The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a profile of Red Wings 2026 draft pick Michal Orsulak, a right-catching goaltender who played for the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders this past season. The Red Wings are awash in goaltending prospects like Trey Augustine, Michal Postava, Michal Pradel, Rudy Guimond and Carter Gylander, but they chose to add Orsulak to the mix for good reason:
In any draft, in any sport, a team looks to acquire talent. Regardless of position. When Kris Draper, the Wings’ director of amateur scouting, and his staff saw Orsulak available, the Wings had to pounce. The Wings grabbed Orsulak in the third round, 79th overall.
“The size, the compete, the way he moves, we just felt that with where we were in the draft, we felt it was a real good pick to add,” Draper said. “We feel we have a good athlete, competitive. We’re real excited to add him.”
Orsulak, 18, had an outstanding season for a powerful Prince Albert team in the Western Hockey League (WHL), after having played junior hockey in his native Czech the year before.
Orsulak was 28-4-4, with a 2.22 goals-against average and .907 save percentage with four shutouts, helping Prince Albert get to the WHL finals. Orsulak also was a key factor in Czechia earning a silver medal at the world junior championships, getting the attention of numerous scouts.
“We (Prince Albert) had a good year for sure, and I played better than the year before,” said Orsulak, who is returning to Prince Albert next season. “Confidence real high after world juniors, but (people don’t remember) who finished second.”
Kulfan also takes note of Orsulak’s physical attributes:
At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, with athleticism and competitiveness to match — and an impressive 78.8 inch wingspan — Orsulak fits the profile of what NHL teams are currently looking for in net. In some mock drafts, Orsulak was expected to go in the second round, or a bit higher in the third, well before the Wings picked.
“He’s in a special category, technically and mechanically,” said Dan Marr, central scouting director, before the draft. “He’s got all the tools that you want to see in a prospect. NHL clubs seem to like the goalies that have that size. There’s not a lot of net to shoot at, and he doesn’t give the shooters much net to aim at. It’s his quickness with his reflexes and his reactions, but also the compete that he has. He’s a very assertive, challenging goalie.”
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