“We wanted him and he’s got good bloodlines (his father, Pierre, played in the NHL). He’s got great hockey sense. He played on a team where he kind of got moved back because of a lot of older and high-skilled guys who are moving on now. He’s going to inherit a little bit of a bigger role next year and we hope his scoring ability will show. But we’re really excited about getting him where we did.”
-Tyler Wright, Red Wings Director of Amateur Scouting
Detroit must have seen something in 19-year old Dominic Turgeon, trading their third round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets to select him at 63rd overall(13 spots up) in the same round last year. A center by trade, he has logged 187 games(3 seasons) for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, totaling 31 goals and 82 points in his career. 18 of the goals and 43 of the points came this season. In 17 playoff games, Turgeon was a bright spot on his team, scoring eight goals in a run to the Western Conference Final for the fifth consecutive year.
More from the Red Wings on Turgeon:
“If we would have had our second (round pick) we would have taken him there. So it prompted us to make a move. He was a guy that we thought if we could get him in the second and he fell into the third we didn’t want to risk that chance (by) waiting a couple of more picks.”
-Tyler Wright
“He hasn’t been in a top offensive role because of the depth of the team that they’ve had. It was a junior dynasty that they built three years in a row. He was on a star-studded team and he had to work hard for everything that he got. So his offense came from out-playing someone 5-on-5. He wasn’t handed the key to the power play, and that’s exciting especially with a lot of (Portland) players leaving next year. He’s been guided very, very well, and our scouts, Jeff Finley and Tyler Wright, who have seen him the most, they love his smarts, his defensive play, which is always a sign of a huge maturity level for young kids.”
-Jiri Fischer, Red Wings’ Director of Player Development
The signing comes after the Grand Rapids Griffins signed Turgeon to an amateur tryout on Wednesday.
Quotes courtesy of Mlive and DetroitRedWings.com
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