plays to his strengths. Moves the puck up ice quickly and effectively with good first pass. Shows good anticipation of the play and finishes a lot of checks - plays physical in his own end without running around."

"Jesse’s improvement from his rookie year to this year was huge. His skating is his biggest asset; he’s able to get himself out of trouble with his feet. He is learning how to be more physical as the year goes on and his confidence is growing rapidly. He has good size right now as he stands 6'1 and still growing. He has a very good stick in his own end for a young defenseman."

Clark could be a consideration for the Wings if available at #58.....whereas Blacker would be a very solid selection for Detroit with their third round pick. Having attended the OHL Championship Series in Windsor where Detroit's top brass were in attendance to scout this year's draft crop in addition to last year's first round pick, Thomas McCollum. Prior to Game 1, I overheard the Red Wings management discussing several players including Clark, Blacker, and Eric Wellwood.

Wellwood (5'11", 180) is an interesting case as he was passed over in last year's draft. However, he had a fantastic second half of the season with the Windsor Spitfires and was a revelation in the playoffs scoring 21 points in 20 games. Blessed with fantastic speed, Eric does not possess the natural offensive abilities of his brother Kyle. However, he does have the ability to play at the next level due to his speed and work ethic and if the Red Wings were to pick him, could develop into another version of Darren Helm as a mid to late round selection.

As always however, let's not forget about the fact we are talking about the Detroit Red Wings. Hakan Andersson is the super-scout overseas who is notorious for plucking unknown European prospects who blossom into NHL stars. With six selections during the seven-round draft, you can be sure there will be at least 1 or 2 European selections made by the Wings looking to reinforce Andersson's legendary status in Motown.

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