Month: July 2021

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan noted that Cale Mazur, who the Red Wings picked 70th overall, is a Jackson, MI native who’s played for Kris Draper with the 2002-born Little Caesars team. The incoming Denver University freshman is going to be roommates with Shai Buium, and the two are attending this week’s World Junior Summer Showcase together:

The Mazur family were at a sports bar when the pick was announced.

“We were watching and I look up and saw my name and I look over and my mom was crying and my dad, and my grandpa was there and he was crying, and just being drafted by your hometown team, especially growing up and playing at Little Caesars Arena, it’s just unbelievable for sure,” Mazur said.

Mazur was coached by Kris Draper, former Wings’ star and current director of amateur scouting, while in the Little Caesars program.

“It’s crazy that it comes full circle,” Mazur said. “He was my coach and now he’s drafting me and it’s surreal. I can’t just put it into words. It’s awesome I’m part of what he’s trying to build in Detroit.”

Continued

Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman:

DET trades 102 to LV for 114 and 155— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 24, 2021

? TRADE ALERT ?#DRWDraft x #LGRW pic.twitter.com/kJycryjyTk— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 24, 2021

The Red Wings posted a Zoom media call in which Jackson, MI native and Little Caesars Hockey alumnus Carter Mazur spoke with the media after being selected 70th overall by the Wings:

Also:

Dreams come true. Read this from ⁦@Carter_Mazur⁩, age 8. Now the Michigan native is the newest ⁦@DetroitRedWings⁩ @NHL Draft pick. (Photo courtesy: Mazur Family.) ⁦@NHLNetwork⁩ ⁦⁩ pic.twitter.com/PDyvtfpamT— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 24, 2021

#RedWings third-round pick Carter Mazur, right-shot winger from Jackson, will be roommates at University of Denver with second-round pick Shai Buium. Mazur played for Kris Draper in Little Caesars program and is a big Darren Helm fan, once getting an autographed stick.— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) July 24, 2021

The World Junior Summer Showcase is being held in Plymouth, Michigan this weekend and upcoming week, with Team USA White and Team USA Blue facing off against each other and teams from Finland and Sweden.

The event will include many of the NHL draft picks from the 2021 and 2022 drafts, as well as 2023 draft prospects, and Red Wings prospects Eemil Viro (Finland), William Wallinder, Theodor Niederbach (Sweden), Shai Buium, Carter Mazur and Cross Hanas (USA) will all be taking part:

Not to push the Plymouth showcase too hard here, but today’s Red Wings’ picks Shai Buium and Carter Mazur also slated to be on the USA Blue roster along with 2020 Red Wings pick Cross Hanas. DET will be well-represented at the showcase— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) July 24, 2021

The draft’s going long today, so I won’t be able to attend Finland vs. Sweden at 5 PM EDT today, but I’ll attend the balance of the WJSS.

With the 70th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, the Red Wings picked Carter Mazur:

Red Wings select LW Carter Mazur at #70. Profile: https://t.co/zj3hNRH54L— Red Wings Prospects (@DRWProspects) July 24, 2021

Red Wings pick USHL LW Carter Mazur — local kid and another Denver commit. 44 points in 47 games this year with Tri-City. Right-hand shot— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) July 24, 2021

Welcome to the @DetroitRedWings @Carter_Mazur— Sarah Lindenau (@Lindy72) July 24, 2021

At No. 70, Red Wings select their first forward in the 2021 #NHLDraft, picking Carter Mazur. A right-shot winger who collected 44 points in 47 games last season with Tri-City Storm in USHL.— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) July 24, 2021

Oh NOW the Wings pick a kid from Ceasars?!— Michael Petrella (@mpetrella) July 24, 2021

Another pick to like from the Detroit Red Wings: Carter Mazur is a second-year eligible whose game really took off this year. I think he made Tri-City better with his pace and work ethic. Headed to Denver also. Lots of Pios on Day 2. Had him No. 75, which was high for public list— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) July 24, 2021

Wings go a bit off the board (if that’s even technically possible at this point) and go Carter Mazur. 19-year-old Denver commit had 44 points in 47 games with the Tri-City storm last season #LGRW— nolan bianchi (@nolanbianchi) July 24, 2021

Carter Mazur – Men’s Ice Hockey – University of Denver Athletics #drwdraft https://t.co/mvdT8KIOsM— Sarah Lindenau (@Lindy72) July 24, 2021

Continue reading Red Wings draft Carter Mazur 70th overall

The Red Wings traded up to pick Shai Buium with the 36th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, and Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen took note of Buium’s unique NHL roots as the son of Israeli immigrants in San Diego, California:

His mother, Miri, was a professional basketball player and his father was in the Israeli military. Shai was six when he asked his mother  whether he could play hockey.

“I fell in love with the game, and asked my mom if I could play a couple of times,” Shai said. “Eventually she said ‘yes’ just to try it out. Thankfully, she let me

What was her reservation? “It’s expensive in California,” Shai said. “It was a luxury..she never really told me.”

Buium played for the Los Angeles Junior Kings program for going to Shattuck St. Mary’s. “Growing up Detroit was my favorite team when (Nick) Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk was there,” Buium said.   “This is like a dream come true to be drafted by the Detroit Red Wings.

Continued; Here’s more from the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan:

Continue reading Kevin Allen: Buium grew up in San Diego, CA as a Wings fan

The Red Wings traded up to pick defenseman Shai Buium 36th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, and Buium spoke with the media via Zoom after his selection:

Update: Buium also appeared on the NHL Network:

The Red Wings made a trade to kick off the second round of the NHL Draft…

? TRADE ALERT ?#DRWDraft x #LGRW pic.twitter.com/57UAm7w6LF— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 24, 2021

And Detroit gave up picks 38 and 128 to select Shai Buium 36th overall:

Great pick by Detroit. The Red Wings get Shai Buium, one of my favorite players in the @NHL Draft. @NHLNetwork— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 24, 2021

Red Wings pick Shai Buium from Sioux City (USHL) another big, mobile LHD — headed to University of Denver where he’ll play on the same blue line as Antti Tuomisto— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) July 24, 2021

https://t.co/9HHTHlci3R #DRWDraft— Sarah Lindenau (@Lindy72) July 24, 2021

#RedWings take D Shai Buium at 36. 6-3, 209, shoots left.— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) July 24, 2021

Welcome to the #redwings @shai_buium— Sarah Lindenau (@Lindy72) July 24, 2021

https://t.co/acmNbSxnF9 #DRWDraft— Sarah Lindenau (@Lindy72) July 24, 2021

Detroit still making excellent moves early on Day 2 – Shai Buium has a ton of potential on the blueline: great skater, lots of size and offensive awareness— Ryan Kennedy (@THNRyanKennedy) July 24, 2021

Continue reading Red Wings pick Shai Buium 36th overall

The Detroit Red Wings have six more draft picks with which to add to their stable of prospects on Day 2 of the NHL Draft…

Day 2 of the NHL Draft begins in 35 minutes. As of now, Red Wings have six picks remaining

2nd round – 38
3rd round – 70
4th round – 102
4th round – 128
5th round – 134
6th round – 166— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) July 24, 2021

And Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff spoke with Red Wings director of amateur scouting Kris Draper regarding the unpredictability inherent during the draft’s second day:

“For the most part, we’ve seen the majority of the players but there’s certainly some players that we have to rely on our area scouts and the belief that they have in the prospects on some of the names that are going to be called,” Draper said. “We have a body of work on them for sure. Is it as much as a normal draft? Absolutely not.

“Especially some of the Ontario players. They didn’t play nearly as much. Even going to the Western Hockey League, some only played 25 games.”

Scouts will be required in some instances to rely upon reports filed on players from their underage seasons. Draper admitted that many of those players have undergone significant physical changes over the past year.

“Obviously on some of them you have to go back on video to watch how they played last year,” Draper said. “I’ve got to be honest. There’s some prospects we talked to that didn’t play this year that put on anywhere from 16 to 22 to 23 pounds. All they’ve done is train. They’ve been home, they’re eating properly, they’re getting to the gym.

“It’s intriguing when you start talking to these prospects. You see how they were in their underage year as 16-year-old players. Now all of a sudden they’re 18, putting on that much weight and getting that much stronger.”

Duff continues…

Of Red Wings draft-related note this morning:

1. The Free Press’s Helene St. James penned an article about the Wings’ decision to draft Simon Edvinsson with the 6th overall pick…

Simon Edvinsson checked the box for best prospect available Friday when the Wings made their selection at No. 6, after defensemen Owen Power and Luke Hughes and centers Matty Beniers, Mason McTavish and Kent Johnson were off the board. Edvinsson is a 6-feet-4, skilled, mobile, physical Swede who the Wings see as a player that can help move the rebuild forward.

“He’s a big, rangy D that can really skate,” Yzerman said. “He’s got good puck skills. We just see his potential to be a defenseman that can log a lot of minutes, a left shot defenseman that can log a lot of minutes and be a solid defender that can add some offense to the game as well. We like his skating ability, his size and his reach.”

Edvinsson, 18, boosts a defense corps prospect that is headlined by 6-4 Moritz Seider, Yzerman’s top pick in the 2019 draft. Seider is poised to join the Wings this fall; Edvinsson is most likely going to stay in Sweden and play for Frölunda, but at some point the hope is the two will be towering powerhouses on Detroit’s blue line.

“Once you are a solid defensive hockey team, you’re going to be competitive and you can win a lot of nights,” Yzerman said. “Over time, we’ll be able to add to the offense.”

2. St. James also wrote an article about the team’s 15th overall draft pick, goaltender Sebastian Cossa…

Continue reading Morning round-up: 8 articles summarizing the Detroit’s first two picks of the 2021 draft