I am a little wary of posting this as the Wings website’s personnel listings can be wonky, but the Winged Wheel Podcast’s Ryan Hana noted some significant changes made to the Wings’ hockey operations webpage:
Tyler Wright, Director of Amateur Scouting, is no longer listed on the Detroit Red Wings official Hockey Operations page. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/mdQIYaPiQd— Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) July 10, 2019
Jeff Finley (Chief Amateur Scout), Andrew Dickson (Amateur Scout), Glenn Merkosky (Pro Scout), Archie Henderson (Pro Scout) are all also no longer listed. #LGRW— Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) July 10, 2019
Wright, Finley and Dickson worked as a unit and all hail from the Vernon, BC area, which is Ken Holland’s home. The Oilers’ website still lists Edmonton’s normal staff, and the Lightning’s website still lists Al Murray as their chief of amateur scouting, so you may discuss this among yourselves.
My best guess? I would assume that the Red Wings let the contracts of Wright, Finley and Dickson expire on July 1st, and that Henderson and Merkosky followed Holland to Edmonton.
If I may put it bluntly, Wright’s staff landed some very solid second-and-later-round picks, but their first-round drafting was…sketchy.
Where do they go from here? Pat Verbeek and Ryan Martin (who runs the Griffins) are assistant GM’s and Kris Draper remains a special assistant to the GM, so there’s enough talent to go around, assuming that Steve Yzerman doesn’t want to bring in his own staff.
Tyler Wright is awful. ANother smart move by Yzerman to send him packing. Larkin fell in his lap in 2014. The rest of that draft was a disappointment. Ehn’s a 4th line replacement level player, although Arvidsson went a few picks later and would have been scouted at the same time as Ehn. Don’t forget that they were in love with Sadowy who went to San Jose and I’m sure Wright lobbied to waste a 3rd on him when he was later on the trade block.
2015 was a total bust. Even before Svech got hurt there were big question marks.
2016 was Cholowski. I’m not impressed. Givani Smith was a bust, especially with another d-man Sam Girard sitting there. He went one pick later to Nashville who seem to know how to pick d-men.
2017 was the worst draft in franchise history in my opinion. Again, we’re desperate for a top pair d-man and you have Brannstrom on the board but we take Rasmussen to be a 3rd line winger.
2018 you pick Zadina over Hughes? Did we need another European winger? Pick the 1D!!!
Good riddance!!!!
No Surprise here. Prior to the Draft someone stated The Wings would be replacing some or most of their scouting Staff, After the draft. I doubt he was fired but who knows. He will show up on the Oilers website. Did they take Blasshill, also? Package deal, LOL
I will stick up for Cholo, right out of CHL, I think. He will be fine. Hope Andersson stays for Europe. Yzerman said a team is lucky to get 2 players that make it to the NHL.
Isn’t Sadowy 25 yrs old, he will be too old soon.