Back to School: Wings Draft Philosphy Shift Paying Dividends
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For years the Detroit Red Wings put heavy emphasis on finding NHL talent in Europe. The collective bargaining agreement, which expired in 2004, allowed teams to retain the rights of European talent indefinitely. The Wings used this to their advantage selecting players like Jonathan Ericsson, Pavel Datsyuk, and Henrik Zetterberg late in the draft and allowing them to slowly develop. While they were uncovering European gems in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, Detroit was completely ignoring the college ranks and having only marginal success in the Canadian junior leagues.
Knowing that the European … Continue Reading