The Detroit Red Wings chose Marco Kasper with the eighth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.
Marco Kasper
Position: Center/left wing
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 187 lbs
Age: 18
Club: Rogle (Sweden)
Nationality: Austrian
| GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 7 | 4 | 11 |
(Stats source: EliteProspects.com)
Kasper was a consensus first-rounder and one of the best European forwards available. He rose from seventh to fifth among the top-rated skaters across the pond between NHL Central Scouting's midterm and final rankings. That assessment put him behind only Juraj Slafkovsky, Joakim Kemell, Simon Nemec, and David Jiricek heading into draft night.
The Innsbruck-born center's stock slightly improved for several reasons. For one, Kasper notched six points over 13 playoff games this spring with Rogle - one of the marquee clubs in one of the world's best professional leagues. The forward, who proved in the SHL that he can also play well on the wing, represented Austria in this year's World Championship in May after doing so at a separate tournament last November.
Though Kasper collected only two points (both assists) over seven games in the Worlds, he posted four across three games at the previous tourney and was facing much older competition in those events, much like he was with his club team at the senior level. Last season, he captained his country in the 2021 World Junior Championship.
Kasper became the second Austrian player chosen in the first round across the last three drafts after the Minnesota Wild selected Marco Rossi ninth overall in 2020. The Vancouver Canucks took Michael Grabner 14th overall in 2006, and the Buffalo Sabres made Thomas Vanek the highest-drafted Austrian ever at No. 5 in 2003.
What they're saying
"Kasper was easy to spot even in SHL games because of how powerful an athlete he is," The Athletic's Corey Pronman wrote in late May. "He would often be the guy to wind it up in his own end to carry the puck due to his great speed and skill. Kasper ... isn't afraid to attack the hard areas and (won) some battles versus men as a 17-year-old. Kasper attacks with speed and skill, and while he can pull up to make a play or use his hard shot, his direct style of play will translate to the NHL."
Pronman projects Kasper as a "quality top-two line center."
"(It's) hard not to like a guy who plays such a well-rounded game but is also willing to do whatever it takes to continue improving," Sportsnet's Sam Cosentino wrote in mid-June. Cosentino added that Kasper was "on the rise" as draft night approached because of his late-season performance.
"You won't find anyone in the SHL, with the Austrian hockey federation, or working for an NHL club in amateur scouting who doesn't like Kasper's game and approach to it," The Athletic's Scott Wheeler wrote in early June. "He really impressed scouts all year with the way he managed one of the world's top pro levels, but especially in the playoffs, where he was really good by any measure for a player his age before holding his own at men's Worlds."
Wheeler lauded Kasper's patience with the puck and "really low panic threshold" while praising his skating and calling him "an advanced 200-foot forward."
Tap here to watch some of Kasper's highlights.