DFO’s Ellis gives the Red Wings a solid B+ draft grade

Updated at 1:49 AM: Daily Faceoff’s prospect guru, Steven Ellis, graded the 2026 NHL Draft performances of each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams, and he gave the Red Wings a very solid mark:

Detroit Red Wings: B+

Notable picks: J.P. Hurlbert, Victor Plante, Michal Orsulak

The Red Wings snagged a skilled winger in J.P. Hurlbert in the first, a smart playmaker in Victor Plante in the second and one of the CHL’s top goalies in Michal Orsulak in the third. I feel like Orsulak was taken a bit earlier than I would have liked, but I appreciate that Detroit has made it their mission to draft a goalie every year. That’s the type of move that pays off, either in the long-run or in the trade market (like with Cossa). I’m not convinced any of the three are impact NHLers, which is why I am leaving this at a B+, but that’s still solid.

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Update: ESPN’s Rachel Kryshak gave the Wings a “B” as well:

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Red Wings select defenseman Myles Brosnan 196th overall

With the 196th pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Red Wings selected defenseman Myles Brosnan:

Here’s EliteProspects’ Draft Guide on Brosnan:

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On JP Hurlbert’s Michigan ties

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills filed an article about Red Wings first round pick JP Hurlbert, who spoke with the media last night from Buffalo.

Hurlbert was born in Texas, and played this past season with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, but he’s headed to U of M this fall:

The next phase of Hurlbert’s development will take place in Ann Arbor, Mich., where he’s committed to the University of Michigan for the upcoming season – a fitting destination given the Allen, Texas native’s strong family connection to both the Wolverines and the Motor City.

“A lot of time in Texas for sure in the summers,” Hurlbert said. “But I’ve always, every summer, gone up [to Michigan] for at least two weeks. Spent it with my grandparents. They have a lake house up there, so I know the city really well. I know the area. It’s somewhere where I feel like I’m at home and it’s really easy to go back to.”

Those ties also influenced Hurlbert’s hockey fandom growing up, with his parents helping fuel his passion for the sport and supporting his journey every step of the way.

“Kind of starting off watching Red Wings games, running around the house, yelling ‘hockey, hockey, hockey’ with my dad, so that’s what got me into it,” Hurlbert said. “They’ve carried me the whole way here. So much travelling as a kid, taking me to events and practices, so I wouldn’t be sitting here without them.”

Detroit initially didn’t own a first-round pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, but Draper explained that the Red Wings’ expansive scouting staff was prepared for anything going into the weekend.

“You never know what was going to happen,” Draper said. “Obviously, at the Trade Deadline, we ended up trading our first-round pick and brought in Justin Faulk. So, for us it was just basically continue doing the job, watching the players, knowing the players and if something were to come up and Steve was able to add a first-round pick, make sure that we were ready to go. That’s exactly what we did, and the opportunity came being able to make a trade with Utah and gave us the opportunity to select J.P.”

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Red Wings select Luka Arkko 175th overall

With the 175th pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Red Wings selected winger Luka Arkko from the Lahti Pelicans’ J20 team.

Per EliteProspects’ Draft Guide:

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Red Wings select Beckham Edwards 143rd overall

Updated 2x at 3:34 PM: With the 143rd overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Red Wings selected incoming Notre Dame freshman center Beckham Edwards.

Per EliteProspects…

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Red Wings draft Adam Levac 108th overall

Updated 2x at 2:22 PM: With the 108th pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Red Wings selected Peterborough Petes center Adam Levac.

The NHL Network reported that today is Levac’s 18th birthday.

From EliteProspects:

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Red Wings draft Michal Orsulak 79th overall

Updated 3x at 2:11 PM: With the 79th pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Red Wings selected goaltender(!) Michal Orsulak of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders.

Per EliteProspects…

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Red Wings select Victor Plante 47th overall

With the 47th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Red Wings selected NTDP center and incoming Minnesota-Duluth freshman Victor (Brother of Max) Plante:

Updated 10x at 1:18 PM: Per EliteProspects, Plante is only 5’10” and 163 pounds. Here’s their scouting report:

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Shapiro on Cossa’s flaws

From Sean Shapiro’s must-read Substack comes this about Sebastian Cossa, the Red Wings prospect who was traded to the Utah Mammoth for the 23rd overall pick (JP Hurlbert) in the 2026 NHL Draft:

The Cossa saga is interesting, he always had the physical tools, but seemed to lack the mental makeup and demeanor that Detroit was looking for. The Red Wings essentially tried to tear him down and build him back up, and even after doing that they didn’t like the end product, especially compared to Trey Augustine.

Nothing new to report on the Dylan Larkin front, although it will be interesting today when Steve Yzerman addressed the media after Day 2 of the NHL Draft, which will be his first public comments since the trade reports surfaced two weeks ago.

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