Detroit Red Wings Draft Grade

Jun 30, 2013; Newark, NJ, USA; A general view of a sand sculpture with the 2013 NHL Draft logo before the 2013 NHL Draft at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

It is hard to give the Detroit Red Wings a draft grade because the 2013 NHL Draft was only a couple of days ago, but we will take a crack at it anyway.

If you want an accurate reading of the 2013 NHL Draft check back in 5-10 years, when these player will either be in the NHL or forgotten.

Peter Fish: A

The Wings traded down to gain an extra draft pick and were still able to select a big bodied sniper in Anthony Mantha with the 20th pick. The Red Wings set out to add more size and they accomplished that; the smallest player the Wings selected was Tyler Bertuzzi who is 6’0″ 178 pounds, but he plays bigger on the ice. The two Swedes, Mattias Janmark-Nylen and Hampus Melen, added a serious amount of offensive talent to the prospect pool and set Junior B scoring records in Sweden. The Wings didn’t only go offense though, in the 5th and 6th round they took two HUGE defenseman; Mitchell Wheaton a 6’5″ 230 pounder and Marc McNulty a 6’6″ 185 pounder who needs to add weight, but both can turn into big, mean shutdown defensemen.

Jeremy Beren: A-minus

I think the Wings did well. They bolstered their forward corps with a couple of impressive prospects and focused on size in this draft. The future is very bright in Detroit; they didn’t do anything in this draft to convince me otherwise.

Jordan Hoy: A-minus

Holland made a slick move by acquiring an extra pick in the trade with San Jose… and still got one of the players they coveted in the 20th spot. With such a deep draft this year moving down was the smart move.  Time will tell if Mantha will be able to produce offensively in pro the same way he has in junior.  Detroit also filled the most obvious organizational needs by adding some grit (Tyler Bertuzzi) and size (Mitchell Wheaton).  And, it wouldn’t be a true Detroit draft if they didn’t select an unknown European long-shot late in the draft… Hampus Melen  is that player this year. Doubtful that he will turn into Zetterberg, but with a name like that anything is possible.

Dylan Kefalas: A-minus

Mantha and Nastasiuk were great picks at great value, but I feel like they dropped way too far off the board for Bertuzzi. Janmark-Nylen, Pope, McNulty and Melen all have upside, but I’m not sure what their chances of making it to the NHL are. I really wish they had moved Filppula’s rights.

Christina Roberts: B-plus

For the future success of the Red Wings organization, draft picks are more and more important, because most teams aren’t willing to trade those top players on their team anymore, and it’s all about growing your own prospects. Higher and smarter draft picks are the wave of the future. Then again, picks have always been important.

Driving on the Ohio Turnpike isn’t the best way to get draft day coverage, let me tell you. Constantly refreshing Twitter is not the same as watching it on TV or watching a stream of it.

It seems to me that Holland did a pretty good job at the draft. Trading first round picks with San Jose and getting an extra second round pick in return was an incredibly smart move. Picking Anthony Mantha, a 50-goal scorer and a bigger body is what the Red Wings will need in the future moving to the East. As long as Mantha works hard to improve his physical and defensive game, he won’t have any problem making it into the Red Wings’ lineup. From what I hear about Zach Nastasiuk, he’s a good two-way player, and that’s what the Wings team is all about. He will be a good fit.

Honorable mention goes to drafting Tyler Bertuzzi 58th overall. Yes, he’s Todd Bertuzzi’s nephew. Who cares? Bertuzzi, minus this past season due to injuries, has had an impact on this Red Wings team and found a home here. Tyler Bertuzzi has been compared to Andrew Shaw, and again, that physical kind of play is what the Red Wings need (and have needed for some time). Not that he’ll be NHL-ready in the next few seasons, but having a player like him in the pipeline is a tremendous asset.

Nothing overly flashy or awesomely exciting, but pretty solid. It will be interesting to see how all the players develop over the next few seasons.

Overall Grade Octopus Thrower Grade: A-minus

Holland and Co. restocked the prospect pool well and as a whole we are very happy with how the Detroit Red Wings handled this draft. The future of the Detroit Red Wings is very bright even if some of these players do not develop fully.