By @MichaelCaples –
It was the highest pick the Red Wings held since 1990.
What did they do with it?
Welcome to Hockeytown,
The Wings used the No. 9 overall pick to claim Michael Rasmussen among a sea of boos from the Chicago Blackhawks fans.
Rasmussen is a 6-foot-6 center from Tri-City in the Western Hockey League.
“[Rasmussen] has either the best natural instinct or willingness to get to the net and go around the net,” Tri-City coach Mike Williamson said to NHL.com. “And it sounds simple, but a lot of guys play on the perimeter, are not willing to go there, or just are off to the side enough to make it easy for a goalie. But his natural first instinct when he gets over the blue line is to get around the net.”
A native of Surrey, B.C., Rasmussen posted 55 points in 50 games for the Americans during the 2016-17 season, his third in the WHL.
“He plays center, obviously he’s a big man with a lot of character – he was just named captain of Tri-City of the WHL,” Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said on the NBC Sports live broadcast. “We got a big man with skill and a lot of character.”
Rasmussen was ranked No. 5 among North American skaters in the NHL Central Scouting final rankings, after being ranked No. 6 in the midterms.
From NHL Central Scouting’s John Williams, via Sportsnet:
“He’s playing with much more confidence this season. He’s adapted to playing a bigger role and playing heavy minutes against opponents’ top lines and defence. The game has slowed down for him a little bit and he’s just that much more poised. He can take that extra bit of time and understands he can take that time to make plays and score goals.”