McKeen’s Hockey has ranked the Red Wings as having the 3rd-best prospect pool in the NHL this season. While I can’t share the entirety of their top-15 prospect profiles, the introduction, written by McKeen’s Dave Hall, is important to read:
The Detroit Red Wings find themselves at a critical juncture in their rebuild under GM Steve Yzerman. Over the past five years, the team has been meticulously collecting top-end talent, with hopes of positioning themselves to become a future playoff contender. Since Yzerman’s hiring in 2019, the Red Wings have amassed 21 picks in the first two rounds of the draft, including four top 10 selections. Out of those first round picks, Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider have already cemented themselves as vital pieces of the team’s current core. Both Simon Edvinsson (ranked 18th) and Marco Kasper (44th) sit on the cusp of making an impact, while Sebastian Cossa (60th), Axel Sandin-Pellikka (41st), Nate Danielson (43rd), and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (70th) continue to develop and perform strongly in their respective leagues.
The Red Wings’ affiliates are stacked with young talent, eagerly awaiting their NHL opportunities. Prospects such as William Wallinder (148th), Amadeus Lombardi (274th), Cross Hanas, Shai Buium (176th), Carter Mazur (120th), Elmer Söderblom and Albert Johansson are all part of the team’s impressive pool of U23 players that will likely compete for NHL roster spots over the next couple of seasons.
One of the most promising areas of Detroit’s system is goaltending. Sebastian Cossa recently completed his first season in the AHL, posting a solid 22-9-9 record. Meanwhile, Trey Augustine (113th) has emerged as one of the top collegiate goaltenders, winning both a Big Ten Championship with Michigan State University and a Gold Medal with Team USA at the World Juniors. Cossa will likely need at least another year of development, while Augustine is on a similar path to reach the NHL in the next two-to-three years.
The Red Wings’ prospect pool strikes a perfect balance between quality and quantity, with numerous players nearly guaranteed to see NHL action and several others with the potential to develop into future contributors. It may not be long before Detroit makes a serious push for postseason contention, bringing their rebuild to fruition.
Continued (paywall) with 15 prospect profiles penned by Josh Bell…
Always liked McKeen.
This is fine and dandy but when the kids are blocked from the DRW roster by mediocre veterans on bad, hard to move contracts, does it even matter?