The Red Wings and Stars will face off in the Prospect Games on Saturday and Sunday, and both Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis and NHL.com’s Mike G. Morreale offer players from all rookie tournaments to watch this upcoming weekend.
Ellis suggests that the Red Wings are best-represented by Nate Danielson…
Detroit Red Wings: Nate Danielson, C, 20
Danielson will be in the conversation to make Detroit’s opening night lineup. So a nice start to training camp season could help his chances. Danielson’s game was never going to be about pure skill or offensive domination. Instead, it was about how rounded he was and how he uses his strength and hockey sense to win battles. He had a solid 39 points in 71 AHL games as a pro rookie, and he has impressed in the past two pre-seasons, too.
While Morreale wants to see what Axel Sandin Pellikka can do:
Axel Sandin-Pellikka, D, Detroit Red Wings: The right-handed shot (5-11, 176) compensates for his lack of size with his hockey smarts and tremendous work ethic. The 20-year-old was named the 2025 Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year after he led all under-21 players in the Swedish Hockey League 12 goals and 29 points in 46 games with Skelleftea.
Update: The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan offers a slate of Wings prospects to watch:
▶ LW Carter Bear (13th overall, 2025): The Wings’ first-round pick in June, Bear (6-foot, 179 pounds) has apparently healed from a partially-torn Achilles tendon that shortened his last season. Bear is headed back to junior hockey, but coming off a 40-goal season at Everett (WHL), it would be good to show he’s healthy and completely healed heading into this winter.
▶ RW Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (15th overall, 2024): The Wings’ first-round pick last year might be close to being NHL-ready. He has an NHL body (6-foot-1, 206 pounds), and in a short three-game playoff stint in Grand Rapids last spring, Brandsegg-Nygard had two goals and one assist and was arguably one of the best Griffins in the series. It’s likely Brandsegg-Nygard needs more AHL seasoning, but it’s possible he could push his way into a deserving roster spot.
▶ D Shai Buium (36th overall, 2021): Buium had 25 points (23 assists) in 67 games in Grand Rapids and showed intriguing potential. Buium (6-foot-3, 209 pounds) has size, is a good skater and is responsible in the defensive end. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Buium in the NHL soon, and a good weekend in Frisco would be a good liftoff for that.
▶ G Rudy Guimond (169th overall, 2023): Guimond was among the best goaltenders in junior hockey last season and is headed to play collegiately at Harvard this winter. The Wings have a promising stable of goaltending prospects and Guimond is putting himself among the leaders.
▶ G Rudy Guimond (169th overall, 2023): Guimond was among the best goaltenders in junior hockey last season and is headed to play collegiately at Harvard this winter. The Wings have a promising stable of goaltending prospects and Guimond is putting himself among the leaders.
