Top 10 Detroit Red Wings Prospects

June 2026 Edition

It’s that time of the year: time for me to review and rerank Detroit’s top prospects. I have found that ranking prospects in January following international competitions and then again in the summer following the hockey season tends to work best. My last ranking took place in January and now that the season is officially over it’s time to update that list.

While there’s always an interest in updating these lists just after the NHL Draft, I find that unhelpful, as the most recent draft picks usually end up getting overhyped; the benefit of time, however, helps us get a better handle on where each prospect sits in the pecking order. Two recent examples are Sebastian Cossa and Nate Danielson, prospects who have not lived up to their top half of the first round draft position.

Before we get started, there are a few notable changes I think are important to point out.

Dmitri Buchelnikov has been removed due to the Justin Faulk trade, which sent Buchelnikov to the Blues organization. I had dropped him from 2nd last summer to 6th this winter, so he wasn’t trending well from my perspective. Add in the fact he plans to spend another year in the KHL, and I’m fine parting with him, even though the cost to acquire Justin Faulk was excessive.

I no longer rank Sebastian Cossa. While he topped out as my #1 prospect in January, the combined factors of having completed his D+5 season and the loads of smoke suggesting he’s likely to be traded this summer led to me removing him from the list. The main goal with these lists — at least from my perspective — is to get a sense of the players I deem to have the best chance to eventually make the roster, and the fact Cossa will turn 24 early next season, is no longer exempt from waivers, and was a backup net minder at the end of the AHL season — with a high likelihood of being moved, made him a non-starter for my purposes this time around.

As is always the case, your mileage may vary.

Nate Danielson returns to the list. When I last updated the prospect rankings, Danielson had just been sent back down to Grand Rapids. This was obviously a bad sign for a former top 10 draft pick in his D+3 season, but I removed him from the previous list given he was expected to make the Detroit lineup out of training camp if not for an injury; after returning from injury, he spent a decent chunk of the season in Detroit. Alas, that did not last, and with him spending the rest of the season in the AHL, he has been returned to the prospect rankings, which is something I said I would reconsider this time around.

The State of Detroit’s Prospect Pool

I like to do a high level ‘state of the union’ overview when reviewing prospects. Opinion on the prospect pool was very positive when players like Lucas Raymond and Mortiz Seider were brought up to Detroit and immediately became top of the lineup contributors. This is to be expected: when teams get top 5ish draft picks, you expect those players to quickly become key contributors, and that part has gone quite well.

Also, when Scott Wheeler reviewed each NHL organization back in April, he ranked Detroit as having the 4th best prospect pool in the league. On the surface, that sounds pretty good!

The picks outside of the top 5 or so have been a bit more concerning. First, let’s take a look at the good:

• 20 year old Axel Sandin Pellikka spent most of the season in Detroit following a dominant run as a prospect in the SHL.

• 20 year old Emmitt Finnie was a surprise as a 7th round draft pick who skipped a full season in the AHL and was a member of the Red Wings for the entirety of this season. I had Finnie ranked as my #10 prospect last summer, based mostly around positive buzz from the coaching staff during prospect tournaments. It was clear they thought they had a player on their hands and that ended up being the case.

Now, let’s review the not-so-good to flat out bad:

• Simon Edvinsson had an uneven season due a couple of minor injuries. I don’t think we need to be too harsh here, as the 23 year old rearguard was playing first pairing minutes and got a decent chunk of PK time with almost no power play minutes. While he needs to be signed to a new contract, the RFA eligible player should hold a key role for the foreseeable future.

• Marco Kasper had a hellacious sophomore slump, and it was revealed after the season that he had a pretty serious knee injury he played through.

• Nate Danielson and Sebastian Cossa are struggling to meet the expectations that come with being top 10 and 15 draft picks. The hope was that both would be quality NHL players by this point in their development, but Cossa’s time in Detroit seems to be coming to an end, and Danielson’s trajectory isn’t trending well.

When I look at Detroit’s first and second round draft picks, we see far too many misses out of North America. While I try to avoid singling out one particular draft pick — no one is perfect — when I look at the best draft capital that has been used on prospects out of North America over the past 7 drafts — which includes 11 first or second round draft picks in total — none of these draft picks has eclipsed 30 NHL games, with 8 of them having zero NHL games to date.

The list of misses with first or second round draft picks out of North America is long: Robert Mastrosimone, Cross Hanas, Sebastian Cossa, Shai Buium, Dylan James, Andrew Gibson, and Brady Cleveland all have serious questions about their potential as NHL players. This represents a pretty dismal track record, with nearly 70% trending poorly.

That’s not to say there aren’t prospects I really like, which include Carter Bear, Trey Augustine and Max Plante, but your track record is your track record, and as of June 2026 it’s simply not good enough.

My hope with Steve Yzerman promising to ‘review everything’ this summer is that we hear about some changes to the North American scouting staff following this summer’s NHL draft.

With that out of the way, let’s get down to business.

June 2026: Detroit’s Top 10 Prospects

Credit: the Hockey News

10. Rudy Guimond, Goaltender

• 2023 Draft, 6th round, 169th overall

• Drafted from: Taft School (US High School)

• Contract Status: unsigned

• Previous Ranking: 10th

• Highlight Reel:

In my previous prospect ranking article back in January, I covered how the lack of options at the goaltender position when Steve Yzerman returned to Detroit provided a stark overview of the state of the organization at the end of Ken Holland’s time as general manager:

In total, Ken Holland drafted 10 goalies between 2004 - 2018, and the only goalie outside of [Jimmy] Howard and [Petr] Mrázek to start a single NHL game in their hockey career was Thomas McCollum, a first round draft pick in 2008 who appeared in all of 3 NHL games.

The goaltender cupboard was not only empty, it was covered in cobwebs.

Yzerman and his scouting department have gone about rectifying that lack of options in goal through sheer volume, drafting 7 goaltenders over the previous 7 drafts. While the trajectory of their marquee draft pick at 15th overall in Sebastian Cossa hasn’t exactly gone as planned, the organization has several goaltenders who appear to be on a solid trajectory towards becoming potential NHL contributors.

And this doesn’t even include 23 year old free agent signing Michal Postava, who was Grand Rapids’ #1 goaltender during the home stretch of the AHL season and throughout the playoffs.

While it hasn’t been a quick turnaround — unfortunately reflecting the state of the rebuild as a whole — Detroit has arguably the best depth in the league when it comes to goaltending prospects. The hope is this will result in one of these goaltenders developing into a top level starting net minder in the NHL, if not a tandem of two reasonably good options emerging over the coming seasons.

Rudy Guimond holds steady in the #10 spot after consolidating his position with another strong showing in the QMJHL. I covered Guimond’s rise to prominence in my previous article:

Guimond’s breakout season happened last year [the 2024-25 season], when he reeled off 16 straight wins for Moncton in the QMJHL, completing his first campaign with the Wildcats with a 16-0 record with a 1.73 goal against average and a .940% save percentage.

But he wasn’t finished.

During the Memorial Cup playoffs that followed the regular season, Guimond registered an 8-1 record, with a 2.25 goals against average and a .916 save percentage.

Guimond followed up that campaign with a 40-7-3 record for Moncton this past season, going 14-5-2 in the playoffs. While the Wildcats came up short in the QMJHL Finals, Rudy’s regular season save percentage, goals against average, wins, time on ice, and total number of saves all topped the QMJHL. He was a true workhorse, and the role suited him.

Guimond has prototypical size at 6’4” and appears lanky which makes sense given Elite Prospects lists his weight at 187 pounds. Combine his size with his performances to date and there’s a lot to like about Rudy as a goaltender prospect.

There’s only been one EP scouting report on Guimond, and that was from a prospect tournament, but hopefully that will change as he suits up for the Harvard Crimson next season. Moncton’s general manager has praised Guimond for his ‘elite composure and consistency’ which has to sound like music to the ears of the Red Wings management staff that has been befuddled with Cossa’s inconsistency in net (I do hope Cossa is traded so he can stop catching strays in these prospect rankings).

In last year’s prospect development camp, Guimond said he patterns his game after Carey Price and tries to emulate him by remaining calm in the crease. He commented that Jimmy Howard was ‘my guy’ based on his goalie pads…so yeah…goalies are different. He’s also apparently a fan of The Office, dropping a Michael Scott quote when asked if he’s superstitious. Based on that short clip he definitely sounds like a guy you’d like to have in the locker room.

So Guimond has passed the first test of being a workhorse netminder in the QMJHL, now it’s time to see how he fares in the NCAA.

• Projected role in Detroit: At this point he’s tracking to be a depth goaltender

• Specialty teams role: N/A

• Timeline to Detroit lineup: If he does as well in the NCAA as he’s done in the Q, he may get some consideration around 2028-29 or 2029-30

Credit: Griffins Hockey

9. Amadeus Lombardi, Center / Wing

• 2022 Draft, 4th round, 113th overall

• Drafted from: Flint Firebirds (OHL)

• Contract Status: Restricted Free Agent

• Previous Ranking: 9th

• Highlight Reels:

Amadeus Lombardi ended up being exactly what you want from a 4th round draft pick: a lottery ticket on a guy from the OHL with an impressive amount of skill who — if he develops properly — will have a shot at becoming an NHL’er in a few years.

After putting up 45 goals and 102 points in Flint, he joined Grand Rapids in 2023 and has been one of the Griffins’ best point producers.

While Ammo’s battled through injuries each of the past two seasons, he’s among the top forwards in point production, finishing third in Grand Rapids behind John Leonard and Dominik Shine in points per game this past season, and topped the Griffins in points per game the previous season.

Over the previous three seasons, only Dominik Shine has more assists or points than Lombardi. Again, the progress has been impressive, leading you to believe Detroit could have another Tomas Tatar type of skilled forward on their hands. Tatar was a 20 goal, 50 point NHL’er during his prime, so getting that sort of production from a 4th round draft pick would be a massive win.

If not for the injuries, there’s a decent chance Lombardi would have already received a call up, as the Red Wings persistently struggle to generate scoring from their bottom six forwards.

The one concern with Ammo is how often he ends up on the injured list, and the length of time he’s spent out of action. That, more than anything else, is what has held him back from getting his shot at NHL action.

While Lombardi has experienced stretches on the sideline each of the previous two seasons due to injury, he put the time to good use, working on dialing in his nutrition in an attempt to put on good weight and get stronger.

I got super into nutrition again…trying to eat more, get stronger. You can…use the time off as like another summer…trying to get stronger, work on things that you wouldn’t have a chance to work on if you’re playing.

-Amadeus Lombardi

The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler commented on this, writing ‘his development is going to need to be the physical kind; it presents itself in things like struggles in the faceoff circle and playing through contact.’

Ammo was recognized as the Grand Rapids Griffins Man of the Year for his work in the community. He’s pretty much done everything that has been asked from him, but he’s a restricted free agent this summer, so he’s either going to get his shot in Detroit or likely be lost to another organization, either via trade or the waiver wire.

• Projected role in Detroit: Bottom 6 energy forward providing depth scoring

• Specialty teams role: Potential Power Play contributor

• Timeline to Detroit lineup: Optimistically it’s 2026-27, as he’ll need to be signed to a new contract and is no longer exempt from passing through waivers

8. Nate Danielson, Center

• 2023 Draft, 1st round, 9th overall

• Drafted from: Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

• Contract Status: second year of ELC

• Previous Ranking: N/A

• Highlight Reel:

I’m not going to sugar coat this: I’ve really soured on Danielson as a prospect. My hope was that he’d stick in Detroit last season, but he struggled mightily, adding little if anything to a lineup where there was plenty of ice time for the taking. He was pretty much a non-factor, and was eventually sent down to Grand Rapids, his season ending with a whimper as he finished the year on the injured list.

The question that has surrounded Danielson since his draft season was whether the offensive production would ever materialize? While there were quite a few who saw something in Danielson that hadn’t tangibly materialized, Elite Prospects had him ticketed as a middle to late first round draft pick. Their scouting team understood Danielson pretty well, commenting:

More adaptable puck handler than a natural problem-solver, Danielson’s handling skill in the face of pressure allowed him to retain possession in a lot of crunchy spots as a puck carrier.

Danielson has the tools and the power game to translate to the NHL, but we envision his career path as that of a bottom-six, two-way forward…

Then there’s damning with faint praise: Danielson is a ‘good player the coaches will love. Pretty high chance he plays in the NHL’, according to one scout quoted by EP. Another scout added ‘I don’t know if he has the hockey sense to stick as a [center] in the NHL’.

Unfortunately, there’s no reason following his D+3 season to expect him to become a consistent point generator. Speaking in very broad and general terms, he fits what Detroit’s North American scouts tend to prioritize above all else since back when Ken Holland was general manager: guys who stay behind the puck and play a safe, steady 200 foot game. That’s fine with a 2nd round pick, but not exactly what you are hoping to acquire with a top 10 draft pick.

In selecting Danielson, the Red Wings missed out on Zach Benson, who was taken 4 spots later by Buffalo. Benson has an intriguing combination of scoring punch and physical play, and while Benson is not a center, he could have filled Detroit’s long standing need for a scoring line left wing. Benson put up 13 goals, 43 points and 0.66 points per game in the regular season as a 20 year old for Buffalo. In the playoffs he ramped up his production to just about 0.7 points per game. He could easily be a 20 goal, 60 point forward as early as next year, which was the hope for Danielson when he was drafted.

Danielson’s name has been included in rumors when the Red Wings were linked with trade proposals for both Quinn Hughes and Robert Thomas, and he’s one prospect I would happily move as part of a package if it brought back a high quality NHL player in return.

Nate will only be 22 years old at the start of next season, so there’s still some hope he can develop into a quality NHL player, but that’s all it really is at this point. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler opined ‘though his game lacks dynamism for me, he’s a complete player without any glaring holes. I’ve just never been able to get excited about his offense.’

I have to say I agree with that sentiment.

So the most likely outcome, at least in my opinion, is he’ll be another Riley Sheahan type of pivot who can play 600 NHL games and average something like 0.3 points per game.

I wouldn’t call that a great use of the #9 overall pick in the 2023 draft.

• Projected role in Detroit: Bottom six checking pivot

• Specialty teams role: Penalty Kill

• Timeline to Detroit lineup: Optimistically it’s 2026-27; if he spends another year in Grand Rapids it would be a really bad sign

Credit: Detroit Hockey Insider

7. Anton Johansson, Right Defense

• 2022 Draft, 4th round, 105th overall

• Drafted from: Leksands IF (Sweden)

• Contract Status: second year of ELC

• Previous Ranking: 8th

• Highlight Reel:

Anton Johansson followed Axel Sandin Pellikka’s path, pursuing his NHL career from afar in Sweden. While the Red Wings wanted him in Grand Rapids this past season, Johansson made the most of the opportunity presented to him at Leksands IF, playing top pairing minutes and contributing on both speciality teams units. Given the depth the Griffins had on defense, it was unlikely Johansson would get the amount of playing time or have the level of impact he had in the SHL:

• 29 games with 20+ minutes of ice time

• 2nd among all U21 SHL defenders in total points

• 3rd among U21 SHL defenders in points per game (30+ games played)

• 3rd in plus/minus for all U21 SHL defenders (30+ games played)

Johansson’s point totals weren’t eye popping, and were a product of how much ice time he received, but Leksands IF finished dead last in the SHL with a -48 goal differential, so Johansson’s even plus/minus rating reflects well on him given how much he played this past season.

When Johansson has played regular season games for Grand Rapids, he’s been a decent point producer, averaging 0.58 points, but his calling card is his NHL size at 6’4”, his skating, and physical play which often crosses the line. Among all U21 defenders in the SHL, he was far and away the player with the highest total of PIMs, which on the one hand can be viewed as a bad thing, but as the saying goes, you’d rather have to tame a tiger than paint stripes on a kitten.

Simply put, Detroit needs dawgs in their lineup and Anton Johansson certainly has some dawg in him. The big question is whether you can get him to pick his spots so he’s helping and not hindering his team?

This Elite Prospects game report from back in October highlights what Anton does best:

Defensively he uses his reach well and has a mean streak over his game. He can both deliver cheap shots as well as constantly agitate opponents. Johansson has components to make the NHL, but he will still need to adjust his game through the AHL when he steps over.

-Jimmy Hamrin, Elite Prospects

The downsides for Anton Johansson are twofold:

1. EP suggests he needs to work on his skating, however I should point out that the Athletic’s Max Bultman has been consistently positive about Johansson’s skating, so I will acknowledge opinion is mixed on this front. Bultman has been positive on Anton since his performance in the World Junior Showcase when he was 19 years old

2. The other downside is his offensive game is still a work in progress. While he was one of the leading point producers in the SHL among U21 defenders, and he generated 0.75 PPG over 8 regular season games for the Griffins after his SHL season ended this year, he hasn’t been a point producer in 11 AHL playoff games to date, despite the fact he’s been a consistent shot generator.

Griffins head coach Dan Watson likes what he’s seen out of Johansson on the defensive end and believes there’s more offense in Anton’s game:

Even when he’s not at his best, he’s going to defend. He uses his stick extremely well. He’s physical and tough in the corners. He kills plays through his physicality, but now we’re seeing him jump into plays and getting more offensive reads. I think there’s more offense in his game, but he does strictly believe he can be a great defensive defenseman in the NHL. I just see a more confident, calm and patient defenseman who has the ability to read plays off the rush and defensively.

-Dan Watson, Grand Rapids Griffins head coach

Anton will likely get a full season in Grand Rapids to show his stuff as one of the top minute munchers on the Griffins, and as such he’s a prospect to keep your eyes on over the next few seasons. A right side of Moritz Seider, Axel Sandin Pellikka and Anton Johansson could be one of the better units in the league when Detroit’s window finally opens up.

• Projected role in Detroit: Bottom 3 defender

• Specialty teams role: Penalty Kill

• Timeline to Detroit lineup: My guess is he’ll spend one season in Grand Rapids then compete for a spot in Detroit in 2027-28

6. Carter Bear, Left Wing

• 2025 Draft, 1st round, 13th overall

• Drafted from: Everett Silvertips (WHL)

• Contract Status: first year of ELC

• Previous Ranking: 7th

• My scouting report on Bear prior to the draft

• Highlight Reel:

Carter Bear is the most intriguing prospect in Detroit’s system given the Rorschach like aspects of his development to date. He suffered a lacerated achilles tendon late last season, which may have resulted in him dropping to Detroit with the 13th overall pick. He got off to a slow start this past season, but his production shot up when he was paired with Matias Vanhanen and Julius Miettinen.

Overall, his offensive production trailed the previous campaign when his season was cut short due to the injury, and while he made Team Canada’s U20 team, he received little playing time. So any skepticism is fully warranted; my hope was that he would set fire to the WHL and pot 50 goals this year.

As it turned out, he topped out at 36 goals.

To his credit, Bear turned it on during the playoffs, chipping in 22 points over 18 games as a stacked Everett team dominated the WHL playoffs en route to the league tournament crown. Miettinen, Vanhanen and super prospect Landon Dupont led the charge for the Silver Tips, and while Bear was a strong playoff contributor, it’s not out of bounds to wonder how much his success was due to his own play, or whether he benefitted from some pretty sizable coat tails?

This highlights my biggest concern regarding Bear: how reliant he is on having high quality teammates on the ice with him, which — while not a major concern — dampens my belief at this point in time that he can be a slam dunk first line winger.

I watched a few of his games back in November and when he wasn’t on a line with Miettinen and Vanhanen, he struggled to score. So color me skeptical as far as whether I believe Bear can be a line-driving wing. However he brings enough other elements to the ice and he produced at a high enough level when paired with top shelf talent that I am confident he can be a middle six contributor at the NHL level.

This is in line with the most recent EP scouting report on Bear from back in mid-February when the ‘Tips played the Calgary Hitmen:

Not the most offensively dominant game from Bear here, but his "B" game is just so solid. The aspect that stood out the most was his ability to win 50/50 battles - and in this one, he utilized contact so efficiently.

Bear is a very Red Wings pick - a high-end motor, pro-style traits, and enough skill to be a valuable contributor. He hasn't taken as big a step as I expected, but he still has all the makings to be a top-nine winger, even if he doesn't turn into a big point-producer.

-Kareem Elshafey, Elite Prospects

A big part of the allure with Bear is the way the intangibles jump off the screen when watching him play. He combines solid two-way play with an eagerness to win board battles before instinctively heading to the dirty areas in front of the net to generate scoring chances.

In his draft class report, Elite Prospects rated Bear highly for his passing, hockey sense, and physical play. While he’s acknowledged he needs to work on his skating, there’s no reason to think it can’t become NHL quality. As mentioned throughout, if there’s one element of play where Bear truly shines, it’s his physical play. This quote from Elite Prospects sums it up succinctly:

He has every physical skill in the book - reverse hits, skate through the hands, trap the feet, hook the hands, etc - but his engagement…and willingness to battle are next level.

-EP Director of NA Scouting Mitchell Brown

If Bear can continue to build off his impressive development to date, there’s reason to believe he will fulfill EP’s projected ceiling of being a top-six play-driving forward; but given how much he’s been reliant on exceptional teammates in Everett, I suspect he’s going to be more of a middle-six forward who will nonetheless become a fan favorite.

I’m going to make my call right now and suggest he will follow Emmitt Finnie by bypassing a full season in Grand Rapids, and that once he joins the Detroit lineup, he’ll be there for good.

• Projected role in Detroit: Middle 6 forward, 40-50 point producer

• Specialty teams role: Power Play contributor

• Timeline to Detroit lineup: I’ll say the 2026-27 season, either starting the season in Detroit or getting called up

5. Eddie Genborg, Winger

• 2025 Draft, 2nd round, 44th overall

• Drafted from: Linköping (Sweden)

• Contract Status: first year of ELC

• Previous Ranking: 5th

• Highlight Reel:

Truth be told, I likely overrated Genborg this past winter following his impressive World Juniors performance for Tre Kronor. Taking a step back for perspective, when Genborg was drafted 44th overall last summer, it was expected that he’d be a bottom 6 contributor. That’s fine, as his heavy physical game is naturally suited to that sort of role.

But then came the World Juniors tournament where he was featured on a scoring line, and the winger made the most of the opportunity. Genborg generated 8 points over 7 games for Sweden in the World Juniors, putting the sword to team USA with his two goal performance. He then went on to chip in a goal and an assist in helping Tre Kronor claim gold over their bitter rivals from Finland.

That’s some Game of Thrones ish right there, and I was understandably pumped. Following that World Junior performance I was all like ‘Choo Choo MF’ers, all aboard the Eddie Genborg hype train’!

Genborg kept the hype train careening down the rails: his point production in the SHL could have easily been mistaken for Anton Frondell’s (drafted 3rd overall in the same draft), with Frondell admittedly generating more goals, but Genborg doubling him up in assists.

All told, Frondell only generated 3 more points than Genborg in the SHL. 16th overall pick Victor Eklund scored three fewer goals than Genborg. So comparing his point production to a lottery pick and a guy selected in the middle of the first round suggested Genborg had all the makings of a Håkan Andersson special (#IYKYK). By the end of the campaign, Genborg was 3rd overall among D+1 players in the SHL for total points, assists, and points per game.

Not too shabby.

While it’s reasonable to be skeptical regarding Detroit’s North American scouts, Håkan Andersson’s group of scouts crank out hit after hit after hit, and Genborg sure looks like another one.

You can and should appreciate the offensive production, but you shouldn’t sleep on Genborg’s calling card: he’s a physical menace. Here’s the Elite Prospects scouting report from Sweden’s U20 game against Finland.

Genborg has had a fantastic World Juniors and plays the type of game that should make him a fan favourite. Obviously, the physicality is a foundational part of how he plays. Not only does he thrive in it, he actively seeks it out and it feels like he hits to hurt instead of anything performative.

After initially being stopped point blank, he jumped on his rebound below the goal-line and banked it off the goalie and in. If a puck is turned over or if his team has a cycle going, you can usually find him close to the net.

-Kareem Elshafey, Elite Prospects

Because this is such a breath of fresh air to read regarding a Red Wings prospect, let’s review another scouting report from the same tournament.

He made contact early and often, laying out opponents when they tried to go shoulder-to-shoulder on him before retrievals and throwing his weight around with thunderous consequences on the forecheck – he’s simply a tank.

-Lassi Alanen, Elite Prospects

I can’t help but think of Tomas Holmstrom when considering Genborg’s game. It’s worth remembering that Holmstrom’s nickname was the Demolition Man, and that name wouldn’t be out of place on Genborg.

So why am I pumping the brakes on Genborg after such a great year in Europe where I elevated him to the 5th overall prospect? The primary reason was his muted performance in Grand Rapids, where he put up 3 points over 11 regular season games and was held scoreless in one playoff game. It’s not a ton of data, but I felt the need to dial the hype down a bit.

While I haven’t soured at all on Genborg’s long term potential, his performance in North America was the first time last season where he didn’t look dominant. That’s unfortunate but no real problem, with the hope being he will pick up where he left off when he returns to Sweden for the upcoming season.

• Projected role in Detroit: Scoring line winger (yeah I’m going there)

• Specialty teams role: Power Play contributor

• Timeline to Detroit lineup: It looks like he’ll be on loan to Timrå again this season, so my guess is he’ll join the Red Wings in either 2027-28 or 2028-29 after a season in Grand Rapids

4. Michal Postava, Goaltender

• Undrafted

• Drafted from: free agent signing

• Contract Status: second year of ELC

• Previous Ranking: unranked

• Highlight Reel:

Michal Postava is a bit of a rarity on this list, as he’s the one prospect who wasn’t drafted by Detroit. Instead, he was signed as an undrafted free agent after an impressive start to his career in Czechia. He capped off his career in Europe with HC Kometa Brno by winning the league championship with a .940 SV% and 1.97 GAA in the playoffs.

While the signing of Postava was a true shoulder shrug emoji at the time — Detroit had four other goaltenders under contract, a pending RFA, and three unsigned goalies whose rights they held — it turned out to be a brilliant decision. While Sebastian Cossa was the starting goaltender in Grand Rapids for most of last season, performing well enough to be recognized as goaltender of the month for November and December, his game started to fall off towards the end of the regular season — something that has become painfully familiar to Red Wings fans.

Postava rose to the challenge when asked to take on the #1 role, reeling off 4 straight wins from April 1 through 17th, and winning 7 of 8 until the playoff series the Griffins lost to the Chicago Wolves.

For the regular season, Postava posted a .937 SV% and surrendered 1.17 GAA. From the looks of it, his performances in Czechia have followed him to North America. He still has one more year of being exempt from waivers, so there’s a decent chance he’ll share the net with Trey Augustine in Grand Rapids next season.

Postava has decent NHL size as he’s listed at 6’2”, but I have heard suggestions that he may not be that tall. Regardless, he has the technical skill and positioning to challenge shooters. With that said, Elite Prospects’ Jacob Titus questioned his potential as an NHL net minder:

He'll challenge the shooter aggressively with engaged hands and often neglects the passing option. This has been working for him with Grand Rapids, as his defensemen have proven to be very effective at clearing in front of the net. However, I do wonder how this will translate to the NHL, as Postava showed himself to be fairly rigid and did struggle to get pushes off on larger extensions.

It’s worth wondering whether the heavy workload in Grand Rapids caught up with Postava at the end of the season, or whether it was the Griffins defense struggling to perform at the level they had earlier? It was notable that once Justin Holl was sent to St Louis in the Justin Faulk trade, the Griffins defense became much less formidable.

Regardless, Postava currently holds the pole position in a jam packed pool of goaltender prospects. He’s proven himself to be a high quality goaltender for two straight seasons in Czechia and now North America. Does he get his shot in Detroit next season? With John Gibson in the Red Wings goal as the #1 for the time being, Detroit will need a backup who can play enough games to keep Gibson fresh, and Max Bultman suggested it could be Postava:

At his year-end news conference, general manager Steve Yzerman noted he wanted to “see how the playoffs play out in Grand Rapids” before deciding whether one of his AHL goalies was ready to back up Gibson…so far, it’s been all Postava.

If Postava doesn’t back up Gibson, he will likely be asked to continue his impressive performance from last season while sharing the net in Grand Rapids with Trey Augustine.

• Projected role in Detroit: depth goaltender

• Specialty teams role: N/A

• Timeline to Detroit lineup: He has a decent shot at being the backup goalie in Detroit in 2026-27, with the potential to compete for the starting spot in 2027-28

3. Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Right Wing

• 2024 Draft, 1st round, 15th overall

• Drafted from: Mora (Sweden 2nd Tier)

• Contract Status: second year of ELC

• Previous Ranking: 4th

• Highlight Reel:

Michael Brandsegg-Nygård is on the doorstep of beginning his NHL career. While it looked like he was set to join the big club for good at the start of last season, he wasn't quite ready for the opportunity, struggling to stay up with the speed of play. He only put up 1 point over the first 9 games before being sent down to Grand Rapids to continue his development.

To quote Michael Jordan, he took that personally.

MBN showed out in Grand Rapids, potting 20 goals and accumulating 44 points over 60 games. Among players aged 20 and younger, he finished 6th in the AHL in goals scored, 9th in total points, and 9th in points per game (minimum of 30 games played). This went a long way towards answering questions that persisted since his draft year on whether or not he could become a high level point producer.

Brandsegg-Nygård was eventually given another shot in Detroit, playing 5 games total between March 8 and April 15th, but the Red Wings were pretty much cooked by that point, having crashed out of the playoff picture once again. So while on the one hand it’s disappointing he couldn’t show out during this handful of games, he was at least capable of bringing some physicality to the lineup, registering 3 or more hits in all but one game.

While MBN has been credited with an NHL caliber shot — Elite Prospects has tagged him as a sniper — the point production has always taken a back seat to the physical play that has been Brandsegg-Nygård’s calling card as a prospect. In covering the Red Wings prospect pool, Scott Wheeler highlighted his strengths as a goal scorer:

He’s a multifaceted shooter who can score from the top of the circles with his wrister but also gets down to one knee and really powers through a good one-touch shot — skills that have helped him excel on both the flank and the bumper on the power play across domestic and international levels.

MBN’s physical play was highlighted in EP’s most recent scouting report from a game back in March:

Unsurprisingly, Brandsegg-Nygård is a terrific puck retriever with his mentality. Engages physically without second thought, high determination level during battles, and uses that stick-work to win pucks and start a cycle. Strong and filled out frame that he uses to create advantages physically. He did some nice things within cycles like full-range, quick passing ability in the bumper position, and intentional switches with his defencemen after protecting the puck - he made sure he covered the point following the pass, too. His skating isn't dynamic, but it's good enough for the NHL, especially in straight lines. Brandsegg-Nygård isn't far from NHL-ready, mostly because of his physical maturity and the high-floor nature of his game.

Perhaps due to his comfort with physical play, MBN has thrived when the playoffs roll around, performing at a point per game clip for two straight playoffs for the Griffins. In total, he has 6 goals over 11 playoff games, making him one of Grand Rapids’ strongest performers.

This follows on the heels of the SHL playoffs the previous season, where he finished first in goal scoring among all U20 skaters, while finishing third in point production. He seems to have an intriguing ability to raise his game when the post season rolls around.

The Athletic’s Max Bultman shared the following quote from head coach Dan Watson during the Griffins’ playoff run this past Spring:

[Brandsegg-Nygård] plays a North American pro style already, in terms of his physicality. He’s a really good forechecker. Obviously, we know he’s got a good shot. He’s still trying to find his way to get open to find those shots, but his overall awareness, his defensive play — I put him out there the last couple shifts (protecting a lead)…I trust him. And he’s going to do the right things. He’s strong on pucks, he protects pucks, he’s hard to knock off pucks.

-Dan Watson, Grand Rapids Griffins head coach

MBN would seem to have accomplished all there is for him to do in Grand Rapids, and he’ll surely be given a long look in training camp with the plan being for him to make the opening night roster once again. From there, it will be up to him to make it impossible to be sent back down.

• Projected role in Detroit: Top six winger

• Specialty teams role: Penalty Kill and Power Play contributor

• Timeline to Detroit lineup: I’d be shocked if he’s not in the opening night lineup in Detroit

2. Trey Augustine, Goaltender

• 2023 Draft, 2nd round, 41st overall

• Drafted from: USNTDP (USHL)

• Contract Status: first year of ELC

• Previous Ranking: 3rd

• Highlight Reel:

Now that he’s turned pro, there’s no reason to rank a goaltender in Detroit’s system ahead of Trey Augustine. I have long viewed Augustine as being the eventual #1 in Detroit, the type of goaltender who can guide a team on a long playoff run.

Why am I so bullish on Augustine? A big part of how I go about ranking prospects relies on two factors:

1. How well the player does in international tournaments when playing against his age group

2. How well the player does in his conference or league when compared to every other player

Augustine has been flat out dominant in both categories. Let’s review:

• 3 World Championship gold medals

• 1 World Championship silver medal

• 1 World Championship bronze medal

• 3 B1G Regular Season championships

• 2 time NCAA First Team All American

• 2 time B1G Conference Goaltender of the Year

• 1 time Mike Richter NCAA Goaltender of the Year

Trey has been pretty, pretty, pretty good. So while I had no qualms about over-hyping him, it’s just been a waiting game to see how long it takes for him to establish his dominance as a professional hockey player. I suspect he’s going to be a Jonathan Quick level goaltender, which is to say that despite being a bit on the small side, he’ll be highly capable of leading a team on deep playoff runs.

He could share the net with Michal Postava in Grand Rapids next season, or he could put a stranglehold on the top spot in Detroit. Absolutely nothing would surprise me. This could very well be the last time he appears on a prospect list.

Oh, and did I mention he just turned 21 in February?

Trey has been the #1 net minder in East Lansing from the moment he set foot on campus. This last season among goalies who got 30+ appearances, he tied for second with a .929 SV%, was 3rd with 24 wins, and was 3rd with a 2.11 goals against average.

In the previous 2024-25 season he tied for 7th with a .924 SV%, and a 2.08 GAA. You have to go all the way back to his age 18 freshman season to find a year where he wasn’t the best goaltender in the B1G, and even in that season he finished 5th in the NCAA in wins with 23.

His most recent scouting report from Elite Prospects was a March 13th game against Ohio State, a team who proved to be MSU’s nemesis last season.

Augustine was lightning quick this game, flexing his quick feet and explosive pushes. He scanned frequently to inform his play reading as the play was in the corners. He handled a breakaway chance well, adjusting his depth and angle as the player crashed the net, giving him nothing. He displayed strong rebound control, using his stick and pads to direct low pucks to the corners.

-Jacob Titus, Elite Prospects

While Adam Nightingale’s squad has dominated the B1G regular season for three years running, they have yet to make it to the Frozen Four, which is too bad given Augustine’s high level performances in international competition.

Nightingale spoke very highly of Augustine in Michigan State’s 2-1 victory over Connecticut in the opening game of this past NCAA Tournament.

Trey was the best player on the ice by a country mile for us and I have a lot of respect for how (UConn) played.

-Adam Nightingale, Michigan State head coach

I don’t follow MSU closely enough to have a strong opinion on why they haven’t made a Frozen Four under Nightingale, but they will have their work cut out for them with Augustine turning pro following the end of the Spartans’ season.

Fun fact: my guy used to pre-game at Nemo’s as a 9 year old before going to Red Wings games with his dad, so he’s built for this.

• Projected role in Detroit: #1 goaltender

• Specialty teams role: N/A

• Timeline to Detroit lineup: I’ll say there’s a good chance he takes over the net in Detroit by the end of the 2026-27 season

1. Max Plante, Left Wing / Center

• 2024 Draft, 2nd round, 47th overall

• Drafted from: USNTDP (USHL)

• Contract Status: unsigned

• Previous ranking: 2nd

• Highlight Reel:

While I’ve been critical of Detroit’s North American scouting, there is nothing to criticize when it comes to the selection of Max Plante in the second round back in 2024. Plante’s trajectory has been up and to the right, first putting up 1.22 points per game as a freshman playing in one of the best leagues in the NCAA, then following that up in his sophomore season by wining the Hobey Baker award, recognizing him as the best player in college hockey.

Max got off to a white hot start to the 2025-26 campaign, averaging 1.90 points per game through the first week of November. I wrote an article on his strong start to the season and highlighted how his production compared to other 19 year olds. It was in a word ‘elite’.

If Max can maintain his lofty production, he will churn out one of the top 5 sophomore seasons in recent college hockey history. There are some impressive names on that list, with Kyle Connor being the only recent one. My hope was that Connor would sign with Detroit this summer as a free agent, but he recently inked a new deal with Winnipeg that will take him through his prime as an NHL player. Perhaps Plante can be a similar player for the Red Wings in the near future.

While Plante’s PPG production cooled off, he still finished 2nd in the NCAA in goals scored with 25, and 3rd in total points with 52. The goal scoring in particular was a very pleasant surprise, as he’s always been known more as a puck distributor than a finisher.

Max plays in all situations, so he’s not a guy who only gets the easy zone starts. And while he gets plenty of power play time, he’s a very strong two-way player. At the World Juniors he was asked to play center, and while it didn’t go particularly well, he’s proven to be a guy who is so valuable you want him on the ice in key situations as much as possible.

The most recent scouting report on him from Elite Prospects was in March in a game against eventual national champion University of Denver. J.D. Burke was quite impressed with Plante in that game:

…Plante’s competitiveness from puck drop to the final horn really stood out. He was an intense forechecker, a dutiful defensive player, and never gave up on the play, as exemplified by a really impressive legged-out icing call in the first.

Plante also got Minnesota-Duluth on the board in this one, starting the (almost) comeback from down 3-0 in the first period by winning a puck high in the offensive zone, sending it to his linemate, then driving the net and poking a rebound through the Denver goaltender for the marker.

Plante played on a line with his older brother Zam and 21 year old Jayson Shaugabay, and they were one of the top lines in the NCAA, with each player ranking in the top 15 in total points this season. The line powered the Bulldogs back to the Frozen Four, where they came up short against Michigan.

Max’s performance in that game was believed to be the one that sealed the Hobey Baker award, as he was praised for his overall play against a Wolverine squad that was considered the best team in the country at points throughout the season.

Max has committed to playing one more season with the Bulldogs so he can play with his brother Zam and younger brother Victor who will be a freshman on the Minnesota-Duluth squad. Can he become the first back to back Hobey Baker winner in history? A decent number of the players on last year’s Bulldog team should be back, so there’s no reason Max couldn’t give it a good run.

When accepting the Hobey Baker trophy, Max made it clear he has other goals:

To have the chance to play with two brothers at that high of a level, and to try and achieve something that I haven't achieved yet, to win a national championship, that's the goal I had coming into college hockey,

The Bulldogs have to be one of the favorites to return to the Frozen Four next season. Once Max’s junior season is over, I suspect he will step right into the Detroit lineup and fill the first line left wing spot that has sat vacant throughout the rebuild.

• Projected role in Detroit: First line winger

• Specialty teams role: Power Play, Penalty Kill contributor

• Timeline to Detroit lineup: he’ll play one more season in Minnesota-Duluth with both of his brothers next year before joining the Detroit lineup as soon as his collegiate season is over