Prospects Gustav Nyquist, Brendan Smith hoping for positions with Detroit Red Wings -NHL update
Detroit Red Wings probably have the most complete National Hockey League (NHL) prospects programme with their minor league affiliates as they are able to come up with some of the top prospects every year, or it just might be that all the great aspiring players
want to be on the Detroit line-up.
Gustav Nyquist and Brendan Smith, both are not an exception to that, as both are quite capable of making the major league team but still need to put up a performance that would wow a team like Detroit.
Trying out for a position with Red Wings is probably the hardest thing to do when it comes to cracking a place on a NHL roster, seeing the amount of skilled and capable players they already have on the team.
Gustav Nyquist might not be fully ready at the moment, but the 5-foot-10 centre player might seem small for the position he plays but underestimating him would be a big mistake. Playing for University of Maine for three straight seasons, potting multiple
points per match was not something hard for the Swedish play maker.
"He has a smaller body but really plays with good intensity", Detroit Director of European Scouting Hakan Andersson told NHL.com. "When I watched him in Sweden (in 2007-08), he chased the puck all the time and when he got the puck, he made things happen
and created chances. That's why we had him on my list and why we drafted him".
Nyquist finally participated in the American Hockey League (AHL) last season and according to the Detroit management, he could use another year in something more professional than university teams. If Nyquist can continue with his performing abilities in
the AHL next season, it will not be surprising to find the 22-year-old on the ice with Detroit sooner than later.
Brendan Smith on the other hand also played his first AHL season during the 2010-2011 timeframe, putting up 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) in 63 games; it seems Smith being a defenseman is also a top notch scorer, which is never bad.
Both players still have small improvements to make, but in the future, they can be top contributors for a team like Detroit which is rich in history with its history making players.
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