Of draft-related note this morning:
1. MLive’s Ansar Khan has spent the past few days compiling profiles of probable Wings draft targets, including Evan Bouchard, Jesperi Kotaniemi, Noah Dobson, Brady Tkachuk and Adam Boqvist; I would imagine that Quinn Hughes’ profile will hit the wires tomorrow, but MLive’s Ryan Zuke has already penned a profile of Hughes…
2. In the “mock draft” department, ESPN’s Chris Peters has the Wings picking Hughes 6th overall in his Insider-only mock draft…
6. Detroit Red Wings: Quinn Hughes, D, Michigan (Big Ten)
Draft board ranking: No. 5
The Red Wings are expected to grab a defenseman, assuming none of the top forwards listed above drops to them. There’s not a lot of separation among the top four blueliners, and opinions on them vary greatly. That said, Hughes has game-breaking potential and offers the Wings a unique blueliner to bolster their offense. Head coach Jeff Blashill spent three weeks coaching Hughes at the World Championship and let the youngster be himself. It could be a very good match, though I’d expect Detroit also will take long looks at Noah Dobson and Evan Bouchard.
And Peters sees the Wings picking the younger of the McLeod brothers with their second pick:
30. Detroit Red Wings (via VGS): Ryan McLeod, C, Mississauga (OHL)
Draft board ranking: No. 30
An explosive skater with size, McLeod would be a nice selection in this range for the Red Wings. I also could see him fitting with any of the three preceding teams. He had 70 points this season with Mississauga, and he should have an even bigger role with the club next year. I think there’s some debate about McLeod’s overall upside, but he has great size, and that skating should carry him a long way.
Peters continues (paywall)…
3. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman believes that the Wings will pick Bouchard at #6…
6. Detroit: Evan Bouchard, D, London-OHL: The rumors for months have been that the Wings are focusing in on Bouchard. The last month or so I had heard their target had turned to Hughes, so I could see him be the pick if he gets to No. 6. Barring that, I think the puck-moving blueliner from London with the big shot will be their pick.
And Pronman believes that the Wings will pick a European “slider” with their second first-round pick:
30. Detroit: Isac Lundestrom, C, Lulea-SHL: I could see Lundestrom sliding due to a lack of perceived high-end upside among NHL scouts I’ve talked to. I don’t know if he gets outside the first round, and he has enough impact potential to intrigue the Wings at No. 31. I could also see Jesse Ylonen or Jonatan Berggen as the picks here as the Wings look for impact players for a system that needs more of them.
Pronman also continues (subscription)…
