Swedes still popular

During this weekend’s draft in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Detroit Red Wings selected eight players. A high percentage of the picks were (not surprisingly) from Sweden where the Detroit Red Wings have one of the best amateur scouts in the world, Håkan Andersson. Johan Franzen, third round (97th overall), Anton Axelsson, sixth round (192nd overall) and Nils Backstrom ninth round (290th overall) were the three Swedish players selected in this year’s draft by the Wings.

No first round picks, no surprise

This year marked the sixth time in the last eight years that the Detroit Red Wings were without a first round selection. On top of that, they were also without a second round pick which was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for defenseman Mathieu Schneider back in 2002.

Russian connection

Red Wings scouts have always been able to find Russian gems in the NHL entry draft, such as Vladimr Konstantinov, Sergei Fedorov, Slava Kozlov and the recent draft picks Igor Grigorenko and Dmitri Bykov. But the Wings scouts went through the last three years’ drafts without selecting a Russian player. In this year’s draft they choose to select one Russian player, Gennady Stolyarov as well as a Belarus defenseman, Sergei Kolasau.

Pick by pick rundown

Johan Franzen was a surprise pick by the Red Wings on the first day of the draft. Although he has had a great season in the Swedish elite league and with the national team, he wasn’t supposed to be taken in the top three rounds. The 24-year-old Vetlanda, Sweden native was taken 97^th overall in the third round.

The 6’2, 207-pound center is a solid skater who has good top speed and agility. He possesses good hockey sense and sees the ice well. He is a sound two-way player who is responsible defensively and is also alert offensively. He has a good wrist shot, but isn’t a big time scorer. He is smart and uses his size to his advantage. He can play a physical and aggressive game down low. Franzen is also a capable playmaker who can run the power play. He is a solid puck handler who can make plays. On the downside he seems to have limited offensive ability. He also needs to become more selfish around the net, as well as aggressive.

Franzen has had a strong season in Sweden where he was among the best forwards in the entire league and was also a member of the Swedish national team. He was a top-2 line center in the elite league but is projected to play as a third to fourth line role player in the NHL.

He is a steady player who could challenge for a spot in the NHL probably as soon as in the coming season, but the big question is whether he has reached his peak or is there more to come?

One year ago McGrath was touted as a top-10 draft pick by some of the scouting services after his tremendous play in the OHL as well as in the 2003 Memorial Cup. But when the first day of the 2004 draft ended, McGrath hadn’t heard his name. Obviously very upset with the situation, he chose not to attend the second day of the draft. He used the time to do an extra workout at the hotel’s gym.

McGrath is a solid sized center has very good hockey sense and scoring instincts. He is a very good skater who has a quick first step and plays a speed game. He is a slick puck handler who has good one-on-one instincts and is effective when on the attack. He displays a good attitude and is a hardworking center that is also responsible defensively, although this is the area that he needs to work on the most. He also has a good wrist shot and has a scorers touch. On the downside he will need to add some bulk in the offseason and become more physical and aggressive.

McGrath´s upside is probably worth the gamble in the fourth round of this draft. His skating and offensive instincts can’t be ignored. But at the same time his development (or lack of development) during the last season is a big question mark.

The coming season will have a huge impact on the rest of his career as a hockey player. He will need to step up and show the attitude and fire that he had at the 2003 Memorial Cup. If he manages to do that, he will most likely be a top-10 scorer in the OHL and another Red Wings steal at the draft.

With the compensation pick for the loss of free agent Luc Robitaille during the offseason, the Wings used their fifth round pick to select a big defenseman from Minsk, Belarus. Sergei Kolasau is a hulking defenseman who has solid skating ability for a man of his size. He reads the play pretty well and is sound defensively. He displays a good attitude when on the ice. He works hard and is a physical presence. Mainly a defensive defenseman, Kolasau lacks top notch offensive instincts, but can join the rush and deliver a good out let pass. On the down side he needs to add some bulk during the offseason as well as continue working on his skating.

The combination of size and aggressive play was too good to pass on in the fifth round of the draft. The Red Wings scouts were very high on the 6’ 4, 187-pound defenseman and were even considering trying to move up in the draft in order to make sure that they could select Kolasau.

The young defenseman has expressed his desire to move over the pond and play in the CHL for the coming season. During the CHL import draft which was held on Wednesday, July 1, Kolasau was selected by the Prince George Cougars of the WHL with the 57^th pick in the second round.

With the second fifth round pick the Red Wings chose to select another skilled center from the OHL by the name of Tyler Haskins.

The Cleveland, Ohio native spent the last season with the Toronto St. Michael’s where he was among the better performers. He finished the season fifth overall in team scoring with 18 goals and 45 points in 63 games.

Haskins is a skilled center who possesses good hockey sense and two-way instincts. He is a very good skater with tons of speed and agility. He handles the puck well and is a creative playmaker. He has a good shot and is dangerous around the net. He is also responsible defensively and works hard all over the ice. He needs to add some more bulk and play more with an edge in order to become even better defensively.

Skill and speed are two of the attributes that make Haskins a good draft pick in the fifth round. He has some untapped offensive potential and should also develop his defensive game with gained experience.

Haskins will be back with the Toronto St. Michael’s next season where he will have an even bigger role both offensively as well as defensively as the team’s captain and star as Tim Brent is about to turn pro.

The younger brother of the Boston Bruins forward PJ Axelsson was another surprise pickup by the Red Wings in this year’s draft. Maybe the most surprised was Anton himself who was following the draft from his home in Sweden.

Axelsson didn’t have an impressive season in the Swedish junior ranks where he only had 17 points in 28 games, playing for one of the better teams in the league. He also had some injury problems that cut his season short and played to his disadvantage when the Swedish World Championship U-18 team was selected.

Axelsson is a small winger has strong skating ability and is an intense forchecker. He works hard all over the ice and isn’t afraid of using his body. Axelsson is also a good stick handler who has soft hands in tight and can make plays on the offense. He has a well developed hockey sense and is a good playmaker. He can be used in all situations and has good attitude both on and of the ice. On the down side he needs to add some upper body strength and shoot more.

Axelsson is a smart hockey player who knows what he needs to work on in order to get better.

When asked by Eliteprospects.com what his strengths and weaknesses are, Axelsson said, “I think that my hockey sense and my skating are some of my strengths and also that I have the physique to work hard all the time. Looking at the weaknesses then I would say that my shot and my passing accuracy could be better, and I could be stronger as well.”

For now it looks like he could eventually develop into a third or fourth line checker in the NHL, but if he continues to develop his offensive skills and add some strength he could move up the depth chart.

Steve Covington of the Calgary Hitmen, had an unspectacular season, collecting only 6 goals and 19 points in 72 games. He was drafted by the Detroit Red Wigs in the seventh round of the draft.

Covington is a hard working winger who has good skating ability and is willing to play physically. He has great attitude and work ethic. He gives everything when on the ice. Covington is a good penalty killer who could turn into a role player at the pro level. On the downside he lacks puck handling skills and hockey sense to become a scoring winger at the pro level. He also lacks ideal size and strength as of now. But he is only 18 years old and has time to bulk up.

A long term project who could one day replace Kris Draper a speedy penalty killer, Covington will have to work hard in the next two years in order to earn a pro contract. He will be returning to Calgary for at least two more years of seasoning.

Central Scouting Services had Gennady Stolyarov as the 31^st best skater in Europe in the final rankings. The 6’4, 187-pound winger was selected with the 257^th pick in the eighth round.

Stolyarov is a big winger who has tremendous size and is also a very good skater for a man of his size. He has good foot speed and agility. He also possesses strong puck skills and is more of a scorer than playmaker. He is smart and has good hockey sense. He has a quick wrist shot and is dangerous around the net. He is offensively minded and lacks defensive zone commitment. He also has to learn how to use his big body to his advantage.

Stolyarov is a raw prospect who has some very intriguing skills, such as size, skating and puck skills but he needs at least three to four years, maybe even more time to grow into his huge frame and to develop. He will most likely stay in Russia and hopefully earn some time in the Russian Superleague next season.

It was no surprise that the Wings used one of their late round selections on an unknown Swedish defenseman. Håkan Andersson, Wings European chief scout has developed a habit of selecting unknown Swedish players during the last two drafts.

Nils Bäckström played for Stocksund, J-18 tem during this season and was among the best players on the team. He was the top scoring defenseman on the team with 3 goals and 17 points in 33 games. He was also voted as the MVP of the McDonald´s Cup and named to the All-Star team at the same tournament where some of the best J-18 teams from Sweden faceoff.

Bäckström is a very mobile defenseman who has good foot speed and agility. He also has good top speed and lateral movement. Ha possesses strong puck handling skills and is very calm with the puck. He has a good crisp first pass that opens up the play. He has good hockey sense and sees the ice well. He is not physically mature and will need to add some strength during the off season. He also needs to work on his positioning as he tends to lose his man when on defense.

The 6’ 1, 183-pound defenseman is a long term project that will get all the time he needs to develop his skills in Sweden. He has some intriguing skills but the odds are against him. Next season Bäckström will be playing in the top junior league in Sweden with Djurgården where he could get some time on the power play and show that he can hold his own against some of the best junior players in Sweden.

Niklas Wikegård, coach of the Djurgården men´s team has said that Bäckström is a skilled and intense defenseman who has high ambitions.

He has a long ways to go but he also has some time to prove himself.

Copyright 2004 Hockey's Future. Do not duplicate without written permission of the editorial staff.