Of Red Wings and/or 2020 NHL Draft-related note early on a Monday morning:
- DetroitRedWings.com’s Josh Berenter offers us the following “draft philosophies” from Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman:
Yzerman said there isn’t some magic formula to find late-round talent. He said there are several different aspects of a prospect’s game that his team of front office members and scouts look for when deciding which player to welcome to Hockeytown.
“We take a lot of things into account. There are lots of skills and abilities that make a player a good player,” he said. “They have to have a combination of the things we feel are important. Good hockey players come in a lot of forms. There’s no one characteristic that is going to be a telling factor.
“We have criteria that we’re looking for in prospects and for players to come into the organization. On-ice and off-ice characteristics. We take all of those into account when we form our list.
As for that list, Yzerman said that with where the Red Wings are in their rebuild, he’s looking to select the best players available, instead of focusing on a certain position.
“At this early stage, I don’t think we can really target a particular position,” he said. “We’re going to take the best prospects. The kids are 17, 18, 19 years of age. The vast majority of them are 3, 4, 5 years away from playing in the NHL. Your needs as an organization will change over time. We try to draft the best prospect available with that current pick.”
2. Along those lines, Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino engaged in a Reddit AMA regarding his takes as to where the draft’s top prospects will end up, and he Cosentino believes that the ties between the Red Wings and Saginaw Spirit center Cole Perfetti are too strong to ignore:
Continue reading On the Red Wings’ criteria for draft success, Cole Perfetti, Alexander Holtz and more draft and free agency talk