The Left Wing Lock

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The Detroit Red Wings have invited seven free agents to the 2014 NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City beginning September 12th. Among those auditioning are five players who attended the Red Wings 2014 Development Camp in July including defensive forward Darby Llewellyn, Joe Hicketts, Hayden Hodgson, Lucas Peressini and Blake Clarke. The Red Wings, who are always close to the 50 contract limit, have limited contracts to spare.

Following is a review of the invitees (listed alphabetically).

• Blake Clarke (Pictured)– The 6-foot-1, 190 winger saw his 2014 draft stock plummet from 93 at the midterm report to 134 in the final report by the Central Scouting Bureau and eventually pass through the 2014 draft all together. After scoring 19 goals and 52 points in 2013, Clarke saw his production dip to 2 goals and 12 points in 2014. The Chesterfield, MO native is a fluid skater but hasn’t shown offensive consistency and needs to improve his on-ice decision making.
• Joe Hicketts – The 5-foot-8, 186 pound defenseman is an offensive defenseman with a heavy shot. An excellent skater, Hicketts, is a strong puck mover and thinks the game at a high level.  Despite being small, Hicketts is physically imposing on the ice because of the weight on his stocky frame.
• Hayden Hodgson – The 6-foot-2, 204 pound forward is a physical winger with a big shot. Hodgson was also a serious baseball prospect before giving it up to pursue hockey. Unable to translate his physicality and skating ability into offensive production, the Leaminton, Ontario native slipped through the 2014 NHL draft.
• Darby Llewellyn – The 6-foot-1, 175 pound forward is known for his defensive abilities and competitiveness. Llewellyn was able to score 25 goals and 36 points in 66 OHL games for Kitchener last season but it wasn’t enough to hear his name called at the 2014 NHL draft. The Ann Arbor, MI native is a good skater with a high compete level and excellent wrist shot.
• Lucas Peressini – The 6-foot-2, 185 pound netminder was stuck behind Jake Paterson in Saginaw before being traded to Kingston for a fourth round selection in the OHL priority draft. Pressini played 25 games in his rookie OHL season with Kingston posting a 3.43 goals against and .902 save percentage. The hard working goalie plays a butterfly style and has a good glove hand.
• Ty Stanton – The 6-foot-4, 176 pound defenseman is a two way blueliner who has big frame but is extremely thin at 176 pounds. Stanton was passed over in the 2013 NHL draft after finishing the season as the 78th ranked North American prospect according to the Central Scouting Bureau. The Red Wings are loaded on the blueline with a number of emerging young defensemen on the horizon so the odds are stacked against Stanton.
• Jerome Verrier – The 6-foot, 182 pound forward has been an offensive force in the QMJHL the past two seasons netting 75 and 72 points respectively. Verrier, who is the son of the Drummondville Voltigeurs President, is an undersized forward who works hard but may lack the skating and stick skils to compete at the pro level.