The NHL Draft Lottery turned out similar a lot of things have been going for the Detroit Red Wings in the past few years.
It simply didn’t go their way.
For the second straight lottery, the Wings actually moved in the wrong direction, dropping from fourth overall to sixth. That’s where Detroit picked last season, landing right-winger Filip Zadina from the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads.
So who might the Wings get at No. 6? Well, if they want a center, there should be plenty of them available, such as Kirby Dach of Saskatoon (WHL), Alex Turcotte or Trevor Zegras from the USNTDP U18s, or perhaps Dylan Cozens of Lethbridge (WHL).
There are also lots of scoring wingers around at that pick, but with Anthony Mantha and Zadina already on board, this is not an area of priority. Defense most certainly is, but unlike last spring, when the Wings opted to leave Quinn Hughes, Adam Boqvist and Evan Bouchard on the board to grab Zadina, there simply aren’t the type of mobile, puck-moving rearguard that Detroit so desperately needs available at No. 6. Perhaps there’s a chance at Bowen Byram from Vancouver (WHL), but Byram seems to be trending in the opposite direction and is likely to be gone before the Wings even get to make a pick.
Back To The Farm
The Wings out of the playoffs for a third successive spring, but many of their top prospects are prepping for some postseason action.
The Wings assigned forwards Christoffer Ehn, Martin Frk, Matt Puempel and Dominic Turgeon and defensemen Jake Chelios, Joe Hicketts, Filip Hronek and Dylan McIlrath to the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Goalie Kaden Fulcher was assigned to East Coast Hockey League’s Toledo Walleye.
His late-season recall was the second taste of NHL life for Hicketts this season and he felt that his season has proven to be a success story.
“Yeah, definitely happy with this year,” Hicketts said. “I’ve had lots of opportunity and at the end of the day, I think that’s all a player can ask for. Once you get an opportunity, it’s up to you to take full advantage of it.
“I played well down there,’ Hicketts said of Grand Rapids. “I’ve done a really good job on the penalty kill. I thought I’ve taken strides there. Both special teams, to be honest. My decision-making, I’m making little plays to the middle that I may not have, two years ago especially, maybe even last year. I think I’ve really gotten used to the pace of play there and knowing what I can and what I can’t do in regards to managing the puck.”
Wings coach Jeff Blashill was blunt in his assessment of what it’s going to take for Hicketts to be an NHL regular.
“It’s not being erratic, not making big mistakes,” Blashill said. “It’s a hard balance for Joe because he’s a gamer. He wants to go make plays. He wants to make things happen. You want to be able to do those things without making the big mistakes and causing the big chances against. I think that’s the biggest thing.
“If he can play his game without making those big mistakes, then he’s a real effective hockey player.”
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