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Two for the price of one Red Wings would have taken Emmerton, Matthias 29th overall ... The Detroit Red Wings left Saturday’s NHL entry draft in Vancouver saying they had landed two first-rounders for the price of one. The Wings traded their 29th overall pick to the Phoenix Coyotes along with their 152nd pick and received 41st and 47th selections, using them on Ontario Hockey League forwards Cory Emmerton of the Kingston Frontenacs and Shawn Matthias of the Belleville Bulls. Emmerton, a center who had 26 goals and 64 assists for 90 points in 66 games, was ranked 23rd oveall by International Scouting Service and 10th among North Americans by Central Scouting. He played for Canada at the world under-18 championship in Sweden in April. “He’s got very good hockey sense, good stick skills, and he’s a Red Wings type of player, the way he thinks the game,” said Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill. “We think he’s a top two line player.” Emmerton’s numbers — which ranked him 10th in OHL scoring — are particularly impressive when you consider current Wings prospect Evan McGrath had 51 points at the same age. Voted the OHL’s smartest player in a coaches poll, Emmerton is a shade under six feet and weighs in at 177 pounds. Although he has below-average size, the Red Wings have never been shy about drafting smaller forwards in the past — with late-rounders Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg jumping out as obvious success stories. “Like all kids, strength is his issue,” said Nill. “He needs to work on his leg strength and get his skating a little bit stronger.” Matthias is the polar opposite of Emmerton. The 6-foot-3, 211-pound center had modest numbers — 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points in 67 games — but has the tools to develop into a third-line force. After a slow start, Matthias caught the Wings’ eye as he started to earn more ice time in Belleville during the season’s second half. He produced 23 points in his final 35 games and capped the campaign with a strong performance for Canada at the world under-18 championship. “He showed a lot of maturity and showed he can compete against top players,” said Nill. “We really like his size and speed. He gets on pucks fast and has that big body. He’s a strong skater, and in the new NHL, we’re hoping he’s going to be a real tough guy to play against.” Nill said the Red Wings would have considered both Emmerton and Matthias at 29th overall, had they kept the pick. The Red Wings were eyeing center Patrik Berglund and goaltender Leland Irving, but both were taken. Emmerton and several others were sliding. “We had about five guys ranked in there and we said, ‘If we make a trade and get two of these guys instead of one, we’ll be happy,’” explained Nill. “We rolled the dice and it worked out. We added depth.” Matthew Wuest is a freelance hockey writer. You can contact him by email at wuest@redwingscentral.com. |
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