The Detroit Red Wings entered the weekend with their highest draft pick in 27 years - when they picked Keith Primeau third overall.
Coincidentally, the Wings used their 9th pick to draft a Primeau-esque center - 6'6, 215-pound Surrey, BC, native Michael Rasmussen. It wasn't only quality. The Wings had 11 picks in the draft. One must go back to 2000 to find a draft with so many Red Wings picks. And in 2000, the year Detroit drafted Niklas Kronwall and Tomas Kopecky, there were nine rounds. Today, there are seven.
Traditionally, the Red Wings GM Ken Holland has said he likes to get two NHLers out of a draft. But given the value of a top 10 pick, the 11 picks owned by Detroit, and the Red Wings' glaring needs at center and defense, the Wings need more than a couple players. They need impact players.
Despite the comments in the Detroit dailies about Rasmussen's potential, there were a lot of red flags around him. So many bloggers and forum hockey nerds began the 2017 draft on a sour note.
Here's the draft
1 #9 Detroit Red Wings Michael Rasmussen (C)
Ranked 10th by McKeen's
50 games, 32-23-55 -13 for Tri-City Americans (WHL)
AGE 18 NATION Canada
POSITION C SHOOTS L
HEIGHT 195 cm / 6'5" WEIGHT 100 kg / 220 lbs
Upside: Huge two-way center with decent top-end speed, solid work ethic and the hands to score at the net.
Downside: Not a good passer. Can't produce at 5-on-5.
Verdict: Rasmussen will be an NHLer because he's huge, has hands and he can skate. But will he be a top six center? Is he the guy who sets up Mantha or Athanasiou or Svechnikov? Probably not. With Vilardi and Necas and others available, this was not a good pick. According to many, it was about the worst pick they could have realistically made. D
2 #38 Detroit Red Wings Gustav Lindström (D)
Ranked 103rd by McKeen's
48 games 2-7-9 -11 for Almtuna IS, (SWE Allsvenskan)
AGE 18 NATION Sweden
POSITION D SHOOTS R
HEIGHT 187 cm / 6'2" WEIGHT 85 kg / 187 lbs
Upside: Smart defensemen with a good frame. Good passer. Great athlete. Chose hockey late, so he's a late bloomer.
Downside: Not a great skater. Not physical. Was picked much higher than he was ranked
Verdict:: Forget the silly Lidstrom jokes (this guy is the nephew of former Shark Margus Ragnarsson). If you read what McKeens and Draftin' Europe say, you start feeling better about this pick. Still can't help but wonder if this guy might have been available in Round 3, and wonder if the Wings might have used a 3rd to move up in Round 2 to snag Timmons or Hogue. B
3 #71 Detroit Red Wings Kasper Kotkansalo (D)
Ranked 125th by McKeen's
47 games 1-11-12 +12 43 PIM
AGE 18 NATION Finland POSITION D SHOOTS L
HEIGHT 188 cm / 6'2" WEIGHT 86 kg / 190 lbs
Upside: Solid, all-around defender with a frame that should hold some weight. Everything is slightly above average, except his smarts, which are even more above average. Not a big hitter, but willing to play physical.
Downside: Doesn't really stand out in any area.
Verdict: Defense went fast in the draft. There's not much boom or bust in Kotkansalo. He's a solid player. He'll be at Boston University of 3-4 years and then maybe he'll be ready to go pro. He probably went a little high - but defense was going high. C
3 #79 Detroit Red Wings Lane Zablocki (C)
Ranked 90th by McKeen's
64 Games, 28-26-54 Regina/Red Deer (WHL)
AGE 18 NATION Canada
POSITION C SHOOTS R
HEIGHT 183 cm / 6'0" WEIGHT 84 kg / 185 lbs
Upside: He's a gritty, right-handed shooting center who likes to play the front of the net. He has decent speed
Downside: Doesn't have a ton of skill or speed. Is known to ge undisciplined.
Verdict: Is it weird to anyone else the Wings are drafting net-front centers? At best, I think you're looking at a gritty third line winger.
3 #83 Detroit Red Wings Zachary Gallant (C)
Ranked 89th by McKeen's
60 games 21-26-47 Peterborough (OHL)
AGE 18 NATION Canada
POSITION C SHOOTS L
HEIGHT 188 cm / 6'2" WEIGHT 85 kg / 187 lbs
Upside: He's a left-handed, two-way center lauded for his defense and intelligence. He's a decent skater with size and aggression and he can hit an open man with passes.
Downside: Some question his effort. He has an awkward skating stride.
Verdict: The Wings are weak at center. Gallant seems like he might be a decent third or fourth liner if he can get his game together. But I wonder if there were any boom-bust type picks with home run potential.
3 #88 Detroit Red Wings Keith Petruzzelli (G)
Ranked 37 by McKeen's
35 games 22-10-1 .918 2.30 Muskegon (USHL)
AGE 18 NATION USA
POSITION G CATCHES R
HEIGHT 197 cm / 6'6" WEIGHT 86 kg / 190 lbs
Upside: He's huge at 6'6. He's unflappable and smart.
Downside: He's a weak puck handler.
Verdict: This is probably the best pick of the draft for the Red Wings. He could be the best goalie in the draft. He'll play college hockey at Qunnipiac.
4 #100 Detroit Red Wings Malte Setkov (D)
Unranked
38 games 2-10-12 18 PIM +7 Malmo J20 (SWE SuperElit)
AGE 18 NATION Denmark
POSITION D SHOOTS L
HEIGHT 198 cm / 6'6" WEIGHT 87 kg / 192 lbs
Upside: He's huge and he skates well for a big guy. He's said to be smart, too.
Downside: It's a crapshoot here. Is he Jonathan Ericsson or Rasmus Bodin?
Verdict: We haven't seen a lot of off-the-board home runs from Hakan Andersson in recent years, but with 11 picks, isn't it nice to see Detroit swing for the fences?
5 #131 Detroit Red Wings Cole Fraser (D)
Unranked
61 games 6-13-19 Peterborough (OHL)
AGE 18 NATION Canada
POSITION D SHOOTS R
HEIGHT 188 cm / 6'2" WEIGHT 87 kg / 192 lbs
Upside: He's a defenseman with size and a right-handed shot. He can hit and fight..
Downside: Very little talk about his skill out there.
Verdict We're in round 5.
6 #162 Detroit Red Wings Jack Adams (RW)
Unranked
56 games 37-23-60 Fargo (USHL)
AGE 20 NATION USA
POSITION RW SHOOTS R
HEIGHT 195 cm / 6'5" WEIGHT 88 kg / 194 lbs
Upside: Adams led the USH with 37 goals. He's huge, at 6'5. He worked hard to improve his skating this year.
Downside: He's 20 years old and playing against juniors.
Verdict: The Red Wings need home run picks, and this looks like a swing for the fences. He'll play hockey at Union College for 3-4 years unless he blows up as a freshman and the Wings decide the offer early.
6 #164 Detroit Red Wings Reilly Webb (D)
Unranked
12 games 0-1-1 +3 5 PIM Hamilton (OHL)
AGE 18 NATION Canada
POSITION D SHOOTS R
HEIGHT 190 cm / 6'3" WEIGHT 90 kg / 198 lbs
Upside: The upside you see above was posted two years when he was drafted by the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs.
Downside: He's been injured for two years. So nobody knows if he's good, and even if he is, he seems injury prone.
Verdict: Maybe this guy is a home run. But seriously, there were were better options here.
7 #193 Detroit Red Wings Brady Gilmour (C)
Unranked
65 games 26-21-47 -8 4 PIM
AGE 18 NATION Canada
POSITION C SHOOTS L
HEIGHT 178 cm / 5'10" WEIGHT 77 kg / 170 lbs
Upside: Has a good IQ and good hands.
Downside: Lacks size and speed.
Verdict: The NHL is tough for forwards who lack size and speed. Even the best of them (Jiri Hudler) struggle to win a coach's confidence. But in the seventh round, this is what you get.
Follow the author on or visit Personal Blog