RWC REPORT: High hopes for "bonus draft picks"

By Matthew Wuest - RedWingsCentral.com / October 6, 2008

Consider Brent Raedeke and Brian Lashoff "bonus draft picks" — who the Detroit Red Wings feel very, very strongly about.

The Red Wings signed Raedeke and Lashoff this week to three-year entry-level contracts, locking both players into the organization after nearly selecting them at the NHL draft in June. Were the draft still nine rounds, they probably would have been eighth- and ninth-rounders, respectively.

"Their names came up at the draft, but since we had the last pick, we knew who would be left over," Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill said. "We said, ‘Let's max out our opportunities,' so we took a Euro (Jesper Samuelsson) knowing we could bring them in as tryouts to have a look at them."

	Brent Raedeke is a prospect who compares favorably to Darren Helm. (Photo: Sarah Lindenau/Red Wings Central).

Both players impressed the Wings so much at the annual prospects tournament and training camp in Traverse City, Mich., they didn't want to risk letting them go back into the 2009 draft. So they took advantage of a narrow two-week signing window and will keep their rights through to 2013.

"We watched them closely and we liked what we saw," Nill said. "If we didn't sign them and they go back and have great years, we'd be kicking ourselves. They're basically free draft picks, so we said, ‘Let's take a chance.'"

The Red Wings haven't signed a free agent prospect out of training camp since 2003, when they inked speedy forward Nathan Robinson. Their more successful projects include Sean Avery in 2000 and Jason Williams in 2001.

"It's much like Avery and Williams, six, seven years ago," Nill said.

Raedeke, a 6-foot, 197-pound forward who was hidden on the expansion Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League last season, is a third- or fourth-line prospect who fits the mold of a Darren Helm.

Raedeke had 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points last season. Helm, at the same age, had 10 goals and 14 assists and probably wouldn't have been drafted if the Red Wings hadn't nabbed him in the fifth round.

"He has a little of Helm in him," Nill said. "He's not as good as Helm right now, but who was Darren Helm when we drafted him?

"He's a good skater with good speed and he's strong on the puck. He's a young 18-year-old and we see a lot of potential in him."

Lashoff is the younger brother of Matt Lashoff, a former first-round pick of the Boston Bruins who projects as a top-four defenseman. Brian doesn't come with the same fanfare, but he's a good prospect too.

At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, he is the same caliber of prospect as Kyle Quincey at the same age. He had five goals, 15 assists and 44 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League last season.

Good bloodlines don't hurt, but Brian's a good player in his own right.

"He has good size, he skates well, handles the puck well, and we liked his overall game," Nill said. "To say you're getting a top two defenseman, like in the Nicklas Lidstrom category, isn't realistic, but he has a chance to play. We think he's a 4-to-6 guy and we'll see ... Maybe he's going to surprise us."

Both Raedeke and Lashoff impressed most with their work ethic.

"It's getting to know the kids," Nill said. "All of these kids have similar skills, but who works hard and who will take the next step? You want to make sure the door is opened, but they have to push it wide open and run through."

— The Red Wings signed goaltender Tomas McCollum (Guelph, OHL) to a three-year entry-level contract this week. McCollum has a 4-1 record this season with a 1.79 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage.

— Center Randy Cameron (Moncton, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) is off to a terrific offensive start, with a goal and four assists in four games. His team has a perfect 7-0 record and is ranked second in Canada.

— The Red Wings' first round of cuts included Jakub Kindl, Daniel Larsson, Sergei Kolosov and Logan Pyett, as well as Evan McGrath, Ryan Oulahen and Jamie Tardif. Surviving to the next round of cuts were Cory Emmerton, Jan Mursak, Justin Abdelkader and Mattias Ritola. These players will be the core of the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins.

— Forward Dick Axelsson (Djurgarden, Swedish Elite League) had no points in his first two games and is now out with a shoulder injury.

— Forward Jesper Samuelsson (Timra, Swedish Elite League) is off to a respectable start after jumping two levels of hockey in the off-season. He has two goals and an assist in seven games, but is losing 80 percent of his faceoffs.

The following is an up-to-date statistical report for skaters:

NAME	TEAM	LEAGUE	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
K H L
Miroslav Blatak	Salavat Yulaev	KHL	11	1	3	4	34
Gennady Stolyarov	Astana Barys	KHL	2	1	1	2	2
S W E D E N
Jesper Samuelsson	Timra	SEL	7	2	1	3	2
Anton Axelsson	Timra	SEL	7	1	2	3	0
Dick Axelsson	Djurgarden	SEL	2	0	0	0	0
Joakim Andersson	Frolunda	SEL	8	0	0	0	2
Johan Ryno	AIK	SWE-2	4	1	2	3	2
C H L
Randy Cameron	Moncton	QMJHL	4	1	4	5	4
Brent Raedeke	Edmonton	WHL	6	3	1	4	4
Brian Lashoff	Barrie	OHL	4	0	4	4	5
Zack Torquato	Erie	OHL	4	0	3	3	4
Stephen Johnston	Belleville	OHL	5	0	1	1	8

The following is an up-to-date statistical report for goaltenders:

NAME	TEAM	LEAGUE	GP	W-L-O	GAA	SPCT
Thomas McCollum	Guelph	OHL	5	4-1	1.79	.937

LEAGUE LEGEND: AHL -- American Hockey League; KHL -- Kontinental Hockey League; SEL -- Swedish Elite League; SWE-2 -- Swedish second level; OHL -- Ontario Hockey League; WHL -- Western Hockey League; QMJHL -- Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.