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Red Wings @ Draft 2017

He's from the WHL, I never watch that league.

He's tall at 198cm (6'5)... so thats a plus. Dunno how he'll be against bigger/stronger opponents. The average height in the NHL is 6'2. He was scoring a point per game in WHL but its not like he was tearing the league on fire considering he is 87th in league scoring. On point per game basis is 47th.

But like I said, I don't watch the league so I don't know what to expect from him. Seeing scoring highlights is one thing (shows what he can do offensively) but you have to watch a couple games to asses how he is overall.


My guess is he was taken most for his size rather than his skill. Haven't seen Rasmussen play so can't say for certain. Last season Stanley from Windsor Spitfires was chosen in the first round for his size. Difference with Stanley is guys who are in the 5' range push him around and he is crap defensively for the OHL level. I've seen/heard Stanley get yelled at by Spitfire fans during home games. Guess the hope is he puts on tons of muscle and can actually use his size but he plays more like Ericsson. Big body who dosen't use his size, has no shot, passing ability is limited, and defensively isn't great.


http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=240108
 
He's from the WHL, I never watch that league.

He's tall at 198cm (6'5)... so thats a plus. Dunno how he'll be against bigger/stronger opponents. The average height in the NHL is 6'2. He was scoring a point per game in WHL but its not like he was tearing the league on fire considering he is 87th in league scoring. On point per game basis is 47th.

But like I said, I don't watch the league so I don't know what to expect from him. Seeing scoring highlights is one thing (shows what he can do offensively) but you have to watch a couple games to asses how he is overall.


My guess is he was taken most for his size rather than his skill. Haven't seen Rasmussen play so can't say for certain. Last season Stanley from Windsor Spitfires was chosen in the first round for his size. Difference with Stanley is guys who are in the 5' range push him around and he is crap defensively for the OHL level. I've seen/heard Stanley get yelled at by Spitfire fans during home games. Guess the hope is he puts on tons of muscle and can actually use his size but he plays more like Ericsson. Big body who dosen't use his size, has no shot, passing ability is limited, and defensively isn't great.


http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=240108

Thanks for the insight.
 
Just watched a 15 minute highlight package of his points... not impressive.

Brian Boyle potential... if he improves defensively.


506th in +/- which is a useless stat unless comparing it to his teammates. Oh wait he is 23rd on his team.


My expectations just dropped a little lower.
 
Wasn't this year considered a pretty bad draft in general? No superstars, and maybe no all stars. I'm not saying this was a good pick, but the kid seems solid, which seems to be the best this draft had to offer.
 
Depends what you define as a star player, but its highly unlikely there will be no stars in the draft class. A weaker than normal draft class does not mean it is an absymal draft class.

The Leafs got a considerably more of a sure thing with Liljegren at 17th. Much like Chychrun who dropped last year to 16th overall despite being one of the top defenseman in the draft. Red Wings chose a big guy because.... well he is big and are making massive gamble he will develop. You never know with prospects, sometimes they just kick it into overdrive after the draft like Tyler Bertuzzi did. But as things stand, Detroit took size over skill and passed on many better players.
 
Red Wings went after size in this draft. That was pretty clear. Hopefully it will work out !!
 
Unfortunately height does not equate to scoring in the NHL.

From the top 50 scorers of the 2016-17 season a total of 6 were 6'4 or higher. The average height in the NHL is 6'2.

Under 6': 13
6': 10
6'1: 7
6'2: 7
6'3: 7
6'4+: 6
 
Consensus its not the best draft for Detroit but you never know until years later.

Leafs probably got the biggest steal with Liljegren at 17th.
 
If we define an NHL "success" as a player who played at least 200 games we can take a look at how successful Detroit's drafting has been.

I will start with 1989, which in my opinion was the BEST draft Detroit ever had.

1989: 6 players
1(11): Mike Sillinger: 548 points in 1049 games. Was a faceoff specialist who was routinely traded at the deadline to playoff teams. Sillinger played for 12 NHL teams. Played in the playoffs for 8 different teams.
2(32): Bob Boughner: 72 points in 630 games with 1372 PIM. Boughner was a tough defensive defenceman who typically played on the third pairing. He was recently named coach of the Florida Panthers (never played for Detroit)
3(53): Nicklas Lidstrom: 1142 points in 1564 games. Its HoF Lidstrom, do I need to say more?
4(74): Sergei Fedorov: 1179 points in 1248 games. Another HoFer, do I need to say more?

6(116): Dallas Drake: 477 points in 1009 games. Solid middle 6 checking forward who won the cup with Detroit in 2008 playing on the 4th line during his last HURRAH in the league.
11(221): Vladimir Konstantinov: 175 points in 446 games. Norris trophy worthy defenceman whose career was cut short in his prime.

1990: 3 players
1(3): Keith Primeau: 619 points in 909 games. Had a successful career cut short due to concussion issues while playing in Philadelphia.
3(45): Vyacheslav Kozlov: 853 points in 1182 games. The 'Silent Sniper' always flew under the radar and was normally buried under the Red Wings depth during his time with the league. Really made his name centering Kovalchuk in Atlanta. One of the most underrated players of the past 20 years.
7(129): Jason York: 229 points in 757 games. Has a few good seasons with Ottawa, Don't really know anything about this defenceman. :shrug:

1991: 4 players
1(10): Martin Lapointe: 381 points in 991 games. Was a good scoring power forward in the middle 6 for Detroit. Won the 97/98 cups with Detroit.
2(32): Jamie Pushor: 60 points in 521 games. Was a defensive defenceman who won the 97/98 cups with Detroit. He won a 3rd cup in 2000 with the Dallas Stars. After he left Detroit in summer of 1998 he bounced around the league as a 3rd pairing D-man/7th D-man.
3(54): Chris Osgood: 401 Wins in 744 games. 2.49 GAA and 90.5 Save %. Won 3 cups with Detroit in 97/98/08 during two stints with Detroit. He is 12th all time in goalie wins.
4(76): Mike Knuble: 548 points in 1068 games. He played 9 games as a rookie during the 97 cup win (name not on the cup) and was a 4th line during the 98 cup win. Grew into a top 6 forward for Boston/Philadelphia after leaving Detroit. He is currently assistant coach for the Grand Rapids Griffins.

1992: 2 players
2(46): Darren McCarty: 288 points in 758 games. Part of the famous Grind Line, McCarty won 4 cups with Detroit 97/98/02/08. I'll skip over the substance issues Should note when he was drafted Murray thought he had potential for 40-50 goals a year. McCarty had to change his style of play into a 'tough guy' to stick around on the Red Wings roster.
10(238): Dan McGillis: 238 points in 634 games. Never played for Detroit but had a few great years in Philadelphia including two 40+ point seasons.

1993: 1 player
1(22): Anders Eriksson: 176 points in 572 games. Was a 3rd pairing defenceman who was traded to Chicago as part of the Chelios trade. He than bounced around the league playing for 6 teams in 10 years since leaving Chicago. Part of the 97/98 cup winning teams, if you blinked you may have missed him.

91/92/93 drafts were under Bryan Murray. Despite leaving before the draft in 94, it is likely some of the picks were from his list. It would also explain the drafting failure which resulted under Bowmann/Devellano.


1994: 2 players
2(49): Mathieu Dandenault: 203 points in 868 games. Was drafted as a forward but was often played on defenceman by Scotty Bowman due to his excellent skating. Won 3 cups with Detroit in 97/98/02.
10(257): Tomas Holmstrom: 530 points in 1026 games. Probably the greatest net front presence of the modern era and master of the ghost goaltender interference. Won 4 cups with Detroit 97/98/02/08.

1995: 0 players

1996: 0 players

1997: 0 players

1998 would be the first Draft under Holland.

1998: 2 players
1(25): Jiri Fischer: 60 points in 305 games. A big (6'5) promising defensive D-man who had his career cut short due to a heart condition which was discovered when he collapsed on the bench during a game. Became a part of player development in Detroit following his forced retirement from playing. Was part of the 02 cup winning team.
6(198): Pavel Datsyuk: 918 points in 953 games. A surefire Hall of Famer won the 02/08 cups with Detroit. This is the pick helped make Hakan Anderson's (Head of European scouting) reputation for finding germs in the late round. Its Pavel we pretty much know the rest.

1999: 1 player
7(210): Henrik Zetterberg: 904 points in 1000 games and counting. Another lock for the hall of fame won the 08 cup with Detroit while winning the Conn Smythe. The second STAR found by Anderson who was drafted late. Its Z is the most beloved Wing at the current moment whom we all know. Let's move on.

2000: 2 players
1(29): Niklas Kronwall: 378 points in 795 games. Developed into a good offensive defenceman who was known for bone crunching hits. Sadly his career has taken a massive downturn following a series of knee injuries. Won the 08 cup with the Wings.
2(38): Tomas Koecky: 174 points in 578 games. Won the 08 cup as a 4th liner rookie with Detroit, although missed the playoffs with injury. In 09-10 he joined countryman Hossa by defecting to Chicago where he won his second cup playing on the bottom 6. The following season he moved to the middle 6, had his breakout season with 42 points before moving onto Florida with a bigger deal. After a few years with Florida he was out of the league. Is back playing in Europe.

2001: 0 players

2002: 4 players
2(58): Jiri Hudler: 428 points in 708 games. Won the 08 cup with Detroit. A second line forward for most of his career he moved to Calgary where he was given top line minutes. I should note the Detroit fans booed him off the team following resentment he left the team to play in the KHL. In his best season had 76 points showing with the right partners he can produce on the top line. With his contract expiring he was traded to Florida. This past summer he signed a 1 year deal with Dallas and missed the majority of the season with an illness.
2(63): Tomas Fleischmann: 355 points in 657 games. Traded as prospect as part of the Robert Lang trade. He played a top 6 role with Washington/Colorado/Florida. At the end of his Florida run his numbers began to fall with an expiring contract. He finished off his NHL career with 2 unproductive seasons Anaheim/Montreal/Chicago.
3(95): Valterri Filppula: 430 points in 795 games. Won the 08 cup with Detroit and mostly played a middle 6 role with the team. Often played on the top line as a winger for Zetterberg or Datsyuk instead of his usual center. In the summer of 2013 he signed with Tampa Bay where he played as the #2 center until being traded at this past deadline to Philadelphia. He was moved to clear cap space for younger RFAs requiring new contracts this summer.
9(291): Jonathan Ericsson: 107 points in 529 games. He was drafted as a forward and converted to a defenceman afterwards. He is supposed to be a shutdown D. Played 8 regular season games with Detroit during the 08 cup win, his name is not on the cup. (Intentionally cutting short on him)

2003: 2 players
2(64): Jimmy Howard: 199 Wins in 401 games. 2.43 GAA and 91.5 Save%. Was the #1 goalie in Detroit for a few years before starting to share duties with upstart Mrazek. Both have been up and down the past few years.
4(132): Kyle Quincey: 155 points in 568 games. Was a rookie like Ericsson during the 08 cup win and played 6 regular season games. His name is not on the cup either. The following season he was picked up on waivers by the Kings where he boomed as an offensive defenceman recording 38 points in 72 games. The next season he was traded to Colorado as part of the Ryan Smyth deal. He continued his role as an offensive D-man for the next two and a half seasons until a 3 way deal between Tampa, Colorado, and Detroit saw him returned to the winged wheel. In Detroit he wasn't given much PP time and converted to a defensive defenceman to better compliment his defensive partners. This past season he left as a free agent and played for New Jersey and Columbus. It remains to be scene if his NHL career will continue.

2004: 1 player
3(97): Johan Franzen: 370 points in 602 games. The closest thing Detroit has had to a proper sniper or power forward in the past decade. Unfortunately his career was cut short following multiple concussions. Was a part of the 08 cup winning team.

2005: 3 players
1(19): Jakub Kindl: 74 points in 331 games. Never developed into the offensive threat he was projected to be. During the 2016 trade deadline was sent to Florida. He's been a 3rd pairing/7th D his entire career and it is unlikely to continue in the NHL (UFA 2017).
2(42): Justin Abdelkader: 195 points in 544 games. Another rookie of the 08 cup winning team who played 2 regular season games during the season. More of a grinder player has been seeing lots of top line minutes during the last three seasons of the Babcock era. Signed a 7 year deal worth 4.25 million per season following two 40+ point campaigns. Is currently the assistant captain of the Wings.
5(132): Darren Helm: 179 points in 493 games. Middle 6 forward whose main strength is great skating ability and is more of a PK specialist. At 30 has another 4 years left on a 3.85 per annum deal with a reputation for getting injured.

2006: 1 player
2(47): Shawn Matthias: 171 points in 524 games. Traded as a prospect as part of the Todd Bertuzzi trade. Spent most his career with Florida before bouncing between Vancouver/Colorado/Toronto/Winnipeg the past 4 seasons. Spent his entire career as a bottom 6 forward.

2007: 2 players
1(27): Brendan Smith: 71 points in 309 games. Another defenceman who never lived up to his offensive potential. Is a good skater but not the best defensively. Serviceable 2nd/3rd pairing defenceman who was traded for a ransom to NYR at the past deadline. About to sign a 3 year extension with the Rangers.
3(88): Joakim Andersson: 36 points in 205 games. Played a bottom 6 role for Detroit, his NHL career ended in 2016

2008: 1 player
4(121): Gustav Nyquist: 206 points in 337 games. Made the team fulltime as a callup during the 2013-14 season where he broke out to 48 points in 57 games. He showed he had first line potential, unfortunately looks like he is destined to be a career 2nd liner. Which isn't bad given he was drafted 121st overall.

2009: 1 players, potentially 3
2(60): Tomas Tatar: 194 points in 345 games. The compliment to Nyquist who was hoped to become a bonified top line player. The potential was there, but perhaps like Nyquist it may be too late for them to make that jump into being a star player in the NHL. Led the Wings with 25 goals this past season.
3(75): Andrej Nestrasil: 48 points in 128 games. Played 12 games for Detroit before being claimed by Carolina on waivers in November of 2014. He has opportunity of the 3rd line in Carolina, however, this past season he was demoted to the 4th and dropped to the minors. His chance in the NHL may have passed.
5(150): Nick Jensen: 13 points in 49 games. Called up last season due to injuries in Detroit and beatout Marchenko for a spot in the lineup. Has good skating but remains to be seen if he will be sitting around in the NHL or just a 6th/7th D-man for a pair of seasons like Brian Lashoff.

2010: 3 potentially 4
1(21): Riley Sheahan: 98 points in 284 games. Had 24 points in 42 games during his rookie season before following up with 36 points in 79 games. The next two seasons his numbered regressed pretty bad to 25 and 13 in 81 and 80 games respectively. Sheahan has shown potential to be a decent net front presence and sometimes given PP time opportunity to act as a screen. He is more infamous for the purple telletuby DUI than anything he's done on the ice until it took him 80 games last season to score his first goal. He has potential to be a middle 6 grinder/net front presence but hasn't been using his size to his advantage. Now it is a question if he can rebound offensively or of its time to move on when his contract expires in 2018.
2(51): Calle Jarnkrok: 88 points in 248 games. Never played for Detroit as was traded to Nashville as part of the David Legwand trade. Prior to the trade was considered the top forward prospect in Detroit along with Pulkkinen. The past 2 seasons Jarnkrok recorded 30 and 31 points on the team's middle 6. He is entering the 2nd year of a 6 year contract paying him $2 per annum which is an extremely team friendly contract. Has 2nd line potential, however, given the depth of prospects Nashville has is likely to be bumped down to the 3rd line in the near future unless his offensive output increases.
4(111): Teemu Pulkkinen: 22 points in 83 games. Pulkkinen has been an offensive threat in the minors and boasts a great 1-timer. After splitting 2014-15/2015/16 between the AHL and NHL he was claimed off in October of 2016 by the Minnesota Wild. He played 9 games recording 1 point with 4th line minutes before moving to Arizona at the trade deadline. He played 4 games for Arizona scoring 1 goal. He was a healthy scratch for the rest of the season. A week ago he was claimed by Vegas in the expansion draft. Pulkkinen is onto his 4th team in a calendar year for a total transaction price of 0. Pulkkinen is more of an offensive player whose defensive game isn't the best. He has potential to score in the NHL and likely on his final chance to crack an NHL roster fulltime. For a long time he was one of the most highly hyped prospects in the Wings system dominating both the Finnish league and the AHL.
5(141): Petr Mrazek: 64 Wins in 144 games. 2.56 GAA and Save% of 91.3 Despite not having the 200 game benchmark I will include him as goalies have less opportunity to play. Has shown potential to be a dominant #1 goalie. Late in the 2014-15 season he beat Howard for the #1 goaltending spot and played excellent in the playoffs where Detroit lost in the first round to the Lightning. Late in 2015-16 his form stumbled and Howard took the #1 spot leading into the playoffs. After two blowouts Mrazek was back in net but his 1.36 GAA in 3 games was insufficient for the offence strapped Red Wings to pull through. Mrazek had a terrible 2016-17 season and looks to be on the trade block this summer. Time will tell if he will continue with the Red Wings and more importantly, if he will live up to the #1 potential.

2011: 0, potentially 5
2(35): Tomas Jurco: 40 points in 172 games. Had a lot of hype for his amazing hands and many puck trick videos recorded while in the juniors. Has been good at the AHL level but mostly used as a 4th liner in Detroit. After being a healthy scratch most season Jurco asked for a trade out of town. At the deadline he was sent to Chicago where he initially had a look on the 2nd line with Hossa. He was quickly bumped down back to the 4th line and a healthy scratch including the playoffs. Jurco just re-signed with Chicago for a 1 year deal which will likely be his last opportunity in the NHL to make an impact. With Hossa out for the season there is a top 6 spot up for grabs. It remains to be scene if he can convert his potential of a 2nd line scorer into reality. Time is definitely running out.
2(48): Xavier Ouellet: 16 points in 96 games. Had the potential to be a top 4 defenceman with offensive upside. Finally cracked the Red Wings lineup this past season but remains to be seen how long he will stay in the NHL and how effective he will be.
2(55): Ryan Sproul: 7 points in 28 games. Made the NHL roster along with Ouellet this past season, whom likewise was projected to be a top 4 d-man. Was mostly a healthy scratch until injuries to the main roster gave him the opportunity to play. A season ending injury cut his opportunity short but is penciled in to start 2017/18 season with the club. Has potential to be a 2nd/3rd pairing D-man, unlikely to develop into more.
3(85): Alan Quine: 19 points in 63 games. Just broke into the NHL with the Islanders. I don't know much about him but he might reach the 200 game benchmark for this.
7(200): Alexei Marchenko: 21 points in 121 games. A bottom pairing defensive defenceman for Detroit, he was lost via waivers to the Toronto Maple Leafs midway through the season. Is excellent defensively and rarely gets caught out of position, but offensive upside is limited whilst also there are better skaters. Has been in the same 6th/7th D-man role as with Detroit and scratched during the playoffs. Uncertain if NHL career will continue or he will return to KHL when his contract expires in 2018.

Next few years are too close to call.

2011: Athanasiou is a lock and Frk has potential.
2012: Mantha is a lock, Janmark is a lock if he successfully recovers from knee survery, Bertuzzi is a potential.
2013: Larkin is a lock, the rest are too early to call
2014+: Too early to call.
 
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