Red Wings Central prospects

BRIAN LASHOFF

Position:	Defense
Shoots:	Left
Vitals:	6'3'' / 204 lbs.
Birthdate:	July 16, 1990
Hometown:	Albany, New York
Acquired:	Signed as free agent by Detroit, Sept. 30, 2008
CSS Ranking:	Not Ranked
Contract:	2013
RWC Says:	No. 4 defenseman

STORIES
October 6, 2008: High hopes for "bonus draft picks" January 12, 2009: Not drafted, but no slouch September 9, 2009: Rising Lashoff earns his keep

AWARDS
2009-10 OHL All-Star Classic (Eastern Conference Team)

HISTORY

2006-07: Drafted by the Barrie Colts in the third round (49th overall) in the 2006 OHL draft. Broke into OHL immediately with Barrie (47-2-10-12).
2007-08: Missed 12 games with an ankle injury but finished with good numbers (50-5-15-20). Ranked 183rd among North Americans at mid-season by Central Scouting. Dropped from Central Scouting's rankings at season's end and wasn't picked 2008 NHL draft.
2008-09: Invited to Red Wings' prospects tournament and training camp as a free-agent tryout. Performed well and signed three-year entry-level contract with Red Wings. Started the season in OHL with Barrie and played well (25-1-12-13). Traded to Kingston as part of a five-player deal in December. Emerged on top pairing in Kingston and earned the team captaincy. Starred for a weak team (35-6-13-19, minus-1), logging big minutes in all situations. Signed an AHL amateur tryout contract and turned heads in Grand Rapids. Finished AHL regular season (6-1-4-5) in impressive fashion and kept it going in playoffs (8-1-4-5). Missed final two games of playoffs with a concussion.
2009-10: Returned to the OHL as Kingston's captain and had another solid year (58-6-21-27, minus-10). Served as third pairing and won a gold medal with the U.S. at WJC (7-0-2-2, plus-1, 2 shots). Enjoyed another outstanding late-season stint in AHL with Grand Rapids (6-0-2-2).

SCOUT COMMENTS
"He has good size, he skates well, he moves the puck well, and we liked his overall game. We think he's a 4-to-6 guy and we'll see, maybe he'll surprise us. We think he has a chance to play." — Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill (October 2008) ... ... "To me, he's just going upward. He's skating well, he's moving the puck, making smart decisions. He's physical, he plays the body, he defends the net well and he finishes checks with authority. It was a great signing. We're ecstatic with how he's developed and played." — Red Wings scout Mark Leach (January 2009).

SCOUT COMMENTS

"He has good size, he skates well, he moves the puck well, and we liked his overall game. We think he's a 4-to-6 guy and we'll see, maybe he'll surprise us. We think he has a chance to play." — Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill (October 2008) ... ... "To me, he's just going upward. He's skating well, he's moving the puck, making smart decisions. He's physical, he plays the body, he defends the net well and he finishes checks with authority. It was a great signing. We're ecstatic with how he's developed and played." — Red Wings scout Mark Leach (January 2009).

STRENGTHS
Has all the tools to be a complete defenseman ... Good mobility for his size ... Hard shot ... Good puck-moving ability and decision-making skills ... Hard-working and dedicated ... Good bloodlines, as brother Matt was a first-round pick of the Boston Bruins ... Above-average size ... Filled in capably at forward on the left wing during an AHL stint in 2008-09 ... Good leader.

WEAKNESSES
Pieces are coming together, but still a raw project ... Needs to put continued work into his skating ... Could develop into a shut-down defender with better positioning and consistency.

PROJECTION
The Red Wings may have pulled off a coup by signing Lashoff off the free-agent scrap heap following the 2008 draft. He's been rock-solid at the junior level and turned a lot of heads during two late-season AHL stints with Grand Rapids, and he'll take his game to the pro level on a full-time basis in 2010-11. He has all the tools to develop into a solid NHL blueliner similar to Kyle Quincey.

STATISTICS
			REGULAR SEASON					PLAYOFFS
SEASON	TEAM	LEAGUE	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
2006-07	Barrie	OHL	47	2	10	12	20	5	0	1	1	2
2007-08	Barrie	OHL	50	5	15	20	44	8	0	1	1	4
2008-09	Barrie	OHL	25	1	12	13	19	—	—	—	—	—
	Kingston	OHL	35	6	13	19	32	—	—	—	—	—
	Grand Rapids	AHL	6	1	4	5	0	8	1	4	5	2
2009-10	Kingston	OHL	58	6	21	27	71	7	0	0	0	12
	USA	WJC-U20	7	0	2	2	4	—	—	—	—	—
	Grand Rapids	AHL	6	0	2	2	2	—	—	—	—	—

The next wave

RWC's top 10 prospects (2009-10 preliminary)

01	F	Tomas Tatar »	Grand Rapids (AHL)
02	D	Jakub Kindl »	Grand Rapids (AHL)
03	D	Brendan Smith »	Wisconsin (NCAA)
04	F	Gustav Nyquist »	Maine (NCAA)
05	F	Jan Mursak »	Grand Rapids (AHL)
06	G	Thomas McCollum »	Grand Rapids (AHL)
07	F	Joakim Andersson »	Frolunda (SEL)
08	F	Mattias Ritola »	Grand Rapids (AHL)
09	F	Landon Ferraro »	Red Deer (WHL)
10	D	Brian Lashoff »	Grand Rapids (AHL)

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The next wave

RWC's top 10 prospects (2009-10 preliminary)

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