Detroit isn't that great at Drafting

[TheOwl 77]

The man does have a point though to be made. Detroits player development is better then their scouting. The fact Datysuk, Franzen and Zetterberg being drafted in later rounds doesn't prove the scouting is good, it proves the development is good. It's not like the scouts said, "Hey, this Zetterberg guy is the next great player, lets draft him later." If the scouts were blown away, they would've drafted these guys in the first few rounds. The fact that the players drafted before Z, Dats etc. didn't make it to the NHL points to bad scouting, or the simple fact that, the majority of players drafted in the first few rounds, don't make it to the NHL anyways. The player development is surely top notch, and the fact that Detroit's first rounders are busts, is more a testament to the players themselves not succeeding.

But by this guys logic, Pittsburgh must have the greatest scouts in the world! They got Malkin and Crosby!

The simple fact that Detroit has succeeded for 20 years straight, with late draft picks proves the player development and scouting are better then any other team. Any team with the first over-round pick can get a star, but how many teams consistently get top players with low picks? I wouldn't say the scouting is to blame for Detroit's success, it's development for sure.

Edited July 5, 2009 by TheOwl

[hockeysattva 8]

If found this comment particularly interesting.

" I've been saying the same thing about Detroit

for a while.

They seem to do very well in the mid to late rouns of the draft, but they aren’t doing much to make them a zillion times better than anyone else in the early rounds. I do have to give them credit for selecting so many star caliber players though.

I said it here, and here.

The other thing that needs to be pointed out with Detroit is that their development system is so good because players take a long time to make the NHL. If Kronwall, Filpulla, and Hudler had been playing for Florida, all three would have over 300 games in the NHL by now, and players like Mowers and Helm would have been in the NHL a year and a half ago. They take it slow and it works, but it also negatively impacts on the stats you’re examining.

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

- Sir Winston Churchill

I'm pretty sure he's talking about the Leafs.

by Steve@Leafs.HockeyAnalysis.com on Jun 22, 2009 11:11 AM EDT"

The heres:

http://leafs.hockeyanalysis.com/2008/06/23...s-drafted-dumb/

http://leafs.hockeyanalysis.com/2008/05/15...ft-discrepancy/

[hockeysattva 8]

Also, if you've ever read anything about how Yzerman ended up a Red Wing you know that luck has everything to do with our draft picks.

[BlakKy 58]

In his Draft Discrepancy entry he doesn't have his facts straight about Detroit's drafting. He seemed to say that we got Lidstrom in the second round and was a sort of no brainer. He also wrote off Fedorov as not a star player whilst in the same breath mentioning he was an MVP.

Edited July 5, 2009 by BlakKy

[HadThomasVokounOnFortSt 878]

I think it's a toss up, I mean some stuff I could agree with and some can't.

[Selke13 0]

This journalist is incorrect.

One just has to look at players like Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and Jonathan Ericsson as examples.

"journalist" used loosely

[Wingseroo 0]

On the Zetts issue, remember when he was drafted the Wings were the only organization scouting Sweden 365 days a year... In the current NHL scouting model he would have been drafted much higher... Outside of the occasional world class talent you go back even 10 years ago and scouting was almost entirely North America, Russia, and the former Czechoslovakia... Teams used to send through a 1 or 2 month European scout team each year to touch the other countries...

Funny thing about how Detroit landed Yzerman way back? Not really he was a 5'10 160lb world class player, got passed over by a couple teams and Wings jumped on him... How is that funny? Remember Michael Jordan was not selected #1 in his draft... Donovan McNabb was 3rd QB selected in his draft... Moreno was 5th QB selected in his... Everyone always has questions, and the question about Yzerman was size...

[RedFX 48]

By this logic, every team in the NHL isn't that great at drafting.

[joshy207 156]

I guess our "luck" in getting Yzerman happened because the Islanders took Pat LaFontaine at #3. That's who Detroit really wanted, a local kid, very highly regarded. When he was gone at 4, Detroit snapped up Yzerman, also a top-notch prospect. I think it would have worked out well either way (LaFontaine was an excellent player) but Detroit definitely got "lucky" in getting Yzerman.

All that said, the blogger does have some valid points... other teams have done much better in the draft, producing far more NHL regulars than Detroit has. However, the draft is not the only way to build a team, and for most of those years, Detroit used draft picks as tradeable assets. Now with the salary cap and the reduced time teams have to sign European prospects, drafting well is becoming much more important.

[titanium2 867]

No they're not great at drafting. They're just good at winning 4 cups in 11 years. Oh, and having the longest active playoff appearance streak in all of sports.

[gsusluvshockey 0]

If Kronwall, Filpulla, and Hudler had been playing for Florida, all three would have over 300 games in the NHL by now, and players like Mowers and Helm would have been in the NHL a year and a half ago. They take it slow and it works, but it also negatively impacts on the stats you’re examining.

Exactly what I was thinking. And there are a lot of people who Detroit has drafted who would have played for other teams for 200+ games before they were given up on. Detroit's roster has been so solid that we've not had to test these guys out and were able to let them develop.

The man does have a point though to be made. Detroits player development is better then their scouting. The fact Datysuk, Franzen and Zetterberg being drafted in later rounds doesn't prove the scouting is good, it proves the development is good. It's not like the scouts said, "Hey, this Zetterberg guy is the next great player, lets draft him later." If the scouts were blown away, they would've drafted these guys in the first few rounds. The fact that the players drafted before Z, Dats etc. didn't make it to the NHL points to bad scouting, or the simple fact that, the majority of players drafted in the first few rounds, don't make it to the NHL anyways. The player development is surely top notch, and the fact that Detroit's first rounders are busts, is more a testament to the players themselves not succeeding.

I don't agree. I think that development and scouting are equally as good. I think that the fact that we are able to draft quality players later is a testament to our scouting. I think that says we are looking where others aren't. If nobody knows about this great Zetterberg guy why draft him early. If you are confident he will be around later then use your early picks to take chances on guys who might have been noticed by other teams.

Our "luck" at drafting late can alternatively be explained as other teams poor scouting ability.

If you are looking where others aren't or are seeing talent where others aren't, then you don't have to draft early.I think they very well may have been able to say, "Hey, this Zetterberg guy is the next great player and the best part is, NOBODY knows about him so we don't have to use/waste an early pick on him."

[egroen 384]

Exactly what I was thinking. And there are a lot of people who Detroit has drafted who would have played for other teams for 200+ games before they were given up on. Detroit's roster has been so solid that we've not had to test these guys out and were able to let them develop.

I don't agree. I think that development and scouting are equally as good. I think that the fact that we are able to draft quality players later is a testament to our scouting. I think that says we are looking where others aren't. If nobody knows about this great Zetterberg guy why draft him early. If you are confident he will be around later then use your early picks to take chances on guys who might have been noticed by other teams.

Our "luck" at drafting late can alternatively be explained as other teams poor scouting ability.

If you are looking where others aren't or are seeing talent where others aren't, then you don't have to draft early.I think they very well may have been able to say, "Hey, this Zetterberg guy is the next great player and the best part is, NOBODY knows about him so we don't have to use/waste an early pick on him."

I agree.

Andersson is not only a super-scout because of his eye for talent, but because of his networking. He knows which players are being looked at and by whom, and in the cases of Datsyuk and Zetterberg, knew no one else at all had literally seen them. Why waste an early pick?

Detroit being a great drafting team is not a myth at all.

[Casey 145]

It's not like the scouts said, "Hey, this Zetterberg guy is the next great player, lets draft him later."

If you knew no one else had seen him, why would you spend a high pick on him? If Detroit had never seen Z, or Holmstrom, or Ericsson, they would likely have not been drafted. Why spend a first or second round pick when a seventh is enough?

[xtrememachine1 795]

They rebuilt a new elite team through the draft from the last draft position, while at the same time winning Stanley Cups. I don't know any other team in all of sports that has done that.

FAIL

[jollymania 162]

yeah he just hates the wings, why else would he completely ignore the reason why fisher isnt 500 games into his career by now.