The Athletic’s Max Bultman offers several thoughts regarding the Red Wings’ 2026 prospect tournament this morning, discussing Carter Bear’s impressive form, Theo Rochette’s North American return, Nate Danielson, Trey Augustine, Anton Johansson and draft picks Myles Brosnan and Noah Dower-Nilsson:
1. If Bear was the standout of game one, Rochette probably deserved that title for Sunday’s game. Beyond that first goal, he created multiple rush chances with takeaways, ran the left flank on the power play and showed a nice blend of skill and skating. He scored Saturday too, notching the game-tying goal with a nice move to the net from below the goal line.
And really, Rochette should be a standout. While he’s a new name to Red Wings fans, Rochette is a 24-year-old center the Red Wings signed out of Switzerland this summer after finishing eighth in the NL with 43 points in 46 games last season. He was good enough to make Switzerland’s World Championship team in the spring, and thus certainly should be expected to look a cut above the field at an event like this.
Rochette is likely to at start the year in Grand Rapids, and after two games, [Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan] Watson praised his skill, vision and competitiveness. In that sense, he seems like a potential Amadeus Lombardi replacement for the Griffins, after the Red Wings traded the speedy scoring prospect to New Jersey this summer. But Rochette’s ambitions are ultimately higher than that.
“I think it was a good opportunity for me, that’s what I’ve always wanted,” Rochette said of why he signed with Detroit. “I had some good talks with them, and at the end of the day my dream is to play in the NHL. I don’t want to have any regret not trying.”
At his size — listed 5-foot-11, 172 pounds — he’ll need to do some offensive damage and show he can be responsible to get a potential call-up, especially in an organization that is currently crowded down the middle (though that could certainly change as the year goes on). Still, Rochette’s production last season in Switzerland, and then his play at Worlds, make him an interesting player to watch this year.
Continued (paywall); Rochette provides scoring, skill, skating and even a little bit of grit out there, belying his shorter, smaller size. He’s been playing pro hockey for years now, so he should be ready to transition to the AHL.
