The Detroit Red Wings will be drafting 6th overall for the third time in four years in this year's NHL Draft. And while GM Steve Yzerman will have a busy few weeks until July 23, there remains a bevy of options for Detroit to add another piece to their rebuild.
The latest mock draft from The Detroit Free Press has singled out forward Dylan Guenther of the WHL's Edmonton Wheat Kings as an ideal fit for Detroit. He scored 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 points in just 12 WHL games, and was subsequently invited to play for Team Canada at the IIHF U18 World Junior Championships, where he tallied seven points in seven games en route to a Canadian gold medal victory.
Per the Freep:
“Why he makes sense: Guenther is a top-notch shooter from anywhere, but as a right-shot, he’s especially at home in the left circle. His prowess on the power play is a huge asset for a team that has struggled as much with man advantages as the Wings have. Their conversion rate of 15.2% over the past three seasons ranks 30th out of 31 teams. This past season, the Wings scored 17 times on 149 man-advantage situations, an 11.4% rate. Even before losing Tyler Bertuzzi at the end of January, the conversion rate was only 11.8%.”
The Draft officially begins on the 23rd and goes through the next day.
– – Quotes via Detroit Free Press Link – –