DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today selected seven players during the second day of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft at Sphere in Las Vegas.
The Red Wings chose left wing Max Plante (47th overall) in the second round before taking center Ondřej Becher (80th overall) in the third round and goaltender Landon Miller (126th overall) in the fourth round. From there, Detroit selected defenseman John Whipple (144th overall) in the fifth round and left wing Charlie Forslund (176th overall) in the sixth round before using a pair of seventh-round picks in left wing Austin Baker (203rd overall) and defenseman Fisher Scott (208th overall).
Detroit’s first pick of the day was the 15th choice of the second round (47th overall), which the team used on left wing Max Plante. The 5-foot-11, 177-pound forward has spent the last two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Mich. Plante spent the 2023-24 campaign with the NTDP’s under-18 squad, recording 61 points (15-46-61), a plus-16 rating and 16 penalty minutes in 51 games. He also finished with 29 points (6-23-29), a plus-nine rating and six penalty minutes in 25 games with Team USA in the United States Hockey League. Plante skated with the NTDP’s under-17 team during the 2022-23 season, tallying 46 points (11-35-46) and 24 penalty minutes in 54 games. He also collected 24 points (5-19-24), a plus-two rating and 18 penalty minutes in 32 USHL games, in addition to one assist in three postseason contests. A native of Duluth, Minn., Plante is committed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth for the 2024-25 season.
Prior to joining the NTDP, Plante competed at Hermantown (Minn.) High School in 2021-22, racking up 72 points (18-54-72) in just 31 games. On the international stage, Plante won a silver medal with Team USA at the 2024 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, tallying 11 points (2-9-11) in seven games. He captured a gold medal at the 2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, dishing out 10 assists in seven appearances. Plante is the son of Chicago Blackhawks Assistant Coach Derek Plante, who recorded 248 points (96-152-248) in 450 NHL games with the Buffalo Sabres, Dallas Stars, Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers from 1993-01, winning a Stanley Cup championship with the Stars in 1999.
The following round, the Red Wings selected center Ondřej Becher (80th overall), who has played the last two seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Prince George Cougars. The 6-foot-2, 187-pound forward skated in 58 games with the Cougars in 2023-24 and ranked among the team leaders with 32 goals (4th), 64 assists (2nd), 96 points (4th), a plus-38 rating (4th), 48 penalty minutes (6th), eight power play goals (4th), 29 power play points (4th), four shorthanded goals (T1st) and 166 shots (5th). Becher also recorded 19 points (5-14-19) and 14 penalty minutes in 15 postseason contests, helping the Cougars reach the Western Conference Final. Becher made his major junior debut with the Cougars in 2022-23, logging 38 points (16-22-38), a plus-31 rating and 37 penalty minutes in 63 regular-season games, in addition to three points (1-2-3) in nine playoff matchups. Prior to arriving in North America, Becher spent the majority of the 2021-22 season with AZ Havířov’s under-20 squad in Czechia’s top junior league, tallying 36 points (22-14-36) and 38 penalty minutes in 45 games. He also registered one goal and four penalty minutes in four games with AZ Havířov in Czechia’s second division in 2021-22. Becher made his professional debut with AZ Havířov in 2020-21, collecting two points (1-1-2) in 11 games. The Ostrava, Czechia, native won a bronze medal at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, collecting 10 points (3-7-10), a plus-six rating and four penalty minutes in seven games. Becher also played for Czechia at the 2022 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, netting two goals in six appearances.
With their lone pick in the fourth round, the Red Wings chose Landon Miller (126th overall), a 6-foot-5, 193-pound goaltender who played the 2023-24 season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Miller posted a 17-6-2 record with a 2.79 goals-against average, an 0.889 save percentage and two shutouts in 30 appearances with the Greyhounds. He also picked up a victory in one relief appearance during the 2024 OHL Playoffs, stopping all eight shots he faced in Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Guelph Storm. Miller made his major junior debut with the Greyhounds in 2022-23, appearing in five regular-season games. The Barrie, Ont., native spent the majority of the 2022-23 campaign with the Soo Thunderbirds in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, showing a 14-5-5 record with a 2.29 goals-against average, a 0.923 save percentage and two shutouts in 24 games. Miller also had a 10-6 record with a 2.75 goals-against average, a 0.906 save percentage and one shutout in 16 postseason matchups with the Thunderbirds. Ranked sixth among North American goaltenders by NHL Central Scouting, Miller was one of 40 OHL Prospects to take part in Canada’s National Under-17 Development Camp in Calgary, Alta., in July 2022.
The Red Wings used their only fifth-round selection to pick John Whipple (144th overall), a 6-foot-1, 192-pound defenseman who has spent the last two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Mich. Whipple played the 2023-24 season with the NTDP’s under-18 squad, registering 17 points (2-15-17), a plus-19 rating and 54 penalty minutes in 61 games. He also tallied four points (1-3-4), a plus-six rating and 38 penalty minutes in 27 USHL games with Team USA. Whipple spent the 2022-23 campaign with the NTDP’s under-17 team, logging 13 points (4-9-13) and 96 penalty minutes in 60 games. Whipple also collected nine points (3-6-9) and 62 penalty minutes in 39 USHL contests. On the international stage, Whipple earned a silver medal with Team USA at the 2024 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, netting one goal and a plus-three rating in seven games. He also represented his country at the 2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, picking up one assist and 16 penalty minutes in seven appearances. Prior to joining the NTDP, Whipple spent two seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep in Fairbault, Minn., from 2020-22. A native of Minnetonka, Minn., Whipple is committed to the University of Minnesota for the 2024-25 season.
With their sixth-round pick, the Red Wings chose left wing Charlie Forslund (176th overall). The 6-foot-3, 212-pound spent part of the 2023-24 season with Falu IF in Sweden’s third division, recording 19 points (9-10-19), a plus-nine rating and two penalty minutes in 19 regular-season games, in addition to four points (3-1-4) in three postseason contests. Forslund also logged 16 points (13-3-16) and four penalty minutes in seven regular-season games with Falu IF’s under-20 squad in 2023-24, along with 12 points (7-5-12) in seven playoff matchups. Additionally, Forslund racked up 36 points (18-18-36) and 10 penalty minutes in 26 regular-season games at the under-18 level, and 10 points (4-6-10) in six playoff appearances. In total, Forslund has compiled 28 points (19-9-28) in 14 games with Falu IF’s under-20 team, as well as 76 points (42-34-76) in 70 games with the under-18 squad and 98 points (39-59-98) in 31 games at the under-16 level.
The Red Wings used the first of their two seventh-round selections by taking left wing Austin Baker (203rd overall). The 6-foot, 190-pound forward has played the last two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Mich. Baker spent the 2023-24 campaign with the NTDP’s under-18 team, accumulating 31 points (15-16-31), a plus-eight rating and 29 penalty minutes in 59 games. He also finished with 14 points (10-4-14), a plus-two rating and 21 penalty minutes in 25 USHL games with Team USA. Baker competed with the under-17 squad in 2022-23, netting 28 points (12-16-28) and 14 penalty minutes in 57 games. Baker also showed 20 points (9-11-20), a plus-seven rating and 10 penalty minutes in 37 USHL games, in addition to two points (1-1-2) in three postseason contests. The Little Caesars Amateur Hockey product captured a silver medal at the 2024 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, and also tallied one assist and two penalty minutes in seven games at the 2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. A native of White Lake, Mich., Baker is committed to Michigan State University for the 2024-25 season.
Detroit made its final selection of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft by choosing Fisher Scott (208th overall), a 6-foot-2, 179-pound blueliner who recorded 33 points (8-25-33), a plus-28 rating and 30 penalty minutes in 61 regular-season games with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints in 2023-24. Scott also netted one goal and six penalty minutes in 11 playoff matchups, helping the Fighting Saints reach the Clark Cup Final. He also spent the entire 2022-23 season with the Fighting Saints, tallying 13 points (1-12-13) and 87 penalty minutes in 59 regular-season games, along with one assist in five playoff appearances. Scott made his USHL debut with Dubuque in 2021-22, picking up one assist and a plus-one rating in three contests. Scott played the majority of the 2021-22 campaign with the Springfield Jr. Blues of the North American Hockey League, totaling 17 points (2-15-17), a plus-eight rating and eight penalty minutes in 56 games. The Carbondale, Colo., native is committed to Colorado College for the 2024-25 season.
