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Detroit grabs defenseman Smith with 27th pick
WJRT ABC12/AP

COLUMBUS (AP) - (06/23/07)--For the second time in three years, the Detroit Red Wings used their first pick of the NHL Amateur draft to nab a defenseman.
The Wings selected defenseman Brendan Smith with the 27th overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft.

Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill says the Toronto native is a good skater who handles the puck well and joins the rush. He likens Smith to current Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall.

Smith, who is 6-foot-1 and 170-pounds, turned 18 in February. He played in 39 games for Saint Michaels of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League, netting 12 goals with 24 assists. Next season he will play at the University of Wisconsin.

The Wings made four picks in the second day of the draft, including Swedish center Joakim Andersson in the third round and Canadian center Randy Cameron.

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