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Detroit Red Wings 2018 draft pick: Defenseman Seth Barton

By Ash Thompson

LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 23: General manager Ken Holland of the Detroit Red Wings speaks with the media following the NHL general managers meetings at the Bellagio Las Vegas on June 23, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 23: General manager Ken Holland of the Detroit Red Wings speaks with the media following the NHL general managers meetings at the Bellagio Las Vegas on June 23, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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The Red Wings reached in the third round of the NHL Draft. They took a prospect that few if any, put inside the top 100 picks. Seth Barton is a gamble on potential rather than performance.

Seth Barton is not a name widely known, even in deep diving amateur hockey circles. I can not find him on any of the internet’s top prospects lists. The Detroit Red Wings went for a deep cut with their second third-round pick, number 81 overall. They took a right shot defenseman in his second year of draft eligibility. Here is what we know about this Red Wings prospect.

Barton plays for the Trail Smoke Eaters in the BCHL. The BCHL is a decent league. However, it is not on par with the WHL, OHL, or QMJHL, for those of you with less familiarity than me regarding the tiers of Canadian amateur hockey leagues. This league is often used by prospects looking to go the NCAA route rather than playing in the CHL. Playing in the CHL renders a player ineligible for NCAA competition because CHL teams give their players money in the form of per diem spending for food on road trips, room & board, and college scholarship money for after their hockey careers end, among other reasons.

The BCHL does not run afoul of NCAA regulations as the CHL does. Many players who are not locks to get AHL looks rapidly after their junior careers, or who don’t get CHL offers before they turn 17, opt for the lesser league to get a free college education at an American school. Barton is nowhere near ready to make the step to the pro game. A couple of seasons against NCAA competition could change that. Colton Parayko of the St. Louis Blues is a perfect example of a late bloomer who came out of a similar league, the AJHL.

Barton did not go in the draft last season.  He was one of the youngest players eligible and hadn’t played any junior hockey yet. Barton did very well offensively, with 33 points in 49 games this season with the Smoke Eaters, but there are questions regarding his defensive acumen. He hasn’t had to deal with highly skilled offensive players.

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He is 6’2″ and 174 lbs. A few seasons in an NCAA strength and conditioning program could do this prospect a world of good. The Red Wings made this pick based on potential. In the third round, there is not a great chance of a player making the big club at any point. Barton is the sort of player teams should be going after at this stage of the draft.

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