2015 NHL Draft Guide for Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings have a history of success when it comes to the NHL draft, and things will be a little different this week when general manager Ken Holland approaches the podium.

The Red Wings no longer have Mike Babcock as head coach, but they have a talented replacement in Jeff Blashill who has the potential to be another amazing bench boss. He is great with young players, and that will fit in with the style of hockey the Red Wings have played over the last few seasons.

Detroit will look to continue its 24-season playoff streak for another year, and here's a look at how they could approach the 2015 draft.

Depth Chart and Projected Lineup

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As of today, the Wings have the following roster players signed, via General Fanager:

Forwards

• Centers: Pavel Datsyuk, Stephen Weiss, Darren Helm, Riley Sheahan, Luke Glendening
• Left Wingers: Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Tatar, Justin Abdelkader, Drew Miller
• Right Wingers: Johan Franzen

Defense

• Niklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson, Kyle Quincey, Jakub Kindl, Danny DeKeyser

Goaltending

• Jimmy Howard, Petr Mrazek

Projected Lineup

Justin Abdelkader—Pavel Datsyuk—Tomas Tatar
Johan Franzen—Henrik Zetterberg—Gustav Nyquist
Darren Helm—Riley Sheahan—Teemu Pulkkinen
Drew Miller—Luke Glendening—Tomas Jurco

Niklas Kronwall—Kyle Quincey
Danny DeKeyser—Jakub Kindl
Jonathan Ericcsson—Brendan Smith

Jimmy Howard
Petr Mrazek

Recent Draft History

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Top Players Drafted in Last 5 Years

2014: Dylan Larkin, No. 15 Overall from USA U-18

2013: Anthony Mantha, No. 20 Overall from Val-D'Or (QMJHL)

2011: Tomas Jurco, No. 35 Overall from Saint John (QMJHL)

2010: Riley Sheahan, No. 21 Overall from Notre Dame (NCAA)

2010: Teemu Pulkkinen, No. 111 Overall from Jokerit (Finland)

2010: Petr Mrazek, No. 141 Overall from Ottawa (OHL)

The Red Wings have historically drafted well, and the last five years include players who made an impact this past season such as Petr Mrazek and Riley Sheahan. There are also talented prospects such as Anthony Mantha, Dylan Larkin and Teemu Pulkkinen on the list, and each will have the opportunity to play a big role at the NHL level in the next couple of seasons.

Top Prospects

Top Prospects

1. Dylan Larkin: Larkin is a 6'1", 192-pound center who came up big for Team USA at the World Junior Championships by tallying five goals and seven points in five games. He also had a big year at the University of Michigan and decided to end his collegiate career after one season. The freshman pivot tallied 47 points in 35 games and is on pace to play a significant role with the Grand Rapids Griffins next season.

2. Anthony Mantha: Mantha is a 6'5", 205-pound forward who can play both left and right wing, and he is slated to return to Grand Rapids for a sophomore season. His rookie year included only 33 points in 62 games, and it will be interesting to see how the youngster bounces back.

3. Axel Holmstrom: The Red Wings selected Holmstrom in the seventh round of the 2014 draft, and he was signed to a three-year entry-level deal. The 6'1", 198-pound pivot can also play left wing, and he has shown some solid two-way ability and skillful hands. He tallied 20 points in 44 SHL games and exploded in the playoffs with 18 points in 15 games.

Team Needs

Going into the draft, the Red Wings have a couple of items on their shopping list, and they can address them by using or trading their draft picks. With that in mind, here are their biggest needs and potential fits based on the picks they have in their possession.

1. Right Wingers

The Red Wings have Mantha and Martin Frk in the system on right wing, but the franchise could use some more depth in that regard. Damien Cox of Sportsnet reported the Wings are open to trading Mantha, and that makes the situation even more interesting. Regardless of Mantha's status with the team going forward, it is clear Detroit needs some help on right wing in the prospect pool.

Potential Fits: Evgeny Svechnikov and Nikolai Chebykin

2. Defense

Detroit lacks top defensive prospects, and that is an issue given the current state of the blue line. The Wings are known for taking a slow but steady process with prospects, so there is a chance they will pick a long-term prospect with significant upside with a late-round draft pick.

Potential Fits: Sergei Zborovsky and Steven Ruggiero

Overall Outlook

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The Red Wings are pros at the draft, so there is no reason for the franchise to be concerned. The team is riding a very formidable and impressive playoff streak, but current stars like Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk are not getting any younger. It would make sense to use this deep draft as an opportunity to start building for the future, but the Red Wings have repeatedly shown a knack for finding amazing players very late in the draft.

Draft pick history via Hockey-Reference.com, stats via NHL.com and Elite Prospects, and contract information via General Fanager unless otherwise noted.