TSN’s Shawn Simpson: Kasper coming over to play for the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s?

TSN 1200 Ottawa’s intrepid Shawn Simpson doesn’t bullshit, and he suggested this morning that Red Wings first-round draft pick (8th overall) Marco Kasper is going to leave Rogle BK of the SHL for the Ontario Hockey League’s Ottawa 67’s, who own his rights…

It sounds like Wings first round pick Marco Kasper will come and play for the 67’s. That would be a perfect fit for Tyler Boucher.— Shawn Simpson (@TSNSimmer) July 15, 2022

@YzermanSZN on Twitter pointed this out, and here’s my reply to Mr. Simpson:

This would be a big surprise to me, as noted by @YzermanSZN first. Kasper kept on talking about going back to Rogle, finishing high school in Sweden, and seeing out his time there. https://t.co/tE8d7nSYh5— George Malik (@georgemalik) July 15, 2022

Kasper is only 18–having just turned 18 in April. He played this past season with a cage because he was 17 for the vast majority of the season. He’s playing for one of the best hockey franchises in the SHL in the Abbott-brother-run Rogle BK, where he’d be playing alongside Theodor Niederbach and William Wallinder, and would have Niklas Kronwall and Nicklas Lidstrom watching over him as he slowly but surely establishes himself in a men’s league.

Now, if the Wings see Kasper as making the Red Wings’ roster sooner than later, or the Wings feel that Kasper needs to take part in the fall prospect tournament and then to dominate amongst his age group (the OHL is full of 16-to-21-year-old players), I could see that happening, but Kasper speaks Austrian, German and Swedish for a reason.

This isn’t a fit for me. [edit: But the Red Wings’ management can certainly make a change in terms of his developmental path now that they own his rights as a signed player, and Ottawa is a fine franchise. We’ll see how management and Kasper hammer things out. This is definitely a real possibility. /end edit]