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Wings director of amateur scouting follows Nill to Dallas

Jim Nill

Former Detroit Red Wings assist general manager Jim Nill has convinced some of his old colleagues to join him now that he’s the general manager of the Dallas Stars.

Nill has hired Joe McDonnell, who had served as the Detroit Red Wings director of amateur scouting since 2003, according to MLive.com.

The Stars GM also convinced former Detroit amateur scout Mark Leach to join his team’s ranks.

Red Wings GM Ken Holland has confirmed those moves and hopes to sort out their own scouting staff next week. Among other things, scouts Jeff Finley and David Kolb will begin to serve in bigger roles.

Detroit’s success when it comes to drafting players is one of the big reasons they’ve managed to make the playoffs for 23 consecutive seasons. In the past, they’ve found diamonds in the rough during the entry draft like Jonathan Ericsson, Henrik Zetterberg, and Pavel Datsyuk. Most of their other prominent players, such as Johan Franzen, Niklas Kronwall, and Jimmy Howard, were also drafted rather than acquired via a trade or signing.