Red Wings third-round picks: Finnish defenseman, two Canadian forwards, U.S. goalie

By @MichaelCaples –

A Scandinavian defenseman in Round 2, and another Scandinavian defenseman to start Round 3 for the Wings.

Detroit selected Kasper Kotkansalo, a native of Espoo, Finland, with the No. 71 overall pick in the draft.

He was ranked the No. 92 skater by NHL Central Scouting afterp laying the 2016-17 season with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL.

Eight picks later at No. 79 overall, the Red Wings picked Lane Zablocki, a forward from Wetaskiwin, Alberta.

A forward in the WHL, Zablocki – ranked No. 52 in the final NHL Central Scouting rankings – posted 25 points in 33 games with Regina, and 29 points in 31 games with Red Deer due to a mid-season trade.

His NHL draft page says he compares his style of play to Bruins forward Brad Marchand.

With their third third-round selections, the Wings claimed Zach Gallant with the No. 83 pick.

Gallant, a forward with his hometown Peterborough Petes of the OHL, posted 47 points in 60 OHL games this year – with 74 penalty minutes.

To round out the third round for the Wings, they claimed Muskegon Lumberjacks goaltender Keith Petruzzelli – click here for more on that one.