The Hockey News’s Tony Ferrari posts a set of his preferred draft picks for a theoretical Detroit Red Wings team every year, and only one pick matched up with the Red Wings’ real-world selections:
Round 3, Pick 75: Michal Svrcek, C/W
Detroit selected Michael Pradel, G
Every draft, there is one guy I really want to get with a mid-round pick that I have a tough time waiting on because I value them much higher than the consensus. This year, it was Svrcek.
Coincidentally, I could have gotten him a bit later when the Red Wings actually selected him 119th overall, but I wasn’t willing to risk him being taken at this point. I had already grabbed [Victor] Eklund and [Eric] Nilson, who I valued as top 20 players in the class, so taking a moderate risk with Svrcek made a ton of sense.
His motor, speed and offensive creation for himself and his teammates are impressive. He may not have blown the doors off at the World Men’s Under-18s for Slovakia, but he was always keeping up to the bigger nations and consistently found ways to make things happen, even if he wasn’t rewarded. Svrcek has upside as a creative, offensive winger with an excellent motor. A potential middle-of-the-lineup depth scorer who can play up if needed.
Continued; it’s always an interesting “what if?” exercise to read Ferrari’s projected Red Wings picks.
