Red Wings: Rounds 2-7 recap of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft

Round 2, Pick 32: William Wallinder, Defenseman, Modo Jr. (SuperElit)

The Detroit Red Wings kicked off the second round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft when they selected defenseman William Wallinder. They continued the trend of Swedish players by selecting Wallinder, who comes from Modo Jr. of the Swedish junior levels.

Wallinder is an eighteen-year-old left-handed shot with a  6-foot-4, 192-pound frame. The big frame that he has will allow him to grow into it and become a real force. Wallinder is a puck-carrying defenseman who can have an impact in the offensive zone as a defender.

In 2019-20 during Wallinder’s time with Modo of the SuperElit junior level, he played in 37 games where he had five goals and 19 assists for 24 total points. The Red Wings added a player who was raved about for his skating ability, which should be noted, given his large frame mentioned above.

Expect Wallinder to be sticking around in Sweden for the 2020-21 season, as will likely be the case for most prospects staying put given the pandemic. Wallinder is playing for Modo of the HockeyAllsvenskan league in Sweden.

***Round 2, Pick 45: Traded to the Los Angeles Kings for two selections mentioned on the first slide.***

Round 2, Pick 51 (Acquired from Kings): Theodor Niederbach, Forward, Frolunda HC (SuperElit)

After taking Frolunda HC member Lucas Raymond, the Red Wings used the pick acquired from the Kings to select Theodor Niederbach, also from Frolunda HC. Niederbach is a center/winger who is eighteen years old.

Niederbach has a 5-foot-11, 172-pound frame where he excels at the mental side of the game. He thinks a step ahead and does a good job of maintaining control over the play while also playing efficiently in all areas of the ice.

In 2019-20, Niederbach played for Frolunda’s SuperElit club, where he played forty games, scoring 15 goals and adding 33 assists for 48 points. For Sweden’s national team, Niederbach played in eight games where he notched four goals and three assists for seven total points.

He is an exciting prospect as Niederbach knows how to make things happen on the ice, whether it is giving support to teammates in a scrum or finding open ice to be in a good position to make something happen offensively. An exceptional selection in the second round for the Red Wings organization.

Round 2, Pick 55: Cross Hanas, Forward, Portland Winterhawks (WHL)

The first non-Swede player selected by the Red Wings was Cross Hanas, an eighteen-year-old left winger who played his youth hockey for the Dallas Stars youth organization. Hanas then moved on to the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, where he found success.

Hanas has a 6-foot-1, 165-pound frame, predominantly playing left wing for the Winterhawks. In 2019-20, Hanas played in 60 games, where he scored 22 goals and 27 assists for 49 total points. Looking at Hanas, he is a shoot-first forward who will dish the puck but is less than likely to be his first choice.

He will go into battles along the boards and is not afraid to do the “dirty work” to retrieve the puck. The Texas-native has room to improve as he can be knocked around here and there, but there is a high-ceiling potential that makes him an intriguing selection in the second round.

He was ranked low, near 110th on some lists, but he could potentially flourish up and blossom into a better player. His puckhandling is raved about on EliteProspects, but it seems like a bit of a stretch, but still should be considered a sound investment type pick for the future by Yzerman.