In a subscriber-only article, Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen offers a “top 15” list of the Red Wings’ best prospects. Here’s his top 3:
1. Center Marco Kasper (Drafted eighth overall in 2020): It’s plausible Marco Kasper could make the Red Wings squad out of training camp. The Red Wings loved how he played this season in Grand Rapids. He plays a feisty, strong all-around game. Kasper is not a No. 1 center, but he might be a No. 2 center. At the very least, he will be an effective NHL player.
2. Defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka (Drafted 19th overall in 2023): He is a nifty puck-moving defenseman with a strong shot and quality moves. He could be playing for Grand Rapids after his Swedish Hockey League season. Two years up the road, he may be running Detroit’s power play. He’s a smallish defenseman, but his defensive game is better than you think.
3. Left wing Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (Drafted 15th overall in 2024): He’s got an NHL body, and his offensive skill level is high enough to believe he will end up a top six forward. He played for Norway against NHL talent at the World Championships and scored three goals. He is coming to Detroit’s training camp this season and the Red Wings have talked to him about playing some games in Grand Rapids.,
Continued (paywall); most of the outside-of-Detroit media is bagging Kasper’s top-six potential right now, suggesting that he will become, at best, a 3rd line center. I’m not certain whether offense will come for Kasper at the NHL or even AHL levels, but his skill set and work ethic are exemplary…
And people keep forgetting that he’s the son of a pro hockey player. Those genes don’t always transfer, but in terms of his approach to being a professional athlete, the Rogle BK product will probably make the NHL on his own merits.
