Red Wings take Michael Rasmussen 9th overall
The Detroit Red Wings selected forward Michael Rasmussen with the ninth overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft on Friday.
Michael Rasmussen
Position: Center
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 215 lbs
Age: 18
Club: Tri-City Americans (WHL)
Nationality: Canadian
| GP | G | A | P | ES GPG | ES PPG | ES GF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 32 | 23 | 55 | 0.24 | 0.38 | 41.89 |
(Even-strength stats courtesy: prospect-stats.com)
Teams won't find a bigger center than the 6-foot-6 Rassmussen. The Tri-City Americans forward enters as the No. 5 ranked North American skater after moving up one spot from the NHL Central Scouting's mid-term rankings.
"(Rasmussen) has either the best natural instinct or willingness to get to the net and go around the net," Tri-City coach Mike Williamson said, according to NHL.com's Mike Morreale. "And it sounds simple, but a lot of guys play on the perimeter, are not willing to go there, or just are off to the side enough to make it easy for a goalie. But his natural first instinct when he gets over the blue line is to get around the net."
Rasmussen is a beastly player who can serve in all situations and is a defender's nightmare to handle in front of the net. He can score the highlight-reel goal or clean up the garbage, and should be a fantastic asset to any team.