The Detroit Red Wings on Saturday drafted Dominic Turgeon, son of Pierre Turgeon and nephew of Sylvain Turgeon. Pierre accumulated 515 goals and 1,327 points in his career while Sylvain scored 495 points (269 goals) in 669 games.
While he didn’t get drafted first overall like his father, he did get drafted early in the third round (63rd overall).
Detroit was able to make the early pick after dealing their own third-round pick (76th) and their third-round pick in 2015 to Columbus.
He was a member of the Portland Winterhawks (WHL) the past two seasons. In 65 regular season games last year, Turgeon scored 31 points (10 goals), while adding 8 more points in 21 playoff games. It was a significant improvement following his 8-point 54-game campaign of the prior year.
Craig Button and Dave Reid talked at length about Dominic on the NHL Network during their coverage of the draft:
“I saw Dominic’s growth with the Portland Winterhawks. A tremendous improvement from the beginning of the year to the end of the year,” said Button. “It seemed that he just became more comfortable of a hockey player. He asserted himself. He got involved. He was in the middle of things, making plays.”
Button describes him as a “big, get-in-your-way type centerman. He can make plays, and the thing that he does really well is he found a way to compete. He’s not an elite offensive player, but he’s a good strong player. He’s not like his father.”
Reid compared him to David Legwand. “He’s got the smarts. He’s got the ability, but he’s not overly talented with the finish. With Turgeon, it’s just a matter of getting his feet going.” He sees him fitting into more of a second line slot, but thinks he’s probably better suited for a third line role.
Dominic was ranked 97th among North American skaters by Central Scouting and 94th (all skaters) by The Hockey News.
The 6-ft-2, 196 lb center will have to wait a few years before having a shot at success, but if he’s patient, he’ll fit right into the Red Wings organization.
Kevin Sporka
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