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The post The Daily: Grading the Red Wings Draft; Canadiens Interested in Merchenko appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.
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The Detroit Red Wings deserve a B+ for their weekend draft work, starting with Day 1 when they turned nothing into something.
The Red Wings didn’t have a first round pick but managed to trade for one (from the Utah Mammoth) late in the draft and turn it into what most would consider a high value late-round pick J.P. Hurlbert. He scored 42 goals and generated 97 points in his first season in the Western Hockey League. He will continue his career at the University of Michigan.
The reason why he was available later in the first round is that his skating needs improvement. But given this organization’s shortage of skilled forwards, I believe the Red Wings believe they can help him improve his skating.
But you can’t teach an athlete to have a scoring touch. Either you have it or you don’t. Hurlbert does.
Landing Max Plante’s brother, Victor, also is a coup. Max was the Hobey Baker winner and has said that Victor is a better player than he is. Both are smart, detail-oriented players who grew up in the game. Their grandfather was a long-time high school coach and their dad, Derek, played in the NHL. The rights to the third Plante brother, Zam, are owned by the Pittsburgh Penguins. It seems like a call to the Penguins is in order.
The third reason why the Red Wings deserve a B+ was the decision to drafte Czechia goalie Michal Orsulak with their third round. Some had him as the second-best goalie in the draft. He’s 6-foot-4 and weighs 220. He helped Czechia win the silver medal at the World Junior Championships.
He will replace Sebastian Cossa in Detroit’s stable of quality young netminder. The Red Wings gave up Cossa to land the No. 23 pick used to land Hurlbert.
Most draft analysts gave the Red Wings a “B” or “B+” for their draft, although the Athletic’s Cory Pronman gave them a “C”
In Case You Missed It
Detroit GM Steve Yzerman explained why the Red Wings are not holding training camp in Traverse City any more.
Yzerman didn’t say much about what’s happening with Dylan Larkin, other than to say he’s going to do what’s best for the Red Wings.
Max Smith unwraps the players the Red Wings drafted on Saturday on the second day of the NHL Draft. Who are these guys? Smith tells you.
Red Wings Extra
Hurlbert’s 42-goal season made him only the third Kamloops Blazers rookie to score 40 or more goals. That feat doesn’t happen all that often in the Western Hockey League. Among the players who have accomplished that feat: former Red Wings player Don Murdoch (who scored a remarkable 82 goals in 1974-75), Connor Bedard (51 goals in 2021-22), Terik Parascak (43 goals in 2023-24), Ray Ferraro (41 in 1982-83) and Scott Upshall (40 in 2000-01) among others.
Former Red Wings player David Booth has re-signed with the Melbourne team in the Australian Hockey League for the remainder of its season. Last season, Booth netted 30 goals in 14 games.
Hockey Now Digest
Colorado: The Avalanche land another first round draft pick (but it is from 2021). Colorado Avalanche.
Florida: Other than finding two goalies, the Florida Panthers’ 2026-27 lineup is set. But landing a No. 1 goalie always requires heavy lifting. Florida Panthers.
Montreal: The Canadiens, according to a report, have already made a quality offer for Columbus forward Kirill Marchenko. Montreal Canadiens
New Jersey: James Nichols explains that the Devils have the assets that could allow them to make a trade for Jason Robertson. New Jersey Devils.
Philadelphia: Report says defenseman wouldn’t mind being a member of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Pittsburgh: Dan Kingerski explains why the Penguins traded up to land a Belarus goalkeeper. Pittsburgh Penguins.
San Jose: The Sharks kept it in the family when they drafted center Jake Gustafson with the 174th pick. Sheng Peng explains. San Jose Sharks.
The post The Daily: Grading the Red Wings Draft; Canadiens Interested in Merchenko appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.
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