Stevie Y Drafts German; WMU Bronco Taken By Philly

The Steve Yzerman era began with a shocker Friday night, as the new general manager made his first selection for the Detroit Red Wings in the 2019 NHL Draft. Yzerman and the Red Wings raised eyebrows by selecting a German defenseman, Moritz Seider. Even Seider looked stunned as he heard his name announced as the 6th overall pick of the draft.

Seider was expected to be drafted late in the first round. But Yzerman and the Red Wing brain trust saw something in his play and didn't want to risk losing him.

“We were picking sixth and 35,” Yzerman told The Athletic Detroit. “We had to make a decision. He wasn’t going to be there at 35. Obviously, we explored options to possibly trade back but weren’t able to do that. We’re pretty excited to get him.”

The Red Wings' second round picks could be an equipment manager's nightmare. Detroit selected Antti Tuomisto, a Finnish defenseman, Robert Mastrosimone, a winger from Chicago, and Albert Johansson, a defenseman from Sweden.

Locally, an incoming Western Michigan Bronco was selected in the second round by the Philadelphia Flyers.

Attard is a defenseman from White Lake, MI. In a tweet from the Flyers, Attard said he couldn't stop smiling, but that "the work is just getting started". Attard is the 11th player drafted by an NHL team during coach Andy Murray's tenure at Western.