Red Wings News:

• The Toledo Walleye sweep the Indy Fuel 4-0 in the ECHL playoffs

o They will play either Cincinnati or Fort Wayne in the 2nd round

• Derek Lalonde is off to the Men’s World Championships with Team USA. He was great in his broadcasting stint for the 1st round of the playoffs.

• Sergei Fedorov wins another Gargarin Cup, making it his 2nd in his 2nd year as head coach of CSKA Moskva in the KHL

• With the New York Islanders eliminated, the pick currently sits at 18th; unless the Florida Panthers make it to the ECF then it could be the 17th pick.

Around the League News:

• Round 1 playoff recap

o NJD vs NYR game 7 tonight

o Boston blew it

o Colorado Avs are a Disneyland franchise

o Toronto finally actually did it, but they are embarrassing to watch celebrate like they made it to the finals

 Last time Leafs won a playoff round, Matthews and Marner were 6yrs old, and Nylander was 7yrs old

 Should the Leafs be nervous to go against the Panthers? YES!

• U18 WC continues on tomorrow for the quarter finals

o USA wins Gold vs Sweden in OT 3-2

 Ryan Leonard scores golden goal, Will Smith gets MVP of the tournament

o CAN takes Bronze over Slovakia in OT 4-3

 2024 draft prospect Macklin Celebrini gets the OT goal

o Germany loses twice to Norway in the relegation round

Draft Prospect Profile:

• Will Smith

o 6’0” 172lbs shoots right

o Will most likely play in the NHL as a center in the top 6 as a playmaker

o Currently plays with the USNDTP and will attend Boston College in the fall

o 126pts in 59 games USDP (51g, 75A); 42pts in 20 games USHL (15G, 27A); 20pts in 7 games in WJC (9G, 11A)

o Consistently ranked anywhere from 3 to 5 in the draft and I would be shocked if he is still there afterwards

o When it comes to skating he isn’t going to be the fastest player on the ice, but he has some good strides and his top end speed will get better as he gets older

o He has such a deceptive and wicked hard wrist shot that it’s really tough for goaltenders to track down.

o Passing is probably the best part of his game due to his hockey IQ. He reads plays really well to draw players towards him to open up his teammates and does fancy no look passes ALL THE TIME and hardly misses. Even when he doesn’t have the puck, he can be just as dangerous. He is just a really patient player on the ice.

o He will put in the effort to go after the puck, but needs to work on the defensive play with puck battles and board battles. Somehow he can make the right plays in the Ozone, but will force a little much in his own Dzone.

o Overall, I will be shocked if he makes it passed 5 in the draft. Whoever gets him is gonna be one happy franchise and it sucks it won’t be us unless we trade up.

Upcoming:

• Prospect player profile Zach Benson