No lottery luck: Red Wings to pick ninth overall, Blackhawks get No. 1 selection

Detroit — The Red Wings are likely getting used to this.

The NHL Draft Lottery took place Monday and the Wings stayed where they were, coming out with the ninth overall selection in this year’s Entry Draft June 28 in Nashville.

There were no surprises for the Wings. The Wings had the ninth-best odds going into the lottery, 64.4% of staying there, and that’s exactly what happened.

They had a 23.5% of falling to 10th and 1.7% of dropping to 11th — which luckily for them, didn’t happen.

Given the rules of the lottery and no team can move up more than 10 spots, and the limitations there, the Wings had a 5% chance of winning the lottery and 5.2% chance of getting the second overall pick.

This was the seventh consecutive year the Wings drafted in the top 10 picks.

Chicago won the lottery and will pick first. Anaheim will pick second (they were No. 1 in the pre-draft order) and Columbus third. San Jose will pick fourth and Montreal fifth.

There’s likely to be plenty of movement, maybe a trade, and prospects’ stock going up and down before the first-round on June 28.

But make no mistake, the player picked first will be Connor Bedard.

The 5-foot-10, 185-pound center is a generational talent who had 71 goals and 143 points in 57 games with Regina (WHL) this season. Bedard has been tabbed the best player in this class for several years and has lived up to every expectation.

"Bedard has the elite skills and attributes that elite NHL players have, and it's the precision in which he reads the play, is always in the right place and how he executes and capitalizes on plays," said Dan Marr, NHL central scouting vice-president. "What places him in that Connor McDavid-special category is his natural presence of mind and instincts that allow him to channel all these attributes to dominate when the opportunity is there and when it's needed most by his team."

After Bedard, there are several elite prospects.

Michigan center Adam Fantilli (6-foot-2, 195 pounds) was this past season’s Hobey Baker Award winner (best NCAA player), Russian right wing Matvei Michkov (5-foot-10, 172 pounds), Swedish center Leo Carlsson (6-foot-3, 198 pounds), and Plymouth Township-based United States National Team Development Program center Will Smith (5-foot-11, 181 pounds) are considered next to be picked, in some order, after Bedard.

The lottery hasn't been kind to the Wings over the year, but they appear to have done well drafting in the first round despite the lack of lottery success.

Last year, the Wings stayed eighth and selected center Marco Kasper, who made his NHL debut late this season and is likely to compete for a roster spot next training camp.

In 2021, the Wings stayed at sixth and picked defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who likewise made his NHL debut this season and could compete for a lineup spot, though he did last week have shoulder surgery which could limit him in training camp.

The Wings also selected goaltender Sebastian Cossa with the 15^th pick in 2021, after a trade, and Cossa is currently leading the Toledo Walleye on an ECHL playoff run.

In 2020 the Wings had the NHL’s worst record by far, but the odds didn’t help and they dropped to fourth where they selected forward Lucas Raymond, who is proving himself to be an NHL goal-scorer.

In 2019, the Wings dropped from fourth to sixth and picked defenseman Moritz Seider, who won the 2022 Calder Trophy (best rookie) and progressed even more this season.

Going back further, the Wings dropped from seventh (position going in) to the ninth pick in 2017, and from fifth to sixth in 2018

So, who are some players that could be available for the Wings at No. 9?

Get to know these names: center Nate Danielson (6-foot-1, 185 pounds/Brandon/WHL), defenseman David Reinbacher (6-foot-2, 185 pounds/Switzerland), right wing Gabriel Perreault (5-foot-10, 165 pounds/USNDTP), left wing Daniil But (6-foot-5, 203 pounds/Russia).

ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @tkulfan