First-round picks: None (first selection is in second round, 59th overall)
2000-01 record: 49-20-9-4, 111 points (tied for 2nd overall)
What they need
Goaltending depth behind Chris Osgood and an infusion of youth are priorities for the Red Wings. However, because of their regular-season success, the Wings are once again saddled with a low draft standing. Detroit has not had a first pick higher than 23rd since 1993.
In the system
The top scorer among Red Wings prospects in the minors was center Yuri Butsayev (49th overall in '97), who had a team-high 29 goals to go along with 17 assists in 54 games at Cincinnati of the American Hockey League. He also spent 15 games with the Wings (1-1-2).
Overseas, a pair of Swedish players are high on Detroit's propect list. Defenseman Niklas Kronwall (29th overall in '00) had 10 points (one goal, nine assists) and 32 penalty minutes in 31 games for Djurgarden and also represented Sweden at the World Junior Championships. Goalie Stefan Liv (102nd
overall in '00) had a 2.77 GAA and a .901 save percentage in 46 appearances for HV 71. A third Swedish prospect of note is forward Jari Tolsa (120th overall in '99). Tolsa had 16 points in 12 games last season for the Vastra Frolunda junior team, but just seven points in 42 games for Vastra Frolunda's Swedish Elite League submission.
In major junior, left wing Adam DeLeeuw (151st overall in '98) had 11 goals, 25 points, and 122 PIMs in 54 games for Toronto St. Michael's (OHL).
Recent draft history
Of Detroit's last 10 first round selections only Martin Lapointe and Keith Primeau (now with Philadelphia) were "impact players" in the NHL last season. However, lower-round selections such as Darren McCarty (46th overall in '92), Chris Osgood (54th overall in '91), Slava Kozlov (45th overall in '90), Nicklas Lidstrom (53rd overall in '89), Sergei Fedorov (74th overall in '89), and Mathieu Dandenault (49th overall in '94) have all seen regular duty in the Detroit lineup in recent seasons.
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