EP Rinkside’s Mitch Brown, David St-Louis and J.D. Burke ranked their top 100 NHL-affiliated prospects for the 2024-2025 season today, with a heavy emphasis on Calder Trophy-eligible players and 2024 draft picks:
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard finished 35th…
With his speed, motor, and physical skills, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård pressures the opposition, retrieves pucks, and passes them to teammates. Once his line has established control, he hunts space to set up his catch-and-release and one-timer shots. He’s the type of forward who complements skilled playmakers very well, amplifying their effectiveness and pushing a contending team over the edge. The Detroit Red Wings like to take their time with their prospects, but Brandsegg-Nygård’s package of tools could put him on a faster-track to the NHL.
Axel Sandin Pellikka finished 37th…
The NHL seems to be slowly moving away from defencemen of smaller size, but the best ones, like Axel Sandin Pellikka, will continue to find their place in the league. His defensive mechanics improved this season. More engaged and better capable of battling with opponents, he managed to stop the opposition’s offence earlier and get the play flowing offensively, where his game truly shines. With his deception and playmaking skills, he could inject creativity in Detroit’s offence.
Marco Kasper finished 45th…
Marco Kasper started the season with only six points in his first 20 AHL games, a concerning total, but his production picked up after that. In the playoffs, he once again looked like the player we admired so much in his years with Rögle BK in the SHL. Kasper dominates the middle of the ice, defending it at all costs in his zone and attacking it relentlessly in the opposing end. His pace, defensive details, physical skills, and net-front play could make him the perfect player for the Red Wings to match against some of the NHL’s best scorers.
Nate Danielson finished 50th…
A blockbuster trade sent Nate Danielson to the Portland Winterhawks. There, his production finally took off and he continued to showcase his greatly improved checking skills. Danielson’s speed will be an advantage at any level, and his combination of shooting and passing skills should earn him some points. Increased physicality and skill inside contact also gives more certainty to his projection. Though we don’t project Danielson as a play-driver, he could become a strong complementary top-nine forward.
Shai Buium 81st…
Shai Buium came to Denver as a skilled, offensively inclined but clumsy and mistake-prone blueliner, and he’s left it as a much more well-rounded and easily projectable player. Buium could match opponents’ speed and contain them with relative ease in space, and he’s become a much more engaged, active in-zone defender with time – physical, too. Buium hasn’t taken a lot off of his fastball to get to this place, either. He still activates into the play at every opportunity, and he’s skilled enough to make something out of a lot of those plays, too. Buium still lacks some of the finer details defensively, and we share some concerns about whether the offence will translate at the NHL level, but his physical skills and development at Denver have him on course to develop into a No. 4 or 5 defenceman.
William Wallinder earned an “honorable mention” among skaters…
And, in Sean Shapiro’s ranking of the top 15 NHL goaltending prospects, Sebastian Cossa finished 4th…
Being based in the Detroit area, I’ve watched a lot of Sebastian Cossa in person, probably more than any other goalie on this list. For that reason, I’ve actually soured him on at times more than I should have – it’s easy to find the flaws when you look for them, especially with a first-round pick.
But when you take a step back and come back with fresh eyes, like I did for this ranking, it’s hard to find a way to tank much of Cossa’s future. He’s a big and explosive goalie, and he does a really good job recovering quickly back into position on broken plays, something that really took a step this past season in the AHL with Grand Rapids. Cossa has some holes that he needs to fill, particularly on the stick side, but he should be considered an option in Detroit during the 2025-26 season if he keeps improving.
And Trey Augustine 5th:
I went back and forth between whether to have Trey Augustine or Cossa in the No. 4 spot, and in the end, Cossa’s potential long-term ceiling was the slight difference. Either way, the Red Wings have the brightest future in goal from a pure prospect perspective.
Augustine is a sure thing in my mind. He will play in the NHL, but whether he’ll be a 1B or 1A is something that will have to get tested once he enters the professional ranks. For now, Augustine has been the picture of calm and composed, he was the MVP at Michigan State as a freshman – he for some reason wasn’t even on the ballot for Big 10 Freshman of the Year – has won international gold at the Under-20 and Under-18 levels, and made his IIHF senior debut this past spring. From a tools and size perspective, Augustine is admittedly average – but his command of the moment and demeanour already on the biggest stage, combined with his ability to steal games make it hard to see him not having a lengthy NHL career.
