Detroit Red Wings: Lucas Raymond not tearing up SHL but will be a stud
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Red Wings selected forward Lucas Raymond during the 2020 NHL Entry Draft with the fourth overall selection. The crazy thing is, news has been a little quiet; Moritz Seider is stealing the show over in the Swedish Hockey League.
Raymond will be a great talent to follow, but take a moment to do a little check-up on the Detroit Red Wings fourth overall selection. He is currently stationed with his native Frölunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League.
He is not quite lighting things up over there. He is scoring, he has registered points, but he is not being the all-out dominant player. Before anyone freaks out, there is no reason to worry. There is still production, Raymond is still just eighteen years old, and while Seider is turning heads at nineteen, Raymond will be fine.
There is no reason for the Red Wings fans to freak out, yet. If Raymond does not emerge as some super freak lighting up the SHL, it does not mean he cannot find success in North America, but then, worrying he may not be as dominant as hoped could be allowed. But it is too soon to go down that rabbit hole.
Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond will find his way and become an exciting forward to watch in Hockeytown one day.
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This season, Raymond has tallied 6 goals and 11 assists for 17 points over 30 games with Frölunda HC.
He missed some time while playing for the Swedish National Team at World Juniors, where he logged five games, adding two goals and three assists, but now he is back with Frölunda.
The production may not be the most exciting thing, but he will get there. It is just going to take time for Raymond, but he will get things on track and be an exceptional prospect to keep an eye on.
Raymond is an exciting prospect, and there is a lot to like about what scouts believe he can bring to the table.
He excels in multiple aspects of his game and is not afraid to show it. He is also smart, a truly high Hockey IQ player.
It is not hard to see the intrigue with Raymond without even looking at stats is his intensity and ability to win puck battles. He has good hands, which he often uses to steal the puck from opposing players.
Being that he is still young, he should develop nicely into someone who capitalizes on great speed and the ability to make things happen offensively rather than waiting for something to happen.
The hope for Raymond is that he will become a forward who can make things happen in the offensive zone, someone who gets involved in the play while being smart, again, making things happen rather than waiting for things to happen.
It reminds me of Gustav Nyquist and how there were times in the offensive zone where he would go into a puck battle, come out with the puck, and then skate around the zone with the puck for an extended time to try and set-up a scoring chance. (For this missing Gus, check-out this Overtime Goal this reminded me of where he controls the puck forever.)
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Red Wings fans who keep up with the prospect scene, do not worry that Raymond is not blowing the doors off the SHL; he will be one of the organization’s best talents in the coming years. Just wait for him to mature and develop!