Nicastro "clarifies" at Red Wings camp

With the aplomb of a seasoned politician, 2009 recruit Max Nicastro "clarified his position" on being drafted by the Red Wings during Monday's session at Detroit development camp.

A quote in his hometown Ventura, Calif., newspaper had drawn the ire of the Detroit Free Press and Wing fans. In yesterday's interview, the right-shot defenseman also explained his reasons for committing to BU:

He said that after his visit to the Terriers’ campus, he knew where he would be headed.“

I visited there about a year ago, and just fell in love with the city,” he said. “I had never been there before, I just loved that, the rink, the facilities, everything. When I met (assistant coach David) Quinn, he was a first round draft pick in the past, just seeing that I could learn a lot from him … every program there is awesome, and I think it’s the best fit for me.”

Nicastro added that the non-hockey person he'd like to take to dinner is Barack Obama. The article on the Red Wings site includes a video link to a so-so interview with Nicastro after yesterday's session.

Hockeysfuture.com's recap of the Red Wings draft assesses Nicastro:

Max Nicastro, RD, Chicago Steel, 3rd round, 91st overall 6’2, 189

The Wings took Nicastro, a self-described "finesse defenseman" who grew up playing roller hockey in California, in the third round. Nicastro has said he patterns his game after Nicklas Lidstrom. Nicastro, 18, plays a very good all-around game, but is very responsible in his own end. He’s good puck-handling blue liner who can make a great first pass or join the rush when needed. He makes good reads at both ends of the ice and is able to get on the right side of the opposing player to attack, effectively causing turnovers with his stick work. He’s good at closing up lanes and stealing passes and has been utilized effectively in multiple roles for the Steel, playing on top power-play and penalty-kill units. He has good offensive upside, has good vision and big shot. Nicastro played 58 games with the Chicago Steel, (USHL) last season, logging 6 goals and 14 assists. He is slated to return to the Steel and then head to Boston University.