The Free Press’s Helene St. James discusses the Red Wings’ 2023 NHL Draft haul this morning, framing the Wings’ 11-player crop as viewed by GM Steve Yzerman and director of amateur scouting Kris Draper.
As I tend to tell people, the reason that the Red Wings stick with their list of players that the team’s amateur scouting staff wants to pick as opposed to the more well-known players at the draft, and that’s why their drafts are so…Unique:
Steve Yzerman looked relieved and sounded hopeful as he prepared to head back to Detroit. He had just wrapped up his fifth NHL draft as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, adding four forwards, five defensemen and two goaltenders to the farm system. A busy week now shifts to Saturday’s start of free agency, but at least all the work leading up to the draft is in the books.
“We added to the prospect pool and hope some of them turn into players,” Yzerman said Thursday. “Once you get your list in order, you just kind of OK, let’s not overthink this. It’s much like as a player before a big game, you’re all nervous. Once the puck drops, you just play and you feel good. That’s the way it is here. Get a bit of a breather and get back to Detroit and get ready for the first [of July] and see what we do.”
The biggest picks were made Wednesday, when the Wings took center Nate Danielson at No. 9 and defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka at No. 17. On Day 2, the Wings used their draft capital to add players at every position.
“We added four defensemen and generally all of them were on the bigger size,” Yzerman said. “We like them as prospects. It’s nice that they’re big and if they can play, that’s even better.”
Continued (paywall) with player profiles…
