Kammala jumla mai zuwa: Ana gudanar da NHL Entry Draft a kowane Yuni, yana bawa ƙungiyoyi damar zaɓar 'yan wasan da suka cika shekaru 18 kafin 15 ga Satumba a cikin shekarar da aka gudanar da aikin. An tsara tsari na tsari ta hanyar tsari na ƙarshe na kakar wasa ta baya, tare da ƙungiyoyin da ba su yi wasa ba da farko, sannan ƙungiyoyin da suka yi wasan kwaikwayo, tare da takamaiman tsari da aka ƙayyade ta yawan maki da kowace ƙungiya ta samu. NHL tana riƙe da caca mai nauyi don ƙungiyoyi 14 waɗanda ba su da wasa, suna ba da damar mai nasara ya hau zuwa farkon zaɓi na gaba ɗaya. Teamungiyar da ke da ƙarancin maki tana da mafi kyawun damar cin caca, tare da kowane ƙungiyar da ke biye da juna da aka ba da ƙaramar damar ci gaba a cikin daftarin. Tsakanin 1986 da 1994, NHL ta kuma gudanar da wani karin tsari ga 'yan wasa a kwalejojin Amurka. Zabin farko na Detroit shine Peter Mahovlich, wanda aka ɗauka a karo na biyu a cikin NHL Amateur Draft na 1963. Red Wings sun zabi na farko a sau uku, suna zabar Claude Gauthier a 1964, Dale McCourt a 1977, da Joe Murphy a
1986 (a Turanci) McCourt da Murphy duka sun ɗan ɗan lokaci a cikin NHL tare da Detroit, amma Gauthier bai taɓa yin wasa a gasar ba. Zaɓuɓɓuka goma sha biyu sun ci gaba da buga wasanni sama da 1,000 na NHL, yayin da biyu daga cikin waɗannan, Nicklas Lidstrom da Steve Yzerman, suka buga wasanni sama da 1,500, dukansu suna ciyar da ayyukansu na NHL a Detroit.