mynhldraft.com has Detroit taking Right shot Center Ryan Leonard at 9th and Winger Colby Barlow at 18th. Barlow scored 46 goals and 33 assists in 59 games for Owen Sound. Leonard had 51 goals and 43 assists in the National Development program as well as 11 goals and 9 assists in the USHL and 8 goals and 9 assists in 7 games at the WJC
Leonard is ranked as high as 5th (NHL Central Scouting) and as far back as 12th (The Hockey News). He’s listed as a center on elite prospects but the video has him as a right wing. He played all 3 forward positions this year. I would be more than a little bit surprised if a center like that actually fell to 9, especially performing well on 3 separate stages like that. He scored the OT gold medal winning goal at the WJC. His stock has to be way higher than what I’m seeing here.
For Colby Barlow, McKenzie and The Hockey News both have him ranked at #8 and his lowest ranking is 16th by Elite Prospects.com. Good size, strong 2 way game and a good shot. It’s nearly impossible anymore to know who will go where after about the first 3 but if you put any stock in the rankings, Detroit would probably have to move up to get Barlow (from 18th to 16th or 15th) possibly by trading away one of the second round picks along with the 18th. When I see strong shot, good 2 way left winger I think about Raymond on the right. If that’s a player that we got and panned out it would give Raymond some breathing room. I’ve talked about the 4 and 1 where your right winger stays near the blue line or even in the neutral zone during defensive play looking for a breakout pass. Raymond could do well in that role with a good center and defensive winger.
The final entry from today comes from NHL Draft Pros. Zach Benson is their pick for Detroit at #9. Again, it would be a miracle if this kid were available at 9. He’s ranked as high as 4th overall. At 5’10” (some list him at 5’9”) the left shot winger scored 98 points (36g, 62a) in 60 games for Winnipeg Ice in the WHL. You can see his rankings below. If this was a player Detroit wanted badly enough, they may have to trade up from 9. Needs a little more speed, but still growing and will probably be working out hard for whoever gets him.
Ranked #5 by CONSOLIDATED RANKING
Ranked #5 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
Ranked #5 by FCHOCKEY
Ranked #5 by DAILY FACEOFF
Ranked #9 by THE HOCKEY NEWS
Ranked #5 by TSN/BOB McKENZIE
Ranked #7 by MCKEEN'S HOCKEY
Ranked #8 by TSN/CRAIG BUTTON
Ranked #6 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters)
Ranked #6 by SPORTSNET
Ranked #4 by RECRUIT SCOUTING
Ranked #5 by DOBBERPROSPECTS
Ranked #6 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY
Ranked #5 by SMAHT SCOUTING
We’ve got a ton more ground to cover. Let me know your thoughts and if you’d grab these players. I still lean toward addressing the center position as well as something to fill in on right D. The defense can be a veteran stop gap for a player that may need to develop but has the right tools.
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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