Red Wings draft pick Victor Plante had the inside track to Detroit
· Yahoo Sports
Victor Plante had good inside info the Detroit Red Wings might well select him in the 2026 NHL Draft.
That's because while playing for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program this past season, he lived with former Wings goaltender Chris Osgood.
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"He kind of gave them the same scoop about me all the time," Plante said Saturday, June 27, shortly after being drafted. "It was great. I mean, he's a fun guy to be around, and their family's just awesome. It was great."
As if that wasn't cool enough, Victor is the brother of 2024 Wings draft pick Max Plante (also taken at No. 47), and the two will play together next season at University of Minnesota-Duluth.
Their other brother, Zam, a 2022 pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins, was also at the draft, along with father Derek Plante, a former NHLer, their mom and multiple other family members.
"My parents are pumped," Plante said, smiling. "Makes it easier on my mom."
Growing up with Zam, 21, and Max, 20, helped shape Plante.
"It definitely built me to the guy I am today," he said. "You're getting beat up every day against those two, and everything's competitive. Like, there wasn't one time we weren't doing anything competitive. If we're raking leaves, it's at a pace, so it definitely shaped me. Maybe why I'm a little tough − a little bit, not much."
Plante (5 foot 10, 165 pounds) has spent the past several seasons playing for the NTDP. He posted 21 goals and 27 assists in 48 games last season with the U18 team.
Plante described himself as "kind of an energy guy. Likes to help out the team, try to win, try to score some goals here and there. I just need to work on getting stronger, a little heavier, definitely faster."
Between Osgood and Max, Plante was well-up on the Wings ahead of the draft.
"I've heard a lot from Max," Plante said. "He tells me how great it is. It's an Original Six franchise.
"Everything about it is on me all the time. Especially with Chris Osgood. He took me to, like, four or five games this year, which is pretty sick. It's great."
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Red Wings draft pick Victor Plante had the inside track to Detroit