Detroit’s decision to select Michael Rasmussen with the ninth overall selection back in June over Gabriel Vilardi raised some eyebrows. However, a big part of the decision to do so stemmed from the fact that Rasmussen spent most of last year at center (a position they were targeting) while Vilardi was primarily a winger, Red Wings Assistant to the GM Kris Draper told Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required). Vilardi wound up going two spots later to the Kings.
While many teams will say they’ll simply look for the best player available, there’s a good case to make that the Red Wings needed a center back at the draft. Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou have both played the position in the past but have had more success in the NHL on the wing which has resulted in them not having a lot of prospect depth down the middle. Although he has pro size already, Rasmussen is likely still a couple of years away from seeing action in Detroit but should complement a good group of young wingers when he does make it.
More notes from around the game:
- After mostly ignoring the college ranks, the Avalanche have been a lot more active in the NCAA over the past couple of years, BSN Denver’s Cole Hamilton details. Over the past two drafts, they’ve picked college-bound players four times in the first two rounds including Tyson Jost and Cale Makar as well as signing a pair of college free agents last month. Going this route often requires more patience though as many of those players often wait longer to turn pro than their counterparts in junior (although Jost is an exception). Accordingly, if that continues in the years to come, Colorado’s rebuilding timeline may wind up being extended a bit longer.
- The Rangers have invited Czech prospect center Nicolas Werbik to their upcoming rookie camp, his former Czech team in Zlin announced. Werbik spent last season with Youngstown of the USHL, collecting 39 points (18-21-39) in 54 games after spending the previous year with Rimouski of the QMJHL. Werbik and New York first rounder Filip Chytil both played in the Zlin U-18 program back in 2014-15.