The Detroit Red Wings have a reputation among hockey fans and National Hockey League insiders as being one of the best franchises at identifying and developing talent selected after the first round of the annual NHL entry draft.
Much of this perception was based on the later round selections of forwards Henrik Zetterberg (7th round, 1999) and Pavel Datsyuk (6th round, 1998). Both players rank high in any list of the biggest draft day steals.
Whether perception is actually reality, though, is a different question.
Despite their reputation, the Wings have not had a lot of success getting their recent draft picks into their NHL line-up. In fact, excluding forward Johan Franzen (a third round selection in 2004), the 36 players the Red Wings have selected in the 2003-2007 drafts have only played a total of 36 National Hockey League games.
Still, one of the great luxuries of being an elite NHL franchise is the ability to be patient, and there are still some prospects in the team's system that could make an impact for fantasy owners in the next few seasons.
Here are the Fantasy Hockey Network's ranking of the Top Five fantasy prospects in the Detroit Red Wings' development system:
1. Jakub Kindl, D– Despite a nightmarish first AHL season, the 21-year old is still regarded as an elite prospect by the Red Wings' brass.
Kindl certainly has all the tools required to be a big-time NHL player, including size, skating ability, and puck handling skills. The 6'3” Czech is also a natural power play quarterback and his skill set would seem to be a perfect fit for Detroit's up tempo, puck possession game.
His -34 plus/minus rating in 2007-08, however, shows he still has a lot to learn about the defensive side of the game. He also needs to use his size more effectively and be a more consistent force at the offensive end. 17 points in a full season in the AHL will not make Red Wings' fans forget about Nicklas Lidstrom.
He still has the potential to be a top two NHL defense-man, but needs to show improvement in 2008-09, or even the patient Wings might be forced to reconsider their expectations.
2. Jan Mursak, LW– Despite a slow start in 2007-08, Murzak reaffirmed his ranking as one of Detroit's top prospects with a strong second half, sparked by a mid-season trade that sent him from the Saginaw Spirit to the Belleville Bulls.
Though small by NHL standards (5'11”, 191 lbs), the Slovenian has added almost 25 pounds to his slight frame since he was drafted in 2006.
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