Prospects discuss meeting with Red Wings

Even when he was captain of the Detroit Red Wings, Steve Yzerman was not a loud guy or a big talker.
That remains the case even now as Yzerman serves as executive vice president and general manager of the team.

The COVID-19 pandemic prevented Detroit's front office staff from watching players in the playoffs and meeting them at the annual combine.
But it didn't stop Yzerman's group from meeting virtually with prospects using the popular Zoom technology everyone has gotten familiar with these past several months.
Late Thursday afternoon, the NHL had a Zoom call with some of the top prospects who will be available in the upcoming 2020 NHL Entry Draft, including forwards Alexis Lafrenière, Quinton Byfield, Tim Stützle, Marco Rossi, Cole Perfetti and Jack Quinn, plus defensemen Jamie Drysdale and Jake Sanderson.
Perfetti, who had 37 goals and 74 assists in 61 games with the OHL's Saginaw Spirit this past season, said he has spoken to the Wings a couple of times but said Yzerman did more listening than talking.

"With Mr. Yzerman, it's been limited," Perfetti said. "He's been on the calls but for the most part he's had his camera off and has been very quiet, just kind of listening. He didn't really ask anything too much. It was mainly Kris Draper (director of amateur scouting) who was running the calls and he was leading it and asking most of the questions. Yzerman, he wasn't saying too much, he was kind of just sitting back with his screen off and I think taking notes and listening to what I had to say."
Some players might be intimidated by having a Hall of Famer sitting quietly and listening to them but Perfetti was not bothered at all.
"I just kind of tried to be myself, show my personality, who I was and hopefully he enjoyed that and got a lot out of that," Perfetti said. "I think either way I was going to be myself and express who I am, whether he was asking the questions or just listening and I hope I made a good impression. It was a good process doing these Zoom calls and it was a lot of fun and you know each call was so unique and they they all have different aspects about it, which made it a lot of fun."
Drysdale, who was ranked third overall among North American skaters behind Lafrenière and Byfield, has also met with the Wings via Zoom.

"I think in regards to the process with that Detroit so far, I've had a few calls with them and with their staff and management and I think they've gone well," Drysdale said. "I think the main purpose was kind of just trying to get to know me more as a player, just ask me some some questions that they might not have gotten to ask me during the year and things regarding my style and what I think I can do on the ice and kind of what I do in my time off the ice. I think it's been a pretty smooth process, I think it's been a good one as well. So just kind of waiting to see what happens with that on draft day. "
Austrian-born forward Marco Rossi, who led the OHL and all Canadian Hockey League players in assists and points with 120 points (39-81-120) in 56 games with the Ottawa 67's, said he spoke with the Wings three times.
Wings prospect Michael Rasmussen has been loaned to the Graz 99ers in Austria, the team Rossi is playing for now.

Rossi had an interesting answer when asked about his favorite NHL player.
"It was Pavel Datsyuk, but right now it's Brayden Point," Rossi said. "Just playing so smart. He's the same size as me. I just like the way he's playing right now in the playoffs. I really love to see how he's playing. He's not afraid, with his size, and he's a really good playmaker, a really good shooter and just makes the team better."
Point is listed at 5-foot-10, 166 pounds, while Rossi is listed at 5-foot-9, 183 pounds.
When he was the Tampa Bay Lightning's general manager, Yzerman took Point in the third round, 79th overall, in the 2014 draft.

Point, 24, leads the NHL with 11 goals and is second only to teammate Nikita Kucherov in total playoff points, 30-28.
Defenseman Jake Sanderson was born in Whitefish, Mont., but has spent the last two seasons in Plymouth, Mich., with the U.S. National Team Development Program.

"The NTDP, I loved it," Sanderson said. "I loved my two years there. It's definitely a grind and I don't think any other team goes through what we do with our schedule, our international travel and just our training there in Michigan. It kind of developed me as a person with the professionals there, the coaches and obviously being there with the best 21 players in your age group in the country is really special."
Sanderson's father, Geoff, was an NHL forward who played 1,104 games.
Sanderson is committed to the University of North Dakota for the 2020-21 season, where Red Wings prospect Cooper Moore is also an incoming freshman.
Moore was the Wings' fifth-round pick, 128th overall, in the 2019 draft and Sanderson said the two are already good friends.
Of note, if Sanderson does reach the NHL, he will be just the second Montana-born player to do so in the history of the league.
Bill Lindsay, a right wing from Big Fork, played 777 games for the Quebec Nordiques, Florida Panthers, Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens and Atlanta Thrashers from 1991-2004.