Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman made an impromptu appearance with the Wings’ media corps on Thursday, and DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills took note of Yzerman’s remarks about the team’s rookie trio…
Executive Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman didn’t expect prospects Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Emmitt Finnie and Axel Sandin-Pellikka to all earn spots on the Detroit Red Wings’ 2025-26 Opening Night roster, but their strong play over the past several weeks convinced him that the trio of talented youngsters deserved to start this season in the NHL.
“Probably exceeded our expectations,” Yzerman said ahead of Thursday’s puck drop at Little Caesars Arena. “All three of them were in Grand Rapids at the end of the year and all did alright based on what we saw. We kind of anticipated them, at that time, starting in Grand Rapids. But we say it every year, no decision has been made until you come to camp. From Day 1, they started off really good [at the 2025 NHL Prospect Games] and continued that in the scrimmages in Traverse City, the Red & White Game in Grand Rapids and they all looked good in the preseason games. We felt that they all earned the opportunity and see if they can sustain it in the regular season, which we expect them to. It was a very pleasant surprise that we weren’t necessarily expecting in the offseason.”
The three 20-year-olds all made their NHL debuts against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, marking the first time since 2018-19 that the Red Wings had at least three players make their NHL debut on an Opening Night. That season, forwards Christoffer Ehn and Michael Rasmussen, along with defensemen Dennis Cholowski, Filip Hronek and Libor Sulak all debuted against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 4, 2018.
As well as his take on how long the trio of debutantes may last in Detroit…
“No really different than evaluating anybody else,” Yzerman said. “For these guys, you see the impact that they’ll have on the team. They don’t need waivers, so if they aren’t playing then they’re not having an impact. You can send them right to Grand Rapids and let them play. For me, it’s how the coaches use them and how much of an impact are they having? Hopefully, they’re having a positive impact and they’re not losing their confidence.”
And then there was this regarding the team as a whole:
With those three rookies currently part of the mix, there’s a lot of optimism about their and the Red Wings’ overall potential in the franchise’s Centennial season. And now, Yzerman said it’s on the group — especially the returning players from last season — to turn that into more than just a feeling.
“I look at the core of the team, starting with Dylan and Alex DeBrincat,” Yzerman said. “Guys that had good years last year, we expect them to continue if not get better. Mo and Lucas in Year 5 now, like they’re entering their prime years and they’re going to continue to grow. Add Marco to that group, I expect Simon and all these young guys to take another step and play a more prominent role. Our expectation is, with John in net, that we’ll be stronger and then we’ll see how the young players do. For me, there’s a lot of excitement and curiosity to see how this is going to play out, but I’m expecting more from the players that were here.”
