The Detroit Red Wings are holding a pair of Prospect Games against the Dallas Stars next Saturday and Sunday at Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City, and the games will be streamed on the Red Wings’ social media platforms…
But few folks have examined the rosters in any detail ahead of the tournament. Some of the players involved are well-known Red Wings draft picks, but there are Grand Rapids Griffins-contracted players up front, and the vast majority of the Wings’ blueline is constituted of free agent invites, with the goaltending trio constituted of goalies who may be battling for spots in Grand Rapids, if only eventually.
Let’s rectify the fuzzy picture of this year’s Prospect Games roster, shall we?
Forwards:
25 Hunter Johannes LW**: A Grand Rapids Griffins-contracted player, the 26-year-old Johannes stands at 6’3″ and 209 pounds, and he didn’t post any points over the course of 6 late regular-season games or a single playoff game for Grand Rapids after turning pro (from the University of North Dakota) last season…But Johannes’ work ethic, skill set and physicality turned heads in West Michigan.
You’re not looking at somebody who’s going to break through and become the Red Wings’ next power forward, but in Grand Rapids (or Toledo), Johannes’ size and strength stood out, and at 26 years of age, he’s going to serve as a role model for the younger players after spending five years at the NCAA level.
28 Michael Brandsegg-Nygård RW: At this point, everybody knows who MBN is. The Red Wings’ 15th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft isn’t overly big at 6’1″ and 207 pounds, but he plays a power forward’s game, accentuating deft hands which pass with aplomb and rip hard, accurate shots at the net with a real physical edge. Brandsegg-Nygard’s skating is a work in progress, but he gets around the ice well.
After playing last season in the HockeyAllsvenskan with Mora IK, making the jump to the SHL with the defending champions in Skelleftea AIK should provide a strong challenge for the young star-in-the-making…But the Red Wings are intrigued enough by MBN’s progress that they want to see what he can do stateside, and so they’ve signed him to an entry-level contract in order to bring him over for the Prospect Games and training camp.
I’m not expecting MBN to remain in North America unless he knocks the socks off of everyone at Centre ICE Arena over the next two weeks, but the Wings do see something special in him, and I don’t think that he’s going to spend more than the next season in Europe, playing alongside Axel Sandin Pellikka with Skelleftea.
29 Nate Danielson C: 19-year-old Nate Danielson will turn 20 on September 27th, and the 6’2,” 187-pound center is also pretty well-known among Red Wings fans because he displayed confidence and a bit of an edge during last year’s preseason. Full of a healthy level of near-arrogant self-confidence, the Wings’ 9th overall pick in 2023 absolutely blossomed after a mid-season WHL trade between Brandon and Portland, posting 41 points in 28 regular season games, and 24 points in 18 playoff games, dangling and dazzling on the highlight reels.
I’m not certain whether Danielson’s going to be a point-per-game player at the NHL level, but he’s a strong skater, he makes good plays, he possesses a strong shot and he just backs down from no challenge or opponent because his level of self-belief is off the charts (which is good for a professional athlete). He really reminds me of Ryan Kesler in terms of his edge and borderline arrogance, and as he begins his pro career with Grand Rapids this fall, he’s going to push those around him to keep up with his pace of play.
41 Ondřej Becher C: Becher is essentially looking for a place to play this upcoming season. The Red Wings drafted the 6’1,” 187-pound Czech at 20 years of age because Becher blossomed as an “overager” with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, posting 64 assists and 96 points in 51 regular season games, and he followed up the regular season performance with 14 assists and 19 points in 15 playoff games.
He’s a speedy play-maker who’s still just finding his game at 20, but the Wings’ Western Canadian scouts felt that Becher’s worth taking a flyer on due to his skill set, regardless of whether he can play as an “overager” in the WHL, or whether he ends up in Toledo or Grand Rapids by default.
42 Carson Bantle LW**: The Grand Rapids Griffins signed something of an in-betweener in Bantle, a 6’4,” 194-pound winger who is 22 years of age. The big man wrapped up a four-year collegiate career split between Michigan Tech and Wisconsin, where he never posted a whole lot of points, but he did post a significant number of penalty minutes during his senior year, registering 19 points and 45 PIM’s (that’s a lot for NCAA hockey) in 39 games with Wisconsin.
The Red Wings’ collegiate scouts were watching Brady Cleveland, Sam Stange and Owen Mehlenbacher at Wisconsin when they caught Bantle, and whether they believe he’s got untapped potential, or whether Hunter Johannes, Bantle and 6’4,” 209-pound winger Gabriel Seger are just there to ride shotgun for the Griffins’ and Walleye’s prospects, it can’t hurt to have some size and snarl in the lineup.
49 Dylan Edwards RW*: The Red Wings brought in Dylan Edwards as a free agent try-out from the OHL’s Erie Otters because he’s a small forward (5’8″ and 161 pounds) passed over in the draft, but he’s been able to score at both the OJHL and OHL levels.
Edwards split his 2023-2024 season between the Toronto Patriots of the OJHL, a step below the OHL, and the Erie Otters, and in both locations, he posted a point per game-plus, registering 35 points in 21 games in Toronto, and then 34 points in 38 games (including 22 goals) for Erie. He followed up his regular season with 6 goals and 9 points in 6 playoff games as well, so while he’s a wee lad, he can score, and there’s absolutely no harm in bringing in a small player to see what he can do against bigger, stronger opponents.
57 Borya Valis RW*: Valis is a 20-year-old forward who split his season between the WHL’s Regina Pats and Prince George Cougars. He’s a free agent invite who has posted a point-per-game level over the past two years, or thereabouts, and this past season, he was good for 70 points in 67 games, as well as 13 points in 15 playoff games.
A teammate of Ondrej Becher, perhaps the Wings’ scouts liked what they saw of the 20-year-old play-maker and decided to see what he can do at the Prospect Games and in training camp.
58 Emmitt Finnie C: Finnie didn’t turn 19 until June 27th, but he’s already been signed to an entry-level contract by the Red Wings because the scouts and front office love his spunk, spark and work ethic. The 6’1,” 183-pound forward almost doubled his point totals from his draft year, posting 59 points in 62 games (40 of those points as assists) with Kamloops, wearing an alternate captain’s “A” on his jersey this past season.
He’s plucky, he’s fast, he’s got an edge to him and he works his tail off on every shift, so while Finnie isn’t big by any stretch of today’s NHL imagination, he may buck the odds and become the kind of grinding forward that the Wings already have in similar prospect and Michigan State University captain Red Savage, a grinder with grit and aplomb for out-working his opponents to win every battle for the puck.
59 Brayden Edwards C*: A free agent invite from the Lethbridge Hurricanes, the 19-year-old Edwards stands at 6’1″ and 185 pounds, and the right-shooting center posted 70 points in 66 games this past season for Lethbridge, more than doubling the statistics he put up during his draft year.
EliteProspects describes him as a defensively responsible center, and as the Wings’ Prospect Games roster is about 50-50 in terms of signed players and free agent invites, it makes sense to have somebody who can take care of his own end in the lineup.
63 Alexandre Doucet LW The Red Wings signed 22-year-old Alexandre Doucet a year ago after a breakout campaign in the QMJHL, and the 6,’ 187-pound winger earned his pro stripes the hard way, posting 41 points in 52 games with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye this past season.
That’s a little bit of a drop-off from his 105-point season split between Val-d’Or and Halifax in 2022-2023, but the speedy forward displayed grit and jam while playing professional hockey for the first time with the Walleye, and all the reports I’ve heard are good as to Doucet’s potential to graduate to the AHL this season or the next to continue his development into a scoring forward. He’s taking the long route to pro hockey glory, but that’s okay.
65 Charlie Paquette RW*: A free agent invite, Paquette was passed over in his first year of draft eligibility after a 35-point season with the OHL’s Guelph Storm. Still only 18 years of age, the 6’1,” 192-pound forward as described as a good worker bee, and as he’s still just developing into his body, he may get bigger and nastier as the years go by.
67 Chase Lefebvre C*: The Red Wings invited big Chase Lefebvre to the Prospect Games after the 6’3,” 174-pound center had a so-so season with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes, registering a solid 39 points in 68 games played, but also suffering from an ugly -46 for the rebuilding Petes squad.
Large but quite skinny for his height, the 20-year-old’s destination for the 2024-2025 season is unknown, so he’s likely coming to the Prospect Games to fight for OHL employment somewhere as an “over-ager.”
81 Jakub Rychlovský LW: At 23, Rychlovsky is no “Spring Chicken,” but the 5’10,” 181-pound forward from Czechia’s Bili Tygri Liberec was signed as a free agent this past June because he posted 26 goals and 46 points in 51 regular season games in the Czech Extraliga, and he followed his regular season up with a 5-goal, 7-point performance over the course 9f 9 playoff games. He also posted 9 points in 10 international games, and he turned the Wings scouts’ heads at the World Championship.
Signed to an NHL contract, the snipe-y Rychlovsky is supposed to play at a particularly high level, and at this point, Rychlovsky is a no-risk signing, slated to play this year in the AHL to see whether he can handle the rigors of North American pro hockey. Much like Doucet, the Wings won’t hesitate to send him to Toledo if he struggles at the AHL level, but I’ve heard good things about the young Czech who’s “taking his shot” at making the NHL over the next couple of seasons.
82 Gabriel Seger C** Seger is the third of three big players signed to AHL contracts over the course of this past spring, and the 24-year-old from Sweden is an absolute moose on the ice at 6’4″ and 209 pounds. He took a different kind of route to pro hockey by playing for Union College and then Cornell of the NCAA, and he posted 14 goals and 30 assists for 44 points in 35 games this past season.
Those stats aren’t bad at all for a big man, but at 24, he’s most likely going up to Traverse City to serve as both a role model and something of a deterrent for any Dallas Stars that might take liberties with the Wings’ younger players. He may end up in Grand Rapids, and he may end up in Toledo this upcoming season.
Defensemen:
22 Shai Buium D: The only Red Wings-contracted defenseman taking part in the Prospect Games, big 6’3,” 220-pound Shai Buium is going to be the Wings’ #1 defenseman this year after posting 29 assists and 36 points over the course of 43 regular season and playoff games for the NCAA Champion University of Denver Pioneers.
Shai isn’t as offensively-inclined as his brother Zeev, a Minnesota Wild draft pick, but the Red Wings’ resident member of the Buium family does possess good offensive chops, he’s more of a passer and play-maker than a shooter, and he skates particularly well for his size. Not physical per se, he really plays as a sort of Swiss Army Knife defenseman, who can be relied upon in any situation. Think Brad Stuart or Bob Rouse here.
62 Matthew Virgilio D*: Another free agent invite, Virgilio didn’t even turn 18 until May 24th, so it might not be surprising that the 5’11,” 183-pound defenseman was passed over in this year’s draft despite posting a solid 15 points in 66 games played for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires this past season. He’s described by EliteProspects (click on his name for his profile) as a speedy, hard-hitting defenseman who is more defense than offense, and it won’t hurt the Wings to have a steady defensive performer in the lineup for the Prospect Games.
64 Zach Sandhu D*: Another 18-year-old passed over in his first yer of draft eligibility, the 6’1,” 190-pound defenseman from the OHL’s Oshawa Generals spent this past season split between Guelph and Ottawa, registering 10 points and 62 penalty minutes over the course of 59 games played. He also went on a 21-game playoff run with Oshawa, posting 4 points and 16 penalty minutes.
He’s never been a big point-producer at, so it’s not likely that Sandhu is going to deke, dangle and dazzle, but he appears to be a steady defender with a penchant for physical play. We’ll see what he’s about over the course of the Prospect Games and training camp.
83 Bauer Dumanski D*: Another free agent invite from the Prince George Cougars, it appears that the Red Wings saw a couple of players that they were interested in while scouting forward Ondrej Becher.
In the case of the 6’1,” 196-pound Dumanski, the average-sized defenseman posted 26 assists and 33 points over the course of 68 regular-season games, finishing at +36, and he posted 4 points in 15 playoff games, finishing at +10.
Attempting to discern the numbers behind the numbers with nothing but the eye test isn’t easy, but you want an 19-year-old passed over in the draft to have something that stands out about them, and his ability to finish in the plus column looks encouraging.
86 Josh Van Mulligen D: Yet another free agent invite, big Josh Van Mulligen is a 19-year-old who stands at a solid 6’3″ and 205 pounds, and he posted an OK 22 points in 68 games with Medicine Hat of the WHL this past season.
EliteProspects describes him as a big defender who is also skilled and skates well, and he’s a hitter, too…But there are probably enough questions about his consistency that he was passed over in a draft held on his 19th birthday (June 26th).
89 Marcus Kearsey D*: The Red Wings’ Maritime scouts must have been banging the table for the Wings to include Kearsey as a free agent invite, because the 5’11,” 172-pound defenseman ain’t much physically…
But he posted 49 points in 68 games (including 42 assists) for the Charlottetown Islanders of the QMJHL, and one never quite knows whether smaller players can keep up with what will be nearly a professional hockey grind over the course of the Prospect Games and training camp.
95 Blake Smith D* It doesn’t take much to guess why the Red Wings invited the 19-year-old Smith to the Prospect Games. Standing at 6’5″ and 214 pounds, the Flint Firebirds defenseman posted 13 points in 65 games this past season, as well as 46 penalty minutes, and size does matter in today’s NHL, so the Red Wings are bringing something of a deterrent into the Prospect Games here.
He’s apparently a strong skater as well as a physical player, but he’s been passed over in two drafts now, which affords the Red Wings a free look at the big native of Oshawa, Ontario.
Goaltenders:
31 Carter Gylander G: Gylander is turning pro at 23 years of age, but, to his credit, he’s stuck around, stuck around, and continued to improve as the 6’5,” 190-pound goaltender played for four full seasons at Colgate University.
Gylander is a big butterfly goalie who has smart feet and a very principled style, but he’s not overly heavy on his skates, and again, he deserves credit for perseverance, because he spent his first two years at Colgate as a back-up, and then he proceeded to play as a starter for an ever-rebuilding team, earning 33 wins over the course of 71 games played.
The Red Wings were big enough on Gylander to sign him to a contract despite his less than perfect stats, even though the team already has Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine in the pipeline, so clearly, the team sees something special in Gylander’s pluck.
Whether Gylander starts his pro career as one of three goaltenders on Grand Rapids of the AHL (alongside Sebastian Cossa and Jack Campbell) or whether he’s in the ECHL (with Jan Bednar and Gage Alexander) is unclear, so the Prospect Games and training camp are very important for Gylander.
He’ll have to not only perform during games and practices, but also be a sponge as goaltending development coach Phil Osaer and Griffins goalie coach Roope Koistinen teach Gylander the “ins and outs” of his position.
61 Landon Miller G: Detroit took a flyer on the 18-year-old Miller with the 126th overall pick in this past June’s NHL Draft. Miller has size (6’5″ and 194 pounds) and some panache, having posted a solid 17-6-and-0 record as the Soo Greyhounds’ backup goaltender, though his goals-against average and save percentage were not sterling at 2.79 GAA and .889 SPCT, respectively.
The Red Wings got an eyeful of Miller while scouting eventual traded prospect Andrew Gibson, and while the goaltending pipeline is a little crowded right now, they’ll watch Miller for the next two seasons, see how he performs, and determine whether he’s worth inking to a contract.
Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) 2024 4th round (126th overall)
68 Gage Alexander G: The Anaheim Ducks had to move a player off their roster in order to take Robby Fabbri in a salary-dump trade this past July, so they essentially dumped Alexander on the Wings.
He’s a huge goalie at 6’6″ and 205 pounds, and the 22-year-old has played for the San Diego Gulls of the AHL and the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL, posting uninspiring stats despite his massive stature.
At this point, Alexander appears to be one of those gigantic goaltenders who simply cannot find consistency yet, and it’s entirely possible, if not probable, that he’ll start the season in the ECHL, but the Red Wings are going to want him to pay attention to what Osaer and Koistinen have to teach him over the course of morning skates, practices and early-morning training camp sessions.
*= Free agent try-out, **= Grand Rapids Griffins contract
