Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings may have found their Goalie of the Future.
Detroit traded up in the first round of the draft Friday night to take 6'6 netminder Sebastian Cossa 15th overall.
"We think he’s got a chance to be a really good goaltender in the NHL," Yzerman said on NHL Network after announcing the pick. "As you know, we acquired Alex Nedeljkovic (on Thursday), a 25-year-old goaltender. We felt that adding an 18-year-old prospect with Alex in net in Detroit, we have a great young prospect that we can just be patient with and let him develop and potentially really solidify the goaltending situation in Detroit."
Cossa posted a .941 save percentage, 1.57 goals against average and a record of 17-1-1 last season for the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League.
He was ranked No. 1 among North American goalies by NHL Central Scouting entering the draft.
"With his size, his athleticism, I think he’s got the chance to be a No. 1 and a franchise-type goalie," says John Williams of the NHL scouting service.
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The last time Yzerman drafted a goalie in the first round, he landed future Vezina winner and two-time Cup champion Andrei Vasilevskiy 19th overall. The Red Wings' rebuild just got a major boost if Cossa has a similar future.
To acquire the 15th overall pick from Dallas, Detroit gave up picks Nos. 23, 48 and 138.