With the 29th selection, the Detroit Red Wings select ..., Part 1

The 2009 NHL Draft begins Friday June 26th

The 2009 NHL Entry Draft begins this Friday night in Montreal with round one, followed on Saturday with rounds two through seven, and while the Red Wings seemingly always cultivate elite talent while picking late in each round, this event does not draw a great deal of attention in Hockeytown.

Certainly not the attention the Detroit Lions garner each year at the NFL Draft.

And for good reason. Unlike the NFL, the NHL draft does not always deliver immediate talent. And while there is NHL ready talent available in the draft, much of that talent is often selected before Detroit announces their first selection, normally toward the end of the first round.

This is once again the case this year as the Red Wings own the 29th selection out of 30, in the first round.

And moreso than any other draft, the NHL teams don't select by need so much as who they believe is the best player available. And since this is so subjective it is difficult to to get a read on who might be available for the Red Wings to select at 29th overall.

Most experts agree on the top three players available in this draft and many expect scoring sensation John Tavares to go first overall to the New York Islanders followed by hulking defenseman Victor Hedman of Sweden to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Matt Duchene to be selected third by the Colorado Avalanche. From that point the order of selection begins to become a matter of preference depending on who you speak to.

So as you can imagine the predictions of who the Red Wings will choose at 29 is wide ranging.

Today we will examine who the The Hockey News has slated in spot #29 in their draft preview, and in the mock draft by THN writer Ryan Kennedy. The Hockey News is known as the Bible of Hockey and was established in 1947.

In their draft preview, published in April, The Hockey News ranks Louis Leblanc from Kirland, Quebec who plays for the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League as the 29th best prospect in this year's draft. Leblanc has committed to play for Harvard next season.

The Hockey News notes that Leblanc impressed scouts by scoring at a point a game pace in a league that players don't often score much. The 6'0", 178-pound center showed improvement as the season progressed and is alread y a solid two-way player. Leblanc is ranked 13th among North American skaters by Central Scouting and 16th overall by International Scouting Service. Leblanc is projected as a two-way forward.

Ryan Kennedy who completed his mock draft on June 19th has Leblanc being drafted 24th overall by the Washington Capitals and has the Red Wings selecting Joonas Nattinen of the Espoo Blues Junior team from Finland.

Kennedy describes Nattinen as a big two-way forward who will play and develop in Europe for a couple of years before being ready to make an impact in the NHL. Despite his two-way play he still scored more than a point a game at the junior level this season. On his player profile on the NHL website the 6'2" 183-pound center lists the Detroit Red Wings as his favorite team. Nattinen is ranked 10th among European skaters by Central Scouting, 27th by International Scouting Service and 36th in The Hockey News Draft Preview. He is currently projected as a two-way forward.

Check back tomorrow as two more potential Red Wings selections at the 29th overall spot according to more mock drafts will be profiled.