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Detroit — The Red Wings needed high-end forwards, especially at centers where there wasn’t much depth organizationally.
They fixed it during the NHL Entry Draft at the Bell Center in Montreal.
After picking center Marco Kasper in Thursday’s first round, the Wings began day two of the draft by snapping two forwards, Dylan James and Dmitri Buchelnikov, in Friday’s second round.
The Wings picked five forwards, who are mostly centers, to add some pieces. Now it’s just a matter of being patient and seeing if some of them – actually one of the draft picks – can get promoted to the NHL one day.
“That’s the way it is,” General Manager Steve Yzerman said patiently. “We’re starting to see kids from the 2019 draft coming into North America and we’re starting to see them moving through the system and seeping into our team. They are 17 and 18 (years old) going back to their junior or collegiate teams or European professional leagues. Hopefully one or two of them can get promoted to the NHL.”
Yzerman wanted to grab some centers if possible, and the Wings were able to do that as the draft progressed.
“We ended up putting five centers together and I guess some of them played on the wing,” Yzerman said. “It wasn’t that important[to get centers]but that’s how the list evolved.”
James and Buchelnikov, two talented players with different skillsets, highlighted Friday’s haul.
James, a 6-foot, 181-pound left winger, was the United States Hockey League’s rookie of the year and was ranked No. 40 overall.
James had 28 goals and 33 assists for 61 points in 62 games. He is described as a competitive player who has skills but enjoys playing a physical game. He’s effective on the boards, enjoys the net and plans to be more of a bottom six player. He’s on his way to play college in North Dakota.
“He put up some big numbers,” said Kris Draper, the Wings director of amateur scouting. “He’s a complete player. We like his 200ft game that he uses in all situations. He played in Sioux City and won a championship, and you commit to North Dakota, you go there to play hockey. You take all those things into account, we’re happy to have him.”
Buchelnikov, a Russian who played junior hockey in St. Petersburg (MHL), was drafted 12 places later with number 52.
There was speculation leading up to the draft that many teams would be suspicious of calling up Russians, given the current political climate and ignorance of player availability.
But the Wings couldn’t resist Buchelnikov, a 5-10, 168-pound winger who scored 41 goals in 56 games last season.
“We think we’ve got a very experienced, smart hockey player,” Draper said. “He’s a really good boy too. He’s excited to be part of the Red Wings organization and knows the success we’ve had with the Russians.”
Draper was undeterred by the uncertainty of the political situation in Russia.
“He’s an 18-year-old boy and he loves to play hockey,” Draper said. “We liked that about him. He was on our list because that’s how he played, and he was a prospect we wanted to bring into our organization.
“He’s a character kid and enjoys playing the game. You watch the video and he loves to play.”
Scouts love Buchelnikov’s skating and hands – some even consider it first-round caliber – but he needs to get physically stronger.
Without a third-round pick — Detroit gave St. Louis that pick earlier in the day to win goaltender Ville Husso — the Wings waited until the fourth round, where they had three selections.
The Wings chose the Swedish product Anton Johansson for 105th place overall. Johansson, a 6-4, 179-pound attacking defender, had 13 goals and 19 assists while playing 49 games across three tiers for Leksands in the SHL.
Wings Center Amadeus Lombardi with number 113 moved in eight places later. Lombardi (5-10, 165) played I-75 for Flint in the OHL and had a good rookie season with 59 points (18 goals) in 67 games. Lombardi is considered a natural playmaker.
“He’s a competitive center. We’ve seen him a lot and he’s had good playoffs,” Draper said. “He is a good worker, good skater and hard worker. Very competitive. We liked all those things.”
With their third pick in the fourth round, the Wings picked center/left winger Maximilian Kilpinen in 129th place. Across three tiers, Kilpinen has played for Orebro in Sweden, scoring 21 goals and 22 assists in 38 games and shrugging off an injury that slowed him down first half of the season.
In the fifth round, the Wings picked up defenseman Tnias Mathurin, a 6-3, 200-pounder playing at North Bay (OHL). Mathurin has 15 points in 44 games and plays a pro-level defensive game.
“A large-scale defender,” Draper said. “He has a good racquet and is quite mobile. We like his size and he moves well for a tall man and he’s quite athletic.”
The Wings had no sixth-round picks, but they ended their draft haul with two seventh-round picks.
They picked center Owen Mehlenbacher, who is on course to play collegiate in Wisconsin, with the number 201. As a power forward, Mehlenbacher played for Muskegon in the USHL.
“The first half of the season was probably a bit disappointing, it wasn’t the start he wanted,” said Draper. “But the USHL is a tough league and he made himself comfortable in the second half of the season.”
With their last pick of the day, Wings center took Brennan Ali at number 212. En route to Notre Dame last season, Ali played high school hockey in New England and for Lincoln in the USHL. He’s another great forward who has the ability to outsmart opponents and nets heavily.
Most of these draft picks, and many from the previous drafts, will be in Detroit for the Wings’ development camp at Little Caesars Arena beginning Sunday. It will be the first camp the organization has held since not having one for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re looking forward to it,” Draper said. “A few years were a little different for everyone. It will be special for many people whose names have been called.”
Twitter: @tkulfan
