Wings Draft: Three Player’s That Could Be This Year’s Moritz Seider
The hardest part about trying to predict the Detroit Red Wing’s pick at 6th overall is getting a read of Steve Yzerman. He illustrated just how little he cares about projected draft order with the selection of Moritz Seider at 6th overall in the 2020 draft; a player typically projected as a mid-to-late first rounder. With this year’s draft even less predictable than the last, what selection could Yzerman shock the world with?
Fabian Lysell
Fabian Lysell is perhaps the wildest of wildcards in the 2021 NHL Draft. Although he’s typically mocked as a mid-to-late first rounder, some have him as a top ten and even top five player on the draft boards.
Lysell had an odd 2021 season, which is a large part of the reason general managers might skip over the talented winger. He began 2021 with Frolunda, stuck in the organization’s junior leagues. In an attempt to show off his skills in the pros, Lysell requested the organization move him to another team willing to promote him from to the pros. He eventually found himself playing (limited) pro minutes with another SHL organization, Lulea.
Lysell’s lack of production also factors in to his draft stock. Although he was solid in the juniors (3 goals and 10 assists in 11 games), Lysell netted only a goal and two assists in 26 games with Lulea.
So why is this player with a weird season and subpar production an option for Detroit at 6? Raw talent. Lysell has one of the highest ceilings in the draft this year; his vision and unbelievable speed combine for a lethal playmaker that just drives the offense. If developed properly, there is a chance Lysell could easily become one of the top three players taken in the entire draft. Yzerman is not afraid to take on projects, and Lysell might be skilled enough to entice Detroit into snagging him much earlier than expected.
Chaz Lucius
Chaz Lucius is projected as one of the better centers in the draft, falling to the mid-teens on most boards. With McTavish, Beniers, Johnson (If you count him as a center) and occasionally even Cole Sillinger all ranked about Lucius on the boards, if would be quite the shock if Yzerman snagged him with at six.
While he doesn’t have the ceiling of a Lysell, Lucius does hold a bunch of potential. His most lethal strength is his goal-scoring: he has a shot for seemingly every situation. A quick skim through his tape reveals countless wristers from the point, dangerously quick one timers, the occasional slapshot and even the nasty backhander. His skating needs improvement to get to that NHL level, as well as his defensive vision and awareness.
If Lucius finds a way to transition to an NHL center, he could be a dangerously effective scoring second-line center. Detroit desperately needs that sort of depth down the middle; right now, the only real option coming through the pipeline is Joe Veleno, who tends to play a much safer (Two-way) style of hockey. Yzerman only picks Lucius at 6 if he thinks he can become an NHL center; if that’s the case, Lucius could become the next project in the pipeline.
Aatu Raty
A few years ago, projecting Aatu Raty as the 6th overall pick would’ve been considered unrealistic, as most projected him in at least the top three after impressing with Finland’s U-20 team at a young age. Fast forward to now, and Raty at 6th overall is still unrealistic – just for a completely different reason.
After excelling in the Finnish Juniors and even the Finish U-18 and U-20 teams, Raty took a disappointing step back in 2021. Last year, he finally made the transition to Finnish pro hockey, playing with Karpat in Liiga. Raty looked a bit lost in the 12 games he played in the pros, as he only nabbed two goals and two assists.
The offseason didn’t treat him any better. After a slow start in 2020 in Liiga, Raty was demoted back to juniors to begin 2021. Eventually, he found his way back to Liiga, where he spent most of his season. But again, he seemed to struggle to produce at the pro level, managing only three goals and three assists in 35 games.
Raty is a tough, tough player to analyze. It’s not a great sign that he’s struggled so hard transition his game from the minors to the pros in Finland; the gap between the Finnish Liiga and the NHL is much larger. However, scouts still get glimpses of that elite player they saw a few years back. The tools are there, he just seems to have lost confidence. Once billed as an elite level playmaking center, Raty just seems to have lost all confidence in his ability to distribute and drive. His question marks could send him all the way to the end of the first round, and worst case-scenario, into the second round.
Even for a gm that likes projects, Aatu Raty needs some major work. But he’s athletic, highly skilled and has the possibility of playing center in the NHL as a playmaker. Again, center is a pressing need in the Red Wing’s organization, and a highly skilled player that can drive the offense down the middle might be the perfect option. It’s probably one of the craziest potential pick at six, but Raty has already proved his ceiling a few years back. He might just be that Seider-type player that needs just a few more years of solid development to become a high-end player. If Yzerman is looked to not just swing for the fences, but crush a home run, Aatu Raty might be the high risk option to go for.
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