Red Wings add more promising talent on Day 2 of 2024 NHL Entry Draft 

LAS VEGAS -- Detroit Red Wings Executive Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman and his amateur scouting staff reassembled at Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday morning for Day 2 of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, continuing their pursuit of adding talented prospects to strengthen the organization’s depth.

The Red Wings made seven selections on the final day of this year’s draft, taking four forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender. From a big-picture standpoint, Yzerman said he was pleased with how Detroit’s newest draft class shaped out.

“We were keeping our fingers crossed with each pick, thinking these are one of the guys we want in that spot,” Yzerman said after Rounds 2-7. “At each spot, we got a kid that we were very excited about that we had projected in that range of a pick. We feel good about it today. We’ll see down the road how it plays out.”

The Red Wings kicked off Day 2 by drafting winger Max Plante with their second-round pick (47th overall). A 5-foot-11, 177-pound forward, Plante spent the 2023-24 season with the U.S. National Team Development Program’s U-18 club and recorded 61 points (15 goals, 46 assists) in 51 games.

Plante, who is the son of former NHL player and current Chicago Blackhawks assistant coach Derek Plante, said he felt he had a good pre-draft interview with Detroit.

“I’m a competitive playmaker,” Plante said. “I love to win hockey games and find my teammates on the ice, set them up.”

Yzerman said Plante has great on-ice awareness for an 18-year-old.

“He moves the puck really well,” Yzerman said. “Very deceptive skater, he moves well on the ice. I really like his hockey sense and his creativity.”

In the third round, Detroit took 20-year-old center Ondrej Becher (80th overall). The 6-foot-2, 187-pound forward tallied 96 points (32 goals, 64 assists) in 58 games with the Western Hockey League’s Prince George Cougars this season.

Red Wings Assistant General Manager and Director of Amateur Scouting Kris Draper said Becher’s blend of speed and skill make him an exciting prospect.

“He’s a kid that certainly put up great numbers,” Draper said about Becher. “His skating is something when you watch him play, he has that extra gear that you talk about.”

The Red Wings then selected Landon Miller -- a 6-foot-5, 193-pound goaltender – in the fourth round (126th overall). The 18-year-old netminder posted a 17-6-2 record with a 2.79 goals-against average, .889 save percentage and two shutouts in 30 games with the Ontario Hockey League’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds this season.

Miller said hearing his name called by the Red Wings was an amazing feeling.

“I feel like I blacked out after I heard Soo Greyhounds because I thought it could be me here,” Miller said. “It feels surreal honestly, a dream come true.”

In the fifth round, the Red Wings tabbed 18-year-old defenseman John Whipple (144th overall). This season, the 6-foot-1, 192-pound blueliner registered 17 points (two goals, 15 assists) in 61 games with the USNTDP’s U-18 squad.

Draper said Whipple plays with confidence and poise.

“At the U18s and any international event, (Whipple) looked comfortable playing against the other teams’ top players,” Draper said. “The competitiveness and the way he skates would probably be the attributes that really stood out for us.”

With its sixth-round pick (176th overall), Detroit drafted winger Charlie Forslund, a 6-foot-3, 212-pound prospect who recorded 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) in 19 games with Falu IF in Sweden’s third division this season. The 18-year-old forward also had 16 points (13 goals, three assists) in seven games with Falu IF’s U-20 team.

“Playing against those men on a lower level, Charlie stood out,” Draper said. “He’s got good size, can skate and really shoot the puck.”

The Red Wings used their first seventh-round pick (203rd overall) to select 18-year-old winger Austin Baker. A native of White Lake, Mich., Baker collected 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists) in 59 games with USNTDP’s U-18 team.

“A big, strong kid,” Draper said about the 6-foot, 190-pound Baker. “Powerful skater. This kid is very athletic. The way he skates, moves and trains, a lot of great feedback from how he is in the weight room. He’s that type of player that can bring a lot of energy with the way that he skates.”

Five picks later, Detroit made its final selection of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft by taking 19-year-old blueliner Fisher Scott (208th overall). The 6-foot-2, 179-pound defenseman totaled 33 points (eight goals, 25 assists) in 61 games with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints this season.

“Our U.S. scouts were pounding the table at that round, which you like,” Draper said. “(Scott) is a very good skater.”

The Red Wings’ front office will now shift their focus to free agency, which opens Monday at Noon ET.

“We’ll continue to talk to our own guys here,” Yzerman said about the club’s current pending restricted and unrestricted free agents. “Haven’t given up on that yet. Tomorrow afternoon, we’ll talk, (and) get organized again. We had our pro meetings already, but tomorrow we kind of regroup and be ready to go for Monday.”