” It appears the smarter gamers always have the puck on their stick,” Draper said. “They understand how to carry the puck, where to put the puck, how to get open. The vision and imagination with the puck, they see their teammates, they have the capability to make players around them much better. These are the go-to guys on the power play. Thats what were seeing from Lucas Raymond. Theres a great deal of things you can teach, but hockey sense is a gift.”
Hockey individuals typically speak of hockey sense, especially in prospects and young gamers. What does it involve?
” I listened to our staff, they enjoyed all the games, they discussed a lot, and they come up with their rationale for the list,” Yzerman said. “I definitely have the ability to overrule, however in this circumstance, I was very comfy and in contract with our guys and their evaluation of Lucas. I had the time to watch him a lot and be more familiar, so I was really supportive of this pick.”
Yzerman said the Red Wings were set on Raymond for a long time.
The Red Wings had several feasible options at No. 4 after the very first 3 selections went as expected– Alexis Lafreniere to the Rangers, Quinton Byfield to the Kings and Tim Stutzle to the Senators.
Whenever Detroit Red Wings basic supervisor Steve Yzerman, amateur scouting director Kris Draper and others enjoyed Lucas Raymond, live or on tape, they were impressed by his hockey sense as much as his skillset.
” Thats something that is extremely high on our list,” Draper said. “We wish to be a wise, competitive team and we believe Lucas Raymond has a lot of those qualities we search for in a prospect.”
That is one of the main reasons the Red Wings selected Raymond, a 5-11, 170-pound left wing for Swedish group Frolunda, with the fourth choice Tuesday in the preliminary of the NHL draft.
Yzerman said he anticipates Raymond to stay in Sweden for the period of the season, however it is, “something we might possibly assess when we see where were at in the NHL, if were playing, when were playing, what our season appears like, and where the Swedish League is at, where Frolunda is at.
” I do not desire to put any timeline on him. We want to bring him over when hes ready to go.”
In addition to smarts, Raymond has incredible speed, playmaking capability, an excellent shot and a strong contend level
” We do not see any glaring weak points or drawbacks,” Yzerman said. “We believe he has all the tools to be an elite forward in the NHL.”
The Red Wings also liked how Raymond handled adversity last season, as a 17-year-old playing versus males in Swedens top league.
” To me, it indicates a lot,” Draper said. “When youre 17, playing in your home nation and all the abrupt you raise your level of rise and contend to the celebration in a big video game, that puts a smile on your face when youre seeing it. You like big-game players.”
The Red Wings believe Raymond will go far.
” He was playing in an extremely excellent league, didnt get a lot of ice time, so it makes it a bit more of a challenge (to evaluate),” Yzerman said. Where do we believe hell go with the skills, the attributes he has? ”
Yzerman and Draper watched Raymond tape-record a hat trick, consisting of the overtime winner, in the gold medal game for Sweden against Russia at the 2019 under-18 World Championship.
More: Lucas Raymond aims to make offensive impact in NHL
” It appears the smarter players always have the puck on their stick,” Draper stated. Thats what were seeing from Lucas Raymond.” I listened to our personnel, they enjoyed all the video games, they discussed a lot, and they come up with their reasoning for the list,” Yzerman said.” To me, it implies a lot,” Draper stated.” He was playing in an extremely great league, didnt get a lot of ice time, so it makes it a bit more of a challenge (to evaluate),” Yzerman said.
