2022 NHL Draft Day 2 Recap: Red Wings make trade, nab eight prospects

MONTREAL -- After welcoming centerman Marco Kasper to their prospect pool on Day 1 of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the Detroit Red Wings jumped on the offseason goalie carousel with a trade before selecting eight talented prospects on Day 2 of the Draft.

On Friday morning, Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced the club acquired goalie Ville Husso from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a third-round pick (73rd overall) in this year's Draft. Additionally, the Wings signed Husso to a three-year contract.
Detroit opened its second and final day from the floor of the Bell Centre in Montreal by selecting left wingers Dylan James (40th overall) and Dmitri Buchelnikov (52nd overall) in the second round.
The Red Wings made three fourth-round selections, taking defenseman Anton Johansson (105th overall), centerman Amadeus Lombardi (113th overall) and left winger Maximilian Kilpinen (129th overall).
Detroit took defenseman Tnias Mathurin in the fifth round (137th overall), then drafted centerman Owen Mehlenbacher (201st overall) and Brennan Ali (212th overall) in the seventh round.
"We're all excited," Yzerman said to the media after Day 2. "We just finished the Draft and hopefully some of these kids turn into players."
It was a busy day for the Red Wings, starting with the mid-morning acquisition of Husso. According to Yzerman, trading for the 27-year-old netminder was due to supply and demand.
"There's more teams that need goalies than actual goalies that are available," Yzerman said. "We elected to use a draft pick to try to secure one."

Across two seasons in St. Louis, the Helsinki, Finland native posted a 34-13-17 record, 2.74 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage in 57 regular-season appearances.
Yzerman said he's excited for Alex Nedeljkovic and Husso to operate as a goalie tandem in 2022-23.
"We got two guys who we feel can play in the League," Yzerman said. "And based on, albeit somewhat limited action in the NHL, both guys have shown they can win games."
Detroit focused on offense with its first two picks on Day 2, including James, a 6-foot, 177-pound prospect who spent last season with the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers and garnered Rookie of the Year honors by tallying 61 points (28-33--61) in 62 games.
"For a first-year USHL player, he put up some pretty good numbers," Red Wings director of amateur scouting Kris Draper said about James. "A complete hockey player."
Twelve picks later, Detroit took the 5-foot-10, 163-pound Buchelnikov, a left winger who scored 41 goals among 75 points in 56 games last season with SKA-1946 St. Petersburg of the MHL, Russia's top junior league.
"He's familiar with the success that we've had with Russians," Draper said. "I think that's pretty cool, too, when you have young hockey players talk about that."

The Red Wings drafted Johansson - a 6-foot-4, 172-pound blueliner - with their first of three picks in the fourth round. Johansson spent most of his 2021-22 season with Leksand's under-20 team, collecting 10 points in 22 games.
With the 113th overall pick, Detroit selected Lombardi, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound forward prospect who tallied 59 points (18-41--
59) in 67 games last season as a rookie with the Ontario Hockey League's Flint Firebirds. Kilpinen, the Red Wings' final pick of the fourth round, had 14 goals and 11 assists in 27 games in 2021-22 with Orebro's under-20 team in Sweden's top junior league.

"He's a skater, a worker and he's very competitive," Draper said about Lombardi. "We really like all those things about him."
Detroit rounded out its class with Mathurin in the fifth round in addition to Mehlenbachler and Ali in the seventh round.
Mathurin is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound defenseman who totaled 15 points (3-12-15) with the OHL's North Bay Battalion.
"He's a good-sized defender," Draper said. "He's got a real good stick and pretty mobile defender."
The Red Wings then selected Mehlenbacher, a 6-foot-2, 189-pound forward who amassed 42 points (17-25-42) in 56 games with the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks in 2021-22.
And with its final pick of the Draft, Detroit took the 6-foot, 193-pound Ali, a prospect who registered 34 points (15-19-34) in 27 games at Avon Old Farms High School.
"Once I heard my name called, I was just ecstatic," Ali said. "There's no better feeling. When you hear your name called, it's surreal."

Now, attention shifts to
2022-23 Development Camp, which officially begins on Sunday
at the BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena.
"Tomorrow is going to be pretty special for a lot of these guys that had their names called," Draper said. "And some of the guys we even drafted last year that didn't have the opportunity."