NHL Mock Draft 2021: Detroit Red Wings select Zach Dean with No. 30 pick (acquired via mock trade)

We’ve been busy bees in this years mock draft — we kept the 6th overall pick and selected center Mason McTavish, we then decided to get a little fancy and pull off a “mockbuster” trade with our friends at Pensburgh and Knights on Ice. Now we’re picking at 30 (technically 29), and we’re taking center Zach Dean out of the QMJHL.

Zach Dean – Center

Birth date: January 04, 2003
Team: Gatineau Olympiques
Height: 6’0””
Weight: 176 lbs.
Shoots: L

The numbers don’t exactly jump out at you when you look at Zach Dean, but it’s important to note that he plays for a relatively low-scoring team in an otherwise high-scoring league. Having said that, just watching him for a few shifts you can see that he has a lot of offensive flare. Good hands, and a playmaker’s mindset. A comparable that comes to mind is Matt Duchene.

Dean also fills a need for the Red Wings, that’s why I took McTavish with the 6th pick.. Let’s face it, the Red Wings are weak up the middle and need to start kicking that can a little more. They’re flush with skilled wingers, so it would be nice to see them put some more investment in the center position.

Dean is an extremely creative, playmaking center that displays excellent vision. He’s one of the best passers in the class and can hold his own defensively as well. Showing consistency in his own end and driving the middle of the ice are areas of improvement.
-Future Considerations 2021 NHL Draft Guide

Consider Dean a ‘project’ type prospect. Not as close to NHL-ready as Mason McTavish, but give him a year or two, he’ll be ready to move into pro hockey, barring any sort of meteoric rise, which is not impossible. He missed some time this last season due to injury, so there’s some missed development there, especially with all of the pandemic’s impact on training. He has some tendencies that will need to be worked on — he tends to force the play in some situations which can put his team in a tough spot. Again, he’s not exactly surrounded by a ton of talent in Gatineau. At the end of the day, Zach Dean is a fun and flashy player that could grow into potential threat at even strength and power-play situations.

Here’s how the picks have played out in the 2021 NHL Mock Draft by SB Nation (remember, Arizona’s 1st rd pick was forfeited):

1. Owen Power – BUF
2. Matthew Beniers – SEA
3. Dylan Guenther – ANA
4. Luke Hughes – NJD
5. William Eklund – CBJ
6. Mason McTavish – DET
7. Kent Johnson – SJS
8. Simon Edvinsson – LAK
9. Brandt Clarke – VAN
10. Fabian Lysell – OTT
11. Jesper Wallstedt – CHI
12. Cole Sillinger – CGY
13. Aatu Raty – MIN
14. Corson Ceuelemans – DAL
15. Chaz Lucius – NYR
16. Matthew Coronato – STL
17. Logan Stankoven – WPG
18. Oskar Olausson – NSH
19. Sebastian Cossa – EDM
20. Isak Rosen – BOS
21. Fyodor Svechkov – MIN
22. Zachary Bolduc – VGK
23. Carson Lambos – FLA
24. Nikita Chibrikov – CBJ
25. Francesco Pinelli – MIN
26. Brennan Othmann – CAR
27. Olen Zellweger – COL
28. Simon Robertsson – NJD
29. Zach Dean – DET