Red Wings have highest draft pick since 1990; here’s who they might choose

By @MichaelCaples –

Now that the Red Wings’ (lofty) dreams of snagging the first overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft are over, here’s a look at which player the Original Six franchise may claim this June.

The Wings ended up landing at No. 9 overall in the NHL Draft Lottery, the team’s highest selection spot since they claimed Martin Lapointe at No. 10 in 1990. Here are some of the names floating around that spot in draft rankings and projections (with their NHL Central Scouting final rankings list number):

Cale Makar – Defenseman – Brooks (AJHL) – No. 9 on NHL Central Scouting (North American skaters)

Makar, a native of Calgary, Alberta, has been skating for the Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League the last three seasons. He is committed to UMass; the AJHL is the top junior league in Alberta that keeps NCAA eligibility for its players. Makar – listed at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds – posted 75 points in 54 games from the blue line this season.

Eeli Tolvanen – Right Wing – Sioux City (USHL) – No. 8 on NHL Central Scouting (North American skaters)

Tolvanen, a native of Vihti, Finland, has been thriving with the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound forward posted 54 points in 52 games this past season, after logging 38 points in 49 games as a rookie last year. He posted six points in six games with Finland at the World Juniors this past December and January, as well.

Nick Suzuki – Center – Owen Sound (OHL) – No. 10 on NHL Central Scouting (North American skaters)

Suzuki, a 5-foot-11, 183-pound center for the Attack, posted a whopping 96 points in 65 games. The London native moved up from No. 16 to No. 10 from the midterm to final draft rankings by NHL Central Scouting.

Callan Foote – Defenseman – Kelowna (WHL) – No. 12 on NHL Central Scouting (North American skaters)

We skipped past No. 11-ranked Juuso Valimaki of Tri-City (WHL) to tease the Hockeytown faithful about the possibility of the Wings drafting Adam Foote’s son. After playing for the Colorado Thunderbirds for much of his youth, the son of the Avs’ big bruising defenseman has played the last two seasons for the Kelowna Rockets – in 2016-17, he recorded 57 points and 41 penalty minutes in 71 games.

Klim Kostin – Left Wing/Center – Moscow Dynamo – No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting (European skaters)

Kostin dominated in a Five Nations tournament in Plymouth; if he’s still available at No. 9, the Red Wings may be interested. The 6-foot-3, 196-pound forward missed significant time this season due to injury; he played in eight games with the Moscow Dynamo of the KHL and nine games with Balashikha in Russia’s second division.

Jason Robertson – Left Wing – Kingston (OHL) – No. 14 on NHL Central Scouting (North American skaters)

If the Red Wings want another hometown kid, Jason Robertson’s their guy. He was born in Arcadia, Calif., but he’s a Northville native, and he’s been thriving in the OHL. Robertson posted 81 points in 68 games as a sophomore winger for the Kingston Frontenacs.

Other names to know:

Cody Glass – Center – Portland (WHL) – No. 6 (North American)

Owen Tippett – Right Wing – Mississauga (OHL) – No. 7 (North American)

Ryan Poehling – Center – St. Cloud State (NCHC) – No. 13 (North American)

Elias Pettersson – Center – Timra – Sweden – No. 2 (European)

Lias Andersson – Center – HV 71 – Sweden – No. 3 (European)

 

The 2017 NHL Draft takes place in Chicago on June 23-24.