Getting to Know: O'Rourke and Wallinder

The tentative dates for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft have been set for Oct. 9-10.

Of course, as with everything including the playoffs, that will depend on whether health experts deem it is safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The draft, originally set for June 26-27 in Montreal, will be done in a virtual environment.

The Detroit Red Wings have three second-round picks - their own, the Edmonton Oilers' pick (acquired in the trade that sent Andreas Athanasiou to Edmonton) and the Washington Capitals' pick (acquired in the trade that sent Nick Jensen to Washington).

For the next several weeks, DetroitRedWings.com will take a look at some of the players, one North American and one international each week, who are likely to be available.

This week we'll examine two defensemen who are likely to be available for those second and third-round slots.

The first is Sault Ste. Marie captain Ryan O'Rourke, who had seven goals and 30 assists in 54 games, while also amassing 79 penalty minutes.

NHL Central Scouting had O'Rourke ranked 27th among North American skaters.

O'Rourke, who turned 18 on May 16, was only the second 17-year-old captain in Sault Ste. Marie's history, joining Craig Hartsburg, who was the captain in 1976-77.

"I want to say for the first week it didn't really set in," O'Rourke told NHL.com in June. "I didn't really believe it but once we started playing games it was kind of clear that I was the guy getting yelled at more and kind of the one who was going to lead everyone into battle, which is pretty cool."

Craig Button, TSN's director of scouting, had O'Rourke 53rd on his final list, released March 30.

TSN's Bob McKenzie placed O'Rourke 37th in his prospect rankings.

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The Athletic's Scott Wheeler had O'Rourke at No. 44 in his final ranking of the top 100 prospects.

"This is a ranking I worry about regretting. I agonized over where to rank O'Rourke," Wheeler said. "He's definitely in the same tier of D prospects as the handful of defenders who rank directly ahead of him here. He's got a real case as a late-first/early second-rounder. The strength of O'Rourke's game is his ability to defend players on the breakout and stretch the ice as a passer. I grew to appreciate the role physicality plays in his game defensively, too. He plays a hard game along the wall and if you can live with some of the penalties that come with it, it makes him an effective man-on-man option who can assert himself over the course of a game. He became a big driver for the Greyhounds defensively. He's also got some nice deception to his game from the blue line in. I saw him make some great plays off the rush this year, too.

"My concern with O'Rourke's game, if I had one this season, is that on a team with a trio of other defensemen with some offensive skill, he never managed to make himself the clear-cut go-to guy for offensive zone usage. To be comfortable in taking a player in the first round, I want to see them separate themselves from their teammates. We'll see."

The Athletic's Corey Pronman ranked O'Rourke 62nd.

"O'Rourke played a ton of minutes for the Soo, and while his point totals may not jump off the page, he was a driving player for that team and lined up in all situations," Pronman said. "O'Rourke is a very smart defenseman. His skill won't jump out to you on the ice, but he makes a lot of smart plays at both ends of the ice and has the occasional high-level offensive flash. He's a very good defender due to his IQ and his physicality. He kills a lot of rushes and projects to play tough defensive minutes as a pro. The main knock on him is just fine mobility. I don't think he's slow, and I have seen above-average flashes of speed from him over the years, but quickness isn't what makes him interesting from an NHL perspective."

Dobber Hockey said of the 6-foot, 178-pound blueliner, "Defenders like O'Rourke are often better players in reality than fantasy. He has the ability to move the puck out of his own zone and doesn't shy away from using his body. He could be valuable in multi-cat leagues if he can find a way to produce at a moderate level in the NHL. He is a safe defender who should be able to win the goal differential battle, an emerging stat in some advanced leagues. O'Rourke's offensive game may be suppressed by his defensive instincts. Often times he bails on the offensive zone much earlier than he should and while that puts him in a good defensive position, he limits his own offensive value."

On the other hand, Red Line Report thought much more highly of O'Rourke, ranking him 15th overall: "Terrific initial burst and acceleration. Snaps passes off while on the fly. Strong anticipation and play recognition. Makes life difficult on opposing forwards in front of own goal and shows surprising bite to his game, initiating heavy contact in board battles. Very good hockey sense to go with puck skill. Makes a crisp first pass and is calm under forechecking pressure. Turns play quickly up ice in transition, and can lug it out of the zone and make strong plays at speed working through the neutral zone. Excellent vision and distribution skills running the PP. Gets full weight behind his shots for strong velocity. Vocal; communicates with teammates and directs traffic. Plays 2-on-1s perfectly. Strong lateral footwork and gap control. Has an active stick in the defensive zone and is a smart positionally. Stays with his check and lifts sticks from behind. In short, the most underrated blueliner in the draft."

Sweden always produces some fine hockey players, as Red Wings fans well know, and they might want to pick William Wallinder if he is available for one of their second or third-round picks.

At 6-foot-4 and 191 pounds, Wallinder is already a huge kid.

In 37 games with Frölunda Jr, Wallinder had five goals and 19 assists.

NHL Central Scouting had Wallinder ranked 14th among international skaters.

TSN's Button placed Wallinder 18th overall, while McKenzie had him 27th on his draft list.

The Athletic writers were much further apart in their evaluations of the big Swede.

Wheeler ranked Wallinder 34th.

"When you're 6-foot-4 and your four-way mobility is a strength, you've got my attention," Wheeler said. "Wallinder still has some work to do to round out his game with the puck. He can look off-balance through his shot, which speaks to some technique that needs cleaning up because he's not getting the most out of his big frame. But he can make plays, his head is always up, he's got enviable length and he's only going to get better.

"The combination of his late July birthday and his exciting combination of skills suggests he's just scratching the surface. There's more work to be done with Wallinder's game than there is with the other top D in this draft, though. He makes a lot of mistakes with the puck and I've seen some boneheaded reads. Whichever team takes him will be trusting their player development program to tap into his obvious upside."

Pronman was obviously not as high on Wallinder, placing him 73rd in his draft list.

"Wallinder has intrigued NHL teams because of his significant athletic tools," Pronman said. "He's 6-foot-4 and a good skater for his size, and it's possible the skating gets even better given he's one of the younger players in the draft. When you see a guy his size easily closing a gap or rushing a puck up the ice, you can see how it translates to the higher levels. With his reach and feet, he is quite solid defensively and projects to make stops at the higher levels. Wallinder has good flashes with the puck. I've seen him occasionally stretch the ice or make a very creative play from the offensive blue line, which is why I have his IQ at 60, but I did so with hesitancy. I wouldn't call him a natural puck-mover though. I could see him becoming a real player from what I've seen of his best days, but I want to see those best days more consistently."

Dobber Hockey echoed the experts who said Wallinder needs significant defensive improvement, saying, "Wallinder is a puck-rushing defenseman with great size (6-4, 192) and great skating ability. He excels in transition where he loves to carry the puck but he can also make good passes and join the rush. He's not the most gifted player in the offensive end but he is pretty good there. Defensively, he needs a lot of work. He needs to show a better on-ice effort level and start using his big body more. He had a very good season in SuperElit but he has the tools to be much better. He is expected to spend the 2020-2021 season at the men's level in Allsvenskan where he played part of the season already."

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The Red Line Report had Wallinder 48th in its 2020 Draft Guide: "Huge D-man with great mobility has a confident attitude and handles the puck crisply. Can skate the puck out of danger, quick feet for his size. Will sneak down the slot for scoring chances. Uses his body to shield the puck well under forechecking pressure. Accelerates with the puck and skates with head up, always looking to make plays rather than just getting rid of the puck. Will activate on the rush and even take off and go coast-to-coast. Will initiate contact and can occasion- ally throw big hits, but isn't aggressive on a consistent basis. Can get careless with his puck-handling choices and decisions in puck distribution. Performed poorly at season's final international tourney - very lax defensive coverage from time-to-time. Overall a nice package of size, strength and skating. Rough edges to polish, but the upside is huge."