Of NHL draft-related note this evening:
- DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji took note of the comments made by top prospects on yesterday’s NHL-hosted Zoom call as they regarded the youngsters’ interactions with the Red Wings’ staff:
Late Thursday afternoon, the NHL had a Zoom call with some of the top prospects who will be available in the upcoming 2020 NHL Entry Draft, including forwards Alexis Lafrenière, Quinton Byfield, Tim Stützle, Marco Rossi, Cole Perfetti and Jack Quinn, plus defensemen Jamie Drysdale and Jake Sanderson.
Perfetti, who had 37 goals and 74 assists in 61 games with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit this past season, said he has spoken to the Wings a couple of times but said Yzerman did more listening than talking.
“With Mr. Yzerman, it’s been limited,” Perfetti said. “He’s been on the calls but for the most part he’s had his camera off and has been very quiet, just kind of listening. He didn’t really ask anything too much. It was mainly Kris Draper (director of amateur scouting) who was running the calls and he was leading it and asking most of the questions. Yzerman, he wasn’t saying too much, he was kind of just sitting back with his screen off and I think taking notes and listening to what I had to say.”
2. MLive’s Ansar Khan profiled fellow draft prospect Marco Rossi…
Every hockey player whose parents made sacrifices so they could pursue their dream can appreciate what Marco Rossi’s dad did for him as a youth in Austria.
“They sacrificed so much for me, my whole family, especially my dad,” Rossi said. “I got up in the morning at 6, my dad got up at 5. I had to go to school, my dad had to go to work. He picked me up at school at 4 p.m. We drove (to the rink), it was one hour, 30 minutes away and then we came home after practice at midnight. I was really hungry, so he had to cook for me something. Then the next day again. We did that for four years.
“My dad lost two jobs during that time. It was really tough for my whole family, especially for my dad. Everything he did for me, I wouldn’t be here, without my family.”
3. And the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted an article discussing 5 possible Wings draft targets:
Why the Wings should draft [Yaroslav] Askarov: Look, teams don’t generally draft goalies so high in the first round, but Yzerman does have a history of doing it.
Granted, 19th overall isn’t fourth, but Yzerman did draft goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy in 2012 and Vasilevskiy has become an annual Vezina Trophy contender.
Scouts generally feel Askarov, also from Russia, is a similar talent. Playing in the KHL currently, Askarov has a 0.74 GAA, .974 save percentage and one shutout in three games as an 18-year-old goalie in a men’s league.
Drafting Askarov would be a bold move. But the Wings, like every other position group, need to add talent — they really lack in the goaltending department in terms of genuine prospects — and if Askarov can reach his potential, the organization would be set in net for many years.
