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Press release: Wings’ draft’s second-day seven

Here’s the Red Wings’ press release regarding their second-day-of-the-draft haul:

RED WINGS SELECT SEVEN PLAYERS ON SECOND DAY OF 2024 NHL ENTRY DRAFT 

  … Four Forwards, Two Defensemen and One Goaltender Chosen By Detroit in Las Vegas …

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today selected seven players during the second day of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft at Sphere in Las Vegas.

The Red Wings chose left wing Max Plante (47th overall) in the second round before taking center Ondřej Becher (80th overall) in the third round and goaltender Landon Miller (126th overall) in the fourth round. From there, Detroit selected defenseman John Whipple (144th overall) in the fifth round and left wing Charlie Forslund (176th overall) in the sixth round before using a pair of seventh-round picks in left wing Austin Baker (203rd overall) and defenseman Fisher Scott (208th overall).

Detroit’s first pick of the day was the 15th choice of the second round (47th overall), which the team used on left wing Max Plante. The 5-foot-11, 177-pound forward has spent the last two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Mich. Plante spent the 2023-24 campaign with the NTDP’s under-18 squad, recording 61 points (15-46-61), a plus-16 rating and 16 penalty minutes in 51 games. He also finished with 29 points (6-23-29), a plus-nine rating and six penalty minutes in 25 games with Team USA in the United States Hockey League. Plante skated with the NTDP’s under-17 team during the 2022-23 season, tallying 46 points (11-35-46) and 24 penalty minutes in 54 games. He also collected 24 points (5-19-24), a plus-two rating and 18 penalty minutes in 32 USHL games, in addition to one assist in three postseason contests. A native of Duluth, Minn., Plante is committed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth for the 2024-25 season.

Continue reading Press release: Wings’ draft’s second-day seven

Two things: Wheeler on the Wings and Draper’s regards

The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler analyzed the 2024 NHL Draft performances of each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams, and he deemed the Red Wings an “overtime winner” as the authors of a “decent” draft performance:

I think the Red Wings had a decent draft. It’s not going to change their ceiling as a team, but Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Max Plante and Ondrej Becher all made sense where they took them. Plante is going to need to play with a little more pace to become an NHLer, but he’s a cerebral and hard-working player who makes his linemates better. Becher is an interesting one as an overager who impressed domestically and internationally this year, becoming an important part (and playmaker and driver) on one of the best lines in the WHL.

Landon Miller seemed to have some tough nights in net whenever I watched the Soo this year, but he’s huge and goalies are tricky, so who knows.

John Whipple, once one of the top American players in this age group, never became at the program what people thought he would, and he can struggle with his decision-making but he has some tools and I expect him to be a better college player than a junior player. He was No. 87 on my list and I don’t think they’re risking much by taking him at No. 144, even if he has some work to do.

I liked the Austin Baker selection at No. 203. I’m not sure he’s got the skill but he was a very good fourth-liner for the NTDP this year and he works and plays to his strengths.

Continued (paywall);

And the Hockey News’s Sam Stockton took note of some of the comments made by Red Wings assistant GM and director of amateur scouting Kris Draper, regarding the Wings’ draft haul. We’ll discuss the “Hakan Pick”:

Sixth round, 176th overall, Charlie Forslund, LW, Falu IF (Sweden-3)

Forslund is a classic Hakan Andersson late-round draft pick.  Forslund scoring 19 points in 19 games this year for Falu in the Swedish third division.  At six-foot-three, he plays like a power forward, with legitimate dual threat ability.  

Forslund is set to join Mora IK (where Michael Brandsegg-Nygard spent the past two seasons) for the upcoming campaign. Draper noted that Mora has developed prospects well in recent history, something the Red Wings noticed in the draft process. 

“(That’s) important development-wise, picking somebody like Charlie that has kind of been off the radar,” Draper said. “And then all of a sudden he’s starting to play and now going into a good organization (he) can continue to develop. Looking forward to getting him into Detroit for dev camp for sure.”

Continued; Draper sounds a lot like Hockeysverige.se’s Uffe Bodin regarding the concept that Lindgren is going to benefit from being with a professional organization this upcoming season.

Daily Faceoff’s Ellis grades the draft, Detroit’s included

Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis issued draft grades to each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams, and the Red Wings got a “B+”:

14. Detroit Red Wings: B+

Notable Picks: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Max Plante, Ondrej Becher

The Red Wings took some serious value today, which is always fun. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard isn’t the high-end goal-scorer they need in the system but he plays with power and does have a wicked shot. Plante is one of the best playmakers out of this draft, while Becher was one of the best overage players. I also think Landon Miller established himself as one of the more interesting goalie prospects and John Whipple has decent third-pairing potential. In all, I like it.

Roughly translated: on bargain-hunting draft pick Charlie Forslund

Of Swedish-related note regarding Charlie Forslund:

Hockeysverige.se’s Uffe Bodin weighed in regarding Red Wings draft pick Charlie Forslund just a week ago, speaking to the “Future Stars” podcast, and here’s what he had to say:

Charlie Forslund’s rocket journey before the NHL Draft: “Could be a bargain”

Charlie Forslund made an unlikely journey during the season, and it ended with him succeeding in the Hockeyettan as a 17-year-old.

Now the Falun forward is up for the NHL draft, and Uffe Bodin believes that he could be a bargain in the draft.

“He has so much in his game that NHL teams are looking for,” says Uffe Bodin.

Before the season, not many people knew about Charlie Forslund as he started with Falu IF’s under-18 team last fall. But during the season, the forward only grew more and more, which led to his debut in the Hockeyettan–and that was also a success.

As a 17-year-old, he averaged a point per game in Division 1 with 19 points in 19 games and then 3 goals and an assist in 3 playoff games.

Next season, Forslund will move to Mora IK of the Hockeyallsvenskan, where he will take the next step. To begin with, the 18-year-old forward is expected to play with the J20 team. Forslund is then at the same time relevant for this week’s NHL draft, and Uffe Bodin believes that the Falun native could be a bargain for an NHL team.

“I’m excited to see what that guy can get out of it if he joins a more professional organization and gets to train harder. He’s a big guy who is good on his blades. It feels incredibly exciting to see, it was quite a short period that he had, but entering a new environment, can he get the next push then? Then he could be a bargain, I think, because he has so much in his game that NHL teams are looking for. He’s a player that I’m incredibly excited to see what he can achieve,” says Uffe Bodin.

Update: Aftonbladet’s Anton Johansson spoke with Forslund in April, too, but the article is incredibly difficult to translate, and I’m gonna be honest, I’m too tired to take on the challenge right now.

A bit more about Max Plante

The Red Wings selected US NTDP alum and incoming University of Minnesota-Duluth freshman Max Plante with the 47th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen posted a profile of Plante…

Plante played this past season for the U.S. National Team Development Program. “Max plays with a lot of pace,” said John Vanbiesbrouck, who oversees USA Hockey’s national teams. “Very good IQ and a lot of courage. He’s a winning hockey player who comes from a great line of great hockey players. He is a fun-loving kid.”

Plante says his dad [NHL’er Derek Plante] probably “taught me pretty much everything I know about hockey.”

He offered two bits of advice for Max in preparation for his draft year. “Be yourself,” Plante recalled his dad saying. “And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Max and [brother] Zam are making it easy for the family to watch them play next season because they are both playing for Minnesota-Duluth. Of course that’s where their dad played, scoring 96 goals over his four seasons at the school.

“I’m really excited to go play with Zam,” Plante said. “Two years off of playing with each other. I think we probably miss playing with each other, playing give and go hockey together. Hopefully we get to play together this year at Duluth. It’s really special that we’ll be able to play together, a dream come team to play for the Bulldogs.”

As did the Hockey News’s Connor Eargood:

Almost all his life, Max Plante was a short king.

When he tried out for the U.S. National Team Development Program, Plante was barely 5-foot-6 and 127 pounds. Even before then, he was always among the smallest players in his age group. It’s a big reason why Plante loves Brad Marchand, the undersized agitator who has been one of the NHL’s stars for most of his career. Marchand finds a way to overcome his height, and Plante had to do much the same thing.

Consider his height a blessing. When the Red Wings picked Plante 47th overall in Saturday’s 2024 NHL Draft, the pick came because of the skills and competitiveness that being undersized developed. “Growing up” is a key phrase there, because Plante isn’t a small player anymore. True to his name, he grew like a plant, measuring in at 5-foot-11 and 177 pounds now with room to keep growing over time.

“Coming into the Program, I was a short, skinny guy and I went to work the last two years,” Plante said at the NHL Draft. “And I mean, I’ve still got a lot of room to grow in my game and score more goals and get stronger. But over the 17 summer, I thought I got faster and played with more pace.”

Summarizing the Red Wings’ 2024 NHL Draft picks (with links to individual blog posts)

The Detroit Red Wings’ picks in the 2024 NHL Draft are as follows:

In the first round, the Red Wings picked Mora IK alumnus and Skelleftea AIK winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygard 15th overall;

In the second round, the Red Wings picked US NTDP alumnus and University of Minnesota-Duluth center Max Plante 47th overall;

In the third round, the Red Wings picked Prince George Cougars center Ondrej Becher 80th overall;

In the fourth round, the Red Wings drafted Soo Greyhounds goaltender Landon Miller 126th overall;

In the fifth round, the Red Wings selected US NTDP defenseman John Whipple 144th overall;

In the sixth round, the Red Wings selected incoming Mora IK winger Charlie Forslund 176th overall;

And in the seventh round, the Red Wings selected incoming Michigan State University winger and US NTDP alumnus Austin Baker 203rd overall, and Dubuque Fighting Saints alum and Colorado College defenseman Fisher Scott 208th overall.

Red Wings select Austin Baker 203rd overall, Fisher Scott 208th overall to wrap up the 2024 NHL Draft

The Detroit Red Wings have drafted US NTDP winger Austin Baker with the 203rd pick in the 2024 NHL Draft…

And their final pick is defenseman Fisher Scott, picked 208th overall.

Continue reading Red Wings select Austin Baker 203rd overall, Fisher Scott 208th overall to wrap up the 2024 NHL Draft