Red Wings AHL coach Brian Lashoff believes defenceman Simon Edvinsson can build off breakout 2024-25 season
One of the notable bright spots on the Red Wings last season was the emergence of young defencemen Simon Edvinsson.
The 22-year-old Swedish defenseman led the team with a +12 rating, ranked second in blocked shots with 144, averaged the third-most ice time at over 21 minutes per game, and finished the season with 31 points across 78 games. His season was a long time coming for Detroit fans as they've been waiting for the breakout season for the 6-foot-6 giant since he was selected sixth overall in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Before making the jump to an everyday player, Edvinsson played just 25 NHL games with a majority of his development coming at the AHL level with the Grand Rapids Griffins. He spent two seasons in Eastern Michigan, where he played 106 games and posted an impressive stat line with 57 points, including 44 assists as an elite puck distributor. During his time in the minors, he got to play alongside and learn from a Red Wings veteran in Brian Lashoff.
After playing the entirety of his 14-year professional playing career in the Red Wings organization, Lashoff decided to move behind the bench and now works as one of the team's assistant coaches. Before swapping his skates for a clipboard, he got to play with Edvinsson and can speak to the talent of the player.
Former Red Wing Gerard Gallant Admits He’s “Pissed” Over NHL Coaching SnubsIt shouldn’t be difficult for a decorated former NHL coach and Jack Adams Award winner to find another job behind an NHL bench, but that’s the unfortunate reality that former Detroit Red Wings forward Gerard Gallant faced.
"I'm obviously really proud of him, I had played with him in my last year, and then I got the chance to coach him and work with him my first year coaching, so I had a good relationship with him and try to help him with as much as possible," Lashoff explained "You could see the talent right away, the size of him and his ability to skate, the one thing that I think he took really seriously from when he got over here and us working with him as a staff, is just his defending."
Lashoff would go on to explain that Edvinsson's strides in his defensive game helped him transition to the NHL better than most young defenseman as he had the offensive talent but needed to better round out his game.
"I think the sky's the limit for him," Lashoff said "Just as a defender, for being that age and playing the minutes he did against tough competition, it's impressive what he did, and now it's on him to kind of pull himself to that standard as well and continue to grow and keep pushing the bar as high as he can, year after year, which he certainly has the potential to do."
Exclusive: Red Wings 2025-26 Complete Team Preview Released in THN YearbookExplore 76 Years of Hockey History with THN + Get a Free Yearbook Preview
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
Lashoff played 136 NHL games over seven seasons with Detroit, including a notable NHL debut in which he scored his first career goal from the blueline. However, the bulk of his career was spent in the AHL, where he logged 629 games over 14 seasons with the Griffins, serving as team captain in his final years.
Edvinsson could look to continuing building on his stellar first season with hopefully more minutes with former Calder trophy winner Moritz Seider as the two posted a team-best +8 net rating as a defensive pairing.
Early depth charts have Edvinsson back on the second pairing with Albert Johansson and Ben Chiarot taking the top pairing spot with Seider. However, if defensive struggles become an issue we could see Edvinsson get another crack at a top pairing role.
Pavel Datsyuk: Red Wings Rookie Season Felt Like Arriving On A "Crazy Planet" It's hard to believe nowadays that the legendary 2001-02 Detroit Red Wings roster featured an astounding 10 future Hall of Fame players, a feat that we'll likely never witness again in the modern NHL.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites.