Per MLive’s Ansar Khan (and great work by the Winged Wheel Podcast’s Ryan Hana yesterday):
Tyler Wright has been let go as director of amateur scouting for the Detroit Red Wings as part of a significant purge of their scouting staff under general manager Steve Yzerman, a source confirmed to M-Live.Wright, 46, had held the position since 2013.
Kris Draper is expected to be named the team’s director of amateur scouting. Draper had been serving as assistant to the general manager.
Wright is expected to join former Red Wings general manager Ken Holland with the Edmonton Oilers.
The Red Wings couldn’t be reached for comment.
Jeff Finley, chief amateur scout, and amateur scout Andrew Dickson also have been released.
Long-time pro scout Glenn Merkosky has retired. Fellow pro scout Archie Henderson is expected to join the Oilers.
And Sportsnet’s Mark Spector…
Changes coming to Edmonton Oilers scouting staff.
Former DET Dir. of Amateur Scouting Tyler Wright will join EDM staff, as will pro scout Archie Henderson.
Former DET scout Jeff Finley will not join GM Ken Holland in EDM.— Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) July 11, 2019
Update: Hockeybuzz’s Bob Duff confirms:
On July 1, when Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman was asked if he planned any changes in the club’s hockey operations department, his answer was short and to the point.
“No I don’t,” Yzerman said.
Then he gutted the team’s scouting department.
Out of a job in Detroit is director of amateur scouting Tyler Wright, who oversaw last month’s NHL entry draft, as well as chief amateur scout Jeff Finley, amateur scout Andrew Dickson and pro scouts Glenn Merkosky and Archie Henderson.
A team source indicated that Merkosky, 59, had decided to retire. A former Wings player and coach of the AHL farm club when it was the Adirondack Red Wings, Merkosky had been a scout with the club for 21 years and part of the organization for 28 seasons.
Henderson, 62, a former NHL player as well, joined the Wings scouting staff in 2015.
Pro scouts Mark Howe, Bruce Haralson and Kirk Maltby were retained, as were North American amateur scouts Kelly Harper, Mark Mullen, Marty Stein and Ross Yates. Detroit’s entire European scouting staff – director Hakan Andersson, Vladimir Havluj, Nikolai Vakourov and Antonin Routa – all remain on staff.
Update #2: The Free Press’s Helene St. James also confirms:
New general manager Steve Yzerman has shaken up his scouting staff.
While there has been no official word from Yzerman or the Detroit Red Wings organization, the team’s home page no longer lists Tyler Wright, Jeff Findlay or Andrew Dickson among team employees. Those were the three men primarily in charge of running the amateur draft under former general manager Ken Holland. They were at the draft table when the Wings shook up the first round of the 2019 draft in June by selecting German defenseman Moritz Seider at sixth overall. The final call, , of course, belonged to Yzerman.
A source familiar with the situation who did not wish to be quoted said Wright will join Holland with the Edmonton Oilers. So will pro scout Archie Henderson, who also worked under Holland in Detroit. No other Wings personnel is headed to Edmonton.
Holland was named general manager of the Oilers on May 7, less than three weeks after Yzerman was named GM of the Wings.
One of Yzerman’s first shakeups was to bring in Pat Verbeek, Yzerman’s right-hand man while he was GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Yzerman said during a June 13 meeting with reporters more changes could be coming to his staff.
Hakan Andersson remains chief of European scouting, and Mark Howe remains director of pro scouting.
Update #3:
Can confirm that Tyler Wright, Jeff Finley and Andrew Dickson are all no longer with Detroit’s amateur scouting staff. Glenn Merkosky and Archie Henderson (on the pro-side) also moving on as reported.— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) July 11, 2019
