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By Matthew Wuest - www.RedWingsCentral.com June 28, 2007 Joakim Andersson and Randy Cameron aren’t prospects who will electrify you with blazing speed, crafty one-on-one moves or bullet shots. But both of them have the foundation to one day play a responsible, two-way NHL game, and that’s why the Detroit Red Wings drafted them. Andersson, a 6-foot-2, 198-pound left-winger with Frolunda of Sweden’s under-20 league, went in the third round (88th overall), while Cameron, a five-foot-11, 187-pound center with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Moncton Wildcats, went in the fifth round (148th overall). “He plays a strong two-way game, he’s got good size and he’s strong on the puck,” Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill said. “He’s a cross between (Dallas Stars forward) Joel Lundqvist and (Red Wings forward) Johan Franzen, but he’s got a better touch than Franzen at the same age.” Andersson is the type of responsible, hard-edged competitor who could anchor a third line, but he also has enough skill and vision to chip in on a scoring line. He had 20 goals and 26 assists for 46 points in 41 games last season and is on the verge of playing in the Swedish Elite League. One thing that holds him back is his skating. “He’s got to work on his skating, speed-wise, a little bit,” Nill said. “He’s not really a smooth skater at this point.” Cameron, meanwhile, is a couple of cuts below Andersson as a prospect, but he is similar in that he plays a responsible game. He had 17 goals and 22 assists for 39 points in 70 games to go along with a team-worst minus-21 rating and a 50.2 percent success rate on faceoffs. “He’s got a great head for the game — he does all the little things well, and that’s what I like about him,” Nill said. “If he can get stronger, he can be a little bit like a (Ottawa Senators forward) Mike Fisher.” That said, Cameron isn’t a punishing hitter. He had just 29 hits last season. “He’s physical, he’s intense, but he doesn’t run around bowling guys over,” Nill said. “He’s really smart defensively, he’s a good puck-chaser, he’s good on draws and he’s responsible. I just really like his all-around game.” Cameron has been working hard on strength and conditioning since his season ended in early April and has already added 11 pounds of muscle. The Red Wings expect him to be a point-per-game player in 2007-08. Interestingly, Cameron hails from Clyde River, Prince Edward Island, less than an hour away from Summerside, Prince Edward Island, the hometown of former Red Wings forward Gerard (Spuddy) Gallant. According to the Moncton Times-Transcript, Cameron didn’t even follow the draft. He was pitching in a softball game when the public-address announcer interrupted to give the news that he had been selected. “I didn’t even want to finish the game,” Cameron told the paper. “I just wanted to go straight home and get all the details. It was really tough to concentrate on my next pitch after that ... but I still struck the guy out.” You can contact Matthew Wuest at wuest@redwingscentral.com. |
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