Star Michigan defenseman Owen Power is widely viewed as the obvious No. 1 pick, which belongs to the Buffalo Sabres, at least for now, for the second time in four years. But after a year in which scouting was made challenging because of the pandemic, the rest of the top 10 are harder to predict. Matty Beniers, another Wolverine standout, is likely to go in the top five, as is defenseman Simon Edvinsson — but again, there’s less certainty than in normal times.
Wings general manager Steve Yzerman holds the No. 6 pick; it’s the second time in three years he has selected at that spot. Previously, he took defenseman Moritz Seider, who since has made that 2019 pick look supremely savvy by posting back-to-back standout seasons.
After the draft lottery in June, Yzerman made the point that the Wings need help at every position. We’ve explored a few possible picks over the past few weeks, looking at using the team’s first pick on goaltender Jesper Wallstedt, and forwards Mason McTavish, Dylan Guenther and Michigan’s Kent Johnson.
CENTER: Why taking center Mason McTavish makes sense
GOALIE: Two options for Steve Yzerman to fill goaltending hole
FORWARD: Steve Yzerman picks a Michigan man
FORWARD: Why Dylan Guenther makes sense
In this edition, Yzerman picks another defenseman —one whose brothers also were first-round picks.
D Luke Hughes
Size: 6-feet-2, 184 pounds.
2020-21: 6 goals, 28 assists in 38 games with the U.S. National U18 team; 4 goals, 11 assists in 18 games with the USNTDP juniors in the USHL.
The buzz: Hughes is the younger brother of Quinn, a defenseman drafted at No. 7 by the Vancouver Canucks in 2018 (one spot after the Wings selected Filip Zadina) and Jack, a forward who was the first overall pick in 2019. (The New Jersey Devils, who drafted Jack, pick fourth this season, so they may well snap up Luke.)
Like his brothers, Hughes is supremely skilled; he’s a smooth skater with soft hands and a phenomenal passer with high-IQ vision. He’s stealthy and nimbly able to poke the puck away from an opponent. He has the ability to dart with the puck like Quinn, deftly avoiding defenders to create a scoring opportunity. He also has a great shot, and loves to use it. He needs to improve his decision-making on the defensive side, but that should come as he develops. He’s a late birthday, with his 18th birthday coming Sept. 9, narrowly missing the Sept. 15 cutoff. Hughes is committed to playing next season at Michigan, which is the same path Quinn took. (And Dylan Larkin, for that matter, who was drafted by the Wings in 2014, played at Michigan in 2014-15, and made the Wings in 2015.)
Why he makes sense: If Hughes is available to the Wings, he’d be hard to pass up. The Wings don’t score easily, and Hughes is a dynamic player who can run a power play, join the rush, make an outlet pass and transport the puck. Potentially, he and Seider could anchor the Wings’ defense for a decade.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.