Detroit Red Wings: Top 10 prospects entering 2018

The Detroit Red Wings are attempting to rebound after a 25-year playoff run ended. They’re now rebuilding, and they have several prospects in the pipeline that can help with that.

The Detroit Red Wings are a year separated from the end of their extended playoff run. They picked in the top 10 last year, the first time in decades they did so. After the 2017-18 season, the Red Wings were a lottery team.

They were one of the bottom-tier teams, and now they’re rebuilding with the aid of several young players. That includes Dylan Larkin, Andreas Athanasiou, and Anthony Mantha.

Along with that trio, the Red Wings now have several prospects in a deep pool that can help Detroit rebecome the contenders they once were. These prospects are ranked based on three categories: ceiling, NHL readiness, and the likelihood they play consistent minutes with the Detroit Red Wings. Chief amongst these categories is the ceiling.

To qualify, a player must not have played their rookie season (18 games in one season). Let’s start with the goaltenders.

1. Filip Larsson [20] (6-167, 2016)

Stats (Tri-City Storm, USHL): 30 games played, 1.65 goals against average, .941 save percentage.

Filip Larsson was the best goaltender in the USHL last season, and while 20 is a bit old to be making the transition to the NCAA, going to a program like Denver will only help him become an even better netminder. Especially because Larsson will play at most two seasons in the NCAA, but has the chance to develop quite well. Then a move to the AHL will be an easier thing.

Larsson, if he continues to take steps forward, is the best goaltender in the Detroit Red Wings’ pipeline.

Larsson, if he continues to take steps forward, is the best goaltender in the Detroit Red Wings’ pipeline. No one else that the team has drafted is as good at such a young age as Larsson. There’s Keith Petruzzelli who’s younger, but he didn’t have a great post-draft year. The next guy on the list is perhaps better, but he’s years older and doesn’t have as high a ceiling.

He’s a few years away from being NHL ready, but it’s likely that he plays for the Detroit Red Wings as at least a backup goaltender. Larsson’s ceiling is hard to tell, and it can keep getting higher as he keeps taking steps forward and keeps changing leagues, but right now, it appears he can be the eventual starter in Detroit.

2. Patrik Rybar [24] (UDFA)

Stats (HK Hradec Kralove, Czech): 36 gp, 1.73 GAA, .932 SV% (12 playoff games played, 2.24 GAA, .918 SV%);

Stats (HC Stadion Litomerice, Czech2): 1 gp, 2.00 GAA, .943 SV%.

Rybar was one of the best goaltenders in the Czech League, coming in third in save percentage and second in goals-against average. In the playoffs, Patrik Rybar did great as well, coming in third in save percentage amongst goaltenders who played more than 10 games. He’s also older and can take over the AHL starting job and the third-string goaltender duties right away.

Rybar’s still young, and he could be a potential long-term solution as a battery partner to someone like Jonathan Bernier

He’s not got starting potential, at least not in the NHL, but he’s more NHL ready than the other Detroit Red Wings goaltending prospects. He’s also got a good chance of playing consistent minutes with the Red Wings, especially if Jimmy Howard gets traded at the deadline to a contender in need of goaltending help. Rybar’s still young, and he could be a potential long-term solution as a battery partner to someone like Jonathan Bernier.

He needs to make the North American transition before he makes the NHL one, but he looks like a solid goaltending prospect.

9. Libor Sulak, D [24] (UDFA)

Stats (Pelicans, Liiga): 42 gp, 9 g, 23 a, 32 p, 4 PPG, 3 game-winning goals, .762 pts/g (3 pgp, 0 g, 0 a, 0 p)
Stats (Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL): 2 gp, 0 g, 2 a, 2 p, 1 SOG, 1 pt/g.

Sulak is also on the older side, which drops his potential, but ups his NHL readiness. It’s undetermined whether or not he’s bound for a role with the Detroit Red Wings. That kind of depends on what happens over the next few seasons, perhaps more so than other names on this list.

If Sulak represents depth down the road, why would that be anything but good for Detroit?

Libor Sulak was tied for 50th in scoring in the Finnish Liiga this past season (and was ninth amongst defensemen). He was also tied for 13th amongst defensemen in goal scoring, seventh in assists, and second in points per game, just behind Miro Heiskanen. That last thing is a very good indicator for the type of player Sulak could be, but he’s five years older than Heiskanen.

Sulak seems bound for a bottom-pairing role if he ever makes the NHL, which isn’t a bad thing. With the defensive struggles the Red Wings have faced since the playoff streak ended, getting depth isn’t a bad thing. If Sulak represents depth down the road, why would that be anything but good for Detroit?

8. Joe Hicketts, D [22] (UDFA)

Stats (Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL): 67 gp, 3 g, 9 a, 12 p, 2 PPG (5 A), 1 GWG, 101 SOG, .18 pts/g (5 pgp, 0 g, 2 a, 2 p, 5 SOG, .40 pts/g); 5 gp, 0 g, 3 a, 3 p. Detroit Red Wings, NHL

At 5’8″, making the NHL as a more defensive-based defenseman will be an extraordinarily hard thing. But for Joe Hicketts, who has proved above and beyond what he can do as a defenseman, with the ability to transition up ice, make stops in his own end, and play well at the professional level, even without offensive statistics, it may not be such a hard thing.

Joe Hicketts is an excellent defensive presence, though doesn’t have the numbers needed to be a good offensive defenseman.

Hicketts was quite good on the power play, to be fair to him, but struggled mightily in the even-strength minutes he was given. Still, he was rewarded with games in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings for his efforts, where he did much better than he did in the AHL. That means he’s bound for a bigger role with the Red Wings next season, which shouldn’t be hard. He’s likely not a long-term top-four defenseman in the Detroit system, but as a bottom-pairing player, it seems like he’s already there.

7. Jared McIsaac, D [18] (2-36, 2018)

Stats (Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL): 65 games played, 9 goals, 38 assists, 47 points, 4 power-play goals (17 assists), 3 shorthanded assists, 178 shots on goal, .72 points per game (9 playoff games played, 0 g, 4 a, 4 p, 2 PPA, 25 SOG, .44 pts/g).

Jared McIsaac is a good sized, two-way defensive prospect who looks like an eventual NHLer. It’s hard to tell what exactly his ceiling is, but the fact that he was taken just outside the first round is a good sign. Anybody taken in the top 40 is usually a very good prospect, and in a draft like 2018’s, McIsaac is an excellent one. Before the draft, some prospect writers had McIsaac in their first round. He is that good.

It feels like he’s bound to be a member of the Detroit Red Wings, and if he can keep taking steps forward, he’ll have excellent potential

But he’s far removed from being an NHL ready player. It feels like he’s bound to be a member of the Detroit Red Wings, and if he can keep taking steps forward, he’ll have excellent potential. But that’s a lot of ifs, and he still has to get to a point where he can play at the professional level. Even with the need the Detroit Red Wings have at defense, McIsaac likely won’t step into the NHL before he’s allowed to exit the CHL for the AHL.

McIsaac was tied for 10th in defensive scoring, 18th in goal scoring, 10th in assists, and 18th in points per game in the regular season. In the playoffs, he took a step back but was tied for 26th in defensive assists. He’s right where he needs to be, and so long as he doesn’t regress, it appears as if the Red Wings are looking at a piece of their future in McIsaac, it just might be a while.

6. Evgeny Svechnikov, RW [21] (1-19, 2015)

Stats (Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL): 57 gp, 7 g, 16 a, 23 p, 3 PPG (6 A), 103 SOG, .40 pts/g (5 pgp, 1 g, 0 a, 1 p, 8 SOG, .2 pts/g)
Stats (Detroit Red Wings, NHL): 14 gp, 2 g, 2 a, 4 p.

Evgeny Svechnikov is not his little brother. He’s not in the top five for the Detroit Red Wings moving forward for that reason. Svechnikov didn’t look good this season in a shortened AHL stint, even though he looked great the season before. He looked better in the NHL, scoring four points in 14 games, and looks like a middle-six player. But it’s hard to see that ceiling when he put up 23 points in the AHL.

he was able to step into a larger role with more pressure on him, in an extended look, and did well.

Svechnikov needs to be better, and when given opportunities to be, he was. That’s why his NHL stint was so impressive, because he was able to step into a larger role with more pressure on him, in an extended look, and did well. Svechnikov should be better as he gets more and more time in the NHL moving forward.

It’d just be better to look at Svechnikov in a positive light if he didn’t take the massive step back in the AHL that he did.

5. Jonatan Berggren, LW [18] (2-33, 2018)

Stats (Skelleftea AIK J20, SuperElit): 38 gp, 18 g, 39 a, 57 p (3 pgp, 1 g, 4 a, 5 p); 10 gp, 0 g, 0 a, 0 p (2 pgp, 0 g, 1 a, 1 p). Skelleftea AIK, SHL

Jonatan Berggren was another prospect who could have been drafted in the first round of the 2018 NHL entry draft, and likely should have been. He’s an excellent playmaking wing, someone who came up with the most assists in the SuperElit over the last season. He was also first in scoring, tied for 14th in goal scoring, and was first in points per game. That incredible run ended in the playoffs, however, which is something the young Swede will need to work on.

He went from being first in scoring to being tied for 33rd, first in points per game to being tied for 13th, and first in assists to tied for 19th. Sure, his stint was too short to actually judge Berggren for the (relative) lack of production, yet he still has an ability to develop and work on his postseason game. He also can work on his shooting, because he needs to be a better goal scorer when he reaches the NHL.

Berggren also got several games in the Swedish Hockey League, the best league he could have played in. 10 games in the regular season (though none where he got a point) and two in the playoffs with a talented team in Skelleftea. Berggren is one of the best winger prospects the Detroit Red Wings have, and could turn into something really special down the road.

4. Filip Hronek, D [20] (2-53, 2016)

Stats (Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL): 67 gp, 11 g, 28 a, 39 p, 3 PPG (15 A), 4 GWG, 113 SOG, .58 pts/g (5 pgp, 0 g, 1 a, 1 p, 1 PPA, 12 SOG, .2 pts/g).

Hronek is the best defensive prospect the Detroit Red Wings have. He did extremely well in the AHL, especially for a rookie defenseman, and was tied for seventh amongst all defensemen in scoring (second amongst rookies), was tied for eighth in defensive goal scoring (second amongst rookies), and was tied for 12th amongst defensemen in assists (second amongst rookies). That shows good signs for him going forward, as he’ll be a mobile top-four defenseman.

Filip Hronek did well on the power play, came in handy in clutch situations, and was able to generate a good amount of shots, even as a defenseman. He didn’t do as well in the playoffs, but there’s time. He’s young, at at 20, was one of the most impressive rookie defensemen in the AHL. He might be ready for prime time now, as he should get multiple games (potentially enough to count as his rookie season) next year. If he has an excellent camp, he could even start the year in the NHL.

Otherwise, he’ll get another season in the AHL to prove that he’s far more than one season. If he can do that, then he’s a top-four defenseman heading into the future for sure, and perhaps even more than that.

3. Joe Veleno, C [18] (1-30, 2018)

Stats (Saint John Sea Dogs/Drummondville Voltigeurs, QMJHL): 64 gp, 22 g, 57 a, 79 p, 5 PPG (31 A), 3 SHG (1 A), 3 GWG, 201 SOG, 46.3 FO%, 1.23 pts/g (10 pgp, 5 g, 6 a, 11 p, 1 PPG (4 A), 2 GWG, 30 SOG, 42.3 FO%, 1.10 pts/g)

Joe Veleno fell quite a ways down the draft list from the preseason. He was one of the best centers available in the 2018 draft heading into the 2017 season, but fell all the way to 30 in the actual draft.

The Detroit Red Wings were likely incredibly happy that they grabbed Veleno at 30, even if they were looking for other positions of need. A center as talented as Veleno doesn’t fall to 30th very often.

He’s not bound for a first line center role. But that’s likely why the Red Wings took the next guy on the list as high as they did. If Veleno can become an excellent two-way second line center, then the Detroit Red Wings got bang for their buck. That’s exactly what they need out of Veleno, and that’s exactly what he can deliver.

Veleno was one of the best players in the QMJHL this past season. He was 10th in scoring, tied for 50th in goal scoring, tied for third in assists, and tied for 15th in points per game. In the playoffs, he was tied for 18th in points per game, 18th in goal scoring, and 28th in scoring. He needs to get better at shot production (averaging 3.14 shots per game) and he needs to work on his shot (just 22 goals, a career high). But he’s an elite level playmaker and can play in his own zone. That’s worth a lot.

2. Michael Rasmussen, C [19] (1-9, 2017)

Stats (Tri-City Americans, WHL): 47 gp, 31 g, 28 a, 59 p, 17 PPG (7 A), 3 GWG, 150 SOG, 52.3 FO%, 1.26 pts/g (14 pgp, 16 g, 17 a, 33 p, 7 PPG (3 A), 3 GWG, 55 SOG, 73.2 FO%, 2.36 pts/g).

Michael Rasmussen was drafted ninth overall during the official end of the Detroit Red Wings’ 25-year playoff run. He was the first top 10 draft pick for the Red Wings since 1991. There’s a lot of pressure on him for that reason, but so far, despite an injury during his first post-draft season, he’s lived up to the hype. In one of the best Canadian junior leagues, Rasmussen was tied for 23rd in points per game, 74th in scoring, and 43rd in goal scoring, despite playing 20 fewer games than most of his competition.

In the playoffs, when he was healthy and able to actually compete, Rasmussen was tied for second in playoff scoring, second in goals, fifth in assists, and second in points per game (though he was first amongst players with more than two games). 33 points in 14 games will do that. That shows what his potential truly is, and why he’s second on this list. He was a driving force behind one of the best teams in the WHL.

He’s an excellent player, somebody who will be able to play against the best competition at even strength and on the first unit power play. He needs work in his own zone and will need to get more time on the penalty kill as he continues to develop, but the Detroit Red Wings have two excellent centers. Joe Veleno can take the first unit penalty kill. If Rasmussen is able to focus on the offensive side of the game, the Red Wings will have an excellent one-two punch.

1. Filip Zadina, LW [18] (1-6, 2018)

Stats (Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL): 57 gp, 44 g, 38 a, 82 p, 8 PPG (12 A), 3 SHG (1 A), 5 GWG, 234 SOG, 1.44 pts/g (9 pgp, 5 g, 7 a, 12 p, 1 PPG (1 A), 36 SOG, 1.33 pts/g).

T-7 scoring, T-5 goal scoring, T-34 assists, 7th pts/g; T-22 scoring, T-18 goals, T-32 assists, T-6 pts/g

Filip Zadina was one of the best goal scorers in the 2018 draft, and for the Detroit Red Wings, it’s a miracle he fell to sixth. They get to put him in the AHL this season, which means he’ll be that much closer to being NHL ready and will be almost guaranteed to be a Detroit Red Wings player within the next two to three years. Putting him up against professional competition will make the transition that much easier, and it’s not like he isn’t ready for it either.

In the QMJHL, Zadina was tied for seventh in scoring, fifth in goal scoring, 34th in assists, and was seventh in points per game. In the playoffs, he was tied for sixth in points per game. He’s an elite level scorer, and while he could use some work on the playmaking and in the defensive zone, if he continues to score at the rate he should be able to, that won’t matter. Who needs a two-way winger out of a 40-goal scorer (at least when that player isn’t Marian Hossa or Brad Marchand).

Zadina is one of the best pure offensive talents the Detroit Red Wings have had in the pipeline in a long time and should be one of the center pieces of the future. He’s a great piece to build around, and he’ll be helpful in the next few years as the Red Wings attempt to rebuild and get back to the playoffs. Zadina is something special, and for Detroit, isn’t that special?