4th Round Pick – Tristan Lennox, Goaltender
Drafting a goaltender has been one of the more controversial discussions surrounding Detroit’s first round options. Something a bit more palatable? Taking a stab at a goaltie with one of the organization’s later draft picks. And Lennox might be the sneaky-good option.
Lennox is all over the place in terms of draft placements – some project him as a late 2nd or early 3rd round pick, others place him outside of the top 100. It’s impossible to guarantee that he’d be there for Detroit at the end of the 3rd, but if that’s the case, Lennox could very well end up being a Red Wing.
As a player with Saginaw in the OHL this season, Lennox saw no in-game ice time because of the OHL cancellation. However, he did show promise last season with the team. Standing at 6-foot-4, Lennox is an imposing figure in the crease, and he’s surprisingly athletic for his size. He has decent hockey sense and does a solid job at taking away easy chances, but he’s struggled to play consistently. His ugly save percentage of .876 and 3.63 goals against average are sure to make many general manager’s pause, as well as the lack of any 2021 game tape. But he’s shown flashes of NHL-level play. When he’s on top of his game, he’s essentially a brick wall. Lennox would provide a well-needed boost to Detroit’s weak goaltending pipeline.