It was Zadina then Veleno then Berggren and still no defenseman; I was about to throw my phone against the wall. That was my initial reaction during the draft as even though the Red Wings first 3 picks have immense potential up front, I wanted defense, defense and more defense. The first defenseman the Red Wings took in the 2018 NHL Draft finally ended up being Jared McIsaac from Halifax in the QMJHL. The Wings biggest need for years has arguably been a right-handed defenseman, so when they didn’t address that in the first two rounds I still was less than thrilled, but then I started reading up more on this McIsaac fella.
Vitals
Position: Defense
Shoots: Left
H/W: 6’1”/196
Born: March 27, 2000
Birthplace: Truro, Nova Scotia, CAN
Drafted: 2018, 2nd Round (36th overall)
Current Team: Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
2017-2018: 65 GP, 9 G, 38 A, +14
McIsaac came into the draft as one of the more well-rounded D-men of all of the prospects. He has a nice offensive game, smooth puck-handling and is a very good skater on top of it all. It will be interesting to see the route the Red Wings take with McIsaac, because he does need a lot more seasoning, but he has the potential to be a very solid Top 4 guy down the line. At this point in time, I think “well-rounded” defensemen are exactly what the Red Wings need the most, so the hope is McIsaac turns into a solid “well-rounded” defenseman down the road. It probably is going to be 3-5 years before we see him in the Winged-Wheel, but the hope is they are close to competing by then and that McIsaac can come in and help contribute to even more success.
I think 20 is a good spot for McIsaac too because while all the potential is there, we really don’t know much about his game and won’t know much until the Red Wings watch him closely over the next couple seasons. He was the Red Wings 1st D-man picked in this past draft for a reason, so let’s all hope McIsaac turns out to be worth his value.
Do you agree with Jared McIsaac’s ranking at 20?
| Agree | 255 |
| Should Be Higher | 283 |
| Should be lower | 46 |
Red Wings Top 25 Under 25 Ranking
21. Filip Larsson, University of Denver, NCAA
22. Christoffer Ehn, Frolunda, SHL
23. Alex Regula, London Knights, OHL
24. Axel Holmstrom, Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL
25. Jack Adams, Union College, NCAA
