The Hockey News’s Jake Tye posted a profile/scouting report of Red Wings prospect and Hobey Baker award winner Max Plante.
As Tye notes, the incoming Minnesota-Duluth sophomore played this past season with his brother, Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Zam Plante, and, this fall, 2026 Red Wings draft pick Victor Plante will join the his brothers on the Bulldogs’ roster:
Max was excellent right out of the gate at the NCAA level, posting nine goals and 19 assists for 28 points in 23 games as a freshman before an even bigger breakout this past season.
As a sophomore, he exploded for 25 goals and 27 assists for 52 points in just 40 games, the most by a Bulldog since 2011-12, earning him National Collegiate Hockey Conference Player of the Year honors and, ultimately, the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in NCAA men’s hockey.
Naturally, fans in Detroit would love to see Plante make the jump to the pro ranks sooner rather than later, and he figures to be part of that conversation at Red Wings training camp.
However, Plante has already made his plans for this season clear in that he’ll be heading back to Duluth for his junior year, in large part so he can finally share the ice with both of his brothers at the same time, a chance to chase something he hasn’t yet achieved in a national championship.
Plante has stayed in close contact with the organization throughout the process, and Detroit appears comfortable letting his development play out on his own timeline. That leaves the door open for Plante to potentially sign with the Red Wings following the conclusion of next season’s NCAA campaign, with a scenario where he joins Detroit down the stretch, possibly in the middle of a playoff push, well within the realm of possibility.
Continued; my best guess about Max Plante is simple; I’d imagine that he will remain with Minnesota-Duluth for a long NCAA playoff run, and then it’s 50-50 as to whether he actually “turns pro.”
