The Athletic’s Corey Pronman posted his ranking of the best players under 23 years of age in the NHL this morning, and several Red Wings players made his list:
12. Moritz Seider: Seider’s pure scoring numbers took a slight dip from his Calder Trophy season, but he was still a big-minutes and highly impactful NHL defenseman. Seider provides two-way impact, but it’s his defensive play that gets you the most excited. With his length, mobility and high-end physical play, he projects to be one of the league’s premier shutdown defenders for a long time. You add that he has good enough skill to run an NHL power play — even if that part of his game never becomes elite — to making plays with pace, and Seider looks like he will be a star in the NHL for a while.
26. Lucas Raymond: Raymond’s second NHL season wasn’t as successful as his rookie year, but he was still important to Detroit at a very young age. He has special puck skills, with the ability to make high-skill maneuvers with the puck seem routine. He combines that skill with excellent offensive IQ which allows him to make so many difficult plays. He has the ideal toolkit to run a power play and is a threat inside the offensive zone. Raymond isn’t that big, but he works hard and doesn’t shy from going to the net. It’s his size combined with good-but-not-great feet that hold him back at times versus men. He doesn’t have a great transition game so when he’s not scoring, his game isn’t that impactful. I think he will score enough in the league that it won’t matter too much and he will be a top-scoring wing for a team for a long while.
32. Nate Danielson: Danielson is a well-rounded center who has a lot of NHL traits. He’s a big body who skates and competes well, which when combined with his offensive touch, allows him to be effective in a lot of situations. He has an excellent stick and is able to beat defenders with skill at NHL speeds often. He makes a lot of plays with pace but also shows the vision and shot threat to run a power play off the edge. Danielson is a competitive two-way center who wins a good share of puck battles and can kill penalties. He looks like a potential high-in-the-lineup all-situations center in the NHL.
40. Simon Edvinsson: Edvinsson played a major role for Grand Rapids in all situations as a 19-year-old, continuing the pro success he showed in the SHL. Edvinsson checks all the boxes. He’s a very strong skater for a massive defenseman. He has good puck skills and he can move pucks and make plays. He has a little physical edge in him and makes a lot of stops. I don’t know if the offense will ever be elite because I don’t see that type of offensive IQ, but Edvinsson should play a lot of NHL minutes for a long time.
65. Marco Kasper: Kasper didn’t have a huge offensive season for Rogle, but he was an important part of their team and continued to show he can play well versus men. Kasper is a strong skating center with strong offensive skills, but he’s not the flashiest player. The strengths of his game are his work ethic and physicality. His motor is outstanding, he plays in traffic and projects as a reliable two-way center in the NHL. He could be a second-line center, but I think on a contender he probably is a #3.
Continued (paywall); Axel Sandin Pellikka (#96), William Wallinder (#106), Elmer Soderblom (#149), Carter Mazur (#155) and Sebastian Cossa (#167) also crack Pronman’s list.
