The Detroit Red Wings have secured the rights to Carinthian Marco Kasper. The 18-year-old attacker was picked eighth in the National Hockey League (NHL) draft at Montreal’s Bell Center on Thursday. Kasper is only the fourth Austrian after Thomas Vanek 2003 (No. 5, Buffalo Sabres), Marco Rossi 2020 (No. 9, Minnesota Wild) and Michael Grabner 2006 (No. 14, Vancouver Canucks), whose rights in the first draft round were acquired.
Kasper impressed in the past season with strong performances for the Swedish top club Rögle and in the Austrian national team. The son of former ÖEHV team defender Peter Kasper scored seven goals and four assists in the regular season in the Swedish league, added three goals and three assists in the play-off and contributed six points to the triumph in the Champions Hockey League. At the World Cup in Finland, he also showed that he can hold his own against established NHL players.
–
–
