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Seven up! Red Wings enter draft with seven picks, first-rounder ... The Detroit Red Wings hold seven selections in Saturday’s seven-round National Hockey League entry draft in Vancouver. Topping the list is the No. 29 overall pick in the first round, which begins at 6 p.m. ET and is televised live on TSN in Canada. It’s just the fourth time in the past 10 years that the Red Wings have held their first-round pick. Each time, the Red Wings have looked to the blue line — selecting defensemen Jakub Kindl (19th in 2005), Niklas Kronwall (29th in 2000) and Jiri Fischer (25th in 1998). The Red Wings also hold high picks in the second-round at 62nd overall — the same pick that was used to select winger Igor Grigorenko in 2001 — and in the third round at 92nd overall. Rounding out Detroit’s selections are picks in the fifth (152nd), sixth (182nd) and two in the seventh (191st and 212th). The Red Wings dealt their fourth-rounder to the Washington Capitals as part of a deal to acquire center Robert Lang, while they picked up the extra seventh-rounder from the Phoenix Coyotes for defenseman Jamie Rivers. RedWingsCentral.com will provide in-depth draft coverage beginning Sunday, with exclusive scouting information on the latest draftees. HIGH RANKING: When the Red Wings selected Grigorenko with their top pick (62nd) in 2001, they said they ranked him 15th overall. “I haven’t really concentrated on him,” Red Wings director of European scouting Hakan Andersson told the Detroit media. “I think my first report said, ‘Good, high-skilled player with speed. Possible first-rounder.’ The next report said, ‘Will go in the first round.’ I never dreamed we’d get him.” Grigorenko is still in Russia, but remains a top prospect. PICK SWAP: The Red Wings dealt picks 164 and 226 in the same draft for the 157th pick, using it on Swedish forward Andreas Jamtin. The Red Wings said they knew Dallas was going to take Jamtin 161st. “He’s like a Tomas Holmstrom,” said Andersson. “He can take anything you throw at him. He never backs down from anybody. If Holmstrom had this guy’s skating ability, Holmstrom would be a star in the NHL.” The Red Wings never signed Jamtin, and he became a free agent. RedWingsCentral.com’s coverage from last year’s draft: See also: Detroit Red Wings draft history back to 1990 Matthew Wuest is a freelance hockey writer. You can contact him by email at wuest@redwingscentral.com. |
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