Red Wings stay at No. 15 for NHL draft; Sharks win lottery

Detroit — There has been suspense and anticipation the last number of years with the Red Wings in the NHL Draft Lottery.

Would they move up in the order, maybe to No. 1? They never did, but there was the drama.

There was no drama Tuesday as the Wings stayed put at No. 15, where they were originally slotted.

The Wings had a 99 percent of staying at No. 15, and those hefty odds played out. Given the redone lottery rules several years ago, even if the Wings had inexplicably won the lottery from where they were slotted, they would have only moved up 10 spots.

But it's a moot point, as the Wings stayed at No. 15.

Tuesday's Draft Lottery winner was the San Jose Sharks, as the draft order held to form as it went into the lottery.

The Sharks will be followed by Chicago, Anaheim, Columbus and Montreal in the top five picks of the draft.

The Sharks are likely to select center Macklin Celebrini, the consensus best player in this draft from Boston University. There's a cluster of players considered just below Celebrini, including Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov, center Cole Eiserman (Plymouth Township-based United States National Team Development Program), Russian forward Ivan Demidov, and defenseman Sam Dickinson (London, OHL).

The Wings have a pick in each of the seven rounds (two in the seventh round) for the June 28-29 Entry Draft in Las Vegas.

So who could be arriving in the Wings' organization with that 15th pick? Here is an extremely early look at some names who could be available in that range:

▶ Tij Iginla, center, 6-foot 182-pounds — Yes, go ahead and feel old. Tij is Jarome Iginla's son, the former Calgary Flame who was a thorn for the Wings for so many years. Tij has many of the same attributes and strengths as his dad, though maybe not the physical force, at least right now. Iginla has a fine combination of skill and strength.

▶ Michael Hage, center, 6-foot-1, 187-pounds — The Michigan commit only played 13 games in the USHL because of shoulder surgery. Some scouts feel Hage could have been projected to go higher in the first round, and still might, given his size, playmaking ability and advanced defensive game.

▶ Emil Hemming, right wing, 6-foot-1, 201-pounds — This big Finnish wing is another youngster with pro size already, and a heavy shot. But Hemming is raw, with conditioning and consistency two concerns. There have been noticeable ups and downs in his performance.

▶ Liam Greentree, right wing, 6-foot-2, 207-pounds — Greentree put together a 90-point season for Windsor (OHL) and has the size that scouts love. Greentree has offensive ability, and he wins his share of puck battles and has a dangerous shot. But Greentree's skating and speed are potential drawbacks.

▶ Sacha Boisvert, center, 6-foot-2, 176-pounds — Boisvert had 36 goals and 68 points for Muskegon (USHL) and scouts are intrigued because he's likely to get bigger and stronger in the years ahead. Boisvert is very competitive, has good playmaking skills, and is headed to play collegiately at North Dakota.

tkulfan@detroitnews.com

@tkulfan

NHL Entry Draft

▶ When/where: June 28-29 in Las Vegas.

▶ Red Wings: The Wings will pick 15th in the first round. They have one pick in each of the next five rounds, then have two selections in the seventh round.

▶ Top players: C Macklin Celebrini (Boston University), D Artyom Levshunov (Michigan State), C Cole Eiserman (USNTDP), RW Ivan Demidov (Russia), D Sam Dickinson (London).