The Wings Nation Top 20 Prospects: #20 Louis-Marc Aubry
7 years ago
Now that the dust seems to have settled on the NHL offseason, it’s time to take a look at the Detroit Red Wings Top 20 prospects, as voted on by the Wings Nation staff.
Each day for the next 20 days, we’re going to look at the list, counting down to the #1 prospect. Every player who has not yet solidfied a roster spot for next season is considered.
To start off the list, we begin with Louis-Marc Aubry, who’s become a bit of a veteran in the Wings prospects pipe. Selected 81st overall in the 2010 NHL Draft, Aubry is reaching the point where his chances of cracking the big club might be slipping. However, he has become a very good role player, so a strong start to the season may mean that he could get his chance.
BY THE NUMBERS
Obviously not too impressive, especially considering that his peers in terms of scoring are either guys just getting their feet wet in the league, long time veterans who can’t crack the NHL, or defensemen. He had a career high 29 points in the AHL this year, which left him tied for 215th in the league. At age 24, it’s safe to assume that he’s not going to be a top end scorer for the Wings if he makes the team.
LOOKING AHEAD
Scoring wasn’t really the reason that Aubry was drafted though. With only 80 points in 166 QMJHL games, Aubry wasn’t known for his scoring touch in the 2010 draft, but for his size and grit. At 6’4″, only Anthony (6’5″) and Jared Coreau (6’6″) are bigger than him. He’s also not afraid to throw his body around, as shown with his 87 PIMs this season, in addition to his team leading nine fights. Fighting is a dying breed in hockey, as seen with the AHL’s new rules, but it doesn’t hurt to have someone around to strike fear in the other team’s players.
He played a large role on the team’s fourth line this season, which at times was the most effective line for the Griffins. He was also a key contributor for the penalty kill, which finished 14th in the league at a solid 83.7% clip.
As for his future, it seems that Aubry’s NHL chances are dwindling away with each passing year. As more and more talented young players arrive, he drops lower and lower on the depth chart, especially when the team is pointlessly adding veterans each year. When Andreas Athanasiou, Tomas Jurco, and Teemu Pulkkinen are struggling to make the team, it’s even more difficult for a guy like Aubry. At this point in his career, he’s established himself as a career minor league player, with a chance at maybe filling a fourth line role if injuries put the Wings in that position. However, he’s still useful, as it’s good to have gritty types in the organization, especially at a low cost, and he’s still only 24, so who’s to say that he’s done showing us what he’s made of.
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