The annual impressions from the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp equals a labor of love, and a lot of labor at that. Trying to cover 40 prospects in a comprehensive manner is no easy task, and it takes a while to get ‘er done.
That’s been the case for what follows: a post-Development Camp assessment as to what the Red Wings’ prospects (as well as the free agent try-outs) need to do next to continue ascending toward pro hockey success.
The idea here is to try to discern a “recipe” of sorts for everybody who participated in the development camp, from the Wings’ brightest prospects to the guys for whom development camp may be the best moment of their hockey careers.
The truth of the matter is that the vast majority of the Wings’ Summer Development Camp participants don’t end up making the Red Wings, but I have found that many players do land professional hockey jobs somewhere, and there’s no shame in earning money playing hockey for a living.
So, with an eye toward the future, and an eye toward “what happens next,” here are my takes on the Wings’ Summer Development Campers’ next steps forward:
Next Steps for the Red Wings’ Summer Development Campers
FORWARDS:
#11 Kienan Draper: Kienan Draper’s next steps forward involve simply playing more in terms of ice time and playing more regularly for the University of Michigan. Draper is only coming into his junior season at 22 years of age, so the fourth-line grinder has some room to “grow his role” in terms of playing time, but he’s really had to fight for ice time thus far, and I’m not expecting that to change at U of M.
Draper’s also got to get a little bigger, a little stronger, and he needs to get better in terms of his puck-handling skills. He stands 6’2″ and 205 pounds, which is good, but he can still put on 5-10 more pounds of muscle…
And, if I may be blunt, Draper sometimes makes some tremendous plays with the puck, and sometimes pucks bounce off his stick, roll off his stick blade, or he fans on shots. He’s not as good a skater as his father was, either, and he’s not quite consistent enough in terms of his stick skills for me, so I think that he needs to continue to develop his skills there. Those things can be taught and learned over time.
The Red Wings’ developmental system is full of promising grinding forwards, however, so Draper has two more collegiate seasons’ worth of development with which to stand out from the crowd.
That’s his imperative right now–not to score a bunch of points or somehow earn a promotion to the first line, but instead, to prove he’s worth his weight as a consistent grinding forward.
#17 Austin Baker: The Red Wings drafted White Lake’s Austin Baker 203rd overall at last month’s NHL Draft, and he’s going to play for the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede before heading to Michigan State University a season from now (per Detroit Hockey Now’s Tim Robinson). The National Team Development Program veteran is only 18 years of age, and he’s got a lot of developing to go.
Baker posted 31 points with the NTDP last season, but he’s still very raw, so:
Baker is going to take this “gap year” in the USHL, and he needs to continue to work on his physical form and developing his on-ice confidence as he attempts to establish himself as a pro prospect in-the-making. That would give him a fine base with which to join the hard-to-break-into Spartans with some momentum under his skates.
There are prospects with “more runway” to develop and “less runway” to develop in terms of their physical, mental and on-ice skill sets, which must converge if they are to truly become successful pro hockey players.
Baker is at the beginning of his pro hockey runway–being drafted is really the start of that trip down the runway–and he’s got time on his side, but he’s going to need to prove his worth through on and off-ice work ethic.
#21 Hunter Johannes**: Johannes is a perfect example of a prospect who just “doesn’t have a lot of runway” to impress.
He’s a huge dude at 6’3″ and 217 pounds, he’s a graduate of the University of North Dakota as a 5th-year senior (due to COVID, a whole bunch of college hockey players had a 5th year of college eligibility added to their resumes), he posted a solid 19 points in 31 games this past season, 29 points in 28 games as a fourth-year player, and I’ve heard the Grand Rapids Griffins rave about the young man’s professionalism, work ethic, and overall skill set.
The problem is that he’s 25, and is “turning pro” at a time in his life when most prospects have developed fully into whatever kind of player they’re going to become. So Johannes has a wee bit of time left to prove that he’s worth more than a Griffins contract, which guarantees him employment at either the AHL or ECHL level (with the Toledo Walleye).
That short period of time in which to impress with his physical prowess and fully-developed skill set will come at the fall prospect tournament, and over the course of training camp, where he’ll be go from a big fish in a small NCAA Division I hockey pond to a small fish in an NHL-ready pond real damn quick.
If he impresses then, maybe he’ll get an exhibition game or two, and he’ll continue to impress…Or he won’t, and the Griffins will be happy to have the power forward in their lineup.
Given that the Red Wings’ system doesn’t have a whole lot of power forwards in the system, Johannes may find himself “riding shotgun” alongside some top prospects.
#25 Red Savage: Red Savage deserves a lot of credit for taking the initiative to find his best road to develop, and take that road and walk it.
The 5’11,” 185-pound center played for Miami of Ohio for 2 years, skating alongside his older brother, but he utilized the NCAA’s transfer portal to join the Michigan State Spartans this past season, and he posted a very solid 27 points over the course of 38 games played last season.
He’s another one of those players who will have a fifth year of eligibility thanks to COVID, and the Wings may not rush him as he’s only 21, but Savage is one of those grinders who really stands out from the crowd.
Savage is speedy, he’s got some hands for a 4th-line center in-the-making, and he does a fantastic job of winning puck battles in the faceoff circle, along the boards and everywhere else on the ice, reveling in doing the dirty work of being a grinding, shut-down forward.
Savage just needs to continue to work his ass off as his hockey skills continue to develop, and then he’s going to turn pro with the Grand Rapids Griffins. I’m that confident in his drive, resolve and mental maturity–I believe that he’s going to be a professional hockey player already, because his physical skills, mental acuity and on-ice game are already converging in a nexus of skill and talent and work ethic.
His bloodlines don’t hurt, either, as his dad was NHL journeyman scorer Brian Savage, but bloodlines don’t earn you an NHL contract. Hustle, work ethic and resolve do.
#26 Max Plante: Son of NHL’er Derek Plante, the 18-year-old center was drafted 47th overall last month in Las Vegas. He’s not overly large at 5’11” and 177 pounds, but the hope is that he’ll continue to grow as the Minnesotan prepares to skate for Minnesota-Duluth this upcoming season.
Plante is a true playmaker–he posted 46 assists in 51 games with the NTDP last season–he’s a self-admitted “rink rat” who is headed to Duluth to play alongside his brother, Zam, and the Wings will have four years with which to watch the undersized forward fill out his body and his game as he attempts to take flight down the long runway he possesses.
For the present moment, after dominating against his peers, Plante is going to need to “make the jump” to the NCAA Division 1 level, where he’s going to be playing against players from 18 to 25 years of age, and players who are looking to land a pro contract somewhere by checking a little guy like Plante into the boards as well.
The NTDP program in Plymouth usually prepares young players for the “jump” to college hockey, but it’s not easy to balance academic commitments, being away from home and playing a collegiate sport, and that will be his job over the next calendar year.
#28 Michael Brandsegg-Nygard: Brandsegg-Nygard is only 18, and a month away from being drafted by the Red Wings 15th overall in Las Vegas, but boy, does he have options in front of him in terms of his playing future. He told Nitten.no that, since the Red Wings have signed him to an NHL contract, Detroit wants to bring over the 6’1,” 207-pound winger to determine whether the shooting winger is best-suited to play for Skelleftea AIK of the SHL (where he would play alongside Axel Sandin Pellikka), to come over and play for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, or to challenge for a spot on the Red Wings’ roster.
Each one of those options goes down in terms of likelihood, from, “Probably” to “maybe” to “not likely,” but the talented “power shooter” with the booming shot is going to come over for the prospect tournament and training camp nonetheless, and probably earn an exhibition game or two before heading back overseas.
At this point, Brandsegg-Nygard has been playing in the HockeyAllsvenskan, the Swedish second division, which is almost as good as the SHL, but not quite one of Europe’s best professional leagues. He’s going to be playing against bigger and stronger players on that 100-foot-wide ice, most likely, so Brandsegg-Nygard will have to work on his skating a bit and definitely continue getting bigger and stronger.
Since he’s already been signed to a contract, he needn’t worry about proving himself worthy of a pro deal; at this point, MBN needs to focus on honing his game to prove that, next year at this time, he’s ready to come over to North America. That’s going to involve taking the adjustment to SHL hockey and running with it.
#29 Nate Danielson: Danielson is turning pro with the Grand Rapids Griffins this fall, and the 19-year-old center is doing so after a tremendous season in the WHL, where he absolutely blew up the scoring charts playing for the Portland Winterhawks. 41 points in 28 regular season games and 24 points in 18 playoff games just reinforced the Red Wings’ belief that the 9th overall draft pick in 2023 was worth the investment.
Danielson is definitely ready for the AHL, in no small part because he’s got so much self-confidence that it’s borderline arrogant. When you’re a 19-year-old playmaker with skating speed to burn and you’ve just played an incredibly dominant season with your WHL team, you’re probably feeling like you’re on top of the world…
So Danielson needs to find a way to keep that confidence as he turns pro, and learns what it’s like to play against men in a league whose oldest players aren’t 21. Danielson’s got a great skill set in terms of his all-round game…
But between the on-ice grind of playing against the guys who put meals on the table by making kids like Danielson look bad, and the training, nutrition and sleep skills needed to master the grinding 73-game AHL schedule, it’s gonna be an adjustment for a young man who was one of the biggest fish in his pond to adjust to the ocean.
#32 Liam Dower-Nilsson: I did a lot of thinking about what’s necessary for Liam Dower Nilsson going forward. At 21 years of age, he posted successful numbers for Bjorkloven Umea of the HockeyAllsvenskan, posting 27 points in 52 games, which ain’t bad.
Liam is the passer in the family–and he’s got a really innate sense of where the puck is going–but at 6’0″ and 172 pounds, and having had to drop down from the SHL to the HockeyAllsvenskan to earn a regular chance to play…
Liam needs to have a HUGE season if he’s staying with Bjorkloven. He needs to work out with his brother Noah this summer in the gym, get as strong as he can, and use those smooth-skating feet and slick hands to generate a point-per-game season in the Allsvenskan.
Detroit’s rights to him expire next June, and if he really harbors any dreams of playing in Detroit alongside his brother…He doesn’t necessarily have a lot of runway with which to prove that he’s worth an NHL contract. He’s going to have to have one hell of a season to prove that he’s worth a North American pro shot.
#36 Justin Solovey*: Solovey is our first free agent try-out, and he’s an incoming Freshman at Harvard University, coming off a 47-point season for the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks. At 19 going on 20 this November, he’s a slightly older birth date player, and perhaps his most notable stat is that he posted 133 penalty minutes in 52 games a year ago, and 92 PIM’s in 55 games this past season.
As an NCAA-eligible forward who puts up big PIM’s, we’re looking at a very physical player who can at least post a lot of points when playing in a league of 20-and-under players like the USHL, and while he better not spend all his time in the penalty box with Harvard, because he’s gonna get benched if he does…
He’s a big boy who has four years of NCAA eligibility ahead of him, and if he can develop into a real power forward, someone will take a flyer on him. It’s just a matter of being able to balance classes, life and hockey as he plays a less-punishing 36-game schedule this upcoming college year.
#42 Noah Dower-Nilsson: Noah, 19, is 2 years younger than Liam, and the younger brother is the goal-scorer…
But the 6’0,” 185-pound Dower-Nilsson spent the past season on the IR for the most part. He only played in 5 SHL games last year due to shoulder surgery a summer ago, and when he was loaned out to Bjorkloven to play with Liam, he got hurt in his first game in the HockeyAllsvenskan, ending his season.
He’s still only 19, and the Red Wings will have his rights for a couple more seasons. He’s bigger, stronger and sniper-y-er than his older brother, and as he attempts to reclaim the form that produced 54 points in 37 J20 games for Frolunda, the young man just needs to get healthy and work on having a bounce-back season where he’s more durable and less injury-prone. That’s easier said than done, of course.
#44 Charlie Forslund: Forslund didn’t turn 18 until May, and he’s a massive 6’3″ and 212 pounds. A Hakan Andersson 2024 draft pick, 176th overall, the big boy from Falun, Sweden was absolutely prolific for Falu IF’s J18 team, posting 36 points in 26 games, and when he got called up to the Under-20 team, he posted 16 points in 7 games, and 12 more over the course of 7 playoff tilts.
Even better, when he was given a 19-game stint in the HockeyAllsvenskan with Falu IF’s men’s team, he posted 19 points, proving he could produce against men.
He’s going to play for Mora IK this upcoming season in the HockeyAllsvenskan, a big step up from the HockeyEttan, and at this point, the Red Wings want to see Charlie work on the process of becoming a professional athlete.
He’s dominated against kids his own age and even against men in what is the hockey equivalent of the ECHL, but Mora IK is a professional organization, so they’ll offer the long-shot prospect much more professional means by which to practice, train and compete against players only a step away from the SHL.
Ideally, he’ll embrace the challenges ahead, and as he has three or four years with which to develop into a Swedish power forward, he’s got the time necessary to get the job done.
#56 Brennan Ali: Ali, stocky at 6’0″ and 199 pounds, has a bit of a pickle on his hands. He posted a very solid 13 points in 36 freshman games for Notre Dame in NCAA Division 1 hockey, and he’s a fast, plucky forward by reputation who busts his ass on every shift.
The problem for Ali, who’s going into his sophomore year, is that the Red Wings have a litany of medium-sized centers who are good two-way players. Ali will have to spend the next three years developing into a larger role at Notre Dame, and developing into a bigger, stronger and more indispensable player. He’s got to stand out among the prospects, and, perhaps like LDN, the 212th pick in 2022 is going to have to change the narrative if he wants to become a professional hockey player down the line.
#57 Borya Valis*: Valis, a free agent try-out, came to the Wings’ Summer Development Camp as a teammate of 2024 draft pick Ondrej Becher.
Like Becher, the 6’2,” 185-pound forward had a very good 19-year-old season, posting 70 points in 67 games split between the Regina Pats and Price George Cougars of the WHL, and he posted 13 points in 15 playoff games, which is nothing to sneeze at.
It’s going to be a little difficult to find Valis (and Becher) a WHL home for the 2024-2025 season as he’s 20, and WHL teams can only utilize 3 players who are 20 or older on their roster. He may have to head to the ECHL or the Canadian USports league (i.e. Canadian college hockey) if he can’t “stick” in the WHL…
But the Red Wings tend to bring their Summer Development Camp invites to Traverse City for the prospect tournament and main camp, so it’s highly likely that Valis is going to earn the opportunity to turn some scouts’ heads, which is exactly what he needs to do as he searches for a hockey home.
#58 Sam Stange: Stange is in a unique situation. As a 5th-year senior (thanks to COVID), Stange is leaving the University of Wisconsin to play for the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and the high school stand-out from Eau Claire, Wisconsin needs a fresh start.
He only played in 7 games this past season for a struggling University of Wisconsin team (as a scratch as well as due to injuries), and the 23-year-old, who stands at 6’1″ and 208 pounds, has never been able to post any meaningful statistics despite his tremendous natural goal-scoring skills. For whatever reason, his massive high school stats haven’t transferred to NCAA Division 1 hockey.
As such, heading to UNO is a wise decision, because his rights expire next August, and he’s always been a tremendously talented player, but the right wing hasn’t been able to truly dazzle since he posted 67 points in his senior year of high school.
It’s time for the rubber to meet the road here.
#59 Brayden Edwards*: A free agent invite from the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, Edwards is going to return to Lethbridge, but not before the 6’1,” 185-pound forward heads to the Red Wings’ abbreviated prospect tournament and main training camp.
He had a very good 19-year-old season, posting 70 points in 66 games, but he wa passed over in the draft because he wasn’t prolific previously, and he turns 20 this December, which will make the passing center an “over-ager” for part of his final campaign in Major Junior Hockey.
I haven’t seen him play, so my information on him is limited, but at this point, anybody with a brain can say that he’s going to need to have a strong fourth and final WHL season after blossoming this past year. At this point, it’s about latching on with a pro team, or heading to USports and getting a University education.
#63 Alexandre Doucet: The Red Wings don’t usually invite their prospects who’ve played professional seasons to their development camps, but there was an exception made for Doucet, a 22-year-old forward who was a free agent signing from the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads a year ago.
The 6’0,” 185-pound forward followed up a 105-point season in the “Q” with a very solid 41 points in 52 games for the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, earning rave reviews for his work ethic and all-round play.
At this point, he’s no youngster, but as someone who stuck in the ECHL after a rocky 6-game stint in Grand Rapids, his road to the NHL goes through Toledo, where he needs to at least put up a point-per-game season to turn heads among the Red Wings’ brass. Ideally, he’ll earn a call-up to Grand Rapids at some point, and he’ll need to play well when he “gets the call.”
Long-term, the Wings took a flyer on him because they were hoping that a kid who blew the doors off the QMJHL in scoring could transfer those skills immediately to the AHL, but that didn’t happen, so he’s got to take the road ahead of him and make it a race track toward higher-level pro hockey.
#64 Emmitt Finnie: Speedy Emmitt Finnie, was a 2023 draft pick, and a late one (201st overall) at that. Finnie stands at 6’1″ and 183 pounds, and the Kamloops Blazers forward had a heck of a sophomore WHL campaign, posting 19 goals and 40 assists for 59 points in 62 games this past season. He played in 3 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins after the WHL season ended, too, so he’s gotten a sniff of what it takes to play pro hockey.
The Red Wings’ player development staff raves about Finnie. He’s fast, he’s a forechecking, gritty forward with offensive skills, and as crowded as the Red Wings’ forward lineup is from a developmental perspective, he’s doing a great job of standing out in the eyes of every talent evaluator who has the opportunity to see him play.
He’ll take part in the prospect tournament and training camp, and he’s already been signed to an NHL contract, so his job is pretty simple for now: keep impressing the people who asked for your signature on an NHL deal.
After one more good season in the WHL, he’ll be playing for Grand Rapids and/or Toledo in 2025-2026, and when you can stand out among the constellation of forward prospects the Wings have at their disposal, that’s a good sign for your future development.
#65 Charlie Paquette*: A free agent invite, the 6’1,” 192-pound right wing from Essex, Ontario is 18 years old, so he was passed over in this past June’s NHL Draft despite posting a solid 35 points in 68 OHL games with the Guelph Storm.
Described as a grinding, net-front-driving player, I’ve yet to see him play, but he’s got good size for his age, and even if he doesn’t impress during the prospect tournament and main camp…
He’s got a couple more OHL seasons with which to turn enough heads to be drafted by an NHL team. He’s going to need to hover in point-per-game territory to do so, but if he does that, he’ll begin his NHL journey.
Right now, it’s all about focusing on the road that is dead ahead of him, and getting bigger, stronger and better on the ice as he leaves high school and becomes a player who wants to earn a professional chance.
#67 Chase Lefebvre*: Another free agent invite, the 6’2,” 170-pound Lefebvre is 20, and he didn’t have a great season for the Peterborough Petes this past season, posting 39 points in 68 games, but finishing at -46.
I’m pretty sure that the Wings’ Northern Ontario scouts saw Lefebvre while he was playing for the Northern Ontario Hockey League’s French River Rapids as an 18-year-old, posting 66 pints in 46 games. As of yet, he hasn’t been able to translate those numbers into OHL stats, and, given his size, he needs to do some work in the strength and conditioning department…
So he’s going to the prospect tournament hoping that he turns somebody’s head, regardless of whether it’s from Detroit or somebody else.
#72 Dylan James: The Red Wings surprised some people by drafting James 40th overall in 2022, and at 20, the 6’0,” 178-pound left wing has yet to develop into a 2nd-round pick that’s an easy one at that.
He’s played for two seasons at the University of North Dakota, where it’s really damn hard to earn trust as an underclassman, and he’s posted 16 and 19 points as a freshman and sophomore, respectively.
I’ve seen him play. He’s speedy, he grinds and checks well, he’s got a decent skill set, and yet he’s got two more years with which to really steer the course of his career toward a professional direction.
For James, the Red Wings showed him a lot of trust and belief by picking him so high two summers ago, after a dominant USHL season (61 points in 62 games with Sioux City), but he just hasn’t been able to put his disparate set of tools together yet, and it is imperative that James earn more playing time and produce more over the next two seasons.
He may have to enter the NCAA transfer portal to do so, which is his option if he doesn’t earn enough of a chance with North Dakota this upcoming season.
#76 Cy LeClerc*: LeClear turns 22 in August, and he stands at only 5’9″ and 170 pounds. He’s going into his junior year with the University of New Hampshire, and he’s posted 20 and then 28 points as a freshman and sophomore season playing 35 and then 36 games.
As an NCAA player, LeClerc and all his fellow collegians are not allowed to take part in the fall prospect tournament or main training camp as they’d be missing school. And as a 21-year-old who’s small and skilled, LeClerc just has to plain old take everything he learned during development camp and translate the on-ice skill training and off-ice emphasis on nutrition, sleep and so on to bust the odds over the next two seasons and prove that he can earn a pro contract somewhere.
There are players for whom being invited to the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp is the high point of their hockey careers. That’s okay. Not everybody becomes an NHL player. But LeClerc has some runway with which to change that equation.
#81 Jakub Rychlovsky: Like Alexandre Doucet, I was a little surprised that the Wings asked the free agent signing from the Czech Extraliga’s Bili Tygri Liberec to come to the summer development camp.
My best guess is that, given that the 5’10,” 181-pound left wing has yet to play North American hockey, the Wings wanted to give him a crash course on what he’s going to be facing as he prepares to play for the Grand Rapids Griffins this upcoming season, in terms of both on-ice skills and off-ice skill sets.
He played in 60 games this past season, regular season and playoffs combined, and he’s getting ready for a 73-game campaign with some punishing travel, playing against bigger and stronger players on smaller and narrower ice (85 feet wide as opposed to 100 feet wide in Europe).
Rychlovsky posted a really solid 26 goals and 46 points in 51 Czech League games as a 22-year-old, he’s going to turn 23 in August, and the Red Wings believe that, absent a natural goal-scorer in the prospect pipeline, it wasn’t going to hurt them giving a pro contract to a European sniper.
The Wings’ track record with European free agent signings isn’t great, but it’s up to Rychlovsky to change that storyline over the course of the next 2-3 seasons. He’ll be given everything that an NHL team can possibly give to its young players in order to succeed, from coaching and skill development in terms of skating and shooting to the best sleep and nutrition experts there are, as well as the best training staff imaginable, but all those gifts are given in exchange for promises of prolific performance.
#82 Gabriel Seger**: Seger is the first of our Grand Rapids Griffins-contracted players, and he’s got a surprising story. He’s 24 years old, and the 6’4,” 213-pound “Swedish Power Forward” is coming off a couple of superb collegiate seasons, having posted 30 points in 30 games as a junior for Cornell of the NCAA, and then 44 points in 35 games as a senior.
The product of the North American Hockey League’s Amarillo (Texas) Bulls, big Seger has been given an AHL contract with the hopes that 24 years of age isn’t too old for a player to develop into either AHL or ECHL depth, and Gabriel will battle for a spot on the Griffins or Walleye this fall as a player with very little runway left with which to turn heads.
That’s okay. Not everybody develops at 20 or 21. Sometimes you can find really solid players as “diamonds in the rough” who find pro homes in their mid-20’s, and that’s the case for Seger. How high he finishes in terms of his development is up to him.
#83 Maximilian Kilpinen: The Swedish Wings fans were going ape as Kilpinen blew up the scoring charts early in the Swedish J20 league for Modo Hockey, and cooled off over the second half of the season. The 20-year-old draft pick finished with 21 goals and 27 assists for 48 points in 43 J20 games, and while his rights are owned by Modo, he’s been loaned to Osterlunds IK of the HockeyAllsvenskan for the upcoming season.
He’s not overly large at 6’1″ and 187 pounds, but at 20, he’s going to be “turning pro,” Swedish style, and the sniper will need to adapt as best he can to playing against players who are much older and more seasoned than he is. The Red Wings have his rights for another season or two, and the ultimate goal for Kilpinen is to play in the SHL and to play well enough to earn an NHL contract.
For the present moment, he needs to post points against men instead of 20-and-under players.
#89 Kevin Bicker: Bicker had a rough rookie season in the Penny DEL, Germany’s highest league. It wasn’t because the 2023 draft pick, 147th overall, is a bad player–it’s because the Frankfurt Lowen put Bicker on the 4th line for almost every game of the regular season, so he ended up posting 1 goal and 2 assists in 41 rookie games.
At the World Juniors, however, he posted 4 points in 5 games, and again, as I’ve seen the young man play, he may be smaller at 6’1″ and 176 pounds, but he’s Emmitt Finnie tenacious.
At 19 years of age, he’s got a couple more years before the Wings lose his rights, and while he was a long-shot pick to begin with, Bicker needs to work on getting bigger and stronger, and he needs to earn more ice time in Frankfurt for the present moment. That’s the goal for the upcoming season–become a real regular in the German men’s pro league, and go from there.
#95 Owen Mehlenbacher: Mehlenbacher is another late-round pick, 201st overall in 2022. At 20, the 6’2,” 189-pound forward posted all of 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points in 26 games as a freshman at the University of Wisconsin Badgers, who struggled mightily last season.
Mehlenbacher is from Fort Erie, Ontario, but he had some point-per-game seasons for the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks, and that turned the Wings scouts’ heads. Wisconsin suffered something like 5 or 6 defections to the transfer portal this summer, so there’s hope that Mehlenbacher will be awarded a more prominent role as a sophomore, and he needs to take as much advantage of that kind of promotion as he possibly can.
#97 Ross Mitton*: Another NCAA free agent invite, the 24-year-old Mitton stands at 5’10” and 190 pounds, and while he posted 30 points in 34 senior year games with Colgate, and he’s most likely eligible for a 5th year due to COVID, he’s going to be playing one more year of NCAA Division 1 for his pro hockey life.
I heard great things about Mitton’s work ethic and resolve, as well as his infectious personality (no pun intended), but there are some players for whom taking part in an NHL team’s Summer Development Camp is the best part of your career, and unless he really turns heads during his 5th year, that may be the case for the affable lad.
That being said, teams like the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye are always looking for smaller guys who can score, and again, it’s not an “evaluation camp” in the summer, but the scouts evaluate nonetheless.
#98 Dylan Edwards*: Edwards is a free agent invite who defines “small guy.” 5’8″ and 162 pounds, the 18-year-old was passed over in the draft after posting 34 points (and 22 goals) over 38 OHL games played with the Erie Otters (and 35 points in 21 games with the OJHL’s Toronto Patriots).
As a very undersized player, you’re going to get passed over unless your stats are overwhelming, and if he’s invited to the fall prospect tournament and main camp, little Mr. Edwards is going to need to absorb as much information as possible, enjoy playing against professional athletes and pro athletes in the making, and spend his 19-year-old season in the OHL doing what all “small guys” try to do–defy the stereotype through hard work.
DEFENSEMEN
#15 Blake Smith*: As we shift our focus toward the Red Wings Summer Development Camp’s defensemen, we find ourselves with a player who may have been invited because he’s absolutely massive. Blake Smith stands at 6’5″ and 215 pounds at 19 years of age, and the Flint FIrebirds defenseman is not a prolific point-producer, having posted 2 goals and 11 assists in 46 games played this past season…
But he’s earned rave reviews about his skating as a “big man,” and as he turns 20 this October, Smith will embark upon his final season of Major Junior hockey in the Red Wings’ backyard, playing OHL games among the attentive eyes of scouts in the crowd.
He’s a likely prospect tournament invite, and Smith will need to soak up everything he learned during development camp, apply it to playing against professional players in the fall prospect tournament and main training camp, then go back to Flint and find a way to stand out and earn a pro deal.
#22 Shai Buium: Buium is turning pro with the Grand Rapids Griffins this upcoming season at 21 years of age. He stands at 6’4″ and 210 pounds, and may still be growing into a very large body with a wide wingspan. He’s also turning pro after playing at University of Denver, where he helped the Pioneers earn two NCAA Division 1 championships over the course of three seasons played.
Shai Buium isn’t as offensively talented as his brother, Zeev (a Minnesota Wild draft pick this past June), but Buium posted 36 points in 43 games this past season, and that’s a very solid amount of points for a junior defenseman (and he was a +33 as well).
I’ve watched the San Diego-born Buium off and on since he was and 18-year-old, 36th overall pick by the Wings in 2021. He possesses an elite set of skating skills, he’s a smart passer, he rifles shots toward the net and he gets the job done without being particularly physical.
He played in one game for Grand Rapids after Denver’s season ended, so he has some idea of the uphill climb he faces in terms of battling for a spot on the crowded Grand Rapids defensive corps.
The Red Wings have a significant number of bright defensive prospects, and Buium is going to have to fight to take his place among them in his rookie pro campaign. I believe that he can do it, even if he needs some time in Toledo to earn adequate playing time with which to continue developing his game. Ultimately, this upcoming season is going to be about learning how to adapt to the professional level of hockey while enduring the Griffins’ brutal travel schedule and back-to-back and 3-in-3 slates of games. Buium has a very good “toolbox” worth of tools with which to succeed at the pro level, and a level-headed demeanor, so I expect him to do well.
#24 Axel Sandin Pellika: There is a real sense that the Red Wings are leaving Axel Sandin Pellikka with Skelleftea AIK of the SHL for one more season before determining whether he’s going to be ready to turn pro at the NHL level, right off the bat. There should be no doubt that, despite his need to improve his defensive game, the hype is real.
At 19 years of age, the 5’11,” 185-pound defenseman possesses utterly elegant skating skills, he’s an excellent puck-mover and subtle passer, and his 10 goals and 8 assists for 18 points with Skelleftea this past season (over the course of 39 games) were enough to earn a finalist’s nod for the European Hockey Clubs’ Young Player of the Year.
As I said during development camp, Sandin Pellikka’s best skill is his big hockey brain, which affords the young defenseman the ability to truly dominate offensively; his only flaw is that his enthusiasm for getting the job done himself, and pinching into play to generate offense, can yield scoring chances against.
At this point, there’s no doubt that Sandin Pellikka is perhaps the Red Wings’ most talented prospect, but if he’s going to stay in Sweden for one more year with Skelleftea AIK, he’s going to have to continue to work on getting bigger and stronger while accentuating his assets and attempting to rein in his liabilities.
ASP has already signed a pro contract, so this SHL season for him is essentially “finishing school,” and if he does well enough to merit an NHL job out of next year’s training camp, it would not surprise me, though I believe that it’s more prudent to place him in Grand Rapids for a short time.
#49 John Whipple: The Red Wings’ 144th overall pick in this past June’s NHL Draft in Las Vegas is a New Jersey native and graduate of the prestigious Shattuck St. Mary’s preparatory academy. All of 18 years of age, the 6’1,” 192-pound defenseman played for the US National Team Development Program’s Under-18 team, posting 17 points in 61 games, but his all-round game and tenacity are well-regarded, and the Red Wings took a flyer on the young man because of that all-round potential.
He’s committed to play for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers this upcoming season, but it’s entirely possible that he’ll play for a USHL team for a “gap year”–a common practice among NCAA-committed players to bolster their stead.
At this point, if he heads to college, Whipple has four years of developmental runway ahead of him (at the very least), and as such, the young man will need to simply focus on establishing himself as a freshman college athlete who’s also balancing schoolwork and living away from home.
For the present moment, it’s all about starting down the developmental road in the best shape possible, and that involves taking to heart the lessons he learned on and off the ice over the course of the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp.
#61 Anton Johansson: I’m a big fan of Anton Johansson. At 20 years of age, coming off his first full season with Leksands IF’s SHL team, the 6’4,” 196-pound defenseman posted 8 points in 46 games, he played in the World Junior Championship, and he skated in a total of 16 tournament games for the Swedish Under-20 team.
Johansson is still growing into his big body, and while he’s not exactly an offensive superpower, he projects to be a shut-down defender of massive size who uses his stick-checking and his physicality to stifle opposing forwards. I really like his all-round skating and professionalism as well–and he comes from a “hockey family” as his father is Leksands IF’s GM, and his older and younger brothers are Minnesota and Toronto prospects, respectively.
His genes are good, and he’s got another year or two to develop in Sweden before the Red Wings need to sign him, so I’m hoping that he develops into a stand-out. This season, he simply needs to continue getting stronger and getting better in terms of his consistency. He’s never going to produce Sandin Pellikka numbers, but he can become a better all-round defender through hard work and determination.
#62 Brady Cleveland: Cleveland is absolutely massive at 6’5″ and 209 pounds, and the 2023 draft pick was able to post 109 penalty minutes in 55 draft-year games with the NTDP, but his freshman season with the University of Wisconsin did not go as expected.
As such, after a 16-game season, he’s headed to the University of Colorado through the NCAA transfer portal, where the massive, gritty defenseman hopes to establish himself as a regular player on an every-night basis for the Tigers.
He’s a mean feller, and while he’s still somewhat raw, Cleveland is huge, he’s clearly motivated to make a difference and bet on himself, given his decision to transfer from the rebuilding Badgers to a slightly more advanced Colorado College Tigers team, and at present, he needs to earn as much playing time as possible and just work very hard to reestablish himself as a defenseman to be feared.
#66 Fisher Scott: Scott was a “take a flyer on the kid” pick by the Red Wings this past June in Las Vegas, picked 208th overall. The Dubuque Fighting Saints defenseman is 6’2″ but only 179 pounds, and both he and Cleveland are headed to Colorado College this September.
Scott is 19, and he posted 33 points in 61 games (and a +28) for the USHL’s Fighting Saints this past season. He’s raw all-around, and wasn’t ranked by any draft publications, so the Red Wings’ USHL scout must have seen something special out of the young defender.
For the present moment, Scott needs to internalize the on and off-ice lessons learned during the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp, and, after taking that “gap year” to learn how to play hockey while away from home, he needs to learn how to incorporate schoolwork into playing NCAA hockey and living away from home.
#70 Cooper Moore: Moore is 23 years of age, and he posted 22 points in 39 games for Quinnipiac after three very average seasons for the University of North Dakota.
Going into his 5th year thanks to COVID, the 6’2,” 187-pound defenseman is just starting to put his “toolbox” of skills together, and so this upcoming season is incredibly important for him.
Moore does possess good all-round skills; he passes well, he skates strongly, and he can rip bombs on the net, but as he’s in his final season of NCAA eligibility, he’s got to really get his butt in gear and attempt to play consistent, dominant hockey in order to earn a professional contract–regardless of whether that’s from the Red Wings or another employer.
#73 David Breazeale*: Sometimes you get invited to the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp because you’re a Michigander who’s worked hard, and that’s the case for 6’4,” 205-pound defenseman David Breazeale. The Grandville, Michigan native is 24 years of age, and he served as the captain of the University of Maine Black Bears this past season, posting 9 points in 37 games.
Breazeale still has a senior year of eligibility to his name, and it’s not highly likely that he’s going to turn pro as a stay-at-home defenseman whose collegiate career is more about checking opponents than anything else, but doors tend to open for players as large as he is, so we’ll see what happens.
At present, he needs to put his head down and grind through his senior year, get his dang degree, and go from there, hoping that he’s turned some pro scout’s head over the course of the next season.
#75 Kyle Aucoin: Drafted in 2020, Aucoin has a pro pedigree–his dad is long-time NHL’er Adrian Aucoin–and while the 22-year-old incoming senior for the Harvard Crimson has yet to develop into a high-scoring defenseman, I do hear that he possesses a strong all-round skill set.
He only played in 8 games this past season due to injuries, so Aucoin is sort of behind the 8-ball, as it were: he has one more season (possibly two) with which to really impress professional scouts somewhere, and the smooth-skating defenseman just hasn’t quite put all the parts of his game together yet.
For Aucoin, who possesses potential yet unrealized, it’s absolutely imperative that he stays healthy and finds a way to stand out this upcoming season, regardless of how many or how few points he produces. He’s still relatively young at 22, and someone could take a flyer on him, but he’s going to have to prove that he’s worth the price of admission this year.
#79 Larry Keenan: Keenan had a good “gap year” in the BCHL, posting 30 points in 54 games for the Penticton Vees, and all of his press was positive as he helped Penticton author a 22-game playoff run. Keenan is known as an aggressive defender and a strong skater, but the 19-year-old is 6’4″ and 194 pounds, so he needs to fill out a bit.
He’s heading to the University of Massachusetts this upcoming season, and the 117th overall draft pick in 2023 projects to be a shut-down defenseman as opposed to a deke-and-dangle guy, but there’s always room in the lineup for a second or third-pair defenseman who can stifle their opponents effectively.
Right now, Keenan’s heading to play NCAA Division 1 hockey after a fairly lengthy developmental career, including some time spent at Culver Military Academy, and he’ll need that discipline in order to adjust to balancing school, 36+ games of hockey and living on his own. He’ll also need to work in the gym to fill out his skinny frame.
He’s got 4 years to develop before the Wings have to decide as to whether they want to sign him. It’s up to Keenan to push the needle toward a signing some 3 or 4 years down the road.
#86 Trevor Taulien*: The Red Wings’ scouts spotted 6’4,” 217-pound Trevor Taulien playing for the Ferris State Bulldogs, where the 21-year-old had an OK freshman season, posting 8 points and 20 PIM’s in 27 games.
Having played in the Wings’ backyard, and possessing size and strength, the Wings took a look at the right-shooting defenseman before he returned to Big Rapids for his sophomore season, and there, Taulien’s got to maximize his development by applying the on-ice and off-ice lessons learned over the course of the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp.
He’s older, but there’s time for him to sort out his game and determine the best route to earning a pro contract.
#87 Jack Phelan: Big and skinny, 20-year-old Jack Phelan is heading to the University of Wisconsin at 20 years of age to play his freshman season after two years with the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede.
Interestingly, EliteProspects lists Phelan as 6’3″ and 185 pounds, but the Red Wings had him at 6’2″ and 171 lbs.
Phelan didn’t have a tremendous season for Sioux Falls, posting 7 points in 41 games, but he wore the captain’s “C,” and all reports from the Stampede were that the young man held his position with dignity.
Ideally speaking, those two “gap years” in the USHL have prepared him for the effort that is balancing school, hockey and life post-high school, and he’s definitely going to get some opportunities to play given that Wisconsin was decimated by something like 5 players choosing to transfer elsewhere in what has become college hockey’s version of free agency.
For Phelan, a defenseman who doesn’t stand out, finding his niche and growing into his body are essential this season.
#96 Marcus Kearsley*: Kearsley was passed over in the 2024 NHL Draft despite having a very good season for a draft-eligible player–posting 49 points in 68 games–because he stands 5’11” and 160 pounds (whoever lied to EliteProspects said he was 172). He possesses a strong skill set and is supposed to be a particularly deceptive defenseman.
As a Major Junior-playing defender, he’s eligible to play in the prospect tournament and training camp, but given his size, I’m not certain that he’s going to be playing a lot in those 2 prospect tournament games.
As such, Kearsley will be given ample time to continue learning from the same skill development coaches who taught him on and off-ice skills at the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp, and from there, it’s essential that Kearsley work on getting stronger and continuing to develop into a point-per-game defenseman–because when you’re small, you’ve got to give people a reason to notice you.
GOALIES
#30 Sebastian Gatto*: Gatto, a free agent invite, was in the right place at the right time earlier this month. The 18-year-old is a native of Troy, Michigan, and he played for both Detroit Honeybaked and the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks before posting a 17-9-and-2 record with the OJHL’s Leamington Flyers, a team in a league that’s just below the OHL.
Gatto was probably passed over in his first year of draft eligibility because he wasn’t able to break through to the OHL this past season, and because he’s not physically developed as of yet–he’s 6’3″ but only weighs 165 pounds.
Gatto still has a ton of runway in front of him with which to work and develop into a professional-quality prospect, but he’ll have to continue to “be a sponge” whenever he’s given the opportunity to work with NHL goaltending coaches, he’ll have to had taken Red Wings nutritionist Lisa McDowell’s lessons to heart, and he’s going to have to work on getting bigger and stronger for sure.
I haven’t seen him play, so there’s not much I can weigh in with in terms of his assets, but I’m sure that his height will help him if he’s able to fill out, work hard, and graduate to the OHL.
#31 Landon Miller: The Red Wings’ only goaltending pick during the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas stands at 6’5″ and 193 pounds, and he spent this past season playing in 30 games for the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds, posting OK numbers–17 wins, 6 losses and a 2.79 goals-against average.
Detroit looked at the big goalie who’s about to assume the starter’s reins in the Soo this upcoming season, and they picked based upon potential, 126th overall. That’s in the “take a flyer on the kid” territory. Miller uses his size and poise to command the goal, but his .893 save percentage indicates that he’s got to become a more consistent goaltender in terms of making stops on a regular basis.
Miller doesn’t turn 19 until next January, so at this point, it’s imperative for him to embrace the opportunity to become the starting goaltender for the Soo Greyhounds, and to try to excel as he plays the majority of the 65-or-so games that are played in the OHL. His stats are a little less important than simply earning his starts through hard work, and he obviously needs to stick with the weight room as well.
#45 Kristoffer Eberly*: A free agent invite, Eberly is an older prospect at 21 years of age, the Pinckney, Michigan native is going to be a sophomore at Ohio State this upcoming season. Standing a healthy 6’4″ and 208 pounds, Eberly did an OK job as a back-up goaltender, posting a 3-8-and-1 record for the Buckeyes.
At this point, the “local kid” needs to absorb the lessons he learned from the Red Wings’ goaltending coaches and developmental staff, he needs to try to find a bigger role at Ohio State, and as he’s already a big man, it’s imperative for Eberly to get faster on his feet. Big guys like Eberly tend to have a little trouble moving around the crease, and the more willing he is to work on improving his game, the more he’s going to be able to impress scouts coming into this upcoming season.
#47 Andrew Oke*: A free agent try-out, as I said during my prospect impressions, I don’t quite understand why Oke, a 6’2,” 195-pound goaltender, hasn’t landed some sort of pro deal.
Oke won the Memorial Cup as a member of the Saginaw Spirit this past season, after going 29-10-and-1 with a 2.89 goals-against average during the regular season, and a 5-and-0 record over 6 Memorial Cup games played, with a 1.83 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage.
He’s been passed over twice in the draft now, but the 6’2,” 195-pound native of Shelby Township is improving and improving. He’s participated in two Red Wings Summer Development Camps, he’s probably headed to the prospect tournament, and while he is not without flaws in his game…
Oke knows how to get the job done in the goal, whether that’s by flipping and flopping to make dramatic saves, or playing a disciplined hybrid goaltender’s game, maximizing his size and using a smart glove and blocker to knock down pucks and then cover them up.
His work ethic is there, his enthusiasm is present when you watch him play, and he’s probably going to play in Saginaw for his over-age season as their starting goaltender.
He just needs to earn a professional hockey home over the upcoming season, and while I don’t believe that the Red Wings are going to sign him, they’re going to provide the affable Oke with the opportunity to showcase himself at the prospect tournament and training camp. That’s about all the hard-working goaltender can ask for.
#60 Trey Augustine: Augustine had a tremendous freshman season for the Michigan State Spartans, going 23-9-and-2 with a 2.96 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage.
On top of that, he went 4-and-0 at the World Junior Championship for Team USA, and he split 4 starts at the men’s World Championship, going 2-and-2 with a 1.89 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage playing in Czechia.
Augustine is only 6’1″ and 179 pounds–undersized by modern NHL standards–but he is technically sound, he plays a Chris Osgood-like upright butterfly game, he can seal pucks that bounce off of him with his strong glove, blocker and stick, and he gobbles up shots to the glove side that look like they’re destined to beat him. He also knows how to look around and through screens without taking himself out of position as bigger players crash his net.
For Augustine, the developmental runway involves one or two more seasons at Michigan State–he’s probably not going to turn pro until Sebastian Cossa is nearly NHL-ready–and he obviously needs to fill out that skinny frame in order to better clear his own crease and utilize his upright chest and fast hands and feet.
Augustine will take part in the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth next week, and that will give him another opportunity to learn from some of the best goaltending coaches in the world. He definitely needs to “be a sponge” and internalize whatever is spoken to him regarding improving his game…
But Augustine is on the path toward becoming a professional goaltender in 2 or 3 years, and as long as he continues to steer his ship in that direction, he’ll be fine.
#68 Rudy Guimond: Guimond had a bumpy season with the USHL’s Cedar Rapids Roughriders this past season, posting a 13-13-and-3 record with a 3.66 goals-against average and a .869 save percentage. He possesses good size at 6’3,” though he’s only 173 pounds, and he’s speedy in the net, using his feet and legs to block shots and catch and blocker away shots with his usually well-worn pads.
Guimond is headed to Yale University this upcoming season, so the Summer Development Camp marks the only time that the Red Wings really get to go hands-on with Guimond in order to allow their goaltending coaches to counsel Guimond as to how to improve his game.
A graduate of the prestigious Taft preparatory school, Guimond at least possesses a professional pedigree, and he doesn’t turn 20 until next May, so he essentially has his full 19-year-old season with which to attempt to earn the starter’s job at Yale.
It’s more likely that Guimond will begin his NCAA career as a back-up goaltender, and while he probably knows how to balance school, life and playing hockey thanks to his past season in the USHL, college hockey can be a bit of a shock for anybody, and it’s up to Guimond to navigate that transition with poise (and possibly with the Red Wings’ developmental staff’s assistance).
At this point, Guimond is still in the beginning of his developmental timeline, and he needs to keep on keepin’ on as he adjusts to NCAA hockey.
#80 Albin Boija*: A free agent invite, the 6’1,” 190-pound Boija served as the University of Maine Black Bears’ back-up, posting a 10-6-and-1 record and a 2.01 goals-against average as a freshman goaltender.
Boija is actually from Henrik Zetterberg’s hometown, Sundsvall, Sweden, and he worked up the ranks in the Vaxjo Lakers’ system before choosing to earn a college degree and a guaranteed four years’ worth of developmental time in North America.
I heard good things about Boija’s enthusiasm and performance at the summer development camp, but he’s not overly big by today’s standards, and he’s going to need to work very hard in the gym as well as on the ice in order to maximize his size. As he proceeds with his NCAA career, the goal for Boija is pretty simple–earn a starting spot at Maine over the next season or two, and continue to study and learn in between attempts to appeal to the many pro scouts that head to Orono, Maine to visit the Black Bears’ campus.
*Free Agent Invite, **Grand Rapids Griffins contract
Thank you for reading this, and my apologies about the delay. Sometimes caregiving and “life stuff” get in the way.
In any case, this gives you something to read on a quiet Sunday in July, and I hope that it gives you some insights into the Wings’ prospects as well.
Anyway, I’ve tried to give fundraising a break over the past two weeks, but we need to get back to it. I’m gathering that I won’t be able to attend the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth next week due to persistent transportation issues, but I would still like to be able to go to training camp, and I’d still like to be able to pay for my server expenses in late August, so that means attempting to raise in excess of $5,000.
That’s how it goes when you don’t really have a car and you have an 82-year-old aunt who’s a double hip replacement recipient to bring up to Traverse City with you.
I will say this while I have your attention: Aunt Annie is doing fantastic with her physical therapy, and she’s been incredibly supportive of me returning to blogging, so I can’t imagine doing this caregiving-and-blogging-type-thing without TMR’s #1 fan.
So: prepare for daily fundraising posts. That’s just gonna be the way it is for now, because there’s only about eight weeks until training camp begins.
If you’re willing to help, here are the details: you can use PayPal at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport, you can use Venmo at https://venmo.com/george-malik-2, you can use Giftly by using my email, rtxg@yahoo.com, at https://www.giftly.com…
And you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check, or “Zelle” me via my email, rtxg@yahoo.com. I’m also on Cash App under “georgeums.”
As always, thank you for your readership and your time.
