Swedes, defensemen and bloodlines highlight Day 2 of the Red Wings' Draft

DETROIT - Last Thursday, before the 2020 NHL Draft, Steve Yzerman said, "the more lottery tickets you have, the more chance you have of winning."
On Day 2 of the draft Wednesday afternoon, the Red Wings' executive vice president and general manager doubled down on that mantra, executing several trades to acquire more picks, eventually making an NHL-leading 11 selections to strengthen Detroit's prospect pool in hopes of eventually returning the club to prominence.

The Wings tied the Toronto Maple Leafs for the most draft picks in 2020 with 12 total selections, 11 of which came in Rounds 2-7.
It was the most draft selections Detroit has made since 1993 when the NHL Draft had 11 rounds.
[Get all your 2020 NHL Draft news and notes by visiting Red Wings Draft Central]
Yzerman selected five defensemen, five forwards and a goalie on the second and final day of his second draft at the helm of the Red Wings.
The eight-hour marathon second round saw Detroit add two more Swedish players and two prospects with NHL bloodlines, including Kienan Draper, the son of four-time Stanley Cup champion and current Red Wings director of amateur scouting Kris Draper.
"I think everyone feels pretty good that we were able to add 12 prospects," Yzerman said. "I can't tell you how many, but hopefully a few of them become NHL players one day. I look at the balance of the picks, and I'm comfortable with that. We want to get the best picks available. In general, I'm pleased."

Draper said he's thrilled about the pieces that the staff added to the organization. "We're excited. It was a long day, but we feel we touched on a lot of needs," said Draper who directed his first draft in the Wings' front office. "We felt we had good balance of what we added to the organization and in what we've added with the positional players. We're proud of the selections we made and now the work starts."

Blue Line Barrage

Five of the Red Wings' 11 picks on Wednesday were defensemen as Detroit attempts to fill a void on the blue line after departures from veterans like Mike Green, Jonathan Ericsson, Trevor Daley and more.
With the first pick of the second round (No. 32 overall), Detroit selected Swedish blueliner William Wallinder, a 6-foot-4, 192-pound force who many experts projected as a first-round talent.
"It doesn't matter if you go in the first or second round. The only thing that matters is what you do after the draft," Wallinder said. "You still keep working hard and going for it. You can't stop working because you didn't go in the first round. So it really doesn't matter (where I was drafted). It just feels good to be a player for the Detroit Red Wings. It feels amazing. Just proud to be part of this amazing organization."

Yzerman said he's impressed with Wallinder's game and his ability to play in all situations.
"He's 6-4, (with a) left shot. Good skater, plays a relatively simple game," the Wings' GM said. "He moves well, he's mobile. I'd say he's more of a two-way guy. He should be able to play as a two-way defenseman who can log minutes."
The Red Wings also stockpiled the blue line with defensemen Donovan Sebrango (Round 3, No. 63 overall) from the OHL'S Kitchener Rangers, Finnish 18-year-old Eemil Viro (Round 3, No. 70 overall), WHL offensive blueliner Alex Cotton (Round 5, No. 132 overall) and Kyle Aucoin (Round 6, No. 156 overall), who is the son of former veteran NHL defenseman Adrian Aucoin.

How Swede It Is

After picking Swedish winger Lucas Raymond with the No. 4 pick in Tuesday's first round, the Red Wings picked up where they left off on Day 2, selecting Swedes with their first two second-round picks, including Wallinder and 5-foot-11, 172-pound center Theodor Niederbach at No. 51 overall.
Niederbach, who is a teammate of Raymond at Frolunda, missed the entire 2018-19 season with a knee injury, but bounced back and spent his draft-eligible campaign between Frolunda's under-18 and under-20 teams. The center is currently tied for second in scoring in the top Swedish junior league, with 15 points in his first nine games.

"Niederbach is a smart centerman from Sweden. Right-handed shot. Very talented, very skilled," Yzerman said. "He missed some hockey with an injury the previous year, so like most of the kids, he's going to take some time to mature and physically evolve. We're excited about his potential."
Yzerman said he wasn't deterred by Niederbach's injury and is instead excited about the Swede's tremendous potential.
"Guys get hurt on all different levels along the way. It delays things a little bit for them, just getting up to speed," he said. "He's very smart, he's got very good skills, he's a smooth skater. In the long run, we're not concerned. Obviously, we do our homework on all the players to understand the injuries. There's a lot of upside to him."

Stanley Cup Bloodlines

The Red Wings used their first pick of the seventh round on a name everyone in Hockeytown is familiar with.
Detroit selected 6-foot-1, 181-pound forward Kienan Draper, who grew up at Joe Louis Arena, watching his dad, Kris, help Detroit win four Stanley Cups as a member of the infamous Grind Line.
"This is home. This is where he's grown up," Kris Draper said about his 18-year-old son. "He's watched some of the greatest Red Wings play. Knowing him, when you talk about inner-drive and compete, he has that."
Kienan Draper is committed to Miami (OH) for college and is currently playing in the BCHL for the Chilliwack Chiefs. He knows there's a long way to go and a lot of work to do, but he said he's ecstatic to have the opportunity to follow in his father's footsteps.
"To see my name there is a dream come true," the younger Draper said. "To be picked by such a high-class organization with so much history, I'm just so happy. To have my dad be able to be part of it is very, very humbling, and I'm very happy to have that happen. I want to make it a reality to put on that Winged Wheel. I've been dreaming of it since I was 4 or 5 years old."

Wheeling & Dealing

The Red Wings came into Day 2 of the draft with nine selections, but Yzerman made four trades to acquire even more picks, trading the 45th pick to the LA Kings for picks 51 and 97 and trading the 65th pick to the Minnesota Wild for picks 70 and 132.
The Wings traded the first pick in the fifth round (125th overall) to the Vegas Golden Knights for a fourth-round pick in 2022 and Detroit acquired an extra pick in the seventh round, adding the 203rd selection from the St. Louis Blues for a seventh-round pick in the 2021 Draft.
"Last night was relatively quiet after we made our pick. But today was busy," Yzerman said about the flurry of trades on Day 2. "I'm pleased that we were able to move back and get an extra fourth. I was happy that we were able to do those things, just get extra picks. It was a pretty busy day, but only four trades. It feels like I made 10.
"We just try to add as many picks as we can. So we added more picks, and players we liked in those spots were in that particular round."

Variety Pack

Yzerman used a variety of assets to restock the Wings' prospect cupboard. He drafted several skilled players with good size and outstanding hockey IQ.
In addition to the five defensemen taken on Wednesday, Yzerman's five forward draftees included two right wings, two left wings and a centerman. And to top it off, he included a goalie selection as well.
With their third pick in the second round, the Wings chose left wing Cross Hanas (No. 55 overall), who spent the last two years with the WHL's Portland Winterhawks.

Hanas' highlight reel includes two lacrosse-style goals as an amateur, catching the attention of major scouts and taking the YouTube world by storm.
In the fourth round, Detroit selected right wing Sam Stange at No. 97 overall. Stange, who currently plays for former Red Wings assistant coach Tony Granato at the University of Wisconsin, emerged as one of the top first-year players in the USHL this past season, recording 45 points in 48 games.

The Red Wings then nabbed a goaltender with their second pick of the fourth round in 18-year-old Jan Bednar (No. 107 overall), who is one of the youngest goalies to ever play in the highest professional league in his native Czech Republic, Czech Extraliga.
And Detroit rounded out its 2020 Draft variety pack by selecting 6-foot, 190-pound American center Chase Bradley in the seventh round (No. 203 overall).
"I can't tell you that every single player we drafted is an NHL skater today, but the projection and the hope for them is if they develop this or develop that, that they do become NHL players," Yzerman said. "Eventually - hopefully sooner than later - we'll have a team with all of these guys that is very competitive."