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2013 Draft Class. Holland Extended |
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This morning the team announced GM Ken Holland's contract extension:
DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings announced today that the team has signed executive vice president and general manager Ken Holland to a new four-year contract that will keep him with the organization through the 2017-18 season.
“Ken is regarded as one of the premier executives in the National Hockey League and has been instrumental in the success of the Red Wings over the last two decades,” Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch said. “Marian and I are extremely pleased that he will continue to lead our hockey club over the next four years. We feel strongly that stability is key to the success of any organization and having this new agreement in place with Ken is important to the organization and its future.”
Make sure to follow Mark on Twitter!
The final part of our Red Wings draft update looks at the status and progress of the 2013 draft class. The early prognosis is definitely favorable, in particular if the top selection
(Anthony Mantha can live up to the high expectations following his most recent dominant campaign in his junior league.
Once again, we rely on
Red Wings Central for some thoughts on the prospects from this draft year.
Anthony Mantha (1st round, 20th overall)
The Red Wings went for a home run with Mantha and might have hit it out of the park. He tore apart the QMJHL from start to finish in 2013-14 and dominated the IIHF world junior championship to establish himself as one of the most lethal goal-scorers outside of the NHL. Although he needs to shore up his defensive play, Mantha has put himself in the mix for an NHL roster spot in 2014-15. If he doesn’t make the cut — and it will be close — he’ll play in the AHL with Grand Rapids. ---RedWingsCentral.com
Zach Nastasiuk (2nd round, 48th overall)
Nastasiuk made good progress in 2013-14, upping his offensive production as a young 18-year-old captain of Owen Sound. Already signed to a three-year entry-level contract, Nastasiuk will return to the OHL in 2014-15 and work toward earning a spot with Team Canada at the 2015 IIHF world junior championship. He projects as a hard-nosed defensive winger at the NHL level. ---RedWingsCentral.com
Tyler Bertuzzi (2nd round, 58th overall)
Although the Red Wings took Bertuzzi much earlier than he was ranked, they love how he fills his role as an aggravating, energizing winger. Plagued by an alarming head/neck injury for parts of the past two seasons, Bertuzzi needs to show he can put that behind him without sacrificing the hard physical style that makes him an NHL prospect. He did that with a breakthrough, eye-catching performance at the 2014 Memorial Cup, and needs to do more of the same when he returns to Guelph in 2014-15. He’s a lock to be signed to an entry-level contract and will turn pro the following season. ---RedWingsCentral.com
Mattias Janmark (3rd round, 79th overall)
Janmark looked on the verge of a breakout season in 2013-14 before battling injuries and struggling in the second half. With AIK relegated to Sweden’s second level, Janmark was a sought after SHL free agent in the spring of 2014 and eventually signed with Frolunda for the 2014-15 season. He has been compared to Gustav Nyquist by Red Wings super scout Hakan Andersson and projects as a scoring-line center/winger at the NHL level if he continues to develop. ---RedWingsCentral.com
David Pope (4th round, 109th overall)
Pope is a long-term project who has good offensive skills and goal-scoring ability. He has potential as a scorer but could also turn into a third-line type if he doesn’t develop as hoped offensively. After a productive final season in the BCHL in West Kelowna, Pope is headed to the NCAA at Nebraska-Omaha in 2014-15. The Red Wings don’t have to sign him until 2018. ---RedWingsCentral.com
Mitch Wheaton (5th round, 139th overall)
The Red Wings love Wheaton’s combination of size and smarts and hope he’ll develop into a stay-at-home defenseman if he puts on muscle and improves his mobility. He’ll return to Kelowna of the WHL in 2014-15 and has one more season to prove he’s worthy of an NHL contract. ---RedWingsCentral.com
Marc McNulty (6th round, 169th overall)
When a rangy 6-foot-6 defenseman is as mobile and skilled as McNulty, there’s a lot to be excited about. But he was also still available in the sixth round for a reason, and he is still learning how to play with intensity and urgency every shift, every game. Watch for McNulty to emerge as one of the WHL’s top defensemen in 2014-15 as he makes a push to earn a three-year entry-level contract with the Red Wings by the June 1, 2015, deadline. He projects as a two-way defenseman at the NHL level. ---RedWingsCentral.com
Hampus Melen (7th round, 199th overall)
Melen is a skilled forward who has never played at a high level and he suffered a big setback early in the 2013-14 when he was diagnosed with an acute respiratory disease. The Red Wings have three more years to monitor his progress and sign him. He’s expected to join Vaxjo at the J-20 SuperElit level in 2014-15 and will look to get healthy and bounce back. ---RedWingsCentral.com
OVERVIEW: Once again, the early signals appear to be that the Wings have a few players in this group that will wear the Winged Wheel for Detroit one day. Mantha is in a class by himself, but the Wings seem very excited about Janmark’s potential. Both Nastasiuk and Bertuzzi appear to have solid potential as gritty, in your face wingers. Throw in a couple of projects in Pope and McNulty and this class could really deliver the goods when examined once again in five years time.
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