Red Wings Draft Prospectus: Spitfires’ Liam Greentree May be Pick at 15th (+)

The first round of the NHL entry draft is to take place on Friday in Las Vegas. At 15th overall, the Detroit Red Wings will be making their first-round selection. Based on talking to scouts, GMs and other hockey people, as well as studying the mock drafts of top NHL draft experts, Detroit Hockey Now is looking at players who could potentially be Detroit’s selection. Today, we look at OHL standout Liam Greentree of the Windsor Spitfires.

Liam Greentree

Greentree is an 18-year-old forward who was named captain of the Spitfires midway though last season. He’s 6-2 but moves like a much smaller player. He also has a scoring touch, racking up 90 points, including 36 goals, on a Windsor team that was dreadful last season. Windsor allowed an average of 5.2 goals per game. Greentree was the focus of opposing defenses,  yet averaged 1.33 points per game. He is a headsy player, a crafty competitor who has a knack for controlling the game. Scouts love his ability but also rave about his work ethic and character, as he was named captain in his second season, less than two weeks after turning 18. In a report on his draft prospects, Greentree was ranked anywhere from 6th to 24th, but mostly in the 12-17 range.