Rebuilding Red Wings opt for size
It was an NHL draft where the Detroit Red Wings looked at getting bigger, put a lot of emphasis on defence and, as always, made sure to tap into the European market.
Selecting inside the top 10 for the first time since 1991, the Red Wings set the tone early by taking 6-foot-5, 221-pound centre Michael Rasmussen ninth overall on Friday.
The pick was met with some questions. Rasmussen had 32 goals and 55 points in 50 games, but was a minus-13 in the Western Hockey League for the Tri-City Americans and only 19 of his points weren’t produced on the power play.
With 10 picks on Saturday’s second day, the Red Wings added five defencemen starting with 6-foot2, 187-pound Swedish defenceman Gustav Lindstrom in the second round. He’s a nephew of former NHL defenceman Marcus Ragnarsson.
The club also stayed on defence with 6-foot-2, 196-pound Kasper Kotkansalo, who was the first of three picks in the third round. Kotkansalo is from Finland, but played last season in the United States Hockey League with Sioux Falls.
Detroit also added defencemen in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds.
In the fourth round, the Red Wings picked up 6-foot-6, 192-pound Malte Setkov, who is from Denmark. In the fifth round, it was Peterborough Petes defenceman Cole Fraser, who is 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds.
In the sixth round, the Red Wings went back to the Ontario Hockey League to grab 6-foot-3, 195-pound defenceman Reilly Webb from the Hamilton Bulldogs.
Even Detroit’s lone goalie pick boasts size in 6-foot-6, 185-pound Keith Petruzzelli, who was taken in the third round and played for Muskegon in the USHL. He led league rookies with 22 wins and was named to the all-rookie team. He’s committed to Quinnipiac University for next season.
Detroit added a second WHL forward with the club’s second pick in the third round by taking Lane Zablocki. Zablocki split time between Regina and Red Deer last season and had 28 goals and 54 points in 64 games.
With the club’s third pick in the third round, the Red Wings grabbed centre Zach Gallant, who was Fraser’s teammate with the Petes. Gallant had 21 goals in 60 games last season.
While the draft usually features the top 18-year-old players, the Red Wings grabbed 20-year-old forward Jack Adams with the club’s first of two picks in the sixth round.
The 6-foot-5, 204-pound Adams led the USHL with 37 goals last season. He’s committed to Union College next season.
The Red Wings closed out the draft by taking Saginaw Spirit centre Brady Gilmour, who was fourth in scoring for the Spirit last season with 26 goals and 47 points in 65 games.