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The Athletic’s Max Bultman wrote an intriguing article late last night, offering “19 Thoughts” regarding the Red Wings’ 2019 draft performance. I can’t share them all with you, but I feel that Bultman’s words of caution regarding the hit-or-miss nature of drafting players is too important not to share:

If this all sounds a little too positive, allow me to refer you to a quote from former Detroit scout Christer Rockstrom when I recently asked him what he was thinking when leaving the Red Wings’ legendary 1989 draft.

“Every scout leaves the draft happy,” he said.

That’s the deal here. Yes, the Red Wings like the guys they drafted. It’s why they drafted them. And maybe their rationale makes it a little easier to be excited about a class that — whether because of the publicly available draft rankings or sheer unfamiliarity — hasn’t necessarily been met with the same enthusiasm as last year’s class. Just make sure it also doesn’t fool you into thinking Detroit just drafted 11 NHL studs. Pronman gave the class a “B.” That sounds about right to me.

I don’t like to deal in absolutes, but the chance most — or even half — of these prospects pan out as the Red Wings hope they will is incredibly small. The goal is getting a few to hit, and one or two to hit it big. And that still might not happen.

Bultman continues (paywall) at length, and my take on the draft class, at least very, very early on, is this:

Continue reading The Athletic’s Bultman offers ‘draft Thoughts’ (and so do I)

I’m admittedly a bit of a “front office comment” nerd here. I will watch and/or listen to the comments made by a general manager and his contemporaries, usually made at the beginning, middle and end of the regular season, as well as at the draft, at least a couple of times. During Ken Holland’s reign as GM, I found his rambling, 45-minute pressers to be a treasure trove of philosophy regarding the team’s direction and management, and while Steve Yzerman is more succinct, his commentary is no less important.

I’ve already watched/listened to the Red Wings’ videos of Yzerman, director of amateur scouting Tyler Wright and director of European scouting Hakan Andersson speaking with the media, and, this morning, the Free Press’s Helene St. James posted an article which discusses a bit of the “Yzerplan” as it applied to this year’s draft:

Continue reading HSJ in the morning: Talking about the ‘Yzerplan’ as St. James grades the Wings’ draft performance

The Detroit Red Wings are not likely to make any significant additions to their lineup via free agency this summer, especially on defense, but the Free Press’s Helene St. James reports that GM Steve Yzerman will “work the phones” (to use a Ken Holland term) to see who and what might be available to enhance his roster:

“I”m going to make some calls and see,” he said. “There are players we’re interested in. I’ll get a feel for, one, if they have any interest in coming to Detroit, and then what the parameters are of what they’re looking for.”

The San Jose Sharks re-signed pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Erik Karlsson before he reached the open market. The Winnipeg Jets traded pending restricted free agent defenseman Jacob Trouba (Rochester) to the New York Rangers on June 17. 

The Wings are not likely to be a playoff team next season, but they do have roster spots available up front and on defense.

“Before doing it through trade I would look at free agency to fill those roster spots,” Yzerman said. “We also do want to have some opportunity for our younger players to fill those spots, but we will look at free agency. But the player has to fit what we’re trying to do. The value of the contract has to fit.”

St. James continues, discussing Niklas Kronwall’s future.

The Red Wings and NHL’s media corps have levied their evaluations of the 2019 NHL Draft, and here is a summary of at least some of the points made regarding the Wings’ 11 picks:

1. In the subscriber-only department, ESPN’s Chris Peters weighs in regarding the Wings’ overall draft performance:

Detroit Red Wings: B.

Let’s talk about reaching. The Red Wings definitely went a bit off the board to get Moritz Seider, but I like the player. Had they traded down, perhaps no one would have batted an eye. But in the end, they got the guy they ultimately wanted. Where he goes from here is a bit of a mystery because of the relatively small role he played on his German pro team. There’s no question he has talent — we just need to see him in more situations. I also thought Antti Tuomisto was a really risky pick where the Red Wings got him, but I don’t mind the bet on a towering defenseman who is still pretty raw.

The Red Wings get a higher grade despite the risk because of the value they got out of the middle-round picks. I really like Mastrosimone for both his skill and competitiveness. Albert Johansson has some legit skill and poise, too. Albin Grewe is a physical forward with some limited offensive upside, but I’ve long been intrigued by his toolbox. And my favorite bet that the Red Wings made? Elmer Soderblom, a 6-foot-7 forward who needs a lot of work. But I think he skates well for such a big man, and he has some hands. If they hit on him, he’d be one of the more unique forwards in the game, given his size and apparent skill. Whether or not the Red Wings reached early on, they made their system better at this draft.

2. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler wrote a gargantuan assessment of all 31 teams’ draft classes, and he had this to say about the Wings, who he deems “overtime losers” as far as wins-losses-and-ties are concerned:

Continue reading Disparate snapshots of the Red Wings’ 2019 draft class

The Oakland Press’s Pat Caputo penned a superb article regarding the Red Wings’ 2019 Draft haul, duly noting that the Wings probably made most of their picks based upon recommendations that would have been the same under former general manager Ken Holland, but I’m left questioning his conclusion regarding the Detroit scouting staff’s early picks:

It’s difficult to discern how much different this draft is with Yzerman compared to how it would have been under Ken Holland.

The Red Wings definitely addressed the blue line. Yzerman sure didn’t make the obvious picks.It will be interesting to see if time proves Yzerman right.

The only certainty is it’s way too early to declare him wrong.

And the honeymoon is still on for Yzerman. Had Holland made the same first two selections, the critics undoubtedly would have been quick to jump all over him.

But right now, for this town, it is in Steve Yzerman it trusts.

Caputo continues, and again, his article is superb, but I’m pretty sure that the Yzerplan sprung a leak when the Wings selected Moritz Seider 6th overall:

I read some rather nasty things said about Yzerman after Seider’s pick, but that’s just me and Twitter for ya.

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji spoke with Red Wings director of European scouting Hakan Andersson regarding the Wings’ four Swedish picks made over the course of the 2019 Draft:

It would not be a true Red Wings draft without some Swedes in the mix.

The Wings started by selecting defenseman Albert Johansson, a 6-foot, 168-pound player from Farjestad, with their third pick of the second round, 60th overall.

“I’m very excited about his talent,” said Hakan Andersson, Detroit’s director of European scouting. “That was another scout that told me he thinks he might be the best of them all and I kind of agree. He’s a great skater and a very good guy with the puck. But he has to fill out. His dad (Roger Johansson) played 160 games in the NHL and 500 games in the Swedish league and was on the national team. He’s 6-foot-3 and he’s got two older brothers that are big. If he grows it’s going to help his career more but even right as a 6-foot kid, a very good hockey player. For some reason it didn’t quite come out when he played on the under-18 national team but he dominated in junior in Sweden. Just dominated. He was voted the best defenseman in the junior playoffs in Sweden. Talented guy without the size.”

Wakiji continues…

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dan Mannes and company posted a superb video chronicling 6th overall draft pick Moritz Seider’s draft day experiences:

Both the Free Press’s Helene St. James and the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan penned profiles of Red Wings draft pick Ethan Phillips, Detroit’s 97th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. Phillips isn’t big at 5’9,” but the skinny Boston University-committed forward intrigued the Wings’ scouting staff.

Wings director of amateur scouting Tyler Wright had this to say to the Free Press’s St. James…

“He’s undersized, but he’s a very fast skater,” chief amateur scout Tyler Wright said. “He’s got very good hockey sense. He’s got very good skill. At the value of where he was at — he’s going to college, so he’ll have a little more time to develop. 

“If you look at the NHL, there are more and more smaller players playing. But you have to be fast, you have to have skill, and he fit all those.”

Like sixth-overall pick Moritz Seider, Phillips, too, had an inkling the Wings were interested after a positive interaction at the combine. 

“I felt like I had a really good interview with them at the combine and a good connection,” Phillips said. “It wasn’t just a one-way conversation where they are asking questions. It was a back-and-forth conversation, not just about hockey. I was able to make some connections and kind of get to know them, too.”

According to the Detroit News’s Kulfan, Phillips’ billet family in Halifax, Nova Scotia was the same that hosted Devils draft pick Nico Hischier and Wings prospect Filip Zadina:

“It was really cool the last two drafts to go with Zadina and Hischier,” Phillips said. “I wasn’t in the same position as them, but now to be in their shoes (and getting drafted), it’s pretty cool. You never know when you’re going to get picked. When the pick comes across, you cross your fingers hoping it’s you. When it comes, it’s like a weight is lifted off your shoulders. It’s a good feeling.”

Phillips has a good relationship with Zadina, one of the more exciting players in the Red Wings’ organization.

“I got to know him pretty well,” Phillips said. “I’m sure he’s pretty happy for me right now. I’m excited to see him (next week at development camp) and talk to him.”

Phillips is a project, as any player drafted that late would be. Headed to Boston University in the fall — with another Red Wings’ draftee, second-rounder Sam Mastrosimone — Phillips has to gain considerable strength to get a professional look.

Phillips is only 5-foot-9, 145-pounds, although he does possess fine puck-handling skills and has offensive sills.

It wouldn’t be a draft without the Red Wings issuing an intriguing press release summarizing their second-day draft haul:

Detroit selects 10 players on second day of 2019 NHL Entry Draft

Five forwards, four defensemen and one goaltender chosen by Detroit in Vancouver

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today drafted 10 players during the second day of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Red Wings held three selections in the second round, adding defenseman Antti Tuomisto (35th overall), center Robert Mastrosimone (54th overall) and defenseman Albert Johansson (60th overall), before choosing right wing Albin Grewe in the third round (66th overall), which marked their fifth pick in the first 66 selections of the draft. In the mid-rounds of the draft, the Red Wings selected right wing Ethan Phillips (97th overall) in the fourth round and chose defenseman Cooper Moore (128th overall) in the fifth round. After trading down to add an extra pick in each of the final two rounds of the draft, Detroit selected forward right wing Elmer Soderblom (159th overall) and defenseman Gustav Berglund (177th overall) in the sixth round and left wing Kirill Tyutyayev (190th overall) and goaltender Carter Gylander (191st overall) in the seventh round.

Continue reading Ten second-day draft picks: the official press release

According to the Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson, it wasn’t easy for scouts to get their eyes on 2019 Red Wings draft pick Carter Gylander, who split time with the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Sherwood Park Crusaders. As a result, Gylander dropped to 191st overall:

Gylander, who turned 18 June 5, only played 22 games for the AJHL club, just 1,256 minutes, but when he did play he was very good, 16-4, 2.43 average, .915 save percentage for the Crusaders, and he caught the eye of the Detroit Red Wings. They picked him with their last pick in the seventh round Saturday.

“He was protected on what teams he played against, he was tough to get a book on … but his size is intriguing,” said an NHL bird-dog who watches teams in Western Canada. “He didn’t play much but there was one night in January or February when I was out watching him play and Tyler (director of scouting Wright) was there, the big shots were out to see him,” said Rick Jackson, one of Central Scouting’s Western evaluators, who had been a big fan for months, pumping his tires.

The six-foot-five Gylander, who lives in Beaumont, went 191st overall Saturday at the draft. Before you say that’s a throwaway pick, Henrik Lundqvist went to New York Rangers in the same round in 2000 (205th). Pekka Rinne’s name was called in the eighth by Nashville in 2004, No. 258.

So Gylander, who has a scholarship to Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y., for 2020-2021, was just thrilled to get a phone call Saturday afternoon. He’s got prototypical NHL goalie size. “I’m sure he’ll be the starter for the Crusaders this season,” said Jackson