Filip Zadina Picked 6th by Red Wings; Twitter Praises Easy Selection

Tim Daniels @TimDanielsBRFeatured ColumnistJune 23, 2018

Czech Republic forward Filip Zadina celebrates his goal against Canada during the first period of a semifinal in the IIHF world junior hockey championships Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Jeffrey T. Barnes/Associated Press

The Detroit Red Wings picked Halifax Mooseheads winger Filip Zadina with the sixth overall selection in the 2018 NHL draft Friday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

Detroit Red Wings @DetroitRedWings
With the 6th pick in the 2018 #NHLDraft, the Detroit #RedWings select LW/RW Filip Zadina #DRWDraft #LGRW

Let's check out some Twitter reaction about the first-round choice:

Halifax Mooseheads @HFXMooseheads
🚨Our boy is headed to Hockeytown! 🚨Congratulations to Filip Zadina on going to Detroit 6th overall at the #NHLDraft @filip_zadina @DetroitRedWings https://t.co/ixQCpzip0a

Brad Galli @BradGalli
The Red Wings pick Filip Zadina with the No. 6 overall pick. Dynamite winger who slid when Montreal and Arizona took centers projected to go lower. https://t.co/waAyaE2LUN

Helene St. James @HeleneStJames
Red Wings select Filip Zadina at sixth overall in #NHLDraft18 Great goalscorer. Can score with shot, can score in hard areas by going to net. Solid on his skates and has playmaking ability as well.

Willy Palov @WillyPalov
What a gift for Detroit. Filip Zadina at No. 6 is tremendous value.

Winging It In Motown @wingingitmotown
WE GOT THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WHOLE WORLD. WELCOME ZADINA

Zadina enjoyed a terrific debut campaign in the QMJHL. The versatile forward racked up 44 goals and 38 assists for 82 points in 57 games. He added 12 points in nine playoff appearances.

Those numbers showcased his immense offensive potential after he struggled against older competition while playing for Pardubice in the Czech Extraliga during the 2016-17 season. He tallied just two points in 25 games as an overmatched 17-year-old.

North American Central Scouting chief scout Mark Seidel praised Zadina's playmaking skill set during a January interview with Daniel Nugent-Bowman of Sportsnet.

"He's dynamic. He can control the game. He shows he can take the puck and dominate at times," Seidel said. "He showed his skating ability (in the 2018 CHL Top Prospects Game). Every night in Halifax he does that, basically. He's going to be an elite scorer. But he also has good vision. Both those things translate well to the NHL."

It's hard to know exactly how soon Zadina will be ready to make the NHL jump. His play in the top Czech league showcased the progress he needed to make before becoming a full-time pro, but there's no doubt he's made serious strides during his year with Halifax.

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The Red Wings will likely bring the winger, who can play on either the left or right side, to training camp and let him play in at least a handful of preseason games. From there, they can decide whether to keep him for a nine-game tryout stint or send him back to the Mooseheads for another year of seasoning.

Regardless, he projects as a future top-line forward who could lead Detroit in scoring a couple of times once he becomes established in the NHL. If he does make an immediate jump, he'll be joining an offense that ranked 28th in scoring last season.