Jonatan Berggren – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Fallout from the Quinn Hughes trade, Connor Bedard’s injury, the Maple Leafs’ stars are slumping, and so much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 19:50:22 +0000

SAINT PAUL, MN - DECEMBER 16: Minnesota Wild defensemen Quinn Hughes (43) back-checks during a NHL game between the Minnesota Wild and Washington Capitals on December 16, 2025, at Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul, MN. (Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, the fallout from the Quinn Hughes trade, Connor Bedard’s injury, the Maple Leafs’ stars are slumping, and so much more!

#1 The Vancouver Canucks and Minnesota Wild made a monstrous trade last week with the Wild acquiring standout defenceman Quinn Hughes, sending centre Marco Rossi, defender Zeev Buium, left winger Liam Ohgren, and a first-round pick to Vancouver. Hughes has 25 points (3 G, 22 A) in 29 games, his 0.86 points per game ranking ninth among defencemen. He is also being thrust into a big role with the Wild. He played a career-high 32:02 in Thursday’s win at Columbus, the most by an NHL player in a game decided in regulation this season.

#2 One of the things that the Canucks needed in a Hughes deal was to upgrade their centre position. With Elias Pettersson and Filip Chytil injured, the Canucks did not have much firepower down the middle of the ice and even if they were healthy, Pettersson has not been delivering peak performance and Chytil was still trying to establish that he could be a bona fide second-line centre. Marco Rossi at least has the credentials to fit in a team’s top six. He has been hurt this season and has been held off the scoresheet in his first two games for the Canucks, but he does have 13 points (4 G, 9 A) in 19 games and he had a career-high 60 points (24 G, 36 A) last season. With Petterson out, Rossi is centering Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser on Vancouver’s top line. It’s not as good as centering Kirill Kaprizov, but still a decent opportunity to generate offense.

#3 Perhaps the most intriguing piece going to Vancouver is that of 2024 first-round pick Zeev Buium. He had 98 points (24 G, 74 A) in 83 games across two seasons at the University of Denver before joining the Wild late last season and he played in four playoff games for Minnesota. As a rookie, he has 16 points (4 G, 12 A) in 33 games, including two points in two games with Vancouver, and he is effectively taking over from Hughes on the Canucks’ top power play unit, so there is an excellent chance for Buium to step into a bigger role and thrive. It’s a super small sample, but his average ice time has increased two-and-a-half minutes per game in Vancouver compared to Minnesota.

#4 The upshot of the trade for Minnesota, when it comes to centre ice, is that Joel Eriksson Ek resumes his position of primary importance for the Wild. Eriksson Ek has 10 points (4 G, 6 A) with 17 shots on goal during a six-game point streak. Rookie Danila Yurov is showing that he can handle more responsibility, too, contributing 10 points (2 G, 8 A) in his past 14 games, so the Wild can run those two in the top two centre spots while continuing to look for potential upgrades.

#5 Chicago Blackhawks centre Connor Bedard has been on a tear in his third NHL campaign, putting up 44 points (19 G, 25 A) in 31 games, but he is on the shelf for a bit after suffering a shoulder injury in the final second of last week’s loss at St. Louis. Bedard is out for the rest of the month, to be re-evaluated in January. He obviously would like to be ready to go for the Winter Olympics, but in the meantime, the Blackhawks will try to fill that gaping hole in their lineup. Frank Nazar has moved up to the top line, skating between Tyler Bertuzzi and Andre Burakovsky, with veteran Jason Dickinson moving into the second-line centre role. Nazar had been slumping, with zero points in six games, before scoring in Thursday’s loss at Montreal.

#6 Trouble appears to be hovering around the Toronto Maple Leafs, as they have two wins in their past six games. Auston Matthews has nine points (5 G, 4 A) in his past 10 games, which is far better than the Leafs’ other big guns. William Nylander has zero goals, four assists, and 11 shots on goal in eight games this month. John Tavares has one assist and 12 shots on goal in his past seven games. Matthew Knies has one assist and 11 shots on goal in his past six games. When the stars are struggling like this, there may not be any coach that can have success, but it’s going to be worth keeping an eye on Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube because if he can’t get this fixed, a new voice could be on the way.

#7 It has been a real season for growth for Florida Panthers centre Anton Lundell, thrust into a bigger role when Aleksander Barkov was injured in the preseason. Lundell has seen his ice time climb from 16:43 per game last season to over 19 minutes per game this season and while there have been some ebbs and flows in terms of productivity, he does have seven points (5 G, 2 A) and 20 shots on goal in his past seven games, giving him 27 points (11 G, 16 A) in 33 games this season.

#8 San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini is enjoying a spectacular sophomore season, with 53 points (18 G, 35 A) in 35 games but he’s not available, certainly on the waiver wire and not under many trade circumstances, either, but it could be worth tracking his wingers. With Will Smith injured, Collin Graf is skating on Celebrini’s right wing and Graf has eight points (5 G, 3 A) and 15 shots on goal in his past seven games. On the left wing is Igor Chernyshov, a second-round pick in 2024 who had 23 points (11 G, 12 A) in 25 AHL games to earn his promotion to the big club and has chipped in a couple of assists and four shots on goal in his first two games. Both Graf and Chernyshov are worth a look, depending on how deep your league runs.

#9 When the Carolina Hurricanes signed Nikolaj Ehlers as a free agent in the offseason, it seemed like it would be a good fit, between a player who drives play and a team that has excelled in terms of outshooting opponents. Then the season started and Ehlers had no points through five games, and didn’t score his first goal until Game 12, but he has found his groove. He has 19 points (8 G, 11 A) with 58 shots on goal in his past 22 games. Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis are the only Hurricanes forwards with more points and both play more than 19 minutes per game while Ehlers is averaging 16:27 of ice time per game.

#10 Seattle Kraken centre Chandler Stephenson got off to a slow start this season, managing a dozen points (4 G, 8 A) and 33 shots on goal in his first 25 games. Even as the season is slipping away from the Kraken, Stephenson has seven points (3 G, 4 A) with 20 shots on goal during a seven-game point streak. He is getting first unit power play time in Seattle, though his current wingers are Eeli Tolvanen and Frederick Gaudreau.

#11 Following a lukewarm start to his time with the Detroit Red Wings, goaltender John Gibson looks like he’s rounding into form. In his past five starts, all wins, he has a couple of shutouts and a .946 save percentage, giving him a slight statistical edge over Cam Talbot in the Red Wings’ timeshare in the crease.

#12 Veteran centre Alexander Wennberg is filling a big role for the Sharks. With some injuries up front, the 31-year-old pivot who is known for his solid two-way play, is handling more offensive responsibilities. In his past six games, Wennberg has nine points (2 G, 7 A) with 13 shots on goal, while averaging 20:30 of ice time per game. With William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli on his wings, Wennberg has more skilled linemates than he usually has and, with 22 points (7 G, 15 A) in 35 games, he has a shot at his first 40-point season since 2016-2017.

#13 Ottawa Senators centre Dylan Cozens has had some bad luck on his way to getting outscored 21-14 during five-on-five play. The Senators carry play with him on the ice (53.7 CF%), but he has a .879 on-ice save percentage and that’s difficult to overcome. In his past five games, Cozens has produced seven points (1 G, 6 A) with 16 shots on goal while playing nearly 19 minutes per game, so he’s a valuable player for the Sens, even if goal differential is not working in his favour right now.

#14 Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Erik Karlsson appears to be gearing up for the Winter Olympics. Since the calendar flipped to December, Karlsson has delivered 10 points (2 G, 8 A) with 31 shots on goal in nine games. He has also played 26:42 per game in that span, vintage ice time numbers for a 35-year-old defender on a team that is sitting outside the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.

#15 One of the relative success stories in Pittsburgh this season has been Anthony Mantha, the towering winger who was signed as a free agent in the summer after he missed most of last season in Calgary with a torn ACL. Mantha has eight points (2 G, 6 A) and 22 shots on goal in his past nine games, giving him 22 points (11 G, 11 A) in 33 games. The last time he finished a season with a rate of two points every three games was in 2019-2020, so the Penguins have to be pleased with how their low-risk investment has turned out.

#16 Expectations are understandably modest for a 20-year-old rookie defenceman, just trying to get established in the league, so it’s not like Detroit Red Wings blueliner Axel Sandin-Pellikka is a high recommendation for fantasy managers. It’s more like keep an eye on this guy because this 2023 first-round pick might have a bright future. In his past eight games, he has seven points (2 G, 5 A) with nine shots on goal. A couple of those points have come via the power play, and he is getting time on PP2, so he's just scratching the surface.

#17 The all-time goal scoring leader in the National Hockey League is in a slump. Alex Ovechkin has no goals and two assists in his past six games, with 17 shots on goal in that time. That shot rate isn’t bad for most players, but it’s down for a noted volume shooter like Ovechkin. He is 40 years old, so there is plenty of reason to believe that he’s declining, but before this slump he had 14 goals in 28 games, so this decline is more recent. This slump has affected Dylan Strome, too, as the playmaking centre has just three points (1 G, 2 A) and 18 shot on goal in his past 13 games.

#18 New York Islanders centre Bo Horvat is week-to-week with a lower-body injury, a big loss to the Islanders as he leads the Islanders with 19 goals and 31 points. Mathew Barzal moves up the depth chart to fill the top line centre spot with Horvat out, but the bigger jump is that rookie Calum Ritchie is centering the second line, between Anthony Duclair and Maxim Shabanov. Ritchie has four points (2 G, 2 A) and seven shots on goal in his past eight games. He’s still trying to establish solid footing in the league, but this could be a good opportunity for him.

#19 Los Angeles Kings netminder Darcy Kuemper suffered an injury in a collision with Dallas Stars winger Mikko Rantanen and that’s big deal because Kuemper has been excellent this season. His .917 save percentage ranks fourth among goaltenders with at least 20 starts. In his absence Anton Forsberg should get most of the starts, and the Kings have called up veteran Pheonix Copley, who had a .885 save percentage in 13 AHL games.

#20 Injuries continue to pile up in St. Louis, where Dylan Holloway is now out for six weeks with a lower-body injury, joining Jordan Kyrou, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Nick Bjugstad on the injured list. That has brought some new faces into the Blues’ top nine. Robby Fabbri isn’t exactly a new face, having played for the Blues from 2015-2016 through 2019-2020, but he’s back after not having an NHL job at the start of the season. The Blues called up 2023 first-round pick Otto Stenberg from the AHL and claimed Jonatan Berggren off waivers from the Detroit Red Wings. None of those players is worth of much fantasy love at the moment but they’re getting chances that they weren’t before all of these injuries hit the Blues.

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – DETROIT RED WINGS – Team Preview/Player Profiles/Predictions

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 19:51:57 +0000

DETROIT, MI - FEBRUARY 09: Detroit Red Wings Right Wing Lucas Raymond (23) in action during the game between Calgary Flames and Detroit Red Wings on February 9, 2023 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI (Photo by Allan Dranberg/Icon Sportswire)

For the ninth straight season, the Detroit Red Wings came up short of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their 86 points put them five points out of the wild card a year after they lost the tiebreaker to the Washington Capitals for the final wild card spot. They’ve been close to getting back, but close isn’t good enough and a midseason slump last year cost Derek Lalonde his job as head coach and ushered in Todd McLellan who helped turn things around for a spell. While Detroit was painfully average at five-on-five, they again had one of the top power plays in the league. They had the fourth best team at the man advantage scoring 27 percent of the time. However, they had the league’s worst penalty kill at 70.1 percent. What McLellan can do with a full offseason and training camp will be curious to see because the team performed much better under him in the second half of the year, but as we’ve seen in his last few stops around the league recently, his demanding nature can wear teams down.

What’s Changed?

Goaltending has been a problem in Detroit for the past few years, and they made sure to address it this summer by adding John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks. The longtime Ducks No. 1 will look to be Detroit’s saviour in net and, when healthy, he’s proven to be a top-flight netminder. He ceded the No. 1 job in Anaheim last year to Lukas Dostal, but in 29 games he went 11-11-2 with a .912 save percentage. In his career he’s 204-217-63 with a .910 save percentage and 24 shutouts. The Red Wings haven’t had a goalie this accomplished since Jimmy Howard was their No. 1. In free agency, they added veteran depth with James van Riemsdyk up front and Travis Hamonic on defence for one year each. Mason Appleton signed for two years, $5.8 million. Vladimir Tarasenko was sent to Minnesota for future considerations after he struggled and wasn’t happy in Detroit last season.

What Would Success Look Like?

If the Red Wings can mimic what division rivals Ottawa and Montreal did last year and took a rocket ride on the backs of their young stars to make the playoffs, that would have everyone in Detroit doing cartwheels. Led by Dylan Larkin and with emerging stars like Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, it feels like the Red Wings are right there to be a playoff team. Having Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane helping Detroit’s power play fill the net is huge, and the addition of Gibson ideally quiets everything else down in goal. Detroit’s defence stands out as a weak point, however, as Seider must be and do everything for them. So far, he’s been able to shoulder that load and will need to keep it up for them to crack through to the playoffs.

What Could Go Wrong?

Slumps crushed non-playoff teams in the Eastern Conference last year (just ask Buffalo and Columbus) and any prolonged period of losing means giving up points and ground to the competition. Detroit has a lot of young parts but is a very veteran group. That age can come with the hazards of injuries and dips in performance. For as much as Gibson is a savior for them in goal, his injury history is something that looms over what they can do. Having Cam Talbot as an experienced backup is a huge bonus, but when he was given a heavier workload last season, injuries and performance got in the way. General Manager Steve Yzerman needs all of his moves to come up as hits or else.

Top Breakout Candidate

If there’s a player to keep an eye out for it in Detroit, forward Marco Kasper is the one. The Red Wings’ first-round pick from 2022 had an outstanding rookie season with 19 goals and 18 assists in 77 games. He may not have been expected to carry that kind of load for them when camp opened last year, but his play forced the issue. Now Kasper is slated to be the No. 2 center behind Dylan Larkin and that added depth up the middle suddenly has Detroit feeling very good about the position and for good reason. Kasper’s skill set is outstanding and his creativity with the puck makes him dangerous in the offensive zone.

FORWARDS

Lucas Raymond

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	28	56	84	1.02

After a stereotypically down sophomore season, Lucas Raymond rebounded from it in a massive way the past two seasons and took things to an even higher-level last year. Raymond led the Red Wings in scoring with 80 points including 27 goals. His playmaking was outstanding both at even strength and on the power play. He led the team with 53 assists including 29 with the man advantage. Although Raymond had 31 goals two seasons ago, it’s helping his teammates score goals where he’s able to do even more damage. Whether it means he’s feeding Dylan Larkin or finding Alex DeBrincat or Patrick Kane to score, that he can finish plays himself as well adds to the danger he provides. It's been impressive to see Raymond’s game take steps forward since his tough second season in 2022-2023. Given some of the struggles the Red Wings had in general, it would’ve been easy enough for a young player to continue to struggle with them. Instead, we’ve seen Raymond develop a bit of an edge to his game and not allow others to push him around. That added confidence has allowed his game to further flourish and grow alongside his veteran teammates.

Dylan Larkin

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	32	44	76	0.93

It’s a shame the Detroit Red Wings haven’t made the playoffs since 2016 because watching Dylan Larkin play and perform with the kind of consistency he does only makes us wonder how good he’d be with the stakes being higher. We got a taste of that in the Four Nations Face-Off when he played for the United States, but with the heart and soul he puts into his play for Detroit, it’s tough to see his efforts not extend to the postseason. The Red Wings captain had 30 goals for the fourth straight season and finished with 70 points, tied for second with Alex DeBrincat behind Lucas Raymond for the team lead. Incredibly, the 29-year-old center is headed into his 11th season with Detroit and with the kind of consistent production he’s provided them over the years, having him help bring Raymond into stardom on his wing does wonders for their success. Whether he has DeBrincat or Patrick Kane on the right side works well for them to provide a top line that can do damage against every team in the league. Larkin was a big-time player on the power play as he tied with DeBrincat for the team lead with 13 power play goals. Oddly enough, he was fourth in power play points behind his linemates on the first unit Raymond, Kane, and DeBrincat and just ahead of Moritz Seider. He’s doing his part to lead them, but management just needs to give them more depth to get them back to the playoffs.

Alex DeBrincat

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	40	37	77	0.94

In the two seasons since being acquired from Ottawa, Alex DeBrincat has made the Red Wings’ investment in him look like a very smart one. DeBrincat led the Red Wings in goals with 39 last season and came within two of tying his career-high of 41, something he did twice while with the Chicago Blackhawks. He had 70 points and finished tied for second on Detroit in scoring with Dylan Larkin behind sometimes linemate Lucas Raymond. Where DeBrincat proved to be dangerous was part of the Red Wings’ wicked power play attack in which he tied with Dylan Larkin with 13 goals. Whether it’s acting as a sniper or a goal mouth threat, success was easy enough to be found for the diminutive offensive dynamo. Over his two seasons with Detroit. DeBrincat has 66 goals and 137 points. Bringing him back home to Michigan has been a great move for GM Steve Yzerman and the way he fits in with their top attackers has made it a home run move. It’s difficult to ask for more from DeBrincat in the years to come, especially after how well he performed last season, but Detroit does need a little extra from everyone. That said, if he repeats what he did last season it sets the Red Wings up well by having a virtual 40-goal scorer built right in.

Patrick Kane

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	20	35	55	0.79

It might be the norm for fans online to highlight the defensive shortcomings in Patrick Kane’s game but looking past that to what he’s still accomplishing offensively as he turns 36 years old is reason enough to be appreciative of his play. Kane had 59 points for Detroit last season, 29 of which came on the power play. His 59 points and 21 goals were fourth most on the Red Wings last season and he was part of a top power play unit there that was fourth best in the NHL. Kane’s 12 power play goals put him one behind both Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat who each had 13. In two seasons with Detroit, Kane’s scored 41 goals in 122 games and put up 106 points. For Kane in his prime, those were single-season-type numbers, but now, after having hip surgery two years ago and being north of 35, he’s been a solid performer, especially on the power play. He’ll begin this season just eight goals shy of 500 for his career, a mark only 48 players in league history have accomplished. With Toronto’s John Tavares two goals ahead of him, it’ll be a race between them to see who can hit the mark first. In the long run, Kane hopes to get Detroit back to the postseason for the first time since 2016. Kane himself has only been to the playoffs twice in the past eight seasons.

Marco Kasper

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	28	30	58	0.72

When the Red Wings drafted Marco Kasper eighth overall in 2022, their excitement in doing so had to be immense. He came with a sky-high skill set, tremendous offensive instincts and outstanding skating ability. Upon his arrival into the NHL full-time last season, it became apparent as the season rolled on that they landed a player that could be a fixture there for some time. Kasper put up 19 goals and 18 assists (37 points) in 77 games last season and ascended the lineup after he was eased into action early in the season. When he eventually found his way into the top half of the forward group, it proved to be a fortuitous decision because of the creativity he injected into any line he played with. Even with his somewhat tempered usage, he had the opportunity to work on lines with all of the Red Wings’ top players. Call it on-the-job learning if you’d like, but what it did was help the team figure out what types of players he blended best. As he heads into his sophomore season, the hope is he can avoid the struggles usually associated with that. Whoever Kasper lines up with this season, he’ll have the benefit of having a strong first season to show him the way and, ideally, prior experience playing alongside his wingers to hit the ground running.

Jonatan Berggren

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	15	17	32	0.42

Hopes have been high in Detroit for Jonatan Berggren. When they selected him in the second round of the 2018 draft, they knew they were getting a player out of Sweden who could fill the net there. While he’s been able to do the same whenever he’s been in the AHL, doing so at the NHL level has been a bit more difficult. Last season with Detroit, Berggren had 12 goals and 12 assists in 75 games. What stood out more about Berggren’s run last season was his role, as he averaged just under 13 minutes of ice time per game. Playing on the third or fourth line doesn’t exactly lend itself to producing big numbers or being asked to play a role in which offense will be stressed. That wasn’t quite the case last season as he played a bit less than half of his five-on-five minutes with Vladimir Tarasenko and J.T. Compher. While Compher matches up well defensively, Tarasenko is much more capable offensively. Berggren possesses a lot of skill and ability and after he put up 15 goals in his rookie season in 2022-2023, the thought was he was poised to breakout as their next big offensive weapon. But his second season did not go well, and he spent most of that year scoring in the AHL. If he’s going to be a bigger part of this team, he’ll need to fight his way into a top six or nine role to do so or become a stronger defensive forward and the time to do it is right now.

Andrew Copp

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	9	15	24	0.32

No one’s seen their role change more the past few seasons in Detroit than Andrew Copp. When the Red Wings signed him as a free agent in 2022 after he had a 21-goal, 53-point season split between the Winnipeg Jets and New York Rangers, the idea was he’d slot in as their defensive-minded but offensively capable number two center, and they’d roll from there. When Copp posted nine goals and 33 assists in his first season with Detroit, however, it was clear their confidence things would work out was shaken because J.T. Compher was signed after that season and took over that role. Since then, he’s been steady in a slightly lesser position down in the lineup, although a pectoral injury ended his season in late February and he was held to 56 games. With Marco Kasper’s rise and hopeful improvement as well as Compher’s established role on the team, the likelihood of Copp anchoring the fourth line would seem high. Detroit is deeper on the wings with the additions of James van Riemsdyk and Mason Appleton and if Copp is holding down a line lower in the lineup that should benefit them well in matchups because he should ideally be better than other teams’ third- or fourth-line centers.

J.T. Compher

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	13	19	32	0.41

Two years ago, when Detroit signed J.T. Compher to a five-year, $25.5 million deal, the idea for him was to lock-in as their number two center behind Dylan Larkin. Compher could score and defend well enough to provide a bit of a change-up in how to handle matchups and when it came to blending lines. After all, he just came off a career-high 52-point season. He followed it up with 48 points in his first season with the Red Wings and it seemed like things would work out appropriately. Last season, however, Compher’s stats fell more in line with what we’ve seen from him before in Colorado. He had 11 goals and finished with 32 points and averaged 16:41 time on-ice per game. Even though his ice time was down, he still played a vital all-around role for Detroit and was part of their power play and penalty kill units. For most of the season, Compher centered a line with Vladimir Tarasenko and Jonatan Berggren but also worked a fair bit with Patrick Kane on the wing as well. It’s a compliment to him that he plays up in the lineup with offensively talented guys like Tarasenko and Kane but also can hold his own on the penalty kill as well. That said, if he’s lining up with Kane you’d like to see better offensive numbers. Now with young rising star Marco Kasper becoming more of an offensive threat, there’s a possibility we see Compher playing a role that leans more towards defending than attacking under coach Todd McLellan.

James van Riemsdyk

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
68	15	22	37	0.54

The Red Wings needed veteran help down in the lineup and landed 36-year-old James van Riemsdyk to do just that. As a big player with good hands and positioning around the net, he’s able cause issues around the net cleaning up loose pucks and taking away goaltenders’ eyes. Last season with Columbus, van Riemsdyk had 16 goals and 20 assists (36 points) and helped balance out the latter part of the Blue Jackets lineup. Throughout his career, he’s been known for his ability to score around the goal and in the slot when given quality looks. With how good he is handling the puck down low, he provides a ton of value in his own zone and very well may play on the Red Wings’ second power play unit. Van Riemsdyk teamed up often with younger players like Kent Johnson and Adam Fantilli in Columbus and did so in Boston the year before with Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie to give them a veteran to lean on and learn from. That kind of role might be recreated with Detroit with guys like Marco Kasper and Jonatan Berggren. Overall, the past five or six years have seen van Riemsdyk become a steady 35-to-40 point player with anywhere from 15-to-20 goals a year. The Red Wings hope that trend continues, and he can help guide their younger players.

DEFENCE

Moritz Seider

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	12	44	56	0.68

Defensemen are traditionally the workhorses of every NHL team, but in Moritz Seider’s case he was that and then some. Seider was Detroit’s No. 1 defenseman in every way last season. He played the most minutes, had the most goals, assists and points, and was their exclusive power play quarterback. Red Wings defensemen had 26 points on the power play and Seider was responsible for 24 of them. He had four out of five goals from blue liners with the man advantage as well. Simply put, he was brilliant. Because of his heavy all-around usage, Seider’s advanced stats were basically break-even when it came to shot attempts and scoring chances but considering what he generated for Detroit in all situations, it’s hard to argue with his value to them. What would do the Red Wings a lot of good is to have someone, anyone, to do some of the things that Seider can do reasonably well. As a No. 1 defenseman he’s going to shoulder most of the responsibilities to begin with, but a lot is demanded of him the way things are. Fortunately, he’s been able to handle it with aplomb. Seider played more than half of his minutes at five-on-five with defensive defenseman Ben Chiarot which allowed Seider to have more freedom to join the attack in the offensive zone, but overall, that pairing struggled preventing attempts. Most of the rest of his ice time was spent with Simon Edvinsson and that pairing saw shot numbers improve greatly. If that pairing is reunited it could be beneficial to both.

Simon Edvinsson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	8	28	36	0.44

Last season was Simon Edvinsson’s first full one in the NHL and he was able to make enough of an impression to earn a larger role moving ahead into this season. Edvinsson had seven goals and 24 assists in 78 games with the Red Wings and averaged 21:07 time on-ice. The sizable uptick in his playing time is due in part to being paired with No. 1 defender Moritz Seider for roughly half of his minutes played at five-on-five. The other half of his playing time was spent with rookie Albert Johansson where those two played more or less as Detroit’s number two pairing. Edvinsson, the sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft, stands at 6-foot-6, 210 pounds and while he casts an imposing figure, his game is better built around his ability to move the puck, and he has surprising elusiveness while carrying it. A defender his size makes many believe he’ll throw his body around to make plays, but that’s not exactly the case. While he gets in the way of shots in the defensive zone, playing physically is not his main objective. The points he generated last season show that he could be effective in being part of a second wave of attack from the blue line and give Seider proper backup in handling that role.

Erik Gustafsson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
68	1	17	18	0.26

Entering his second season with the Red Wings, Erik Gustafsson looks to continue in his role supplying puck support in helping the team escape their own end and generating more of an attack up the ice. Last season, Gustafsson posted two goals and 16 assists in 60 games while averaging 16:19 in ice time. That kind of usage put him solidly in a third pairing role and he played more than 80 percent of his five-on-five ice time with Justin Holl. A broken foot ended his season in late March. Known always more for being an offensive defenseman, Gustafsson handled that role well and was a positive influence in generating more shot attempts than allowed while he was on the ice and the Red Wings scoring chance quality was greater than they gave up when he was out there as well. In his kind of position on the third pairing, that’s all you can ask for along with limiting goals allowed. Unfortunately, Gustafsson’s minus-19 plus-minus rating was the lowest on the team. He’ll be expected to play a similar role again this season and whether he reunites with Holl or teams up with summer signee Jacob Bernard-Docker, the third pair would seem to be squared away.

Ben Chiarot

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	4	12	16	0.21

There may be no more fascinating player in Detroit than Ben Chiarot and it’s for a host of reasons. Chiarot is a straightforward defensive defenseman. He plays physical all over the ice, ties up pucks in the corners, battles in front of the net and blocks shots. Relying on him for big offense isn’t something that will work out, but if there’s a guy you need to do the dirty work in the defensive end of the ice, that’s what he’ll do. Last season, Chiarot had four goals and nine assists in 81 games. The numbers that matter more for him, however, were the 142 blocked shots and 127 hits delivered while averaging 21:14 in ice time. He spent most of last season partnered with Moritz Seider on the Red Wings’ top pairing with more than 800 minutes together at five-on-five. When he wasn’t with Seider he worked with Jeff Petry and that duo struggled to prevent shot attempts and scoring chances greatly. Whether Chiarot returns next to Seider or not could be a big factor in how well (or not) the Red Wings can have more success. Chiarot is entering the final year of his contract in Detroit and while he’s been a good soldier throughout his time there, the reliance they’ve had on him to play big minutes and key situations was controversial in its own way. That said, Detroit has had many needs as they’ve attempted to emerge from their rebuild and return to the postseason.

GOAL

John Gibson

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
49	22	19	5	3	.905	2.68

Maybe John Gibson isn't a star starter capable of 60-70 games a season any longer, but the 31-year-old former Anaheim backstop proved last season - when his heir apparent Lukas Dostal embraced the bulk of the starts for the year - that he's still capable of putting together some great performances when he's not being asked to do too much too often. That makes him a potentially great fit for the still-retooling Detroit Red Wings, who were just a few wins shy of being a Wild Card last year. He'll join a returning Cam Talbot, who made it clear when he joined Detroit that he was looking for the opportunity to stay in one place for a bit - and with a perfectly acceptable year under his belt, he should make a strong pairing with Gibson to challenge in a tumultuous Atlantic.

Gibson obviously isn't a long-term answer for the Red Wings, but he's a great asset for the next few years - particularly given that his preferred style of play, which emphasizes a more conservative approach that forces shooters to show their hand before he makes a move, shares a number of traits with prospect Sebastian Cossa's own brand of goaltending. This provides a stylistic mentor for Cossa, a tandem partner for Talbot, and some security for Gibson as he finishes out his contract and considers his next move.

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Boston Struggling, Colorado returns to health and much more

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 15:47:10 +0000

Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman (1) (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

If you compare every team since the beginning of the salary cap era (2005-06), you’ll find that the Boston Bruins rank as the best defensively, allowing an average of just 2.55 goals per game. That’s not shocking when you consider that the Bruins have gone from Tim Thomas to Tuukka Rask to the duo of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman over that period.

Elite goaltending has simply become the norm in Boston, and it didn’t look like it was going to change. Sure, Ullmark was dealt to Ottawa for cap reasons, but the 25-year-old Swayman seemed ready to take his place as Boston’s clear No. 1, and yes, the negotiations got tense, resulting in him missing the preseason, but in the end, he signed an eight-year, $66 million contract, ending the saga with a resolution that both sides can be happy with. Except, noone has much reason to be happy with the Bruins right now.

Boston is a middling 8-8-2, a dramatic drop from its 47-20-15 finish in 2023-24, and Swayman has been part of the problem with his 5-6-2 record, 3.35 GAA and .888 save percentage in 13 starts. He leads the league in goals allowed (42), and his goals saved above expected is minus-4.6, per Moneypuck, which puts him in 65th place through Thursday’s action -- not exactly the type of return you’d expect from someone with an $8.25 million cap hit.

Maybe missing the preseason put him behind the curve, contributing to his shaky start, but he doesn’t seem to be stabilizing as the campaign goes on. To be fair, he does have his moments, but his good starts have been counterbalanced by disastrous ones, like allowing six goals on 22 shots en route to an 8-2 loss to Carolina on Oct. 31 or surrendering seven goals on 38 shots in Boston’s 7-2 loss to Dallas on Thursday. Swayman also just has a lot of uninspired starts sprinkled in there -- nine of his 13 outings have involved him surrendering at least three goals.

Maybe it’s the pressure of the contract getting to him, especially with how much he appeared to have to battle to get that deal. There’s a big mental aspect to goaltending, so it’s not hard to see how a slow start, coupled with the new deal, and perhaps even the absence of his longtime friend and goaltending partner Ullmark, could all snowball to create this outcome. Whatever the case, though, Boston is in waters that have been rare for it since the start of the cap era: They have a problem between the pipes.

Colorado has endured its own goaltending issues, but at least the Avalanche are tied for 10th offensively with 3.47 goals per game and could do even better now that their forward corps is largely healthy. They’re still missing Gabriel Landeskog (knee) and Ross Colton (foot), but Jonathan Drouin (upper body), Valeri Nichushkin (suspension) and Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder) are all back, giving them far more options than they’ve had in a while.

This is being written before Friday’s game against Washington, which is set to see the return of Nichushkin, but it looks like the tentative plan is to run two elite lines. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen typically play together, giving the Avalanche one nearly unstoppable unit, but instead, Colorado is slated to break them up, putting MacKinnon with Lehkonen and Drouin while Rantanen will share the ice with Nichushkin and Casey Mittelstadt. If that works out, then it could make things extremely tough on the opposition's defense. It’s a luxury the Avalanche arguably couldn’t afford earlier in the season because the quality of the linemates for MacKinnon and Rantanen wouldn’t have been sufficient to split them, but at this point, it’s something they can experiment with.

It also means Ivan Ivan and Nikolai Kovalenko are now firmly in the bottom six. There was an opportunity for one or both to show what they could do with greater responsibilities when the team was ravaged by injuries, but neither stepped up. At this stage, it seems reasonable to project that Ivan and Kovalenko won’t have significant fantasy value this year, but at least they’re still okay complimentary pieces for the Avalanche.

All-in-all, Colorado’s offense looks strong at this point. The Avalanche are already on a roll, winning four of their past five games, and Colorado could continue to shine from here.

Anaheim Ducks – Mon @ DAL, Tue @ CHI, Fri vs BUF

You can get whiplash going from a conversation about the Avalanche’s offense to Anaheim’s. MacKinnon has 33 points through 17 games by himself. That equals the combined point totals of the Ducks’ top four scorers -- Troy Terry (11 points), Mason McTavish (eight), Leo Carlsson (seven) and Ryan Strome (seven).

The Ducks are consequently unlikely to generate much offense when they play in Dallas on Monday, but Anaheim might have more success in Chicago on Tuesday and when hosting Buffalo on Friday.

Health will be a factor in that. McTavish has missed the Ducks’ past two games because of an upper-body injury, but he’s day-to-day, so there’s a real chance he’ll be fine for next week’s action.

Even with him back, though, the Ducks need help on offense. A resurgence of Trevor Zegras would be the most obvious boost. However, he had just 15 points in 31 contests in 2023-24 and has diminished further to just three points through 15 appearances this season -- a far cry from his back-to-back 60-plus point campaigns in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He’s still just 23 years old, so it seems wrong to suggest he’s washed up, but then what is the problem?

First off, his lone goal this campaign was scored on an empty net, so you’d have to go back to April 13 to find the last time he beat an NHL goaltender in a regular-season game. He’s averaging 6.3 shots per 60 minutes in 2024-25, which is down from 8.1 in 2021-22 and 7.2 in 2022-23, so that doesn’t help. Seven of his 27 shots this year have been fired from a high-danger position, which puts him below the league average of 7.9 among forwards. All that’s bad, but not to the extent where he should have literally zero goals against goaltenders.

Moneypuck gives him an xG of 3.6, he has a PDO of 951 along with exactly zero secondary assists and his IPP of 42.9 is leagues below his career average. All that suggests some of his offensive woes are due to poor luck. Still, three points in 15 appearances is so bad that it’s hard to imagine him having a good campaign even if the luck was balanced.

Still, he’s worth keeping an eye on. The talent is there, and there are some indications that he’s been shifting to a more complete game despite his lack of offense, as Patrick Present of The Hockey News recently noted. Plus, he’s still young, and when coupled with him attempting to adjust his game, some growing pains are understandable. Don’t expect this to be a big campaign from him, but also don’t write him off yet.

Boston Bruins – Mon vs CBJ, Thu vs UTA, Sat @ DET

We talked about Swayman’s woes up top. Perhaps it will help him that the Bruins’ opponents next week rank in the bottom half of the league in terms of goals per game. Boston is set to host the Blue Jackets on Monday and Utah HC on Thursday before playing in Detroit on Saturday.

Swayman is the headline issue for the Bruins, but he isn’t the only one. The forward corps is also leaving something to be desired. We’ve seen better out of David Pastrnak (eight goals and 17 points through 18 games) and Brad Marchand (five goals and 13 points), but both are doing well enough, even when measured against the high standards they’re held to. The problem is no other player on the team has reached double digits in points.

Elias Lindholm, who signed a seven-year, $54.25 million contract over the summer, was the Bruins’ big offseason get to solidify the team up the middle. However, he hasn’t been that great. After scoring two goals and five points over his first three games with Boston, Lindholm has been limited to four assists across his past 15 outings. To be fair, he’s known for his two-way game, and his relative CF% and FF% are outstanding at plus-8.8 and plus-12.2, respectively. Still, you’d like to see more scoring out of him when he’s spending almost all of his 5-on-5 time alongside at least one of Pastrnak and Marchand.

Pavel Zacha has left something to be desired too with three goals and seven points through 18 outings after finishing 2023-24 with 59 points. He might be heating up, though. Zacha has two goals and four points through his past four appearances, so perhaps he can carry that momentum into next week, especially given the mediocre nature of Boston’s upcoming competition.

Chicago Blackhawks – Tue vs ANA, Thu vs FLA, Sat @ PHI

Chicago will host the Ducks and the Panthers on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, before visiting Philadelphia on Saturday. Florida is a tough team, but the Ducks and the Flyers haven’t looked good so far in 2024-25.

Not that the Blackhawks have impressed either with their 6-10-1 record. Petr Mrazek has largely held his own with a 2.79 GAA and a .906 save percentage in 13 appearances, which are solid numbers when you consider that Chicago ranks 28th in xGA/60 (3.39), which suggests Mrazek hasn’t gotten much help from his teammates defensively.

They also haven’t helped Mrazek offensively. Chicago is tied for 29th with just 2.41 goals per game, and even Connor Bedard has left something to be desired with three goals and 13 points through 17 appearances. Bedard is on an eight-game goal-scoring slump with four assists in that span, but let’s not be too hard on him. He’s still just 19 years old, so some streaky play is expected, and he has a healthy enough 21 shots during that slump, so eventually he’ll break through.

I’m more disappointed in Teuvo Teravainen. He signed a three-year, $16.2 million contract over the summer to come to Chicago from Carolina and has been primarily used alongside Bedard. However, Teravainen hasn’t been able to generate much of anything in 5-on-5 play with the young star. The 30-year-old has four goals and eight points through 17 appearances with just two of those points (one goal) coming at even strength. Interesting, his 5-on-5 xG is also just one, so the issue isn’t exactly bad puck luck.

Bedard has also been tried with Taylor Hall and/or Tyler Bertuzzi, but significantly less often than Teravainen. Philipp Kurashev has seen significant time alongside Bedard as well, though Kurashev has just three goals and four points through 16 outings. That’s a massive drop from Kurashev’s 54-point showing in 2023-24, and the decline is largely due to a lack of assists.

The line mixing is likely to continue to happen as long as Chicago’s offense remains cold. In the long run, it would be nice to see Kurashev and Bedard rekindle some of their 2023-24 chemistry -- they showed up together on the scoresheet 25 times last season. If we start seeing some of that, then Kurashev would become a good buy-low candidate.

Dallas Stars – Mon vs ANA, Wed vs SJS, Sat @ TBL

Dallas will start the week by hosting the lowly Ducks and Sharks on Monday and Wednesday, respectively. The Stars will then travel to Tampa Bay to play the Lightning on Saturday.

Matt Duchene will look to extend his recent success during that stretch. He has a phenomenal eight goals and 17 points across his past 10 appearances, including two goals and five points over his last two games. He’s been seeing time alongside Mason Marchment, who is also on fire with two goals and seven points over his past two outings, so that duo could do a lot of damage, especially against rebuilding squads like Anaheim and San Jose.

At the other end of the spectrum, Dallas could use more out of Roope Hintz. His six goals and 10 points through 15 outings aren’t bad, but it’s below the pace Dallas has come to expect after seeing Hintz record at least 30 goals and 65 points in each of his previous three campaigns. Hintz did endure a four-game scoring drought from Oct. 26-Nov. 7, but there’s a silver lining here because he’s found the back of the net twice over his past three games, so perhaps the worst is over.

The action is also spread out enough that Jake Oettinger might start in all three of those games. He’s 8-3-0 with a 2.39 GAA and .914 save percentage in 11 appearances in 2024-25. He’s also coming off two really strong victories, stopping 43 of 46 shots in blowout wins against Pittsburgh and Boston.

Detroit Red Wings – Mon @ SJS, Thu vs NYI, Sat vs BOS

The Red Wings will play in San Jose on Monday before hosting the Islanders on Thursday and the Bruins on Saturday. Detroit will be looking to gain some ground after a mediocre 7-7-1 start.

Detroit has to be disappointed with Vladimir Tarasenko, who inked a two-year, $9.5 million contract over the summer but has just two goals and four points through 14 appearances. This one is a bit of a “the chicken or the egg” problem. Tarasenko is averaging just 13:41 of ice time while typically serving on the third line alongside Jonatan Berggren and Marco Kasper. That’s not a recipe for success or the top six role many envisioned when he signed his deal. At the same time, he hasn’t done anything to force himself into a bigger role. From Oct. 22-Nov. 2, he appeared in five games without even recording a single shot.

You’re not going to move up in the lineup with that kind of play. On the plus side, he has logged an assist and seven shots over his past two outings, so maybe we’re witnessing the start of him getting some going. I’m skeptical, but it’s worthy of monitoring.

Detroit could certainly use another source of secondary scoring. The Red Wings rank 28th offensively with just 2.47 goals per game. Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin have done fine with 14, 13 and 12 points, respectively, through 15 appearances and Patrick Kane is holding his own at 35, providing three goals and 10 points. The rest of the offense hasn’t been anything to write home about, though, and no one aside from maybe Tarasenko jumps out to me as a struggling forward to watch.

That includes Michael Rasmussen. He was taken with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, but he has never even reached the 35-point mark and has just two goals and four points in 15 outings in 2024-25. He’s a towering presence, but at the age of 25, I think it’s fair to believe that the offense isn’t coming.

Edmonton Oilers – Mon @ MTL, Tue @ OTT, Thu vs MIN, Sat vs COL

The Oilers will open the week with road games in Montreal on Monday and Ottawa on Tuesday. They’ll then return to Edmonton to host the Wild on Thursday and the Rangers on Saturday.

Edmonton had a mixed start to the season in part because of inconsistent offensive production, but it’s okay now: Connor McDavid remembered that he’s Connor McDavid. The superstar has posted three straight multi-point efforts, causing him to jump to six goals and 19 points through 14 appearances despite a weirdly human start in which he recorded three goals and 10 points in his first 11 outings -- good for others, not for him.

If McDavid has found his grove, then Edmonton is in a far better position, but the Oilers do still have some areas of concern. Stuart Skinner is still a mixed bag with a 5-5-1 record, 3.22 GAA and .881 save percentage in 11 outings. You’ll likely remember that Skinner had a terrible start to 2023-24 before turning a corner, and it could be argued that his Nov. 24 25-save shutout over Washington was when everything started working out for him last year. In other words, we’re getting to roughly the same stage of the year, and we’ll have to see if Skinner can once again find his rhythm or if he doesn’t enjoy that same kind of turnaround in 2024-25.

Edmonton’s offseason attempts at deepening the offense also haven’t paid off yet. Jeff Skinner has just three goals and six points while Viktor Arvidsson has two goals and five points. Arvidsson is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, so we might not see him this week. Meanwhile, Skinner has been relegated to the fourth line recently. Skinner has had a weird career full of amazing highs and significant lows. There’s consequently no guarantee that a turnaround is forthcoming this year, but if he does get another look on Edmonton’s top six, which I think is just a matter of time, then he’ll be worth keeping an eye on.

San Jose Sharks – Mon vs DET, Wed @ DAL, Thu @ STL, Sat vs BUF

I like to highlight teams who are set to play four games in a week over those with three or two games on the docket, but there aren’t many examples of that upcoming. San Jose is one of the exceptions. The Sharks’ busy schedule will begin by hosting the Red Wings on Monday. They’ll then play in Dallas on Wednesday and St. Louis on Thursday before returning home to face the Sabres on Saturday.

Naturally, if you’re going to watch Sharks hockey, the player you’ll be most interested in is Macklin Celebrini. Taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, he was out from Oct. 12-Nov. 2 due to a lower-body injury. Unfortunately, he’s been mostly quiet since, providing two goals Nov. 7 but also being held off the scoresheet entirely in his other four appearances dating back to his Nov. 5 return.

It's too small of a sample size to read too much into it, but Celebrini is a tremendous talent who is averaging 19:25 of ice time and has recorded 20 shots over six outings in 2024-25, so I expect him to start producing at a good pace as the campaign progresses.

In the meantime, Mikael Granlund has done his part. He has seven goals and 18 points in 18 games to lead the Sharks offensively this season. A lot of that was due to him recording five goals and 12 points across seven outings from Oct. 17-28, though. He’s been fine since, but his two goals and five points over his past eight contests are a noticeable decline. There might be some merit to selling him high, but I think his goal-scoring pace, which would lead to him finishing with 32 markers, has actual merit.

He’s never reached the 30-goal milestone before and finished 2023-24 with just 12 goals, but he’s traditionally been a very conservative shooter. That’s changed in a big way this year -- he's averaging a career-high 9.9 shots per 60 minutes, and that includes 14 high-danger shots, which puts him on track for 64, up from 44 last year. His increase in shots also means that his 10.9 shooting percentage isn’t significantly off his career average (10.3) despite his big jump in goals.

Granlund and Celebrini are currently centering different lines, but they share the ice on the power play. Although Sharks rank 23rd in terms of power-play percentage (16.4), that might improve as Celebrini gets going, which would also benefit Granlund.

Utah HC – Mon vs WAS, Thu @ BOS, Sat @ PIT, Sun @ TOR

Utah HC is another squad with four games on the schedule next week. The club will host the Capitals on Monday before a road trip that will place Utah HC in Boston on Thursday, Pittsburgh on Saturday and Toronto on Sunday.

Utah has been an interesting team. It got off to a 3-0-0 start fueled by some great offensive performances, but the scoring has cooled, and the club is now 7-6-3.

One positive is Mikhail Sergachev has messed well with his new team after being dealt from Tampa Bay in June. Sergachev has three goals and 11 points in 16 outings in 2024-25 while averaging 25:35 of ice time -- that'll be a career high if he maintains it for the full campaign. He also has a big power-play role and has collected three points (one goal) with the man advantage. It’s reasonable to project he’ll surpass the 50-point milestone for the second time in his career as long as he stays healthy.

Up front, Clayton Keller (six goals, 14 points), Dylan Guenther (seven goals, 13 points), Nick Schmaltz (12 assists) and Logan Cooley (two goals, 11 points) have been leading the charge, but none of them are especially hot right now. Nick Bjugstad is an interesting forward, though. He’s capable of being a solid secondary scorer, but he averaged just 13:20 of ice time this season, down from 17:27 in 2023-24. He did make his mark Wednesday, though, scoring his first two goals of the campaign to lead Utah to a 4-1 victory over Carolina. Bjugstad is getting a chance to play alongside Keller and Schmaltz, so he might be able to build off that strong showing.

That would help Utah, but what the club needs more than anything is reliability between the pipes. Although Connor Ingram has a respectable 6-3-3 record, his 3.40 GAA and .879 aren’t inspiring. Meanwhile, Karel Vejmelka is just 1-3-0, but he has a 2.37 GAA and a .926 save percentage. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Vejmelka get more work, perhaps leading to him starting in at least two of Utah’s games next week.

MCKEEN’S 2024 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – #1 Detroit Red Wings – Organization Overview – Top 15 Prospects

Josh Bell — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 14:55:49 +0000

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 03: Detroit Red Wings center Nate Danielson (29) controls the puck during warm-ups before a game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks on October 3, 2023 at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire)

The Yzerplan now enters its sixth year, but this time doesn’t have a high pick to show for it. Instead, they made a push for the playoffs - just falling short. Steve Yzerman took over in April 2019 and has overseen five drafts to date. He has had five top-ten picks in that time, delivering Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider who are fixtures (and stars) in the line-up and Simon Edvinsson, who looks close to being a full-time NHLer. He also added Marco Kasper in 2022 at eighth overall and Nate Danielson in 2023 at ninth overall. Both have signed their entry-level contract and have the intelligence and two-way game that should translate to a spot in the line-up before too long. They are joined by the fifth-ranked goaltending prospect Sebastien Cossa, a massive goaltender who shows tremendous potential. The system is not only strong at the top, but it is deep with 11 prospects in McKeen’s top 200.
This is a team that is about to turn the corner to become a competitive, playoff threat. The core of Dylan Larkin, Raymond, Seider, and Alex DeBrincat look poised to help turn this around. They will be helped by some of the young up-and-comers such as Edvinsson, Kasper, Danielson, and Cossa, as well as 2023 first-rounder Axel Sandin Pellikka, Carter Mazur, William Wallinder, Shai Buium, and Dmitri Buchelnikov. While Yzerman has spent the majority of his time in Detroit stockpiling draft picks and prospects, it looks like it’s now time for him to look to move some of these pieces to add and move up the standings. What might be the biggest story of the summer though will be re-signing Raymond and Seider - both RFAs. It looks like it might be an expensive summer for Yzerman and the Wings.

RNK	PLAYER	POS	AGE	HT/WT	TM	Acquired	GP	G(W)	A(L)	PTS(GAA)	PIM(SPCT)
1	Simon Edvinsson	D	21	6-6/215	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`21(6th)	54	8	22	30	51
					Detroit (NHL)	`21(6th)	16	1	1	2	4
2	Nate Danielson	C	19	6-2/185	Bdn-Por (WHL)	`23(9th)	54	24	43	67	42
3	Marco Kasper	C	20	6-1/185	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`22(8th)	71	14	21	35	30
4	Axel Sandin Pellikka	D	19	5-11/180	Skelleftea (SHL)	`23(17th)	39	10	8	18	17
5	Sebastian Cossa	G	21	6-6/229	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`21(15th)	40	22	9	2.41	0.913
6	Trey Augustine	G	19	6-1/185	Michigan State (B1G)	`23(41st)	35	23	9	2.96	0.915
7	Carter Mazur	LW	22	6-0/170	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`21(70th)	60	17	20	37	48
8	William Wallinder	D	21	6-4/190	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`20(32nd)	65	3	12	15	10
9	Shai Buium	D	21	6-3/210	Denver (NCHC)	`21(36th)	43	7	29	36	14
10	Jonatan Berggren	LW	23	5-11/195	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`18(33rd)	53	24	32	56	58
					Detroit (NHL)	`18(33rd)	12	2	4	6	2
11	Dmitri Buchelnikov	LW	20	5-10/165	Admiral Vladivostok (KHL)	`22(52nd)	55	13	16	29	8
12	Andrew Gibson	D	19	6-3/195	Soo Greyhounds (OHL)	`23(42nd)	68	12	32	44	58
13	Amadeus Lombardi	C	20	5-10/165	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`22(113th)	70	5	21	26	14
14	Elmer Soderblom	RW	22	6-8/245	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`19(159th)	61	13	16	29	8
15	Albert Johansson	D	23	6-0/170	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`19(60th)	66	6	15	21	46

1. Simon Edvinsson, D, Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL)

While he had a brief stint with the Red Wings (2 points in 16 games), Simon Edvinsson spent most of 2023-24 honing his skills in the AHL with Grand Rapids. The disappointment of not sticking with the big club initially was evident, but Edvinsson responded like a pro. He dominated the AHL, leading Griffins defensemen in goals (8) and points (30). His offensive potential, a hallmark of his scouting report, shone brightly. However, the biggest takeaway might be his improved defensive awareness. While questions lingered about his consistency on that end, Edvinsson showed a stronger commitment to his own zone. This season was a masterclass in development. Edvinsson didn't force the issue in the NHL and thrived in the AHL. The Red Wings have a potential top-pairing defenseman in the making, and his 2023-24 campaign suggests he's closer than ever.

2. Nate Danielson, C, Portland Winterhawks (AHL)

Drafted ninth overall by Detroit in 2023, Nate Danielson's season started strong. He tore up the WHL (Western Hockey League) with the Brandon Wheat Kings, amassing a point-per-game pace through 26 games. His two-way play, size (6’ 2”), and scoring touch impressed. A mid-season trade to the Portland Winterhawks added a new wrinkle. While the production dipped (8 points in his first 12 games), he adjusted well, showcasing his adaptability and willingness to learn. He is a fantastic skater with long, crisp strides who can cover a ton of ice in a hurry without requiring a lot of energy. Questions remain about his offensive consistency translating to the pro game. However, his strong showing, particularly early on, solidified his status as a top prospect in the Red Wings' system. Detroit will be watching closely to see if Danielson can replicate his early-season dominance in training camp next year.

3. Marco Kasper, C, Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL)

After a single NHL game with the Red Wings in 2022-23, Marco Kasper spent his entire 2023-24 season with their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. The 19-year-old Austrian center wasn't a point-per-game machine (35 points in 71 games), but his underlying numbers suggest strong offensive potential. His blend of size, strength, and surprising skating ability makes him a force along the walls and a threat in transition. He already plays like a pro, highlighted by his calm demeanor and patience under pressure. He has a strong two-way presence already, playing hard in both ends of the ice even when the puck isn’t on his stick. He showed flashes of NHL-caliber playmaking, but consistency remains a question mark. While some nights he dominated possession, others saw him disappear. The Red Wings have a high ceiling in mind here. Another year in the AHL could iron out his inconsistencies, but a late-season NHL call-up wouldn't be a surprise. Kasper's development will be a storyline to watch for Detroit fans.

4. Axel Sandin Pellikka, D, Skelleftea AIK (SHL)

Red Wings first-rounder Axel Sandin-Pellikka spent another year developing in Sweden's SHL with Skellefteå AIK. The 6’ 11”, 176-pound defenseman didn't light up the scoresheet (18 points in 39 games), but he did take a big step forward from his previous season total (five points). Red Wings brass preached patience, prioritizing defensive responsibility and overall awareness. While reports suggest Sandin-Pellikka improved defensively, offensive production remains a work in progress. His skating and puck-handling skills are undeniable, but translating those into consistent offensive contributions is the next hurdle. Another year in the SHL seems likely, allowing him to refine his game against familiar competition. However, a strong showing at the upcoming World Juniors could alter those plans. Regardless, Sandin-Pellikka remains a work in progress with a high ceiling – the key will be unlocking his offensive potential.

5. Sebastian Cossa, G, Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL)

Sebastian Cossa, the Red Wings' prized goalie prospect (15th overall in 2021), took a step forward in his development this season. After splitting time between the ECHL and AHL in his first-year pro, he spent the entirety of 2023-24 with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Early struggles marked the first half, with his numbers hovering around average. However, whispers of a more focused and consistent Cossa emerged after the All-Star break. His .913 save percentage over the entire season suggests a goalie finding his groove. While not a lights-out performance, the improvement is a positive sign for the Red Wings. His size (6’, 6”) and athleticism remain his calling cards. The question remains: can he translate that raw talent into consistent NHL-caliber goaltending? Another year in the AHL seems likely, but a late-season call-up to test the waters wouldn't be a surprise. Like Kasper, Cossa's development is a storyline to watch.

6. Trey Augustine, G, Michigan State University (NCAA)

Fresh off a gold medal at the World Juniors, Trey Augustine's freshman year at Michigan State was a star turn. Drafted 41st overall by Detroit in 2023, he quickly established himself as the Spartans' go-to netminder. He racked up impressive stats: a .915 save percentage and 23 wins, and. His athleticism and calmness under pressure were on full display. Augustine plays a very technically-sound game. He challenges well, taking away as much of the net from shooters as he can. He’s extremely strong positionally, moving quickly and accurately to where he needs to be. However, questions remain about his size (listed at 6’ 1”). While he compensates with positioning and reflexes, some wonder if it will translate to the NHL level. Regardless, Augustine silenced doubters in 2023-24. He's firmly on the NHL path and his development will be closely watched.

7. Carter Mazur, LW, Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL)

After a brief stint with the Red Wings at the tail end of the 2022-23 season, Carter Mazur spent the entirety of 2023-24 honing his skills with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins. His season wasn't without its bumps – a mid-season injury slowed him down. However, he finished strong, with 37 points in 60 games. While not a gaudy total, it represents a step forward for the 22-year-old. A blend of physicality and offensive creativity remains his calling card. He's not afraid to mix it up in the corners, a trait that endears him to coaches, but his ability to create scoring chances for himself and his linemates is what truly excites. The knock on him is consistency. There are stretches where his high motor translates into impactful plays but lapses still occur. Refining his decision-making will be crucial as he pushes for an NHL call-up. Still, the progress in the AHL suggests he's on the right track. A strong showing this year could put him on the cusp of a permanent promotion.

8. William Wallinder, D, Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL)

The Red Wings' second-round pick from 2020, took a big step towards the NHL in 2023-24. He spent the bulk of the season with the Grand Rapids Griffins. While his offensive production wasn't overwhelming (15 points in 65 games), Wallinder impressed with his defensive awareness and smooth skating. His ability to shut down opposing rushes and transition the puck efficiently was a highlight. However, the Red Wings will need him to show more offensive creativity going forward. While he possesses a heavy shot, consistency in utilizing it is a work in progress. Overall, Wallinder's first season in North America was a success. He solidified his defensive game and adjusted to the smaller ice surface. The next step will be translating his flashes of offensive brilliance into a more consistent scoring threat. If he can do that, he could be a key piece of the Red Wings' future blue line.

9. Shai Buium, D, University of Denver (NCAA)

Shai Buium's 2023-24 season was a victory lap and a coming-out party rolled into one. After helping the Denver Pioneers capture their second NCAA title in three years, he signed with the Detroit Red Wings and joined their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, on an amateur tryout. While his college career saw him primarily deployed in a defensive role, he surprised with his offensive output in the AHL. He notched a career-high seven goals and 29 assists in just 43 games, showcasing a newfound offensive dimension. His strong skating and improved decision-making made him a force on both ends of the ice. Buium's impressive AHL stint solidified his status as a legitimate NHL prospect. While he'll likely start the 2024-25 season in Grand Rapids, a call-up isn't out of the question. His development into a well-rounded, two-way defenseman is a major positive sign for the Red Wings' future.

10. Dmitri Buchelnikov, LW, Admiral Vladivostok (KHL)

Dmitri Buchelnikov is proof that the Red Wings will always bet on skill and upside. The Russian winger may stand at 5’ 10”, 170 lbs, but the offensive game he possesses makes him stand at least three feet taller. He made the jump to the KHL this season and didn’t look out of place. He uses his impressive edges and quick hands to gain position and then boasts a surprising toolbox of shots. He’s fearless in his game. The big questions are around his size and how he’ll translate to the NHL, but so far against men, he’s put those concerns to bed. He’s signed with SKA-1946 St. Petersburg through 2024-25, so he’ll also have at least one more year to develop in Russia before he makes the jump to North America.

PROSPECT CRITERIA: Players under 26 years of age as of 9/15/2024 who have appeared in less than 60 games (30 for goalies) and less than 25 in one season (25 for goalies).

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – DETROIT RED WINGS – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Sat, 30 Sep 2023 12:00:30 +0000

OTTAWA, ON - FEBRUARY 28: Detroit Red Wings Center Dylan Larkin (71) applies pressure on the forecheck during first period National Hockey League action between the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators on February 28, 2023, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)

Review: The Red Wings missed the playoffs for six consecutive campaigns prior to 2022-23 and the latest season was more of the same. There was a chance that Ville Husso, acquired from St. Louis in the summer of 2022, would help, but he ended up posting a 26-22-7 record, 3.11 GAA and .896 save percentage in 56 starts. What makes that worse is Detroit ranked 10th in five-on-five expected goals against (164.53), so the defense was doing its part. Not that a stellar performance from Husso would have necessarily saved the season, given how thin the Red Wings’ forward core was. Dylan Larkin was by far Detroit’s top scorer with 32 goals and 79 points, but he was the only player to reach the 25-goal mark and, along with David Perron, one of just two with at least 50 points. Detroit finished with a 35-37-10 record, tying its current playoff drought with the longest in franchise history.

What’s Changed? Detroit’s top-six forward core looks a lot stronger after acquiring Alex DeBrincat from Ottawa and signing J.T. Compher. Detroit also inked James Reimer, who is coming off a rough campaign with San Jose, but has traditionally been an above average backup goaltender. The addition of defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Jeff Petry further boosts a defense that was underrated in 2022-23.

What would success look like? The Atlantic Division is going to be a tough one, but there is a path here for Detroit to make the playoffs, albeit likely in a Wild Card spot. DeBrincat and Compher should give Larkin the help he sorely missed last year. It won’t be enough to make Detroit’s offense good, but it might at least be enough to make it less of a liability. Husso is still a big X-Factor, but the addition of Reimer might take some of the pressure off him and, when combined with the Red Wings’ great blueliner group, it might be sufficient.

What could go wrong? Detroit’s making a big bet on Compher, but other than his 52-point showing in 2022-23, he’s never even reached 35 points, so he might be a swing and a miss for the Red Wings. Petry is another potentially nice get, but he’ll turn 36 in December and missed 21 games last season, so he might disappoint too. Then there’s the goaltending, which might be what sinks this squad. Detroit is counting on not just Husso bouncing back, but Reimer too. Given how stiff the competition will be for a playoff spot, if any of those potential problems on their own might be enough to deny the Red Wings a postseason berth.

Top Breakout Candidate: The one player we didn’t address who could end up making a huge impact for Detroit is Lucas Raymond. He showed a lot of promise in his rookie campaign, scoring 23 goals and 57 points in 82 contests, but then regressed in 2022-23, settling for 17 goals and 45 points in 74 games. Taken with the fourth overall pick in the 2020, the stage is set for the 21-year-old to step up and take his place alongside Larkin and DeBrincat as one of the Red Wings’ offensive leaders.

Forwards

Dylan Larkin - C

The Red Wings captain solidified his legacy in Detroit when he signed an eight-year, $69.6 million extension in March and the captain will look to bring them out of the darkness and back into the postseason. Larkin led the Red Wings in goals (32) and points (79) and that he did that shouldn’t come as any surprise. He’s their best player and it’s why they had to get him signed to an extension. Yes, things have been grim in Motor City since they last made the playoffs in 2016, but the 27-year-old center has been the consistent reason for hope for the future. It was the third time he’s scored 30-or-more goals in his Red Wings career as well as the third time he scored at nearly a point per game pace (he also did in 2018-19 and 2021-2022). Now that he’s locked up for eight more years and GM Steve Yzerman has been beyond aggressive in trying to get back to the playoffs the past two off-seasons, the pressure is very much on Larkin’s shoulders to help put them over the top to get back there. Larkin was a rookie on the last Red Wings playoff team so he knows what it’s like to be there and he’s surrounded by veterans who have done so with other teams, but a repeat performance of last season would go a long way to helping make that dream a reality.

Alex DeBrincat - LW

The Red Wings’ biggest acquisition outside of the NHL Draft the past few seasons came in the form of two-time 40-goal scorer Alex DeBrincat. That they swung a trade with division rival Ottawa to land him and by all appearances look to have won that trade is a substantial coup on their part. Last season with the Senators, DeBrincat had 27 goals and 66 points, good for fourth on the team. For as questionable of a statistic plus-minus is, DeBrincat’s minus-31 rating was second lowest on the Senators, but defense isn’t exactly why Detroit brought him on board. He’s a goal scorer through and through having potted 187 goals in six seasons (450 games) with Chicago and Ottawa. That he’s coming off a down season with Ottawa may have kept his trade price down, although the Red Wings signed him to a four-year, $31.5 million extension after the trade. DeBrincat’s addition ideally gives the Red Wings a much-needed offensive injection as they scored the ninth fewest goals in the NHL last season. A return to 40-goal form would give Detroit a much more potent attack, something they’ll need to keep up with the rest of the contenders within the Atlantic Division. Teaming him up with Dylan Larkin should provide the spark needed to do just that.

David Perron - RW

When it comes to players who understand their role and excel at it, David Perron is right up there as one of the best. Perron plays a hard, competitive brand of hockey and does well around the net in tight spaces to generate scoring opportunities. He’s also very good at matching up physically and sticking up for himself and his teammates. Most of all, he’s the picture of consistency. At 34 years old, Perron was second on the Red Wings in goals with 24 and scoring with 56 points. While it may not have been ideal for Detroit to have Perron be No. 2 for them in those categories, the fact that he was and did quite well at his age says a lot about how good he’s been for them. For seven straight seasons, Perron has had 46-or-more points and he’s scored 20-or-more goals in four of them. Perron was brought to Detroit for his veteran wiles and the edge he can provide come playoff time…which hasn’t happened yet, but for now he’s providing their bevy of younger players a daily example of what it takes to have success in the NHL.

Lucas Raymond - RW

Raymond has been an outstanding scorer since he landed in the NHL in 2021-2022 after being the fourth overall pick in 2020. In two seasons he’s put up 40 goals and 102 points in 156 games, but his output last season was down from his rookie campaign. He had 12 fewer points in eight fewer games played last year, which is slightly concerning as his slightly down possession stats at 5-on-5. What’s also concerning is that Raymond’s numbers struggled with Dylan Larkin, but Larkin saw far better success away from Raymond. That was also the case during Raymond’s rookie season, however, those two played almost exclusively together at 5-on-5 then, that wasn’t the case last season. Raymond finished tied for third on the Red Wings in scoring last season with Dominik Kubalik. With Kubalik off to Ottawa in the Alex DeBrincat trade, there’s a good possibility Raymond winds up on a line with Larkin and DeBrincat which should improve all three players’ statistics together. At 21 years old, it’s too early to be fretting about Raymond’s numbers especially given that Detroit continues to add better talent around him. But he will need to improve overall for Detroit to have a shot at making the postseason, particularly since the teams they’ll be battling against all have made moves to also either get into or stay in the playoffs.

J.T. Compher - C

Although the Detroit-Colorado rivalry is long since dormant, it’s still fascinating to see players go from one team to the other and J.T. Compher joining the Red Wings after seven seasons with the Avalanche certainly qualifies. Compher, who played college hockey at the University of Michigan, heads back to his adopted home state after scoring 88 goals and 194 points in 423 career games in Denver. It was Compher’s two-way game that piqued the Red Wings’ interest in him and his versatility to play both center and the wing gives him a utility knife quality for their lineup. Ideally, Compher slides in as the center on the second line behind Dylan Larkin and ahead of Andrew Copp. Throughout his career, Compher has had decent 5-on-5 possession numbers as well as strong expected goal percentages. Having those kinds of advanced numbers made him a valuable player for teams in search of strong depth who can play well defensively and contribute enough on offense. That kind of description fits Compher well although it should be noted he’s coming off a career-year with 51 points. He’s regularly been a 20–30-point scorer before that. At 28 years old, this is who Compher is as his development days are long over, but the Red Wings will hope he hasn’t seen the end of his higher-scoring years just yet particularly after signing him to a five-year, $25.5 million deal.

Andrew Copp - C

Detroit signing J.T. Compher came at a curious time particularly since they’d just signed Andrew Copp a year ago to do essentially the same kind of thing in the same position to virtually the exact same contract (5 years, $28.125 million). Copp’s first year back home in Michigan saw him pick up where he left off the previous year with Winnipeg and the New York Rangers. His nine goals and 42 points were solid, and his 42-point output the second best of his career. Although his goal output dipped slightly, it’s his two-way game that makes him a fixture in the lineup and that suffered a bit last season. Copp’s advanced numbers dropped, including possession and expected goals at 5-on-5. For him and the Red Wings to have success that cannot be the norm and might be a reason why a similar style player in Compher was added to help shoulder the burden a bit in the middle of the lineup. A stronger overall team performance would have an effect there as well, but it’s up to Copp to do his part too. He played most of his 5-on-5 minutes with Lucas Raymond and David Perron which at first blush doesn’t seem like an ideal mix. With the additions of Compher and Alex DeBrincat, coach Derek Lalonde will have interesting choices to make to get a better mix with his forwards.

Michael Rasmussen - RW

Injuries are never kind and they’re almost always cruel and such was the case for Michael Rasmussen last season. A shot to the kneecap sidelined him for the season in late February and it came while he was in the middle of a breakout season of sorts. In 56 games, the 6’6” 210-pound forward put up 10 goals and a career high 29 points. On top of the improved point production, Rasmussen saw improved possession and shot quality and prevention advanced numbers as well. At 23 years old, it was the kind of improvement everyone in Detroit was excited to see occurring. After all, with a player his size improving in those ways makes him more valuable to them overall. Being big is one thing, but being big and able to help produce offense more efficiently is something else entirely. It’s why the Red Wings hope that a full return to health will lead to him picking up where he left off. If he can do that with the host of new players they’ve added this offseason, Detroit’s hope is they’ll have someone capable of getting heavily into the physical mix come playoff time when the goals are a little harder to score and having a player that can screen goalies and push opponents around comes in much handier.

Jonatan Berggren - LW

Berggren’s arrival to the Detroit lineup last season showed why they took him in the second round in the 2018 Draft. He scored 15 goals and had 28 points in 67 games during his rookie season last year. The Swedish winger seized a role in the lineup with his offensive skill and even carved a spot on the power play scoring five times on the man advantage with nine points total. What’s most impressive about Berggren’s output is he was able to do it down in the Red Wings lineup. He wasn’t playing top-six minutes with their better scorers, he played most of his 5-on-5 minutes with forwards like Joe Veleno and Austin Czarnik before he was elevated to join Andrew Copp and David Perron. Now at 23 years old and having shown he can produce at the NHL level, he’ll be counted on to provide consistent scoring in the middle-six forward group from the wing and could find a home alongside free agent addition J.T. Compher. Berggren has versatility, however, and can slide in at center when needed. It’s that kind of flexibility that further makes him valuable in the Red Wings lineup and will help him earn more ice time.

Klim Kostin - LW

During the Stanley Cup Playoffs, no one player was able to make their mark and increase their value the way Klim Kostin did with the Edmonton Oilers. Kostin used his size and physical style of play to muck things up along the boards and in the middle of the ice to open the offense for his teammates and himself. Kostin had a breakout regular season with 10 goals and 21 points in the regular season and followed that up with three goals and two assists in 12 playoff games with the Oilers. Kostin is a classic grind line kind of player who uses his checking and size (6’3” 215) to disrupt opponents. In 57 games last season he had 157 hits and that’s the kind of rate that will get you noticed no matter what. After three years with St. Louis, they traded him to Edmonton where the Oilers gave him a chance and he ran with it. It’s that brand of go-getter that attracted Detroit to acquire him in a trade and days later sign him to a two-year contract. It’s another signing that shows how the Red Wings want to be able to line up should they get to the postseason. They want to have skill and goal scoring at the top of the lineup with a mix of size, strength, and grit in their lower lines. Adding an eager player like Kostin to the mix makes a lot of sense to that end, but with the high amount of skill within the division it remains to be seen if being overly physical will provide some kind of edge or cause other problems to pop up.

Defense

Moritz Seider - D

Being the best defenseman on a below-average team can be a bit of a slog, even if you’re 21 years old and brilliant like Moritz Seider. The young German phenom and 2022 Calder Trophy winner didn’t necessarily have a sophomore slump but instead got the chance to deal with the rest of the league after they’ve had a chance to study him… and he was still very good. Seider’s point production fell from 50 points in his rookie season to 42 last year. He was the Red Wings minutes leader and averaged just more than 23 minutes of ice time per game. It’s a massive workload for a player so new to the league, but he’s the best the Red Wings have on the blue line, particularly after they traded Filip Hronek to Vancouver at the trade deadline. Everything Seider does and can do more is superb. It would be easy to get wound up about his advanced stats last season, but most every Detroit player’s advanced numbers suffered in general last season. Ideally you want to see his possession and expected goal numbers improve year to year, but the Red Wings haven’t been very good. His numbers are better than most everyone else’s on the team which indicates how well he can play, but compared to others around the league they don’t stand out. If Detroit improves, it will certainly show in Seider’s numbers across the board. But the key is that Detroit does improve, or else arguments will persist as to how good Seider is or isn’t.

Jake Walman - D

There may have been no bigger surprise in Detroit than the play of Jake Walman on defense. The Red Wings acquired Walman from St. Louis in a trade in March 2022 that involved Nick Leddy and Oskar Sundqvist among others. While Walman wasn’t the player of note then, how he performed for Detroit last season changed that discussion substantially. Walman paired with Moritz Seider and the two became virtually inseparable because of how well they worked together. Their 5-on-5 possession numbers were a level 50 percent, and they had an expected goal percentage above that mark. For a team that bled goals and didn’t score a lot of them, that’s outstanding and Walman excelled. He set career highs in goals (nine) and points (18) all while averaging the most ice time of his career at 19:43 per game. It’d be easy enough to say that playing with Seider likely did a lot to help him out, but Walman did a lot to help settle Seider’s game down as well. An upper-body injury hampered his season and held him to 63 games. It also prevented him from playing in World Championships during the summer. Still, Walman’s play was strong enough to earn a three-year extension from the Red Wings worth $10.2 million. Going from fighting to get into the Blues lineup to being on the top pairing in Detroit is a heck of a turn around and a great find for the Red Wings.

Shayne Gostisbehere - D

Something that was missing from the Detroit blue line in the wake of the Filip Hronek trade was a tried-and-true puck mover. Free agency helped them fix that need with ease when they signed free agent Shayne Gostisbehere. The “Ghost Bear” split last season with Arizona and Carolina and had 13 goals and 41 points. Piling up points has never been an issue for the 30-year-old Floridian. In nine seasons he has 311 points in 538 games including 87 goals. He’s been a steady possession player and he played extremely well for Carolina in an abbreviated stay there after the trade deadline. What he does best is move the puck up the ice and create offense and even with the loaded mix of defensemen in Detroit, Gostisbehere will be able to take that role and run with it in a big way. It should also allow him to see power play time as well and perhaps give Moritz Seider a bit of a break, so he doesn’t always have to be the guy doing the heavy lifting in that aspect. Gostisbehere will also duel with Jeff Petry for power play time on the first or second unit. Although Petry has years on him, Gostisbehere is a quicker skater and capable of getting into and out of trouble a bit faster. Although he won’t do much on the physical side of the game, that’s not what they need him to do the most. They need him to help bring the puck up the ice and set up the forwards for better scoring opportunities.

Jeff Petry - D

Well, this is awkward. Just a year after Petry requested a trade out of Montreal and was moved to Pittsburgh, the Canadiens reacquired him as part of the three-team deal that sent Erik Karlsson to the Penguins. It was a short stop, however, as he was then moved home (Petry was born in Ann Arbor) to the Detroit Red Wings. Even at his age, Petry is a valuable two-way defenseman who can comfortably serve in a top pairing role. He’s averaged over 22 minutes in each of his last seven campaigns, including last season with Pittsburgh, during which he logged 22:21 of ice time per game (2:20 with the man advantage and 2:22 shorthanded). He knows how to play physically without crossing the line too often, contributing 190 hits and just 24 PIM last season, and he’s perfectly happy to block shots, finishing with over 100 in each of his last two campaigns. The Michigan native isn’t one of the league’s top blueliners offensively, but he’s more than serviceable in that regard, having finished 2022-23 with five goals and 31 points in 61 contests, making it the fifth time in the last six years that the defenseman has enjoyed a points per game pace of over 0.5. The biggest issue is that he’s run into some injury troubles lately, missing 35 contests over the last two seasons and, considering his age, things might only get worse from here. But the Red Wings needed some help offensively on the blue line and going back home might re-invigorate Petry enough to give Detroit a lift.

Goaltender

Ville Husso - G

It really seemed like the Detroit Red Wings had done all the right things with their rebuild – down to their decision to capitalize on a few teams wanting to open up some space in the goaltending department by picking up a pair of young up-and-comers in Alex Nedeljkovic and Ville Husso. Husso, in particular, had just wrapped up a season in which he’d ousted former standout starter Jordan Binnington from his reign as number one for the St. Louis Blues; he appeared to be the perfect piece of the puzzle for the Red Wings as they hoped to take their rebuild and ease it out of the garage for a test run.

Instead, both Husso and Nedeljkovic floundered almost from the start. The pair failed to hit the .900 unadjusted save percentage threshold on the year, with Husso in particular struggling to find his rhythm and own his depth management behind a team that desperately needed to establish some defensive consistency. Now, he’s back to see if he can shake off last year’s struggles – but instead of pairing with another youngster without a ton of NHL experience, Husso will get a veteran voice known for being a locker room superglue in James Reimer. Reimer has struggled with injuries over the last few seasons, so it’s hard to imagine Detroit isn’t looking at him as a stabilizing presence for Husso while the younger Finnish netminder continues to serve as their true number one. After all, his strong skating style and willingness to assert control in the blue paint should be a good recipe for success behind a young roster for Detroit. If things falter again this year, though, the Red Wings might have to consider whether or not Husso was as savvy of a pickup as they’d hoped.

NHL:CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Slow Starters Rounding into Form, Rookies Stepping into Spotlight

Scott Cullen — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 14:03:38 +0000

20 FANTASY POINTS

Each week I dive into the numbers and offer some insights that should help when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

This week, slow starters that are rounding back into form, including Ryan O’Reilly, Logan Couture, and Tomas Tatar, plus rookies stepping into the spotlight – Jake Sanderson, Jusso Parssinen, Jonatan Berggren and more!

OTTAWA, ON - OCTOBER 22: Ottawa Senators Defenceman Jake Sanderson (85) before a face-off during third period National Hockey League action between the Arizona Coyotes and Ottawa Senators on October 22, 2022, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)

#1 St. Louis Blues center Ryan O’Reilly is going to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, so if the Blues are not in the playoff picture, he could be a prime trade candidate. After a miserable start to the season, during which he scored one goal and zero assists through 10 games, O’Reilly started to find his game again. Skating on a line with Brandon Saad and Josh Leivo, O’Reilly has seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 13 shots on goal in the past six games. While I don’t normally tout a player of O’Reilly’s caliber, his slow start suddenly made him available in plenty of leagues, so he now offers value on the fantasy waiver wire.

#2 After managing 35 points (17 G, 18 A) in 79 games over the past two seasons, Pittsburgh Penguins left winger Jason Zucker came into this season healthy and ready to regain a scoring role. The 30-year-old winger has put up 14 points (4 G, 10 A) and 39 shots on goal in 15 games, earning a role alongside Evgeni Malkin on Pittsburgh’s second line. A five-time 20-goal scorer, a healthy Zucker offers secondary scoring that the Penguins need if they are going to be a playoff team.

#3 San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture started slowly this season, with four points (2 G, 2 A) and 12 shots on goal in nine games, but he has picked up his production since then. In the past 10 games, Couture has contributed 10 points (6 G, 4 A) and 25 shots on goal. He now has Alexander Barabanov and Matt Nieto skating on his wings, which might limit Couture’s offensive potential, but he is also getting first unit power play time for the Sharks.

#4 An injury to Thomas Chabot has accelerated the development path for Ottawa Senators rookie defenseman Jake Sanderson. The fifth pick in the 2020 Draft, Sanderson has eight assists and 23 shots on goal in the past 12 games. In two games since Chabot was injured, Sanderson is averaging more than 25 minutes of ice time per game and has moved to Ottawa’s top power play unit.

#5 A seventh-round pick of the Nashville Predators in 2019, Juuso Parssinen has developed quickly. In the past two seasons, Parssinen produced 74 points (17 G, 57 A) in 96 regular season games, adding 20 points (5 G, 15 A) in 31 playoff games for TPS in Finland. He appeared in the AHL playoffs last season and started this season with nine points (2 G, 7 A) in 10 games for the Milwaukee Admirals to earn his promotion to the NHL. Parssinen is not interested in returning to the AHL, it seems, as the 21-year-old center has three goals and one assist in his first three NHL games. He is not getting eased into the NHL, either, skating on Nashville’s top line, with Filip Forsberg and Mikael Granlund on the wings, as well as landing a spot on the Predators’ top power play unit.

#6 Drafted early in the second round of the 2018 Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, Jonatan Berggren had been steadily progressing towards the NHL. He put up 45 points (12 G, 33 A) in 49 games for Skelleftea in Sweden during the 2020-2021 season and had 64 points (21 G, 43 A) as an AHL rookie last season. After starting this season with seven points (4 G, 3 A) in seven games, Berggren earned his call to the National Hockey League, and he has contributed three points (1 G, 2 A) in his first four games. Berggren does not have a huge role with the Wings, yet, but he has recently moved up the depth chart to skate with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, potentially a good opportunity for a rookie winger to put up some points.

#7 With Patrik Laine out of the Columbus Blue Jackets lineup due to a sprained ankle, Emil Bemstrom has stepped into Laine’s role on the first line and top power play unit. A fourth-round pick in 2017, Bemstrom had 19 goals and 17 assists in 136 career NHL games prior to this season. He has been renowned for his shot but does not have the all-around game to earn him a consistent place in the lineup. When injuries hit the Blue Jackets, though, Bemstrom’s 14 points (7 G, 7 A) in 10 AHL games had him ready for a call-up and, at least in the short term, he is in a position to score. He is apparently dealing with an injury, that left him questionable for Thursday’s win against Montreal, but opportunity is knocking for Bemstrom if he can stay in the lineup.

#8 Both Nikolaj Ehlers and Mason Appleton are injured for the Winnipeg Jets, so veteran Sam Gagner has moved up the depth chart to join Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele on the top line. Gagner has mostly been playing a depth role but has a couple of assists while averaging more than 18 minutes of ice time per game in the past two contests.

#9 Moving to Seattle in the expansion draft, defenseman Vince Dunn has taken on a bigger role in his second season with the Kraken. He is playing more than 23 minutes per game and has picked up his offensive pace with eight points (2 G, 6 A) and 19 shots on goal in the past 11 games. Dunn tied a career high with 35 points last season, but he is capable of scoring more and with the Kraken improving as a team, there ought to be more chances for Dunn to boost his point totals.

#10 New Jersey Devils winger Tomas Tatar opened the season with zero points in five games. He has put up 11 points (3 G, 8 A) and 25 shots on goal in 12 games since. With Ondrej Palat injured, Tatar has more security in New Jersey’s top six and, right now, has a good thing going alongside Nico Hischier and rookie Fabian Zetterlund.

#11 Calgary Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin busted out last season, scoring a career high 48 points (10 G, 38 A). He followed that up by not recording a point through his first eight games this season, but that has turned around. Not only does Hanifin have five points (1 G, 4 A) in the past seven games, but he has put 24 shots on goal and defensemen that can put more than three shots on goal per game are rare commodities. Hanifin is one of 13 defensemen averaging at least three shots on goal per game this season.

#12 Buffalo Sabres goaltender Eric Comrie is set to miss multiple weeks with a lower-body injury, prompting the Sabres to recall 23-year-old goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen from Rochester of the American Hockey League. Luukkonen has a .895 save percentage in 69 career AHL games, which does not exactly jump off the page, but he also has a .913 save percentage in 13 NHL appearances. With Comrie out, the Sabres can split time between veteran Craig Anderson and Luukkonen, a decent audition to see how close he is to being ready for the NHL. Comrie had a .887 save percentage in 11 games for the Sabres, not an ideal beginning to his opportunity to be a starting goaltender.

#13 Minnesota Wild netminder Marc-Andre Fleury on the injured list due to an upper-body injury, backup Filip Gustavsson is looking at more consistent playing time for the Wild. The 24-year-old Gustavsson, who was acquired in a trade for Cam Talbot before the start of the season, has a .901 save percentage in six games this season, .904 in 33 career NHL games.

#14 The Philadelphia Flyers are dealing with a number of injuries up front and that has helped create an opportunity for 23-year-old right winger Owen Tippett to play a prominent role. Tippett is not afraid to put pucks on net and in his past six games, he has produced five points (2 G, 3 A) and 19 shots on goal, while averaging more than 18 minutes of ice time per game. A highly touted scorer coming out of junior, it never really clicked for Tippett in Florida, but the rebuilding Flyers can offer a better situation for his development and Tippett is making the most of it.

#15 Adam Ruzicka did not play in October, a healthy scratch for the Calgary Flames, and then played just 5:33 in his first game of the season. An injury to Jonathan Huberdeau opened up an opportunity for Ruzicka to play and he has made the most of it, taking the left-wing spot on the top line for the Flames. In the past five games, Ruzicka has chipped in five points (2 G, 3 A) and nine shots on goal. He is always at risk of falling out of the lineup but keep an eye on him. If he continues to produce, Ruzicka might just force his way into being a regular in the Flames lineup.

#16 Injuries have decimated the blueline for the Columbus Blue Jackets and that prompted the team to promote 24-year-old Marcus Bjork. A 6-foot-3 right shot defenseman Bjork had five points (2 G, 3 A) in 11 AHL games when he got the call. He has two points (1 G, 1 A) and five shots on goal in his first three NHL games, and he is now quarterbacking Columbus’ top power play unit.

#17 One of the stats to track when trying to predict future goal-scoring rates is how many shot attempts a player is getting. The forward leaders in five-on-five shot attempts per 60 minutes, minimum 100 minutes, are Tage Thompson (24.7), Timo Meier (23.9), David Pastrnak (23.2), Auston Matthews (21.5), and the recently injured Evander Kane (20.8). Just outside the Top 5? Denis Malgin (20.8) and Nazem Kadri (20.8). There might have been some sentiment coming into the season that Thompson was going to be a flop after his breakout season in 2021-2022, but if he is generating this many shots, the goals are going to follow. Thompson has 11 goals and 53 shots on goal in the past 10 games.

#18 When it comes to defensemen, the leaders in five-on-five shot attempts per 60 minutes are Brent Burns (21.1), Michael Stone (20.8), John Carlson (19.9), Dougie Hamilton (19.7), and Roman Josi (17.5). Stone is known for his heavy shot from the point, but he does not have quite the same offensive pedigree as the other leaders in this category.

#19 As for the defensemen that are shooting most on the power play, here are the defense leaders in shot attempts per 60 minutes of five-on-four play, minimum of 20 minutes at five-on-four: Aaron Ekblad (38.5), Miro Heiskanen (35.8), Noah Dobson (34.7), Jacob Trouba (32.0), and John Klingberg (31.9).

The defensemen that are most reluctant to shoot on the power play, or just not getting the opportunities, minimum 20 minutes of five-on-four play: Chris Wideman (7.0), Juuso Valimaki (7.5), Rasmus Sandin (8.0), Owen Power (8.3), and Mikhail Sergachev (8.4).

#20 The players that have exceeded expected goals by the widest margin early in the season (and are likely due to run into some goal-scoring regression): Erik Karlsson (+8.05), Nick Suzuki (+7.39), Connor McDavid (7.33), Bo Horvat (6.26), Mark Scheifele (5.64), and J.T. Miller (5.61).

On other end of the spectrum, these are the players with the largest deficit of goals relative to expected goals (and are probably due for more pucks to go in the net): Mathew Barzal (-5.49), Matthew Tkachuk (-5.26), Erik Haula (-4.81), Oliver Bjorkstrand (-4.41), Sam Reinhart (-3.73), and Stefan Noesen (-3.72).

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – DETROIT RED WINGS – Top 20 Prospects

Sun, 18 Sep 2022 17:47:31 +0000

Simon Edvinsson D

Edvinsson was selected with the 6^th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2021 NHL draft. Detroit has recently invested heavily in Swedish prospects drafting at least seven Swedish players combined over the last four drafts. Edvinsson has a unique set of traits that makes him a high-upside prospect. He has an unfair combination of size and speed, standing at 6’6” while having a smooth, powerful skating stride. Defensively, he has great gap control, can defend the rush and uses his physical abilities to bully forwards off the puck. Edvinsson’s ability to transition the puck is unique as he has puck control due to his large frame, good puck skills, and an elite skating ability. Where he could improve is his ability to make smart decisions under pressure and upgrade his shot from the point. This past season Edvinsson was given a true role in the SHL playing roughly 20 minutes a night and producing 19 points in 44 games for Frolunda. More recently, Edvinsson anchored the Swedish World Junior blue line. While his offensive production wasn’t evident, he played a solid top-pair role on the Swedish team and contributed to their bronze medal win over Czechia. He will most likely play another season in the SHL where he will look to polish his game and improve his decision making before taking on a role in Detroit. If Edvinsson reaches his full potential, Detroit will have a monster duo on the backend with he and Seider for many years to come. - ZS

Marco Kasper C

Detroit went back to the SHL with their 8^th overall pick in this year’s draft, selecting Austrian centre Marco Kasper. Detroit has been lacking centre depth in their farm system for the past few seasons and addressed with the selection of the two-way centre. Kasper was a favourite of many scouts in the NHL community this year due to his ability to play a mature game in an established role in the SHL as a 17-year-old. His combination of puck control and patience with the puck intrigued many NHL teams leading up to the draft. His ability to be a factor in all three zones of the ice and transition the puck smoothly has stood out. While there is nothing that truly stands out as elite about Kasper’s game, it is extremely well-rounded and mature for someone his age. He still has the chance to fill out his frame and become a menace with the puck. This past season, Kasper played a middle-six centre role for Rögle BK, finishing the season with 11 points in 46 games. He truly stood out in the playoffs where he was able to produce for his team when they needed it the most, finishing the SHL playoffs with six points in 13 games as his team made a run to the semi-finals. Kasper will most likely begin the next season back with Rögle BK looking to establish himself in a top-six role and enhance his offensive game. - ZS

Jonatan Berggren RW

An early 2^nd rounder in 2018, Detroit has seen no reason to rush the well-built 5’11” winger who has been forcing himself into the conversation on a yearly basis. Already an SHL regular with strong U18 Worlds and WJC performances under his belt, Berggren had a historical 20-21 season in Sweden when his 33 assists and 45 points in 49 games were the second highest number of assists by any U21 SHL forward ever. True to Red Wings form, Berggren headed to North America only after having developed into an impact player in his home nation. Whereas fellow Swede Lucas Raymond rightfully garnered all the attention in Motown this past season, Berggren was just up the road in Grand Rapids picking up right where he left off in the SHL, putting up 64 points in 70 AHL games. Despite a -18 rating, Berggren brings a typically Swedish understanding for working in all three zones and without the puck as a means of having more time with the puck. The question is now whether he can crack a Red Wings line-up that is filled with options after being as active as any team on the free agent market, supplementing the team’s strong prospect-core. Another year of AHL hockey would seem likely, but if the Red Wings suffer a lack of production, Berggren could receive his first NHL opportunity. – CL

Sebastian Cossa G

Cossa's 2021-22 season was not quite as impressive as the one prior, but the Red Wings chose him 15th overall in the 2021 draft because of his enormous long-term upside, and that still exists as it did before. It's not like his year was entirely bad — he did, after all, backstop the Edmonton Oil Kings first to a division title and then a league championship, and he was then part of Canada's gold medal-winning roster at the World Juniors this past August. On the flip side of that coin, he wasn't always a positive difference-maker on a stacked Oil Kings team that could win without relying on him, his Memorial Cup performance was pedestrian, and he sat on Canada's bench as the backup in the elimination games. In terms of physical tools, Cossa has everything that a team could want in net. His huge frame helps him naturally cover a lot of net, his long limbs allow him to take away corners from shooters, and he backs up his size with surprising quickness and high-end athleticism. His lanky limbs do get him into trouble right now, as pucks squeak under his arms more often than they should. He is also prone to over-committing while moving laterally, and he has trouble cleaning up messes in and around his crease. One shift he'll look unbeatable, but the next he'll give up a goal that could have been scored with a beach ball, so reigning in that inconsistency will be a top priority moving forward. He should be turning pro for 2022-23 and could one day become the next franchise goaltender of the Red Wings, so long as they are patient and attentive with his development. - DN

Albert Johansson D

The 60^th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, Albert Johansson has continued to develop his play as a two-way defenceman with offensive upside. One of the many Detroit Red Wings’ prospects from Sweden, Johansson has spent the past three seasons playing for Färjestad BK in the SHL. He has gradually been able to improve his point total throughout those three seasons producing 13, 19 and 25 points, respectively. The 25 points he scored this season was the most among defenceman aged 21 and under in the SHL. This past season, he was given a top-four role playing roughly 18-22 minutes a night. While there may not be many areas of Johansson’s game that are elite, his game as a whole is well rounded. He is the typical modern-day mobile, puck moving defenceman. He is a fluid skater with the ability to scan the ice and transition the puck to the offensive end. Johansson’s playmaking ability has allowed him to gain a larger role in the offence, and he has been more willing to get involved in the offensive zone this past season. While he has shown to be a fairly solid defender in Sweden, Johansson could benefit from tightening up his gap control as he looks to make the next step towards an NHL career. After signing his ELC, Johansson is expected to make his way over to North America where he will establish a role in the Grand Rapids top-four, Detroit’s AHL team. At worst, Johansson projects to have a role in Detroit’s future top-six. - ZS

William Wallinder D

Wallinder was selected with the 32^nd pick in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. He is seen as a high-upside defenceman as he stands at 6’4” and was considered one of the most refined skaters in his draft class. He is extremely athletic, which was evident this past season as his raw talent was beginning to come to fruition. In a top-four role for Rögle BK in the SHL this year, Wallinder produced 19 points in 47 games playing roughly 18-22 minutes a night. His four-way mobility is what stands out. It is a major asset when looking at his transition game, where he uses his combination of size and speed to protect the puck and transition it to the offensive zone. Over the past season, he has started to polish both his shot and decision making, allowing him to feel more comfortable making plays. He recently played for Sweden in the August World Juniors where he displayed his ability to be a force in transition and finished the tournament with three points in seven games, helping Sweden capture bronze. Wallinder is most likely heading back to Rögle BK next season in a similar top-four role, looking to improve his comfort level and make quicker decisions. Wallinder has the upside to play in Detroit’s top-four in the future. - ZS

Elmer Soderblom RW

Soderblom is a former 6^th round (159^th overall) selection by the Detroit Red Wings from the 2019 NHL draft. In his draft year, he had underperformed in the J20 league, producing only 17 points in 44 games, however the raw tools and freakish size was enough for the Wings to take a flyer on him. So far that flyer has paid off well, as Soderblom has since put the pieces together and rounded out his offensive game, dominating the J20 league back in 2020, finishing with 55 points in 36 games. He has a rare combination of extreme size at 6’8” and elite hands. His dynamic hands allow him to weave the puck in tight, which he combines with his monstrous stature to bring the puck to the net. Soderblom has also improved his shot and shot selection over time. He has timed his shots better and has improved his accuracy, finishing this past season with 21 goals in 52 SHL games. He has followed up on his impressive regular season by contributing in the playoffs with six points in nine games. In order to succeed at the next level, Soderblom should continue to work on his mobility. He often relies on his length and reach and slows his feet, allowing the opposition to avoid poke checks and burst by him. Next season, Soderblom looks to transition to North America, most likely earning a role with Detroit’s AHL team Grand Rapids. - ZS

Shai Buium D

Despite being a relatively inexperienced defenseman who wouldn’t turn 19 until the spring of his freshman season, the University of Denver Pioneers saw it fit to trust Shai Buium as a workhorse defenseman last season, giving him the third-most minutes per night of any of their blueliners and trusting him to handle special teams’ duty. Buium, the 36th overall pick at the 2021 draft, handled this challenging role well, and helped lead the Pioneers on an NCAA championship-winning campaign. Buium’s NHL projection is quite positive, his status as a top prospect is reflected in how he was able to quickly become a minutes-eating defenseman for one of the best programs in college hockey. Buium offers size, strength, and intelligence. His big six-foot-three frame is filled out well, and he’s good at using his size to his advantage through both his reach and his physicality. Buium is rarely found out of position on defense, and his work ethic is such that even if he makes a rare mistake, he’ll push himself to the limit in order to fix the mess. The tools are all there for Buium, save for one issue. Buium doesn’t move as well as you’d want to see out of a modern defenseman. He has a bit of a heavy stride, and he generates speed to slowly to confidently project him as an asset in transition. His lack of speed also gives him some issues on defense, although his contributions in his own end are still definitely a net positive. If Buium can improve his skating and get faster, the sky’s the limit. But as things currently stand, the rest of Buium’s tools are good enough to give him a solid chance at becoming an NHLer after he concludes his collegiate career. - EH

Cross Hanas LW

It was a fantastic fourth season of junior for Hanas last year, as he continued his progression by racking up 86 points in 63 games for the Portland Winterhawks, playing in all situations including regular penalty-killing duties for the first time. Flourishing under Winterhawks coach Mike Johnston, Hanas rounded out his game and improved in the defensive zone, gaining a greater understanding of his responsibilities without the puck. In March, the Red Wings inked him to a contract. Hanas’ best weapon is his hockey IQ. He can play center or the wing, anticipates the play well and makes excellent decisions with the puck. His puckhandling is very good (he scored a “Michigan” goal) and his vision and passing are plus attributes. An underrated finisher who models his game after Jonathan Huberdeau, the Texan is learning how to round out his game further and is focused on making the jump to the AHL this upcoming season. It will be interesting to see if the Red Wings feel he’s proved himself in the WHL and allow him to graduate, or if they feel he needs more time to fill out and add strength before playing against men. All in all, it’s been a positive trajectory for the 2020 2^nd rounder, who looks to be the latest in a long run of skilled players to come out of the Portland Winterhawks factory. - AS

Jared McIssac D

The best news about this past season? McIssac was finally able to stay healthy and played a nearly entire season in the AHL in his first full pro year. Previously, shoulder injuries had plagued McIssac, the former 36th overall selection in 2018 by the Wings. A two-time member of the Canadian World Junior (U20) team, which included a gold medal in 2020, there was significant concern that these injuries had stunted his development and decreased his likelihood of becoming an NHL contributor. After a full pro year, those concerns have been alleviated to some degree. McIssac was among the leaders in time on ice in Grand Rapids and was able to play in all situations for the Griffins. The 6’1 defender projects as a dependable two-way player. He is not flashy, nor does he have any truly elite qualities. However, he does everything well and his defensive game really improved over the course of his rookie pro season. He can make a good breakout pass, he has a smart stick in the defensive zone, and he has shown an ability to get pucks through to the net when quarterbacking the powerplay. There is a very quiet effectiveness to his game. With Detroit’s defensive depth at both the pro and the prospect levels, McIssac needs to continue to progress to eventually earn a look with the Wings. He could be a dependable #4-6 defenseman for them after another injury free year next season. - - BO

Donovan Sebrango

Fresh off playing a top pairing role and wearing an “A” for the gold medal winning Canadians at the recent WJC’s, Sebrango will be entering his third pro season already. The competitive defender projects as a defensively oriented #4-6 in Detroit’s lineup.

Carter Mazur

Not only did Mazur help Denver win an NCAA Championship last season as a freshman, but he was one of the U.S.’ best players at the WJC’s: a true breakout campaign for the hard working and intelligent winger.

Dmitri Buchelnikov

A Wings recent second round pick, Buchelnikov is a skilled winger who loves playing at a blistering pace. He will look to break into the KHL at some point this season.

Dylan James

Another Detroit second rounder in 2022, James was the USHL’s rookie of the year last season as helped Sioux City win the Clark Cup. The competitive winger is a solid net crasher who excels near the crease. He will attend North Dakota this year.

Eemil Viro

Viro may not have the highest offensive upside on the backend, but he does project as an NHL defender because of his mobility, physical aggressiveness, and defensive IQ. After two years in Liiga, he will play in the AHL this year.

Theodor Niederbach

The strong two-way center was one of the SHL’s best rookies last season. He is extremely versatile and can be used in any situation. Niederbach projects as a middle six pivot for the Wings.

Red Savage

Savage, the son of former NHL forward Brian Savage, is a different player than his father was. Redmond is a gritty, high energy forward who can be used in a change of pace role and can kill penalties. He should be a go to player at the University of Miami (Ohio) this year as a sophomore.

Carter Gylander

The massive Gylander is the former AJHL goaltender of the year, but his first two years at Colgate have only been average. He will be the program’s starter this year and the Wings will be hoping for a big step forward.

Amadeus Lombardi

A diamond in the rough heading into the 2022 Draft, Lombardi is coming off his first OHL season, however, he was a standout for Flint and the expectation is that he will be one of the better centers in the OHL this season.

Albin Grewe

Since being drafted in 2019, Grewe’s development hasn’t exactly gone according to plan. Grewe plays with intensity and loves to engage physically. He will repeat in the Swedish second division this season with Mora, hopefully improving his offensive production.

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK: Fantasy Prospect Rankings – 30 Forwards, 20 Defenseman, 10 Goalies

Peter Harling — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 18:19:43 +0000

When preparing for a fantasy draft or evaluating prospects for a trade in your fantasy league you need to understand the difference between rankings, and fantasy rankings.

The difference can be subtle, or significant depending on your leagues scoring and format. Generally speaking, fantasy rankings are based on projected point production. I have found that the vast majority of readers that read and follow my work are in dynasty keeper leagues with peripheral stats, or bangers leagues.

The following rankings are based on projected point production and include added value to players that can contribute other stats, such as hits, blocks, PIM’s and faceoff wins.

In fantasy hockey, we have a limited number of prospect roster spots and as such I put higher value on prospects that have a quicker ETA to the NHL or have superstar upside.

This will help you identify the top 30 forwards, 20 defencemen and ten goalies to target in your fantasy leagues.

To be considered a prospect, skaters must be under 26-years-old, and have played in under 60 career games, or less than 35 in a single season. For goalies, less than 30 games played, or 15 in a single season.

Forward Rankings

VANCOUVER, BC - APRIL 26: Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers (10) skates up ice during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on April 26, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire)

Matty Beniers, C – Seattle Kraken

The Kraken are poised to get an offensive boost this coming season with the additions of Andre Burakovsky and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Those two new wingers will be centered by the Krakens first ever draft pick Matty Beniers, who finishing the season in the NHL scoring nine points in the final ten games. Beniers is a Calder favorite.

Marco Rossi, C – Minnesota Wild

I projected Rossi to make the Wild after his draft in 2020, but he lost a year of development to COVID. He returned last year in the AHL and is now poised to crack a top six with the Wild. Another Calder favorite.

Cole Perfetti, C/LW – Winnipeg Jets

Thanks to the pandemic, Perfetti now has two seasons of pro development, and the 20-year-old is NHL ready to take a top six role with the Jets. “Goal” Perfetti could develop into a 40-goal scorer.

Mason McTavish, C – Anaheim Ducks

The power forward played nine games to start the season with the Ducks before returning to junior to lead Hamilton to an OHL championship. In multi-cat leagues, McTavish will check all the boxes, points, PP points, hits, FOW, he will do it all.

Kent Johnson, C – Columbus Blue Jackets

Johnson may start on the wing, and may not offer much in peripheral stats, but he will rack up points early and often in his career. If Johnson can lock down a top six center role, he will have either or both Patrick Laine and Johnny Gaudreau on his wing.

NEWARK, NJ - OCTOBER 04: New Jersey Devils right wing Alexander Holtz (10) skates during the first period of the pre-season National Hockey League game between the New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals on October 4, 2021 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)

Alexander Holtz, RW – New Jersey Devils

The Swedish sniper scored 26 goals and 51 points in the AHL as a rookie. He only had two points in nine NHL games, but he is poised to secure a top six role with the Devils. He is a future 30 goal scorer.

Quinton Byfield, C – LA Kings

Bigger players can take a little longer to develop and the Kings are taking their time with Byfield. The big, smooth skating center can evolve into a dominant NHL first line center, and a dominant multi-cat fantasy asset as well. This one may take a few years yet, but he will be well worth the wait.

Jack Quinn, RW – Buffalo Sabres

I was very critical of the Sabres selecting Quinn ahead of Rossi in the 2020 draft. I still am, but Quinn has been excellent since then dominating the AHL. The gap between the two may be indistinguishable when all is said and done. Quinn is a blue-chip prospect.

Shane Wright, C – Seattle Kraken

The projected number one prospect in the 2022 Draft fell to fourth. It lit a fire in him and falling to Seattle may be the best thing for him as he has less competition to make the roster. Wright could make Montreal regret passing him by.

William Eklund, LW – San Jose Sharks

Eklund nearly made the Sharks out of his draft but was sent back to the SHL for one more year of development. Eklund will make the team this year and be a top six winger with Calder aspirations.

RED DEER, ALBERTA - DECEMBER 27: Juraj Slafkovsky #20 of Slovakia protects the puck from Isak Rosen #23 of Sweden during the second period in preliminary round action a the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship at WP Centrium on December 27, 2021 in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/HHOF-IIHF Images)

Juraj Slafkovsky, LW – Montreal Canadiens

The first overall pick in the 2022 draft may start in the NHL, but will need Mike Hoffman and Jonathan Drouin to falter to allow an opportunity for Slafkovsky to step in. As he showed in the World Championship and Olympics, he is up for the task.

Nick Robertson, LW – Toronto Maple Leafs

Injuries limited him to just 28 AHL games last year, but he managed 28 points. The Leafs need cap friendly roster players and Robertson could step into a top six role on the high-octane offensive Leafs roster out of training camp.

Dylan Guenther, LW/RW – Arizona Coyotes

Guenther torched the WHL with a 91-point season and has one more year of junior eligibility to play. Their will be some more wait time before he is lighting NHL goal lamps, but his upside is tremendous.

Shane Pinto, C – Ottawa Senators

Pinto looked to be a lock for 2C, but injuries ended his season after just five games. If he can stay healthy, he would be third line centre at worst providing points, hits, and FOW.

Lukas Reichel, LW – Chicago Blackhawks

The German winger was excellent as a rookie in the AHL and showed he is NHL ready. The Hawks are rebuilding, and he is a part of their future. Reichel will see ice time in the NHL and as the Hawks continue to ship out veterans for futures, his role will increase.

Logan Cooley, C – Arizona Coyotes

The third overall pick in the 2022 Entry Draft could have the highest offensive upside from his draft class. He has committed to play in the NCAA with the University of Minnesota where he may play two seasons

Jakob Pelletier, LW – Calgary Flames

With roster spots opening in Calgary, the time is nigh for Pelletier to play his way in to the Flames top six. He checks all the boxes, has carried his dominant offense to the pro level, has character and leadership. He will help Flames fans get over the loss of Johnny hockey and Tkachuk.

Mavrik Bourque, C – Dallas Stars

In his final junior campaign Bourque led Shawinigan to a QMJHL Championship and laid claim to the Guy Lafleur Trophy as the Playoffs MVP. He already has a cup of coffee in the AHL and may not be long for the NHL

Jake Neighbours, LW – St. Louis Blues

Neighbours is graduating to the pro level, and while he may not have elite offensive upside, he brings a heavy physical game and could be the Blues next David Backes.

Brendan Brisson, C – Vegas Golden Knights

Brisson was a key and underrated player for Michigan on their march to the frozen four. He destroyed the AHL with Henderson in the final seven games posting eight points. Vegas will need players on ELC deals o round out their roster and Brisson could have a ripe opportunity.

Thomas Bordeleau, C – San Jose Sharks

Bordeleau posted a point pr game with Michigan before playing eight NHL games with the Sharks and another eight games for USA at the World Championships. Surpassing veterans Nick Bonino and Nico Sturm on the Sharks roster shouldn’t be to difficult for Bordeleau.

Jonatan Berggren, W/C – Detroit Red Wings

The 22-year-old kicked in the front door of the AHL in his debut in North America to the tune of 64 points in 70 games with the Griffins. He will be a big part of the Yzer-Plan and will try to make a similar splash in the NHL this year.

Dylan Holloway, LW/C – Edmonton Oilers

The 20-year-old has two years of NCAA development and had a successful AHL rookie campaign in Bakersfield. At 6-1 and 203 pounds he brings a good blend of offensive punch and hits.

Wyatt Johnston, C – Dallas Stars

Drafted 23^rd overall after missing the entire season, the Stars have been rewarded for the faith in Johnston as he torched the OHL with a 124-point season. He still has another year of junior eligibility to play but his upside is tremendous.

Brennan Othmann, LW – New York Rangers

Othmann wore the captain’s “C” for the Flint Firebirds last year and posted a 50-goal season and 97 points. The power winger has another year of OHL to play before he turns pro.

Bobby Brink, RW – Philadelphia Flyers

Brink posted 57 points in 41 games in his junior year at the University of Denver before finishing the year in the NHL with ten games in Philadelphia. As the Flyers rebuild or retool Brink will be a big part of the future.

Matthew Knies, LW – Toronto Maple Leafs

Knies was a force both physically and offensively for the Golden Gophers. His play warned him a roster spot with USA at the Olympics where he produced two points in four games. He looks NHL ready now but returned for a sophomore season, look for him t finish the year with the Leafs.

J. J. Peterka, RW – Buffalo Sabres

The feisty German had a banner rookie campaign in the AHL with 68 points in 70 regular season games and had another 12 points in 10 playoff matches. He is NHL ready and will also provide some peripheral stats to boot.

Xavier Bourgault, C – Edmonton Oilers

Bourgault averaged over a PPG in his WHL career finishing with a 75-point season in only 43 games, with 22 points in 16 playoff games. He is ready to bring his offense to the pro level and will play a year in Bakersfield. If his production carries over to the pro level, he will be dynamite!

Matias Maccelli, LW – Arizona Coyotes

After two strong seasons of pro hockey in the Liiga, Maccelli made a splash in his AHL rookie season posting 57 points in 47 games and playing his way into 23 NHL games with the Coyotes. He lacks draft pedigree and is a sleeper but has the upside to be a Calder candidate and a fantasy darling.

Defense Rankings

Owen Power, Buffalo Sabers

The first overall pick in the 2021 Draft returned to Michigan for more development. His season ended in the NHL but not before he also represented Canada at the Olympics. His ten game NHL preview was promising with three points, ten shots and nine blocks.

ST. LOUIS, MO - NOVEMBER 22: St. Louis Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich (48) during a NHL game between the Las Vegas Golden Knights and the St. Louis Blues on November 22, 2021, at Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire),

Scott Perunovich, St. Louis Blues

After missing an entire season to injury, his pro debut was delayed a year, but he rebounded in spectacular fashion with 22 points n 17 games in the AHL. His dominant play earned him an NHL recall, but again injuries limited his play to 19 games. His upside is elite, but the injuries are a concern.

Luke Hughes, New Jersey Devils

Hughes will play another season in the NCAA with Michigan to refine his defensive game. Offensively he is already dominant having scored 17 goals with the Wolverines, and four points in 10 World Championship games with USA. The wait may be a little longer on Hughes, but the upside is tremendous.

Jake Sanderson, Ottawa Senators

After posting over a point per game in his sophomore season, Sanderson will begin his pro career. There may be some AHL development time in the near future, but the long-term fantasy upside in multi-cat leagues is very high.

Calen Addison, Minnesota Wild

In his second pro campaign Addison posted 34 points and 70 PIMS in 43 games in the AHL. His strong play earned him four different NHL recalls totalling in 15 games and four points. He is ready for the NHL now and will be a top pairing D in short order.

Simon Edvinsson, Detroit Red Wings

Can the Wings boast back-to-back Norris Trophy winning defencemen? It’s very possible! Edvinsson comes to North America with two seasons of SHL development under his belt. He will go from playing for Sweden at the WJC to the Red Wings camp to win a roster spot in the NHL.

Olen Zellweger, Anaheim Ducks

Zellweger fantasy stock is rising like a rocket. He exploded for 78 points in 55 games with Everett in the WHL. He still has a year of junior eligibility remaining, but don’t be surprised if he graduates and plays with the Ducks this year. Even if you must stash him in your minors for a year, he is a keeper.

Jack Rathbone, Vancouver Canucks

The 2017 fourth round pick is under a lot of people’s radar, but with two seasons of pro development he has 49 points in 47 AHL games and has dressed for 17 NHL games. Cracking the Canucks blueline shouldn’t be too difficult.

Cam York, Philadelphia Flyers

York barely qualifies for this list as he played in 30 NHL games last year, but he does, and he will be a full time NHL player going forward. The addition of Tony DeAngelo could hurt his PP time immediately, but he will get prime deployment in time.

Brandt Clarke, LA Kings

The Captain of the Barrie Colts scored 59 points in 55 games and will be back in the OHL for another year of dominance. It’s a mystery how he is not on the Canadian WJC roster as he is an elite all-around defender.

Kaiden Guhle, Montreal Canadiens

The big, mobile 6-2 defender helped propel the Edmonton Oil Kings to the Memorial Cup after a mid-season trade. His pro career is about to begin, and the Canadiens blue line is a barren wasteland, just waiting for him to assume the throne. The wait will be short

Simon Nemec, New Jersey Devils

Selected second overall, the Devils passed on both Logan Cooley and Shane Wright to select the right shot defenseman. Nemec could take some time to become a fantasy relevant producer, but it will happen.

David Jiricek, Columbus Blue Jackets

Jiricek is the Jackets top defensive prospect, but their blue line is a crowded one and it may take a little time for the 18-year-old to break into the lineup.

SAN JOSE, CA - MARCH 12: Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jordan Spence (53) carries the puck during the NHL game between the San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings on March 12, 2022 at SAP Center in San Jose, CA. (Photo by Matt Cohen/Icon Sportswire)

Jordan Spence, LA Kings

Don’t sleep on Spence, since being a fourth-round pick in 2019 he has won the QMJHL Defenseman of the Year Award, played his way onto Team Canada at the WJC and scored 42 points in 46 games as an AHL rookie, and made his NHL debut playing in 24 games. He is ready for full time NHL duty.

Lukas Cormier, Vegas Golden Knights

Cormier is using the WJC in August as a primer for his petition to bypass the AHL and play for the Golden Knights. His 207 career points in 208 QMJHL will be on any fantasy radar, but he also hits, despite being 5-10

Justin Barron, Montreal Canadiens

Barron played most of his rookie pro season in the AHL with 20 points in 43 games for the Eagles, but he also played in seven NHL games for the Avalanche and Canadiens.

Denton Mateychuk, Columbus Blue Jackets3

Mateychuk may have the highest offensive ceiling from defensemen in the 2022 Draft class. He has another year of development ahead in the WHL and then some AHL time, but his ceiling is very high.

Philip Broberg, Edmonton Oilers

Broberg has arrived in Edmonton as a top four. Can he win some power play time away from Tyson Barrie, Darnell Nurse, and Evan Bouchard?

Nils Lundkvist, New York Rangers

The 2018 first round pick finally came to North America, splitting time between the AHL and the NHL. He likely sees a similar time share this season as the Rangers have a formidable back end.

Thomas Harley, Dallas Stars

If Harley played one more game, he would not have been eligible as a prospect, but he played 34 games for the Stars and is poised to be a full-time player going forward.

Goaltending Ranking

Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota Wild

The Wild’s future starting goalie is the whole package. He has size, athleticism, tracks the puck and is positionally sound. Fleury signing a two-year deal may delay his inevitable reign as an elite starting goalie.

Yaroslav Askarov, Nashville Predators

This coming season will be a key development period for the Russian. After playing a limited number of games in Russia, he will make his North American debut in the AHL with Milwaukee. With Saros in place for the foreseeable future, Askarov can take a year or two in the AHL to refine his game.

Pyotr Kochetkov, Carolina Hurricanes

Kochetkov made an impressive debut in North America to end the season. He posted a 13-1-2 record in the AHL and even made his NHL debut starting in three games, winning all three. With both Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta on expiring deals, Kochetkov could be the Canes starter sooner than later.

Dustin Wolf, Calgary Flames

After posting stellar numbers in Everett the question was could he do it in the pros? His rookie season was outstanding posting a 33-9-5 record. Wolf has staring goalie upside, but with Jacob Markstrom in place through 2026, its not happening soon.

Devon Levi, Buffalo Sabres

After coming out of nowhere to back stop team Canada to a WJC Silver Medal and being named Best Goalie in the Tournament, he took his breakout to another level in the NCAA. As a freshman goalie he posted a 21-10-1 record with 10 shutouts to lead Northeaster to a Hockey East Championship. Levi won the Mike Richter award as NCAA Top Goaltender and was a Hobey Baker finalist. He is the Sabres best goaltending prospect.

Sebastian Cossa, Detroit Red Wings

The 6-6 netminder back stopped the Edmonton Oil Kings to the Memorial Cup. The Yzer-plan is starting to take form and Cossa could be in place to tend the crease when the Red Wings are a contender again.

Lukas Dostal, Anaheim Ducks

Dostal has two AHL seasons development to his credit and is looking ready for prime time. His future looks like split time between the NHL and AHL for a year before he settles into a tandem situation in Anaheim.

Daniil Tarasov, Columbus Blue Jackets

Tarasov was playing his way into the Blue Jackets roster before a hip injury prematurely ended his season. He will be back in November and should pick up where he left off.

Cayden Primeau, Montreal Canadiens

Montreal has enjoyed premium goaltending for decades. Carey Price, Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden. As the Canadiens top goalie prospect, Primeau has a lot to live up to.

Drew Commesso, Chicago Blackhawks

Heading for his junior season as a Boston Terrier, Commesso drew into two games for USA at the Olympics, winning both and posting a shutout. The Hawks are biding their time with stop gap goalies while they rebuild, and the long-term solution is Commesso.

EUROPEAN PROSPECT ROUNDUP

Chapin Landvogt — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 19:51:45 +0000

210521 Juraj Slafkovsky of Slovakia ahead of the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship game between Belarus and Slovakia on May 21, 2021 in Riga.
Photo: Simon Hastegård / BILDBYRÅN / kod SH / SH0105

The 21-22 season has been underway for over eight weeks now, with the KHL having kicked off the fun already at the end of the summer. This past weekend marked a basically European-wide break in regular season action so that just about everybody’s national team can participate at a number of tournaments across the continent. This applies not only to the men’s teams, but also the U20, U18, and in some cases, U17 sides.

This also serves as an excellent time to take a look at a number of drafted and yet undrafted prospects throughout the continent and fortunately for the hockey world, there’s been a ton of interesting news on the prospect front!

One of the most interesting developments of the season can be seen in the KHL, where Winnipeg Jets 5th round draft pick, Dmitiri Rashevsky, taken as an overager in his third year of eligibility, has exceeded many expectations in popping in 14 goals and 24 points over 27 games thus far. That’s good for 19th in scoring throughout the entire league. He’s also sporting a strong +13 rating and thanks to some real good offensive company playing for Dynamo Moscow, there’s really little reason to think he’ll slow up all that much this season. It’s safe to say he’s the highest scoring 21-year-old in the KHL just now.

Making less noise in the KHL this season is Yaroslav Askarov (NAS), who has a very respectable 2.01 GAA and .904 save percentage in five KHL outings with SKA, but only a 1-1-2 record to show for it. That he’s spent four games with the club’s VHL affiliate, putting up a 2-2 record with almost identical stats doesn’t have to mean anything in the long term, but it also means he’s not quite at where recent star Russian goaltending prospects like Igor Shestyorkin and Ilya Sorokin were at his age. Alas, there is still some hockey to be played this year.

The KHL is naturally chock full of recent or older NHL draft picks, but few are looking as good at the moment as Arseni Gritsyuk (NJD). The mid-sized lefty shot has shown that his bursts of speed are effective against Russia’s best at the men’s level and he’s currently got five goals and 10 points in 18 games, having often received sheltered minutes along the way this season. Another Devils draft pick doing fine in the KHL is 2020 first rounder Shakir Mukhamadullin who is taking a regular shift for traditional power Salavat and has three goals and seven points in 27 games. He had just as many goals last season in 39 games, but it’s the overall comfort and wherewithal of his defensive game that’s sticking out. There’s routine there, and a calmer sense of urgency.

Of course, this is and continues to be the eventful year of the Matvei Michkov watch. Being 16 and getting into 10 KHL games (3 points) is a feat in and of itself, but his 11 goals and 18 points in seven games in the junior level MHL went to show that he’s ready for much more daunting tasks. He’s debuting in the Russian national team this weekend, where he’s got the hockey Twitterworld jumping out of the seats over his “Michigan goal” against Sweden. Getting phone calls from Alex Ovechkin is the icing on the cake for now and the hockey world is simply praying that the soon-to-be 17-year-old will be part of the WJC-fun in Edmonton next month.

And while the prospect talked is covered in kind by Michkov, Alexander Perevalov is quietly tearing apart the top junior league with 17 goals, 33 points, and a +21 in 22 games while fellow top 2022 prospect Ivan Miroschnichenko continues to turn heads with his nine points in 20 VHL games, meaning the 17-year-old is playing a solid role against men in Russia’s second highest pro circuit.

Nordic bliss

Next door in Finland, there’s no less noise being made by a few of the nation’s top youngsters. The biggest news in Liiga is Toronto Maple Leafs pick Topi Niemela, a defenseman taken in the 3rd round of the 2020 NHL Draft, is fifth overall in league scoring with four goals and 18 points in 20 games. We are talking about a 19-year-old kid who’s barely 170 pounds soaking wet. He was already a sensation for Finland at last winter’s WJC and he’ll be looking to return to Edmonton as Suomi’s go-to guy on the blueline.

He may very well be joined on the team by the OTHER biggest sensation in Liiga play this year, namely the just now draft-eligible Joakim Kemell and boy, has this kid been something special. His 12 goals lead the league, and his 18 points have him tied for second overall in league scoring, one point behind the league leader. More amazingly is that he’s done it in just 16 games, five less than the league’s top point producer. Some hockey people knew he’d be a player this year after no less than his five goals and six points in five Hlinka Gretzky Tournament games, but his season has been off the charts. There’s no other way of putting it.

Also doing well for themselves are a couple of smaller, offensively oriented defensemen. Anttoni Honka (CAR) has already got 13 points in 20 games after a fantastic 31 in 58 games last season. He’s really done nothing less than steadily produced since Carolina drafted him. Then there’s former Detroit Red Wings 2015 pick Vili Saarijarvi. Yes, of course, he had plenty of time in North America and now his rights belong to Arizona, but after 36 points for Lukko in 50 games last season, he’s currently chugging away with four goals and 15 points in 20 games this season. In short, it’s looking like a career year for the 24-year-old who was in action this past weekend for his national team.

Speaking of offensive defensemen, when directing our eyes towards the future, there’s no getting around Kasper Kulonummi, a 17-year-old who currently has 15 points in 19 games for Jokerit’s U20 program. It is of note seeing as how he had six assists at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and had a point in every game for his nation at a U18 outing this weekend.

As we continue looking westward, Sweden is once again providing the world with plenty to talk about at the U21 level. No team is more aware of this than the Detroit Red Wings. To begin, defenseman Simon Edvinsson has basically been the best U21 player in the country. Sure, his nine points and +7 in 16 games for Frolunda, a team always in the hunt for the championship, has been sweet, but we just can’t emphasize enough how solid he’s been in an all-round capacity. His understanding of his position and how to use his enormous body to his advantage is clearly beyond his years.

His teammate Elmer Soderblom is a giant at 6’8”, 238 lbs., and has seen his development take a considerable boost after what was already a strong 20-21 showing. He’s been getting first line minutes on a term with four solid lines, and it’s resulted in eight goals and 11 points in 19 games. There’s also first year SHLer Theodor Niederbach who has managed to stick with the big club through 19 games. His four points are nothing to write home about, but he’s showing a keen sense of doing what’s necessary to stick in the line-up and assume the role necessary in a line-up that is full of established offensive players.

And keeping in line with Frolunda, the Red Wings also drafted Liam Dower Nilsson, who has gotten into seven games (zero points) with the big club but has also chipped in 17 points in 14 U20 league games, so he too is right on track with his progression as he still looks to throw his name into the WJC team hat.

Then there are defensemen William Wallinder and Albert Johansson. Both are playing top four minutes of late for their SHL clubs Rögle and Färjestad, respectively. Wallinder has been very hot of late, having chipped in three goals and eight points in 16 games while Johansson has nine points in 17 games. Both have been showing plenty of the attributes that got them drafted and their upwards projection continues to have experts in the business looking at these guys as viable future NHLers.

That’s a lot of Swedish for one club, especially considering the Red Wings also have Jonatan Berggren doing just fine in his first season with the team’s AHL club (seven points in 10 games thus far).

But both the SHL and Allsvenskan are filled with plenty of other draftees and young men the NHL teams have their eyes on. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Pontus Holmgren (12 points) continues to be a strong contributor for Växjö, for whom he was the playoff MVP in last season’s championship run. Filip Cederqvist (BUF) and Linus Karlsson (VAN) are chugging along just fine with 11 points apiece, both having larger SHL roles than ever before. The same can be said for Calle Själin (NYR) and Ole Lycksell (PHI), but their 11 points are a little more special, as Själin is a defenseman and Lycksell has collected his in just 14 games.

When it comes to the Allsvenskan, we’d like to mention two defensemen in particular. One is Emil Andrae, a Flyers second rounder who is playing for HV71 this season, a team that has won 14 of 15 games and is on a concrete mission to gain its way back into the SHL. Andrae’s 13 points in 12 games has contributed to this endeavor thus far, even if Philadelphia would ideally like to see him suiting up for an SHL club. Then there’s Axel Bergkvist, who is playing for Mora and who’s rights belong to Arizona. He’s still just 21, has 13 points in 14 games, and is only two seasons removed from a 52-point year with Kitchener. He’s not tall, but well-built and we all know some guys are just late bloomers, so Bergkvist is one we’ll watch throughout the season.

Sweden’s 2022 draft watch has become very exciting as well, as just about all eyes have been on Djurgarden. Top prospects Liam Öhgren, Noah Östlund, and Jonathan Lekkermäki all did some major damage at the nation’s U20 level before getting a shot with the SHL club. Öhrgren has spent the most time in the bigs, collecting two points over 14 games. Östlund has gotten into seven games and Lekkermäki into three, both remaining pointless, but the latter has an impressive 16 goals and 25 points in just 16 U20 league games. Each is just 17-years old, and health and injuries will continue to play a role in just how much they play in the SHL, but that’s not looking like an issue for fellow 17-year-old Marco Kasper, the super Austrian who has four goals and six points in 16 contests for Rögle. His feat is quite impressive in light of the team’s role as a championship contender and in that it features a U20 outfit chock full of impressive players, including several who have already been drafted. We’d also like to mention that Kasper has six points in six CHL games for Rögle as well.

Not to be forgotten in all the hoopla around the 2022 prospects is the fact that 6’2”, 185 lbs. Leo Carlsson of Örebro has chalked up four points in 14 SHL games. He’s just 16 and first eligible for the 2023 draft. Will we see him suiting up for Sweden at the U18 worlds? His chances of being part of that outfit are very high.

Slavic revival

The Hlinka Gretzky Tournament this summer was a “case in point” in what some had been saying was on the way, namely that the Slovakian program had a special wave of players on the way up. Indeed, it’s looking so good that some in the region are reminiscing about the days when Peter Stastny and Zdeno Cigar were ushering in the Zigmund Palffys, Miro Satans, and Peter Bondras of the world, with the Marians Hossa and Gaborik soon to follow. There are several key reasons for this.

To begin, the 6’4”, 225 lbs. Juraj Slafkovsky has been trucking down a road to a top 10 selection for well over a year now. Sure, he’s got but three points in 14 Liiga games this season, but his 17 points in nine U20 league games as well as his six goals and nine points in five Hlinka Gretzky Tourney outings have shown him to be among the best anywhere in his age group. Scouts naturally love his size and jam, as Juraj isn’t one to take anyone’s crap. And why should he with a body like his? That he can do some playmaking and rocket off shots has got more than a few just licking their chops about the possibilities.

Behind him, albeit not all too far, are defenseman Simon Nemec, likely one of the top five defensemen available in this draft class, and forward Filip Mesar, who debuted for the Slovakian men’s team this past weekend at the Deutschland Cup. Both are 17, both are playing in Slovakia’s top men’s league, and both scored at over a PPG pace at the Hlinka Gretzky event. Also getting a long look this winter are Jakub Krizan, a left wing who is clipping at more than a PPG pace in the U18 and U20 leagues while having collected five points in nine second league games, and Alex Sotek, a right winger who has suited up for five different clubs in four different leagues but sticks out thanks to his nine goals and 34 points in just 18 U20 league games. Then there’s Adam Sykora, who hasn’t put up a whole lot of points this season (just four) but takes a fairly regular shift in Slovakia’s top league and is expected to make the WJC squad as a part of its defensive conscious.

All this is without even spending time on defenseman Jozef Kmec (Prince George Cougars) and center Servac Petrovsky (Owen Sound Attack), both of whom are doing just fine for their CHL clubs.

The fun naturally doesn’t stop there as the group of boys establishing themselves for the 2023 draft may even be more impressive. Defenseman Maxim Strbak is just 16 but honing his craft as a regular contributor in Finland’s U20 league. Winger Frantisek Ridzon has seen two games of action in both of Slovakia’s two highest pro circuits, but at 16 is making a laughingstock of the nation’s U20 league with 25 points in 16 games. One of his Nitra colleagues is Ondrej Molnar, who had six points at the Hlinka this summer, and has been the driving force of the Slovakian U18 squad that also plays in Slovakia’s second highest men’s league. Questionable is if any of them can really compare to Alex Ciernik, son of former part-time NHLer Ivan Ciernik, who is making serious noise with Södertälje’s U20 team, for which he’s got 21 points in 19 games. He too was a prime contributor at the Hlinka Gretzky Tournament (seven points) and has been playing in Sweden for the past four seasons.

Now, for the really astute among our readers, you’ll probably have noticed that nearly a dozen names have been provided here without a word about the most exciting, up-and-coming Slovak out there, namely Dalibor Dvorsky. Yep, we’re talking about the 16-year-old who had 12 points at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He’s the same kid who is second in scoring in Sweden’s U20 league with 27 points in 18 games. By the way, the leading scorer has two more points in two more games. Dvorsky’s feats have also led to two appearances with AIK’s men’s team, which plays in the Allsvenskan. This season is still young, so we really don’t know just what accomplishments Dvorsky will be capable of, but if he’d manage to lead the “J20 Nationell” in scoring, he’d be the youngest player ever to do so.

In light of all this, it’s a true shame that Slovakia’s U18 team isn’t even in the top IIHF group. Yep, the opportunity to gain promotion has been squashed two springs in a row by the worldwide pandemic. Nonetheless, insiders are already contemplating what Slovakia may be capable of doing at next spring’s D1A U18 event.

Some fans out there may be wondering what the big brother Czechs think of all this, considering they’ve continued to have the upper hand internationally for the better part of this decade. What we can definitely say is that righty shot defenseman David Jiricek is doing all he can to get himself into top 10 draft consideration. At 6’3”, the two-way rearguard has four goals and nine points in 20 games at the highest level in the Czech Republic. He’ll be returning to the WJC, probably with a letter on his chest, and one’s got to think that it’s a prime goal of his to outshine Nemec in gaining the better draft position. He’s certainly making that case in pro play this fall.

Tidbits from elsewhere

In Austria, the Red Bull Hockey Juniors (a U23 outfit) have started to pick things up in the professional league AlpsHL, where the kids for several nations - predominantly Austria and Germany - play against grown men. The start was a rough one, but there’s been an upswing in recent weeks and one of the highlights of this move up the standings has been 17-year-old Austrian Luca Auer, a righty shot forward who has 10 goals, 25 points, and a +18 in 18 games. For perspective, Danjo Leonhardt led the team in scoring last winter with 35 points in 32 games while Julian Lutz made headlines with his 13 goals, 26 points, and +13 in 31 games, granted as a 15- and 16-year-old. Auer has a motor and loves to drive the net. He’s also got a mid-July birthday, so you know where he's at draftwise.

It’s also been a while since Slovenia has provided the NHL world with a legitimate prospect, but one young man who is playing in Germany is doing his darndest to change that. Currently leading the Krefeld U23 side that plays in the Oberliga Nord, Germany’s third pro circuit, in scoring is forward Marcel Mahkovec. He’s got an impressive 5-12-17 in just 13 games and has also chipped in 6-9-15 in 8 games for the club’s DNL team. That he’s just 17 is what has many wondering just how high his prospects are? Compact and creative, Mahkovec has suited up 23 times for Slovenia’s U19 selects for various test games and tournaments, putting up 23 goals and 44 points in the process. Also look to see him on the nation’s men’s team, even if only at lower levels of international play.

Finally, we don’t spend a whole lot of time looking at overagers, or more specifically, kids who just aged out of the draft picture entirely, but we’d like to throw some light on two young men in Switzerland’s NL who you may want to keep in the back of your mind for down the road. One is 21-year-old defenseman Mika Henauer who is in his fourth season of pro hockey. He already gained our attention last year by becoming a top four option for Bern basically out of nowhere, putting up 3-14-17 in the process. He was one of the youngest regular blueliners in the league. After 22 games this season, he’s already collected 3-8-11 and continues to grow in importance for his team.

The other name we’d like to bandy about is that of Nando Eggenberger. Yes, you know it. The former Oshawa General once looked like a possible up-n-comer but fell off the map completely after a terrible 19-20 season. Now 22, he’s coming off his best season to date (12 goals in 50 NL games) and looking to put a whole new spin on things, already collecting 16 points in 21 games. To be certain, Eggenberger has a power forward body and can be difficult to handle along the boards and in the corners. The question has always been whether he’s going to start scoring at some point. He is on pace to blow away career highs and place his name into World Championship consideration for the Swiss side.

2021-22 TOP 15 PROSPECTS: DETROIT RED WINGS – RANK: #1 – TIER I

McKeen's Hockey — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 15:59:30 +0000

Detroit Red Wings

#1 Detroit - Now the deepest system in the game, there are four teams that don't have two prospects that would get into Detroit's top ten.

DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 22: Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider (53) takes a shot during the second period of a preseason game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings on September 22, 2019, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI. (Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire)

Mortiz Seider

The sixth overall draft pick in the 2019 draft, Seider spent the 2020-21 season cementing his spot as one of the world’s top U23 players currently outside of the NHL. After an overall fantastic 2019-20 season with the Grand Rapid Griffins of the AHL, in which Seider - as an 18-year-old - was second on the team in defenseman scoring with 22 points while also having chipped in six assists in seven WJC games for Germany, the young defender put a new spin on his prospect status by taking on a top three role for Rögle BK of the Swedish SHL, usually paired with former NHLer Eric Gelinas. There, his continued growth in the offensive department coupled with his ever more solid defensive play and a highlight reel of spectacular hits led to him being named the SHL’s Defenseman of the Year and the SHL’s Top Junior Player, as decided by the Swedish-based website Eliteprospect. Not to be forgotten is that he also played in the SHL finals, where his club bowed out to eventual Swedish champion Växjö.

From there, Seider proceeded to join Team Germany for the Men’s World Championship in Latvia and only added to his already impressive accolades, being named the tournament’s top defenseman and earning a spot on the all-star team while playing a key role in seeing Germany finish fourth overall in the tournament. Physically mature despite his age, and a quiet displayer of unwavering confidence in his game, Seider is expected to suit up for the Red Wings next season after leaving few doubts about what he’s capable of at the highest levels outside of the NHL. As defensemen generally have a longer learning curve, he will surely make his share of mistakes along the way, but Seider has a strong shot at establishing himself as a top four NHL defenseman as soon as this upcoming season, perhaps even pairing up with newly acquired veteran Nick Leddy. Thanks to his strong physical build and iron lung, all indications are that he’s a star in the making for what should be a solid 15-year career at the NHL level. - CL

Lucas Raymond

Raymond is looking forward to playing on the North American ice as he is coming to the AHL (or NHL) after signing his ELC with the Wings. Having spent his whole career with Frölunda HC, the Göteborg native is going to play for a different club for the first time. Raymond is a high-caliber prospect, the fourth overall pick in the 2020 Draft, who confirmed a lot of expectations in the last season. He scored 18 points in 34 SHL games while playing on the third line, and his PPG was the highest of all U20 forwards not named William Eklund.

Raymond should benefit from being with the Griffins, getting used to the smaller ice and different style of play. He should fit into the league right away and should immediately get a top six role. He looked very good in the SHL, a league no weaker than the AHL, despite having a limited role. The Red Wings should be in no rush; Raymond has all the tools to become a top line forward. He has great hands, hockey IQ, and plays a well-rounded game. He is a bit undersized (5-10”) but fights for the puck very hard and should jump to the NHL after getting some time in the league a level below. Look for him to spend the majority of the year in the AHL, but if he plays well, he could earn a promotion by midseason. - MD

Simon Edvinsson

One of the draft’s most polarizing players, Edvinsson was an extremely intriguing prospect for the 2021 Draft. At 6’5 and over 200lbs, Edvinsson is a really big young man. However, he is also one of the best skating defenders outside of the NHL. This combines to give him an exciting physical tool set. Of course, what makes him polarizing is whether you believe that he has the vision and awareness to be a consistent offensive contributor, and subsequently a top pairing defender. Obviously, the Detroit Red Wings felt he did when making him the 6th overall selection.

As a mover, Edvinsson is both explosive moving forward and agile in all four directions. His linear speed and power make him a threat to go end to end, while Edvinsson can play aggressively defensively because of his quickness and comfort level moving laterally and backwards. Offensively, the majority of Edvinsson’s offense is created in transition because of his speed and ability to carve up the neutral zone. With open ice, Edvinsson looks dominant. As those openings collapse around him, his offensive game becomes more inconsistent because his vision and poise come into question. If he learns to make better decisions with the puck and continues to evolve as a physical player, he does have the potential to be one of the better defensemen in the NHL and a dominant two-way force. Even in a worst-case scenario, you have to hope that his size and mobility combination makes him a high-end defensive stalwart who can still play in your top four. He will continue his development in the SHL this coming season. - McKeen’s Draft Guide 2021

Sebastian Cossa

The 6’6 Edmonton Oil Kings stopper has been sensational for two straight WHL seasons, narrowly losing out on the Goaltender of the Year award this season to Calgary Flames prospect Dustin Wolf. Cossa only lost one game last season and his .941 save percentage (albeit in a small sample size) was third best all time in WHL history (six points back of Carter Hart’s remarkable 2018 season). The key to his success is his combination of size and athleticism. Obviously, at 6’6, Cossa takes up a large portion of the net. However, he is also very quick post to post and gets in and out of the butterfly quickly, allowing him to make difficult saves look easy. Far from a polished product, The Detroit Red Wings feel that Cossa has a chance to be among the very best in the NHL when his development is complete.

Like most larger goaltenders, Cossa will need to continue to develop as more of a goaltender, rather than a stopper. Currently he relies on a strong Edmonton defense to clear the crease for him, limiting second chance opportunities on the rebounds he puts back into the slot. At this point, Cossa has to be considered a lock for one of the spots on Team Canada at the next World Junior Championships, perhaps even the most likely starter. Cossa will also return to the WHL as the top contender for next year’s Goaltender of the Year. Like any netminder, patience will be required, but Cossa does have the potential to be an elite NHL player and perennial Vezina contender. - McKeen’s Draft Guide 2021

Jonatan Berggren

Berggren had a historically good season in 2020/21; he had the second highest number of assists by any U21 SHL forward ever. The only one who he was behind is a well-known world-class name – Henrik Sedin. Berggren is yet another Red Wings prospect who did really well in the domestic top league and should be coming to North America after signing his ELC. He is expected to start the season in the AHL but starting right away in Detroit is not unlikely. He might even crack the opening night roster.

Berggren has always been an elite playmaker and his last season proves he has elite level passing and vision. The Red Wings need talent and offensive skills; something Jonatan Berggren can provide them with. On the other hand, it's probably better for him to spend some time in the AHL to adjust to the North American game. He is not a prototypical “too small” player (5-11”, 183 lbs), but adding on some muscle and becoming stronger is rarely a bad thing to do. When Berggren gets used to the AHL, it will be interesting to watch his development and see if he is able to become a top six player, as projected. His great last season proves the Red Wings fans have an interesting prospect to look forward to. - MD

Albert Johansson

Johansson has been highly praised because of his smooth skating style, which sets him apart from most players. He is a mobile, modern two-way defenseman, who had a really good season in the Swedish highest league. Johansson had 19 regular season points in 44 matches and was a +15. He will continue his career in Sweden this season as he is loaned to Färjestad BK for 2021-22. It is undoubtedly a good move; Johansson needs to spend some time in the European men´s league to build more muscle and become stronger to be a difference maker in North America. However, there is a lot to like about him. His skillset should make him a top four defenseman in the NHL.

As a 20-year-old, Albert Johansson even had his debut on the Swedish Men's National Team. He had a really successful season, apart from his point production, as he was getting a lot of minutes each night and really adapted to the pro game. The next season is going to be his third in the SHL. After one more, we can expect him to fly overseas to get a shot with the Red Wings. It is not certain he will be instantly ready to become an NHL player, but he has a great chance to fit into the league well in the future. - MD

Joe Veleno

The career arch of Veleno has been captivating thus far. The former exceptional status player in the QMJHL was able to play in the AHL a year early in 2019/20, because he had accrued enough service time in the CHL already. That first pro season had its ups and downs but did include a gold medal at the World Juniors with Canada. This past season, Veleno secured a loan in the SHL with Malmo to start the year, with his 20 points being seventh among U21 players in the Swedish men’s league. He then finished the season splitting time between Grand Rapids (AHL) and Detroit, scoring his first career NHL goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Five years ago, the hype on Veleno was significant. He was being touted as the next potential superstar in the NHL. While it seems unlikely that he will reach that status now, he still brings enough to the table to be a long time NHL center. Veleno’s playmaking ability and puck control are real assets, and he has worked hard to round out other components to his game. This season he should secure a full-time role with the Wings, likely as a third- or-fourth-line center, and does have a chance to be a high end middle six forward in the future. - BO

Jared McIsaac

Injuries have not been kind to McIsaac thus far, delaying the development of the former 36th overall selection in the 2018 NHL Draft. Two seasons ago, he suffered a right shoulder injury after returning from the World Junior Championships that required surgery and put an end to his final QMJHL season. Last season, after securing a loan with HPK in Liiga (Finland), he suffered an injury to his left shoulder, again requiring surgery. He was able to return for a few AHL games at the end of the season, but the last two years have really clouded his future potential in a crowded Wing’s system.

McIsaac does still project as a steady two-way defender. He may not have the innate puck skill or creativity to be a top-notch point producer, but he makes sound decisions at both ends and has the plus mobility you need for today’s NHL game. The question is, have these injuries really hampered his confidence level and affected his ability to compete physically in the defensive end? The key this year is to stay healthy. He needs a full season at the AHL level, to regain his form and get his development back on track. With a couple of good seasons, McIsaac could push for a spot on Detroit and does still have a chance to be a solid #4. - BO

Theodor Niederbach

An extremely smart playmaker didn't show much of his offensive skills in the Swedish highest league last season, scoring five points (3+2) in 20 regular season games. However, he was loaned to the second league (Allsvenskan) after the World Juniors. The move has proven to be beneficial; Niederbach received consistently more ice time and his productivity rose to nine points in fifteen matches. Frölunda even recalled him back to the team before the SHL play-offs.

The 19-year-old center or winger should spend the next season in his top tier home league. He still needs to prove himself at the men´s level, but after a couple of good years in Sweden, he should be heading to North America. Overall, the Red Wings have yet another Swedish prospect they can be excited about. Niederbach has an exceptional hockey IQ. He's a great passer and his overall offensive skills are on a high level. On the other hand, he needs to add a couple of pounds – he's currently 5-11”, 172 lbs. The good thing is, he has improved a lot in many areas of his game throughout the last season – his skating, physical play or defensive game. If he continues in the same way, it´s not impossible that we´ll see him in the NHL in a short amount of time. - MD

Shai Buium

A native San Diegan, Buium went from the Los Angeles Jr. Kings program to Shattuck St. Mary’s, and this year made the switch to the USHL, where he played a pivotal and expanding role for Sioux City. His acclimation to the USHL wasn’t immediate, as he started off playing a depth role, with 10-15 of ice time per game. Towards mid-February, his ice time started creeping north of 20 minutes per game regularly, and the offensive contributions followed.

Speaking of those offensive contributions, whether the increased ice time had a similar effect on his confidence, or he was asked to give it more in the offensive zone, he began to demonstrate how his quick hands could help push the pace offensively, keeping control of the puck and driving play from the blueline. You might not guess it by his slightly heavy feet, but most of his USHL goals came when he lowered his shoulder and drove from the point down to the paint. Headed to the University of Denver, his upside is something along the lines of a Jake Muzzin as a blueliner who can shut things down in his own end without extraneous violence, and quietly contribute to the offensive side of things. - McKeen’s Draft Guide 2021

Antti Tuomisto

A big right shot defender and former high second round pick by Detroit, Tuomisto had a strong freshman season with the University of Denver last year. Still a long-term project, Tuomisto does project as a potential top four defender because of his high end skill, big point shot, and blossoming physical tools.

Eemil Viro

Viro, a 2020 selection, is a strong skating two-way defender who is coming off a strong first full season in Liiga with TPS. TPS ended up finishing second in league playoffs, with Viro playing a large role. He will return to Finland this season on loan and hopes to establish himself as one of the top young defenders in the country.

Donovan Sebrango

With the OHL on hiatus, Sebrango spent the full year in Grand Rapids and played a regular role for the Griffins as an 18/19-year-old. Sebrango is already a competitive defensive player, but he does possess more offensive upside than his production in the last two years would indicate. The Wings can actually assign him to the AHL again this season if they want to, rather than return him to Kitchener of the OHL.

Robert Mastrosimone

Mastrosimone is a skilled goal scoring winger whose production thus far at the NCAA level has been underwhelming with Boston University. Now entering his junior season, the time is now for him to take that step forward as a prominent college player, otherwise he runs the risk of losing favour in such a strong prospect pool.

William Wallinder

The 32nd overall pick in 2020, Wallinder’s development has been slow thus far. Drafted as a project because of his elite physical tools, Detroit knew that they would need to be patient with him. Switching to the Rogle program this season, the Wings will be looking for him to take that next step as an SHL regular.