The Hockey News’s Tony Ferrari posted a prospect pool overview for the Red Wings this afternoon, and here’s a solid chunk of a very good introduction:
[GM Steve Yzerman’s] moves have often gone against consensus and have looked outstanding in hindsight. That begins with defenseman Mortiz Seider at sixth overall from the 2019 NHL draft. Since that pick, Seider has been a force in the AHL, SHL, and NHL, winning the Calder as the NHL’s top rookie in a runaway vote.
The Red Wings have gone from grasping at straws to make the playoffs towards the end of the Ken Holland years to building up one of the deeper prospect pools in the league. The Red Wings have used their top picks on players out of Europe in every draft that Yzerman has been a part of, and it’s hopeful that pays off.
After Seider in 2019, winger Lucas Raymond was drafted fourth overall in 2020 out of Sweden. The following year, defenseman and fellow Swede Simon Edvinson was selected in 2021. The 2022 draft didn’t defer from that trend, with center Marco Kasper’s name being called at eighth overall, who happened to play in Sweden.
The Red Wings done a masterful job of filling out their positional depth chart. The Red Wings traded up to take goaltender Sebastian Cossa at 15th overall in 2021 to fill that glaring hole in their prospect pool. In the four drafts that Yzerman has been at the helm, they have drafted a center, a winger, a right-shot defenseman, a left-shot defenseman, and a goalie in the top 15 picks of the draft.
The depth built out behind that group of high-end picks has been admirable as well. Jonatan Berggren, Liam Dower-Nilsson, and Carter Mazur highlight some of the depth names up front while William Wallinder and Albert Johansson are the names to watch on the back end. Jan Bednar provides some depth in net as well. The Red Wings management team has done a wonderful job of building out a strong stable for the future.
