In all, the Red Wings have eight picks – one in each round, plus an extra seventh-round pick, which previously belonged to the New Jersey Devils. In addition, the fourth-round selection was acquired from the Dallas Stars in the Vladislav Namestnikov trade – the Ottawa Senators own Detroit’s fourth rounder by way of the Alex DeBrincat trade.

For the sake of this mock draft, I focused on the first two rounds – picks No. 15 and No. 47. And like last year, I used Draft Prospects Hockey’s mock draft simulator to conduct the exercise.

With that, let’s get started.

More Red Wings Offseason Analysis:

15. RW Beckett Sennecke – Oshawa Generals (OHL)

Considered: RW Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, RW Emil Hemming, RD Adam Jiricek, LW Igor Chernyshov.

Unavailable: C Tij Iginla, RD Carter Yakemchuk, LD Zeev Buium, LW Cole Eiserman.

Rationale: Referring back to the analysis on Detroit’s organizational depth, the main need of the prospect pipeline is forwards with top-of-the-lineup potential. At No. 15, Beckett Sennecke is the best bet to fill that void.

The 6-foot-3 winger has a lot of likable traits – above-average hands, vision, decision-making, skating, and the ability to elevate his game in the playoffs. His point production in the OHL doesn’t scream elite, but that was also the case for Nate Danielson during his draft year – albeit in the WHL. I like Sennecke with this pick because he has the building blocks to be the top-of-the-lineup player that the Red Wings need and has a skill set that could mesh wonderfully with Danielson.

Another quality that I value is Sennecke’s size – and how he got there. He isn’t a typical power forward that’s always been one of the biggest players on the ice. Sennecke experienced a growth spurt in the last couple years – stretching from 5-foot-10 to 6-foot-3.

Why is this important? It shows that Sennecke is not a one-trick pony that over-relies on his size. He knows how to be effective as a smaller player and how to be a bull in a china shop. That’s an important quality in a game that requires players to evolve as they move up the ladder.

47. C Jett Luchanko – Guelph Storm (OHL)

Considered: C John Mustard, C Lucas Pettersson, LD Stian Solberg, RW Brodie Ziemer.

Unavailable: LD Alfons Freij, C Luke Misa, C Alexander Zetterberg, RD Dominik Badinka.

Rationale: Hoping to swing at a high-upside player again, it was disappointing to see defenseman Alfons Freij come off the board a few picks before No. 47. Instead, we’ll pivot to a typical Steve Yzerman/Kris Draper pick – a high-motor and high-IQ player in Jett Luchanko.

Not many prospects in this year’s draft can match Luchanko’s compete level. He’s the type of player that coaches love to have on the team. Where he plays in the lineup, though, will be determined by his development over the next two-to-three years. At minimum, Luchanko can become an effective bottom-six forward. There’s also a decent chance he turns into something much more than that, though.

Final Word

With this spin of the mock draft simulator, the Red Wings came away with a potential top-six scorer and a high-motor forward with NHL projectability. Selecting two forwards was not intentional – it’s just how the draft panned out. That said, Detroit’s prospect pipeline needs more help up front than on the blue line.

This was just the first of multiple mock drafts that The Hockey Writers will be sharing this offseason. Stay tuned for more Red Wings coverage, including in-depth profiles on potential draft picks, trade considerations, free agent targets, and more. Also, feel free to ask an offseason question in the comments section below – it could be part of an upcoming mailbag article.