FloHockey’s Allen Catour highlights Trey Augustine, Max Plante and Jesse Kiiskinen as three Red Wings prospects to watch this upcoming season:
Jesse Kiiskinen Brings Offensive Upside
Jesse Kiiskinen is another prospect worth watching in the Red Wings organization.
The forward continues to develop his game and remains one of the young players working through Detroit’s system. His offensive abilities and long-term potential make him an intriguing player to monitor entering the season.
A strong year could help strengthen his standing among Detroit’s top prospects.
Max Plante Is A Forward To Watch
Max Plante gives the Red Wings another promising young forward to follow.
As he continues his development, Plante remains part of the organization’s future plans and a player worth monitoring. His progression will be an important part of Detroit’s prospect story as the season unfolds.
Red Wings fans will be watching to see how he continues to grow within the system.
Continued; for what it’s worth, I thought that Augustine looked good against the Penguins despite surrendering 2 3rd-period goals; Kiiskinen was pretty much invisible until he scored against the Pens, illustrating that he needs a little more work in terms of his consistency of play.
As for Max Plante, he told the Duluth News-Tribune’s Matt Wellens that he’s still hungry for more NCAA hockey wins while playing alongside his brothers, Victor and Zam, at the University of Minnesota-Duluth:
“Winning the Hobey Baker is pretty special. It means you’re a pretty good player, but … I’m still only a 20-year-old kid,” Max Plante said. “I still haven’t won either a conference championship or a national championship, which is really the goal playing hockey. Knowing that we had other guys on our team turn down NHL contracts helped me with my decision.”
The Bulldogs had seven NHL draft picks on last year’s team, plus a number of undrafted free agents who have been courted by NHL teams. Goaltender Adam Gajan, a 2023 second-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks, was the only Bulldog underclassman who signed a pro deal in the spring. One entered the transfer portal.
Asked about his goals, Max Plante said some are personal, others are “kind of obvious.”
“With the group we have coming back, we have a real shot — I feel like — to win some games,” Max Plante said. “Hopefully a good start in non-conference will help us going into the conference schedule. There’s three trophies that we have the opportunity to win. There’s a lot to do before that, but those are definitely some things that not only myself, but the rest of our team is looking at.”
