Steve Yzerman’s front office looks to bolster Detroit’s pipeline with Ryder Cali, a high-motored center whose championship mindset and gritty 200-foot game perfectly align with the franchise’s culture.
The NHL Scouting Combine brought 90 draft-eligible prospects to Buffalo on Saturday, and while the Detroit Red Wings arrived without a first-round pick to their name, nobody told their front office to take it easy.
Steve Yzerman and his management group were among the busiest in the building during the interview phase, sitting down with a number of players who could realistically be available when Detroit's first pick comes around at 47th overall.
Cali is ranked 47th overall in Elite Prospects' consolidated draft rankings, which puts him right at the spot where Detroit will be making their first selection of the draft. The two sides did meet during the combine's interview phase, and by the sound of it, the meeting left an impression on everyone in the room.
"It was pretty cool, and I walk in and Steve Yzerman's right there and Chris Draper as well so, I told my mom that she was pretty fired up because he was her favorite player growing up but yeah he was a really good guy. He was kind of laughing a little bit, so I thought that was really cool," Cali told The Hockey News.
What stands out most about Cali from even a brief conversation with him is his relentless determination and his singular focus on winning. When asked what kind of player Detroit would be getting if they selected him, Cali didn't hesitate and didn't mince words.
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"They'd be getting a big 200-foot center that can win games," Cali said. "I think I play winning style of hockey, and that's my goal, I want to win a Stanley Cup so you can expect a winner for sure."
It is the kind of answer that tends to resonate in a Red Wings organization that was built on a championship culture and is hungry to return to those days. Cali's game is not without areas to develop, as he openly acknowledged that the agility component of his skating is something he wants to sharpen.
He considers himself a powerful skater given his large frame but wants to add more quickness to his game, particularly as he prepares to make the jump to the NCAA next season with the Providence Friars. The foundation, however, is already there as Cali is coming off a solid first full OHL season with the North Bay Battalion, posting 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points in 47 games.
His journey to this point is as compelling as the player himself as he was born in Switzerland with family ties to the Cayman Islands and Canada, Cali developed most of his hockey career on Canadian ice before emerging as one of the more intriguing prospects in this draft class. The determination that defines his game is not manufactured, it is built into who he is.
If Detroit finds itself on the clock with Cali still available at 47th overall, they will know exactly what they are getting. A big, two-way center who plays to win and has made it clear that helping a franchise return to its championship roots is exactly the kind of challenge he is looking for.
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