Another draft lottery has gone by, and once again, the Detroit Red Wings didn’t get the bounce.
This year, though, it’s no surprise Detroit missed out, as the Red Wings’ surprise push to the playoff bubble meant they had just a 1.1 percent chance of moving up to No. 5 — and no chance of winning this year’s first pick.
The news is not all bad, though. The 2024 draft class looks like a fairly strong group, and so despite 15 being the lowest the Red Wings have selected since 2016 — when they took Dennis Cholowski at No. 20 after trading back from pick 16 — Detroit still has a good chance to fill a significant need with a good prospect next month.
After they used their two most recent top picks on centers, the Red Wings’ center pipeline is finally in better shape — particularly with 2023 first-round pick Nate Danielson going on a torrid run through the WHL playoffs right now.
In what’s shaping up to be an excellent defense class, Detroit could look to continue to build out its blue line, where it has invested three first-round picks since Steve Yzerman took over in 2019. However, by the 15th pick, the depth at the top of that position group is expected to have thinned out.
The wing, however, is arguably the Red Wings’ biggest remaining need in their pipeline and a position that should still have some depth to it by the mid-teens.
So, whom could Detroit target? Here’s a look at some of the most interesting candidates. You can read Corey Pronman’s most recent scouting reports on each player here, and Scott Wheeler’s reports here.
Cole Eiserman, LW, U.S. NTDP
There was a time when the idea of getting Eiserman — who recently broke Cole Caufield’s all-time U.S. NTDP goals record — at No. 15 would have been shocking. And it’s still uncertain whether the NTDP sniper will be available by this slot. But it now at least looks possible, as Eiserman’s stock has slipped throughout the season, ranking 14th in Pronman’s most recent draft list. His game can be one-dimensional at times, which puts a lot of pressure on that dimension (his scoring) to deliver. So far, though, it has — he scored more than a goal per game during his two seasons at the NTDP.
He would be a departure from how the Red Wings have typically approached the first round, but if Eiserman is still around by this point in the draft, they’ll have a hard time finding anyone who can match his offensive ability. He might be the most fascinating potential option available.
🚨Cole Eiserman has set a new all-time record for most goals in the USA program!🇺🇸#USACAN #U18MensWorlds @usahockey pic.twitter.com/lgbGkdd11n
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 5, 2024
Konsta Helenius, C, Jukurit (Finland)
I’m skeptical Helenius will still be on the board come draft day, but he was available in our first staff mock draft Tuesday night, so I’ll list him here as well. The Red Wings don’t have a burning need for a center, but they shouldn’t be avoiding centers either, and Helenius’ production in Finland’s top league (36 points in 51 games) is up there with the league’s top recent draft eligibles, right between Kaapo Kakko and Patrik Laine.
Helenius lacks the size and athletic traits both those players possess, though, and had a quieter finish to the season at the U18 World Championship. His overall numbers at the tournament were good, with seven assists in five games, but he had just one assist combined in Finland’s two biggest games, against Sweden and the United States, and Finland saw its tournament end early as a result. Perhaps that’s why he could still be available in Detroit’s range. The chance to pick a center with that kind of pro production is a good opportunity at this spot in the draft, and one Detroit would have to be tempted by despite his smaller stature.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, RW, Mora (Allsvenskan)
A big-bodied winger playing in Sweden’s second league, the Norwegian Brandsegg-Nygård has the kind of all-around game and competitiveness the Red Wings covet. He’s strong on the forecheck, a good skater and a smart player with the puck. That’s a great starting place. Perhaps most exciting, though, is how his offense has come on throughout the season. After putting up 18 points in 41 regular-season games in the Allsvenskan — not far off 2022 19th pick Liam Ohgren — Brandsegg-Nygård popped in the playoffs, putting up 10 points in 12 games. That speaks both to his growth and his playoff-style game. For a Red Wings team that’s a bit small on the wing, he’d bring important playoff elements to the picture.
Adam Jiricek, RHD, Plzen (Czechia)
This a defense-heavy draft, and though most of the top blueliners are expected to be gone by Detroit’s pick, one intriguing exception could be Jiricek (brother of 2022 sixth pick David Jiricek), who had his season cut short due to injury at the World Junior Championship. Because of that, there’s less of a recent track record, but Jiricek’s profile as a mobile right-shot defender with size certainly fits the Red Wings’ M.O. They took Axel Sandin Pellikka in the middle of the first round last year, with their second pick of the draft, but Jiricek would be a different profile of defender. I don’t think he’s the likeliest option on the board, but he is a possibility.
Jett Luchanko, C, Guelph (OHL)
Luchanko’s a potential riser after an impressive U18 World Championship showing, where he had 7 points in seven games for a gold medal-winning Team Canada. He’s a great skater with a big-time motor, both of which fit the Red Wings’ type, and was over a point per game this season in the OHL. The questions are probably with his size at 5 feet 11, and his goal scoring, as his 54 assists dwarfed his 20 goals by season’s end. Still, he’s highly noticeable and one of the youngest players in the draft. There could be even more room for upside.
Igor Chernyshov, LW, Dynamo (KHL)
Chernyshov is a 6-foot-2 right-shot winger who split his year between the MHL and KHL at age 18. He has good skill, especially for a bigger body, and when he was playing in Russia’s junior league, his offensive numbers were among the league leaders. His KHL production was more modest, which makes sense for a player so young, playing less than eight minutes per game against men, but Pronman gave him above-average grades on his compete and shot, and the Red Wings need a big body that can create offense from the wing.
Liam Greentree, RW, Windsor (OHL)
Greentree is another big-bodied winger who produced at an impressive rate in the OHL, scoring 90 points in 64 games for Windsor this season. Pronman has a below-average grade on his skating though, and in my limited viewings, I didn’t see the compete that I’d typically want to see to compensate for that. You can’t ignore the production at that size, and that’s why he’s on this list, but he doesn’t strike me as a Red Wings type, based on how they’ve drafted under Yzerman.
Cole Beaudoin, C, Barrie, (OHL)
Like Luchanko, Beaudoin is a bit of a riser out of the U18 World Championship for Canada. He’s a big body at 6 feet 2, scored at close to a point per game in the OHL and wore a letter at age 17. Pronman graded his compete “high-end,” which is always notable when it comes to the Red Wings, although a below-average grade on his skating stands out as a potential stumbling block. There’s more offensive upside to be found at 15, and that’s why Beaudoin ultimately is toward the end of this list, but he does check some boxes for Detroit’s profile and is worth monitoring for that reason.
Trevor Connelly, LW, Tri-City (USHL)
Connelly is a complicated case. On pure talent, he could be among the best players still available at the 15th pick, a skilled, smooth-skating winger with size and creativity. However, Pronman has reported that some NHL teams have character-based concerns with Connelly, as detailed here, which would have to factor into any decision.
(Photo: Mike Stobe / NHLI via Getty Images)
