The Red Wings draft

[yave1964]

Overall I have to admit I am pretty damn happy with it.

Anthony Mantha scored 50 goals last year and is huge, negative is he takes shifts off and glides around but that has to do with being a kid, the Wings are the perfect organization with all of our veterans to deal with that. The fact is he is a pure goal scorer and I was thrilled when he was still there at 20.

In the first of our second rounders, we selected Zach Nastasiuk who I had been reading in the Detroit free press as a potential Wings first round pick. A defensively responsible second or third liner with a nose for the net, he I supposed to be very close to being NHL ready. Think a young Dan Cleary.

Very puzzled by the pick of Tyler Bertuzzi in the second round with the extra pick we got from the Sharks. Everything I read says he is a stretch in that slot but is a grinder who will be an NHL player.

Beyond the second it is a mixed bag, Mattias Janmark-Nylen is a Swede who was barely on anyones draft list but hey, if anyone knows Swedes it is Detroit, David Pope in the Fourth had been projected as a low second or high third and fell to us in the fourth. Michael Wheaton is a huge blueliner who was projected also low second high third who fell to the fifth round because of shoulder surgery.

Overall, we went for forwards, Mantha and Nastasiuk looking to be safe nearly NHL ready players who within two to thee years should be contributors to the big club. Our first five picks were all forwards, which to me was a bit curious as we have a ton of NHL ready legitimate prospects at forward now, but nothing wrong with drafting guys to push other guys. A few stretches, Bertuzzi and the Europeans fit this category but overall a nice safe draft looking towards the future. They obviously had a plan and followed it.

Edited July 1, 2013 by yave1964

[jammer2]

@yave1964

" negative is he takes shifts off and glides around but that has to do with being a kid, the Wings are the perfect organization with all of our veterans to deal with that."

That was exactly what I thought when I seen they selected him. Thing is, once he turns pro, he will have to scratch and claw past a vast crowd of forwards to even get a sniff of the NHL. If anyone can "coach him up" it's the Wings org....and his size and hands were to good to pass up on. Seems like the Bertuzzi pick was a bit of a favour to loyal player....maybe not the best move, but he must have been highly thought of in the org or they would not have considered him. They are nice, but not that nice...lol.