GMRwings1983 8,794 Report post Posted November 11, 2014 So just for the hell of it, I ranked current Wings players based on where they were drafted in their respective draft years. Obviously, many of these players were drafted by other teams. Weiss - 4th overall Cleary - 13th overall Kindl - 19th overall Sheahan - 21st overall Smith - 27th overall Kronwall - 29th overall Jurco - 35th overall Abdelkader - 42nd overall Tatar - 60th overall Howard - 64th overall Nestrasil - 75th overall Andersson - 88th overall Franzen - 97th overall Nyquist - 121st overall Quincey - 132nd overall Helm - 132nd overall Datsyuk - 171st overall Miller - 186th overall Zetterberg - 210th overall Ericsson - 291st overall Glendening -undrafted Gustavsson - undrafted DeKeyser- undrafted Lashoff - undrafted 8 Hockeymom1960, 13dangledangle, PavelValerievichDatsyuk and 5 others reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
T.Low 1,011 Report post Posted November 11, 2014 What was the book on Z, why so late? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Son of a Wing 1,644 Report post Posted November 11, 2014 What was the book on Z, why so late? Small + Euro + late bloomer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,794 Report post Posted November 11, 2014 I wonder how many other teams' two best players were picked so low? In many ways, other teams have changed where and how they scout because of Datsyuk and Zetterberg. 1 13dangledangle reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haroldsnepsts 4,826 Report post Posted November 11, 2014 Small + Euro + late bloomer His wiki page makes it sound like Nill was a big factor in the Wings picking him (while also mentioning his small stature). Zetterberg caught the attention of the Red Wings' Assistant General Manager Jim Nill and Director of European Scouting Håkan Andersson during a tournament in Finland. While Andersson was trying to point out Mattias Weinhandl, Nill could not help noticing "this little Zetterberg guy who always seemed to have the puck."[3] 3 amato, Son of a Wing and 13dangledangle reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Echolalia 2,961 Report post Posted November 11, 2014 You could invert that list and make it look more sensical. 4 sputman, Ally, T.Low and 1 other reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Internet.Unknown 422 Report post Posted November 11, 2014 The player that stands out to me is Nyquist. We all know Z and Dats were drafted late. Old news (but still incredible finds!). Goose, though, is showing more and more promise. I was initially a skeptic because of his (lack of) size, but he has been consistently scoring in the NHL for a year and some of his moves are downright Datsyuk-ian. Great pick at #121! 2 13dangledangle and T.Low reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toby91_ca 620 Report post Posted November 11, 2014 You won't find many teams with their best players picked so low because most teams best players are a lot younger, so it would be tough for a very low pick to be such an impact player that quickly. It was 3 years after they were drafted before either Datsyuk, or Zetterberg would play in the NHL....Datsyuk was also already 20 when he was drafted. Most of the top players these days are in the NHL the year after they are drafted with the elite of elite making it the year of their draft. I think size has been a big issue over the years, especially in the 80s....you find several examples of hall of famers that were drafted very low or not at all. Today's game is more about speed than size, but size is still very important (just not as important as it was 30 years ago). Also impacting drafting with non-North American players was whether they would ever come to play....so you'd see guys like Fedorov and Lidstrom drafted so low because it was a risk to take them, much different now. I think size was the issue for both Datsyuk and Zetterberg. Datsyuk was always seen as flashy, but I know I questioned whether he had what it took to be an effective NHLer. There have been dazzling stickhandlers in the past, but that's not what will make you a great player in the NHL...so there was a bit of that with him. Then, there's always the excuse that the draft is a crapshoot most of the time when you are trying to project guys who are only 18. There are rarely sure bets. 1 joshy207 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toby91_ca 620 Report post Posted November 11, 2014 Hornqvist looks like the most recent gem.....was picked dead last in the same year as Crosby....now he is on his wing and putting up big numbers. Sure, he's getting some benefit by playing with Crosby, but he was pretty productive before this year as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HelmFan 84 Report post Posted November 11, 2014 You could invert that list and make it look more sensical. I was thinking the exact same thing. 1 T.Low reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
number9 3,297 Report post Posted November 12, 2014 Hornqvist looks like the most recent gem.....was picked dead last in the same year as Crosby....now he is on his wing and putting up big numbers. Sure, he's getting some benefit by playing with Crosby, but he was pretty productive before this year as well. Hornqvist does what we all complain that our team doesn't do. Shoots the puck. He's a very good player, but I'd like to see what he'd do with a centerman not named Legwand or Crosby. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
evilmrt 636 Report post Posted November 12, 2014 Weiss - 4th overall Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Euro_Twins 4,476 Report post Posted November 12, 2014 Hornqvist does what we all complain that our team doesn't do. Shoots the puck. He's a very good player, but I'd like to see what he'd do with a centerman not named Legwand or Crosby. Legwand is a bum I thought? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
number9 3,297 Report post Posted November 12, 2014 Legwand is a bum I thought? Right. I was hinting that he played with a bum for most of his career, and is now with the leagues top stud. Like to see what he'd do with a regular top line centermen like a Bergeron, or a Plekanec type. Not amazing offensively, but good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wings_Toledo 233 Report post Posted November 12, 2014 (edited) The most noticeable one for me (aside from our star players) is Ericsson. Drafted dead last (I think?) and turned out to be a solid NHL defenseman. A very similar situation could potentially happen for Marchenko. Edited November 12, 2014 by Wings_Toledo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mckinley25 678 Report post Posted November 12, 2014 The most noticeable one for me (aside from our star players) is Ericsson. Drafted dead last (I think?) and turned out to be a solid NHL defenseman. A very similar situation could potentially happen for Marchenko. I believe he was drafted as a forward too, but it's been awhile. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
T.Low 1,011 Report post Posted November 12, 2014 Was it '99 that we picked Jiri Fischer first, Datsyuk last, and none of our picks in between ever play nhl hockey. I believe he was drafted as a forward too, but it's been awhile. Ericsson made the switch to Dman sometime in juniors, iirc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
number9 3,297 Report post Posted November 12, 2014 I believe he was drafted as a forward too, but it's been awhile. The most noticeable one for me (aside from our star players) is Ericsson. Drafted dead last (I think?) and turned out to be a solid NHL defenseman. A very similar situation could potentially happen for Marchenko. He was drafted as a centerman who Hakan thought would make a better Dman. Marchenko is different than Ericsson. Marchenko had injuries problems in his draft year, and also stated that he wanted to remain in Russia, despite being highly ranked before his injury. Next year he's healthy and tells the wings he'll come to NA as long as he's a Red Wing. With this inside info the Wings are able to draft him with their last pick. Ericsson was just pure good wings scouting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,794 Report post Posted November 12, 2014 Anyone remember how Datsyuk ever made that 2002 roster? A 6th round pick that put up some unimpressive numbers in the KHL the year before. He must have had a hell of a training camp. I'd never even heard of him prior to some game in December that year when he scored against the Avalanche. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rick zombo 3,739 Report post Posted November 12, 2014 Dastyuk and Zetterberg both have elite hockey IQs. They also have elite work ethics. But who knew? The Wings might have had a gut feeling, but IQ and work ethic reveal themselves more slowly and more naturally than what you take away from watching a big 17 year old from Ontario bulldoze some kids and pick up a rebound at the World Juniors. It’s still early, but it looks like Nyquist is cut from a similar cloth. 1 krsmith17 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PavelValerievichDatsyuk 1,935 Report post Posted November 12, 2014 Anyone remember how Datsyuk ever made that 2002 roster? A 6th round pick that put up some unimpressive numbers in the KHL the year before. He must have had a hell of a training camp. I'd never even heard of him prior to some game in December that year when he scored against the Avalanche. That was the year that Yzerman only played a handful of games - That probably was what made room for Pav. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kliq 3,755 Report post Posted November 12, 2014 The Wings have done a great job of finding gems in the later rounds of the draft. Lets hope the tradition continues! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,794 Report post Posted November 12, 2014 That was the year that Yzerman only played a handful of games - That probably was what made room for Pav. 2003 was the year Yzerman played a handful of games. In 2002, Yzerman got hurt around the Olympics. I thought Datsyuk was already on the roster by that point, but I could be wrong. Here's another question. Why was DeKeyser undrafted? He certainly isn't a small euro playing in some league nobody ever scouts. Is it because he played in the NCAA? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Uncle Danny 155 Report post Posted November 12, 2014 Why was DeKeyser undrafted? He certainly isn't a small euro playing in some league nobody ever scouts. Is it because he played in the NCAA? IIRC, yes. I was actually going to comment on this. Him being listed as undrafted is a bit misleading. He picked the Wings over many teams pursuing him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
krsmith17 7,191 Report post Posted November 12, 2014 Yes, I think DeKeyser going undrafted has a lot to do with him going the college route. College hockey has gotten much more recognition the past few years, largely because of some of the talent that is coming out of the NCAA. Some others that went undrafted from the NCAA in recent years include Ben Lovejoy, Torey Krug, Kevan Miller, Mark Letestu, Trevor Van Riemsdyk, Luke Glendening, Mark Arcobello, Christian Folin, Mike Weaver, Andy Green, Stephen Gionta, Cory Conacher, Cam Talbot, Matt Read, Matt, Irwin, J.T. Brown, Andrej Sustr, Tyler Bozak and Chris Tanev. Others a few years back include Curtis Glencross, Teddy Purcell, Ben Scrivens, Ryan Carter, Rene Bourque, Dan Boyle, Martin St. Louis, Chris Kunitz, Jason Garisson and Jay Beagle. There are going to be more and more of these guys coming from the NCAA and the biggest name out there right now is Kenney Morrison, a guy I think could help out the Wings on the back end... 1 55fan reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites