Here is a look at who the Red Wings picked with their remaining 4 picks of yesterday's NHL draft.
Round 4, Pick #109 - David Pope
The Pope is coming to Detroit. Is it ironic that both the Pistons and the Wings drafted someone with the last name Pope? I don't think so. I am awaiting word what the Tigers and Lions plans are but the movement to turn Detroit into a holy city is working so far.
Pope is a big guy, measuring in at 6'2'', 187 lbs. He shoots left and plays the left wing. He has played the last 3 years in the BCHL, most recently with the West Kelowna Warriors.
This is what Hockey's Future had to say about Pope's most recent season:
2012-13: Pope was the fourth-leading scorer for the Warriors despite missing 14 games due to injury and in December committed to playing college hockey at Nebraska-Omaha in 2014-15. He scored 17 goals with 22 assists and had 20 penalty minutes in 42 games. The Warriors, who re-located from Langley in suburban Vancouver to West Kelowna, finished second behind Penticton in the Interior Division and lost to the Vees in the conference finals. Pope played in 7 of 10 playoff games and scored 4 goals with 1 assist. Ranked 104th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting's mid-term rankings, he was ranked 67th in the final rankings prior to the 2013 NHL Draft.
And this is what Red Wings Central had to say:
Pope played junior A in British Columbia to retain his NCAA eligibility and enjoyed a productive year, climbing from No. 104 at mid-season to No. 67 at end-of-year in Central Scouting’s draft ranking. Committed to play at Nebraska-Omaha in 2014-15, Pope is slated to play in the USHL with the Waterloo Black Hawks next season. More to follow.
As stated above, Pope will be playing in the NCAA next season which means that he will be able to take his time to develop before joining the Wings.
From what I have been reading so far, I have to say that I like this guy. He's a big, strong guy that can shoot.
Can't find anything on Youtube about him.
Round 5, Pick #139 - Mitchell Wheaton
After drafting forwards with their first 4 picks the Wings finally pick a defenseman. But not just any defenseman, a HUGE defenseman.
Wheaton currently measures in at 6'5'', 231 lbs. That's big. He shoots left, and as I mentioned above, plays defense.
Wheaton played last season with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL. He only registered 8 points in those games but what jumps out the most to me is that he was a +20 in the 39 games he played.
This is what Hockey's Future has to say about him:
2012-13: Wheaton went to training camp with the WHL's Kelowna Rockets before returning to Spruce Grove. After one game with the Saints he decided to forego college hockey and signed with Kelowna, where he spent the rest of the season. He skated in 39 games for the Rockets before suffering a shoulder injury that kept him out until the playoffs — scoring 1 goal with 7 assists and finishing +20 with 27 penalty minutes. The Rockets finished first in the B.C. Division and reached the second round in the playoffs. After missing the first round, Wheaton returned for the four-game series with Kamloops and was -2 with no points and 4 penalty minutes. Wheaton was ranked 69th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting's final rankings prior to the 2013 NHL Draft.
And some more from Hockey's Future:
Big body on Rockets blueline. Moves well laterally. Able to use long reach to stymie opponents. A stay-at-home defenseman. Seldom challenged by opponents. Hampered by serious shoulder injury this season.
Red Wings Central's take on the guy:
An absolutely massive defenseman, especially for the Red Wings, Wheaton missed a good chunk of the season with a shoulder injury and was still rated 69th among North Americans by Central Scouting. Despite his size, it’s not clear if he’ll ever be a bruiser, as he had only one fighting major last season. But he projects as a defensive-minded blueliner who takes care of his own zone first.
Here is an interview with Wheaton on YouTube:
A Wheaton-DeKeyser pairing in the future maybe?
Round 6, Pick #169 - Marc McNulty
You thought that the last guy was big? Wait until you here about McNulty.
The defenseman currently measures in at 6'6''! But there is an obvious flaw, he only weighs 185 lbs. This guy is going to need to spend hours upon hours in the gym getting stronger if he wants to have a chance to make the Red Wings roster one day.
McNulty has played the last two seasons with the Prince George Cougars of the WHL.
Red Wings Central gives their opinion on the young defenseman:
Another giant-sized blueliner, McNulty had more goals than assists this season in a strange statistical line for a defenseman. Mobile for his size, McNulty is willing to fight and is capable with the puck but his development will require patience. A raw project.
This is a snippet from an interview with Futureconsiderations.ca.
Outside of your size, what do you feel is the first thing scouts notice about your game? What do you feel goes underrated in your game?
I think it would be my skating. I have put a lot of work into it the last few years and it has come a long way. I would say my hands are underrated. I always try to work on my stick handling.
The guy also fights:
A big, raw defenseman that can skate. Sounds like a good prospect to me.
Also, here is his twitter handle: @MarcMcnulty3
Round 7, Pick #199 - Hampus Melen
Finally another Swede. And another forward.
Melen is yet another big guy, as he is listed at 6'2'', 165 lbs. As with McNulty, Melen needs to bulk up. Weighing only 165 lbs when you are over 6' isn't a good thing.
Melen has spent the last 3 seasons with Tingsryds AIF's youth organization.
The winger has yet to break into the A-squad but has played well during his time with the youth-squads.
Red Wings Central's take on the guy:
Melen is a high-scoring Swedish right-winger who piled up 40 points in 24 games and was one of the top point-producers in the J-18 Elit circuit but didn’t play on his country’s national junior teams. A classic late Hakan Andersson pick, Melen was not ranked by Central Scouting and is the type of prospect who will either be forgettable or one day emerge as a late-round steal.
Late Round steal? Me gusta.
This was the first comment on an HF Board thread about him:
Håkan pick.
I agree.
Nothing on Youtube about the guy. But, I did find his Twitter handle: @Hmelen17
He's wearing a USA shirt in his profile picture and his header is a picture of a Datsyuk jersey.
I am liking this guy already.