Red Wings’ 2012 Draft Recap

I’ve noted before that the draft isn’t as interesting to me as I acknowledge it should be, as I grew up in a time when the players the Red Wings drafted seemed unlikely to ever play for the team anyway.  As such, while I think some of Detroit’s draft picks this season are interesting, I’m not reading too much into any of it.

With no pick in the first round (sent to Tampa in the Kyle Quincey deal, the Lightning selected big Russian goalie Andrei Vasilevski), the Wings started in the second round at #49 overall.  Here are their choices…

#49 – Martin Frk (F, Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL)
#80 – Jake Patterson (G, Saginaw Spirit, OHL)
#110 – Andreas Athanasiou (F, London Knights, OHL)
#140 – Mike McKee (D, Lincoln Stars, USHL)
#170 – James De Haas (D, Toronto Lakeshore Patriots, OJHL)
#200 – Rasmus Bodin (F, Ostersunds IK, SWE)

Bodin came in late to win the best name award from me.  It would have gone to Frk but I have to go with a guy named Rasmus.

I like the Frk pick, it’s a typical Wings move in that he had been highly-rated and slid, with the Wings willing to take a chance.  The kind of thing we always point out Ken Holland doing with free agents like Danny Cleary or Mikael Samuelsson.

Same with Athanasiou, to a certain extent.

We’re not going to see any of these guys in Detroit any time soon, though, so that’s why you won’t see me getting too excited right now.