The Detroit News’s astute John Niyo posted a column discussing the Red Wings’ takes on 8th overall draft pick Marco Kasper, who Wings GM Steve Yzerman and director of amateur scouting Kris Draper believe has a high ceiling as a two-way center with moxie:
“We think he has underrated skill and we think he has the ability to play in our top six one day,” Yzerman said. “I can’t tell you if it’s next year or the year after, but we have high hopes for him.”
They have a huge need as well, and it’s one that Kasper seems ideally suited to fill in Detroit, where the search for a No. 2 center behind Dylan Larkin remains a top priority.
Kasper’s a do-it-all, two-way forward with a competitive nature that’s almost unmatched in this draft class. Kris Draper, the Wings’ amateur scouting director, described Kasper’s work ethic and compete level as “off the charts.” And at 6-foot-1 and a solid 185 pounds, he plays the game with a persistent tenacity and an aggressive style that should translate well to the smaller NHL rinks.
“I hope so, and I think so, too,” Kasper told reporters in Montreal.
Don’t sleep on the rest of his game, though. Yzerman’s reference to Kasper’s “underrated skill” on the ESPN broadcast sounded a bit intentional Thursday. And when asked about it later, he explained what he meant.
“He’s not super-flashy with backhand toe-drags and all that stuff,” Yzerman said. “He just kind of makes the right play. He can make a pass, he’s got a good shot, he can carry the puck up the ice. He’s not flashy. He’s very efficient.”
Continued (paywall);
Update: The character references continue, per MLive’s Ansar Khan:
“Saw him in the (SHL) playoffs; it was an incredible atmosphere in Farjestad and to me he was one of the best players on the ice as a 17-year-old kid,” Draper said. “He seemed to embrace that moment. As the games got bigger, he got better. Talking to Rogle’s coach and general manager, they were very complimentary of how he responded in any situation. For a 17-year-old that started on the fourth line, next thing you know he’s on the power play and getting some minutes. He wanted to get better, and he did get better.
“Just the intensity that he plays with and his compete and work ethic is off the charts. Very good skater. We really like his skill-set, his size. All those things that we’re looking for at pick 8, he checked all the boxes for us. You got a little nervous that he might not be there at 8.”
Kasper was Moritz Seider’s teammate at Rogle for part of the 2020-21 season. Nicklas Lidstrom and Niklas Kronwall provided good reports on him.
“He committed to Rogle and before he showed up in Sweden, he learned the Swedish language,” Draper said. “So that obviously shows you the type of kid we drafted. Pretty impressive. We’re excited. The combine interview went well, the fitness testing went well.”
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Kasper will be in Detroit for the first time next week during development camp at Little Caesars Arena. He is under contract with Rogle for 2022-23 but Yzerman said it hasn’t been determined if he’ll play in Sweden next season.
“I got to spend 20 minutes with him, so he made a good first impression on me,” Yzerman said. “Kris has tremendous character references. Our staff got to know him very well over the course of the season. Our impression is he’s an extremely driven young man, very focused on being an NHL player and very mature for the age of 18.”
