Red Wings assistant GM Ryan Martin talks top picks for 2018 NHL draft

Detroit Red Wings assistant general manager Ryan Martin was among the number of NHL executives and scouts who watched the Under-18 Five Nations tournament at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth last week. Martin spoke to the Detroit Free Press on Sunday afternoon about some of the players he watched who are expected to be drafted in the 2018 NHL draft.

Forward Andrei Svechnikov

Svechnikov, 17, the younger brother of Red Wings prospect Evgeny Svechnikov, scored four goals and four assists for eight points in four games for Russia during the tournament. Andrei Svechnikov (6-foot-2, 188 pounds) played last season for Muskegon in the United States Hockey League and now plays for Barrie of the Ontario Hockey League. He was ranked the top North American skater in NHL Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings.

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“I think the Russians were a little bit a victim of four games in four days,” Martin said. “I thought (Svechnikov) looked a little less energetic than he had throughout the tournament, but I thought he was really good. I thought he dominated at times. He likes to go to the net. He’s creative offensively. … I thought he showed very well. Definitely going to be in the top handful of players picked this spring.”

Martin said the brothers are different players: “Andrei’s a better skater, not as strong. Andrei plays more of a rush game.”

Forward Oliver Wahlstrom

Wahlstrom, 17, scored two goals and six assists for eight points in four games for USA. Committed to Harvard, he's ranked seventh among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings.

“I thought he got better as the tournament went on,” Martin said. “At times, he was trying to be too individualistic.”

Forward Jack Hughes

Hughes, 16, had three goals and four assists in four games for USA. He could be the top pick in the 2019 draft. His brother, Quinn, plays at Michigan.

“At times, (Hughes) was the best player on the ice, regardless of the competition,” Martin said. “I thought he was excellent. You wouldn’t have known he was a year younger than much of the competition there. To me, hands down he was one of the top two or three players in the tournament, for sure.”

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Defenseman Bode Wilde

Wilde, 18, had two goals and three assists in four games for USA. He's committed to play at U-M.

“Kind of the same as Wahlstrom, I thought he got better throughout the week,” Martin said. “I thought Bode was one of a few players on the U.S. team that not only impacted the game (Saturday) from start to finish, but took his game to another level. I thought he stepped up and played well. He was rushing the puck ... I thought he defended well."

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Defenseman Adam Boqvist

Boqvist, 17, had one assist in four games for Sweden. He is ranked second among European skaters in NHL Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings.

“I hadn’t seen him live before this,” Martin said. “I’d seen him on video. He’s an elite skater. I think he did some things really well at an elite level. Based on our scouting staffs viewings of him prior, I think he was probably not at his best here, although he was good and certainly has a high-end skill set. I think he’s shown better in the past. I think the same could be said for a couple of those Swedish players, actually.”

Goaltender Drew DeRidder

The Fenton native made 72 saves in four games for USA. DeRidder, 17, went 3-1 with a 2.52 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. He made 33 saves in a 4-0 shutout of Finland on Saturday. DeRidder is committed to Michigan State and ranked 28th among North American goalies by NHL Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings.

“He was another one (Saturday), he was excellent,” Martin said. “I don’t know that the Finns had a ton of chances on him. I thought, Hughes, DeRidder, Wilde and Wahlstrom – especially the first three, I thought they stepped up and played big games.”

Contact George Sipple: gsipple@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @georgesipple. Check out our Red Wings Xtra app on Apple and Android!



