The Detroit Red Wings are the latest focus in our NHL prospect pool overview series.
Tony Ferrari digs into the Red Wings’ strengths and weaknesses, latest draft class, positional depth chart, next player in line for an NHL opportunity and more. A player who no longer holds rookie eligibility in the NHL is considered graduated and no longer a prospect for these exercises, with some exceptions.
Initial Thoughts
The Red Wings are stuck in the mushy middle. They’ve been good enough to be in the playoff race for a few years now. By the time the races near the end, they’ve fallen off. Even a couple of seasons back, when they missed the post-season in their final game, they had a chance to take a stranglehold on the final playoff spot but toiled away.
The constant middling results, as well as arguably the worst luck in NHL draft lottery history, landed the Wings with a prospect pool that’s full of good but not great players.
These prospects will build out the middle six of their roster, but they don’t have many potential elite impact players right now.
Carter Bear, their most recent first-round pick, might have the highest realistic upside of any forward in the system, and he seems destined to be a very capable second-line winger who can score, hit and do just about everything a coach wants from a player.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard has the most realistic shot of challenging Bear for the highest upside in the group. He plays a similar brand of hockey with a sound two-way game, physical maturity, excellent board play and a great shot.
Brandsegg-Nygard just does it all with a more refined package of tools. He doesn’t have as high a motor as Bear, but it’s still high-end, and he plays such a tactical brand of hockey. Brandsegg-Nygard might be the best hope to fill the Wings’ hole on the top line alongside Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin, but that’s a lot to ask of a player coming to North America for the first time this upcoming season.
Carter Mazur can play up and down the lineup. He likely fits better in the bottom six, but he could be a serviceable fill-in higher in the lineup. He had a rough season riddled with injuries, including an upper-body injury that ended his year just two shifts into his NHL debut. That said, Mazur has a sneaky possibility of playing in the NHL this year. He brings a high motor, a very good shot and some interesting hard skills..
Detroit would love it if Nate Danielson could take a step and arrive in the NHL. His first AHL season was solid with 39 points in 71 games, but he didn’t blow the doors off. Danielson isn’t the flashiest player, and he has more functional skill than elite creativity, but that’s how the Wings are building their roster. They want players who outwork and outskate their opponents, and Danielson could be a key part of that. Whether he makes the NHL roster out of camp or not, Danielson could be a quick call-up if performance or injuries become a concern.
One of the most intriguing and high-upside prospects in the Wings’ system is Russian left winger Dmitri Buchelnikov. His skill and puckhandling can be dazzling at times. He has incredible vision and some of the slickest passing in the KHL. Buchelnikov skates like the wind and uses that to his advantage in the offensive zone to pull away and create space for himself.
Buchelnikov is a boom-or-bust prospect who could be a major addition to the Wings' roster in a year or two. His 54 points in the KHL this past year were among the league’s top 20 scorers and second among U-22 players. His KHL deal expires after next season, so he could be making the trek over as soon as the end of this season.
Some of Detroit’s best prospects who graduated in the NHL in recent years come from the back end, such as Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson.
The next potential high-impact blueliner is Axel Sandin-Pellikka.
The shifty, skilled Swedish blueliner has been nothing but phenomenal, showcasing just how talented he is in the Swedish League. He won the Salming Trophy as defender of the year in 2023-24 and was the best defenseman at the 2025 world juniors. He was recognized as the best junior-aged Swedish player, and he’s won an SHL championship. He’ll be in the AHL this season, but don’t be surprised if he finds his way into NHL games as well.
Shai Buium had a great AHL season as a rookie blueliner. He has a bit of an offensive lean to his game, which may be a bit redundant with some of the young talent the Wings have on the roster and in the pipeline. He’s also shown to be an adaptable player who can really help move the puck in transition. He may not get much power-play time in the NHL, but he can be a solid third-pairing puck-mover.
William Wallinder is a sneaky potential call-up this season. After two seasons in the AHL with some steady improvement, the big, mobile defender could be in line for a chance in the NHL this year. He is a toolsy defender who likely won’t play much higher than a third-pair role, but he could be a very interesting addition.
The Red Wings have prioritized filling their goalie pipeline, and as a result, they have a couple of top-tier goalie prospects: Sebastian Cossa (15th overall in 2021) and Trey Augustine (41st overall in 2023).
Cossa’s had an up-and-down development so far, but his size and athletic ability make him such an intriguing prospect. He carried the load in the AHL and looked quite good. It would be ideal for him to play one more year in the AHL and potentially dominate, with a cup of coffee or two in the NHL being a possibility.
Augustine has begun to make a big impression. He’s been dominant for Michigan State, helping revitalize that program and show it’s a force in the NCAA. He’s been dominant for Team USA at the World Junior Championship and even played wonderfully a couple of seasons ago at the men’s worlds. Augustine doesn’t have the size Cossa has, but this athletic ability is unreal, and his puck-tracking is elite. Augustine is the more technically sound of the two netminders as well. The hope is they form a rock-solid tandem one day, with one of them establishing themselves as the bona fide No. 1.
Key U-23 Players Likely To Play NHL Games This Season
Marco Kasper (C/W), Simon Edvinsson (D), Lucas Raymond (RW), Carter Mazur (LW), Nate Danielson (C)
2025 NHL Draft Class
Round 1, 13th overall - Carter Bear, LW, Everett (WHL)
Round 2, 44th overall - Eddie Genborg, RW, Linkoping (Swe.)
Round 3, 75th overall - Michal Pradel, G, Tri-City (USHL)
Round 4, 109th overall - Brent Solomon, RW, Champlin Park (Minn. H.S.)
Round 4, 119th overall - Michal Svrcek, LW, Brynas Jr. (Swe.)
Round 5, 140th overall - Nikita Tyurin, D, Spartak Moscow Jr. (Rus.)
Round 6, 172nd overall - Will Murphy, D, Cape Breton (QMJHL)
Round 7, 204th overall - Grayden Robertson-Palmer, C, Phillips-Andover (Mass. H.S.)
The Detroit Red Wings clearly have a type in the draft, which includes players with a high motor and physicality.
This year, they at least picked a high-upside version of that type in the first round with Bear. His stock took a hit when his season ended due to an Achilles' tear, but all signs pointed to a full recovery when he returned to the ice prior to the draft.
Bear is a high-octane forward who never stops moving his feet and looks to get involved at both ends of the ice. His work ethic was nearly unmatched in this draft class, using his endless motor to throw hits on the forecheck or drive the puck to the net front. He has an excellent shot and makes some really nice passes out of trouble when he goes into those battles down low and along the boards. Bear has the potential to be a top-six scoring winger with some really impressive two-way utility.
In Round 2, the Red Wings took Swedish right winger Eddie Genborg. He’s a safe, steady prospect who brings a physical edge and a sound defensive game. He doesn’t present a ton of upside, but he does have a good shot and establishes position around the net quite well. His bottom-six utility will be an asset at the next level as the Wings look to fill their third and fourth lines with functional NHLers.
Every year, the Wings bolster their pipeline in the crease. This year, Michal Pradel was their pick. The Slovak netminder was fantastic at the World Men’s Under-18s, leading the underdog squad to the bronze medal game against the Americans. Pradel helped push the game to overtime with some massive saves before falling in extra time. Pradel has great size, and he moves fluidly around his crease. He isn’t always the most technical goalie, but he makes the first save and gives his team a chance to clear and get out of trouble.
Brent Solomon was an interesting pick as a high schooler from Minnesota. His one standout trait is his shot, which is a weapon all over the ice. He must take a significant step in other areas to take advantage of that weapon. A year in the United States League and then a couple of college campaigns could do wonders for Soloman.
In what might be one of the steals of the draft, Detroit took Michal Svrcek at 119th overall. While a little undersized at 5-foot-11, Svrcek plays with the vigor and pace teams want from a productive middle-six scorer. His speed and playmaking put defenders on their heels. Svrcek sets the table for his linemates. He does so many of the little things to drive play up ice and put them in an excellent position. He was a bit snakebitten at the U-18 level for Slovakia, but he consistently generated good results.
Fifth-round pick Nikita Tyurin is an interesting prospect because he hasn’t figured out how to leverage his skating and passing from the back end to be a truly effective defender. He’s already a solid transitional player, but his play at both ends of the ice must become more consistent. He has the tools and play-reading ability, and he flashes those skills often, but he also has some misreads and underwhelming execution at times.
In the sixth round, the Wings picked Will Murphy. The big, strong defender loves to get involved physically, and he can kill plays along the boards. His habits when defending the cycle are simple and effective, as he aims to stall all momentum. Murphy hasn’t had much success offensively, and he’s not much of a puck-mover. He generally opts to go D-to-D or find the easiest outlet. He’s not much of a fun pick, but he’s a defensively focused, physical player.
Detroit’s final pick was a dart throw, selecting high school athlete Grayden Robertson-Palmer. He’s a downhill attacker who has a bit of an unrefined game, but he loves to amp up the pace, get defenders thinking and force them to move on the rush. He’s a very incomplete player, but with some patience and growth over the next few years, Robertson-Palmer could be a very interesting NCAA player and NHL prospect.
Strengths
How can you not talk about the goalies here?
With Cossa and Augustine both ranking among the best netminders outside of the NHL and the Wings' tendency to draft solid netminders in just about every draft, the Wings should have a goalie of the future. Whether it’s one of the big two, Pradel from the 2025 draft or Rudy Guimond or Landon Miller from recent drafts, the Wings have goalies for days in the system.
Weaknesses
The Red Wings don’t have a true glaring weakness, but they could use a center or two because most of the pivots they’ve drafted project to be lower in the lineup.
Even Kasper, who has shown some flashes of potential in the top six, would likely settle into a third-line center role long-term.
That puts the Wings' true weakness on display. They have plenty of depth in their prospect pool, but they lack high-end, elite impact and skill. Sandin-Pellikka can provide some skill and offensive impact on the back end, and they have goalies galore, but the forward group is missing that stud who could help give Detroit a scary top six when added to Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond.
Hidden Gem: Jesse Kiiskinen, RW
Since the Red Wings acquired Kiiskinen in exchange for Andrew Gibson in 2024, Detroit fans have been all over how impressive he has been. The 19-year-old was nearly a point-per-game player in the Liiga against men this past season, and he will jump to AHL Grand Rapids this upcoming year. Kiiskinen is shifty more than he’s fast, using his puckhandling and skill to evade pressure. His shot is pro-ready, so that should translate to North America with ease, and his passing his better than it’s given credit for. Kiiskinen has been one of the buzziest names of the development camp cycle for any team, so he’ll be a name to watch in the fall.
Next Man Up: Nate Danielson, C
This could easily be Mazur, but Danielson gets the nod here because he has the upside the Wings need. He can play just about anywhere in the top nine and possibly solidify the center position behind Larkin and Kasper. His arrival would also help push J.T. Compher and Andrew Copp to lesser roles, which they both need at this stage of their careers. Danielson may not be the true ‘Next Man Up,’ but the Red Wings and their fans are certainly hoping a solid camp and impressive pre-season can earn him a shot.
Prospect Depth Chart Notables
LW: Carter Bear, Michal Svrcek, Carter Mazur, Max Plante, Emmitt Finnie, Dmitri Buchelnikov
C: Nate Danielson, Ondrej Becher, Noah Dower-Nilsson, Amadeus Lombardi
RW: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Eddie Genborg, Jesse Kiiskinen
LD: Shai Buium, John Whipple, William Wallinder, Brady Cleveland, Eemil Viro
RD: Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Anton Johansson
G: Trey Augustine, Sebastian Cossa, Rudy Guimond, Landon Miller, Michal Pradel
For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Yearbook and Future Watch editions of The Hockey News in print.