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Red Wings Top Picks Are Quickly Becoming the Top Stars

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Red Wings’ first round picks improved under Yzerman

The Detroit Red Wings need additional scoring throughout the lineup. The heart of that ability seems to be with internal prospects who could potentially make the club. It may well be another first round pick like Nate Danielson that provides the needed boost. 

Under Ken Holland, the Red Wings seemed to find stronger drafting outside of the first round. Even as the team tried to improve on their initial picks, the success rate was very low. Only three of Holland’s first round picks remain with the club. Only Dylan Larkin has lived up to (and exceeded) the team’s expectations. 

4 first round picks are slated to start in the AHL

Nate Danielson  is very close to NHL ready, but at this point will be the number one center for the Grand Rapids Griffins.  Sebastian Cossa will be the number one goalie for the Griffins this season. 2024 first round pick Michael Brandsegg-Nygard will play his first full season in North America. Add highly touted defensive prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka and the Griffins are benefitting greatly from much improved first round drafting. 

These players will all be available for call ups, and should each see some time in a Red Wings jersey this year. To Steve Yzerman’s credit, the first round selections have been the highlight of the Yzerplan to date. Fans in Grand Rapids may be able to watch four of those first round picks take the ice this season. 

Red Wings top draftees are taking top spots

The Red Wings have seven total first round picks on the roster this year. Captain Dylan Larkin stands as the only player left from opening night in 2019. Rasmussen and Berggren have secured depth roles on the squad.  Only three first round picks from Holland remain with the organization, and several disappointing selections have come and gone. 

Moritz Seider is clearly the team’s top defenseman, and Simon Edvinsson may already be second on the list. Lucas Raymond is the team’s best 200 ft winger. Marco Kasper is already a top six centerman. Not only have Yzerman’s top picks made it on the team, they’re taking it over. 

There are legitimate criticisms of the “Yzerplan”, but the first round has proven to be a clear strength. The team has used those picks to lead the charge of the rebuild. If another one of those players can break out this season, the team will be that much closer to the elusive post season appearance. 

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  • September 6, 2025 at 8:48 am #25372
    Jlaura76
    Participant

    The Detroit Red Wings need additional scoring throughout the lineup. The heart of that ability seems to be with internal prospects.

    [See the full post at: Red Wings Top Picks Are Quickly Becoming the Top Stars]

    September 6, 2025 at 3:57 pm #25423
    frenchtoto
    Participant

    Hello again,

    my last comment doesn’t seem to go through, maybe it is because I was wondering about the price to pay to go to a rink, compared with a football stadium in France ? Strange…

    I just wrote that, to me, Danielson seems to be “clever” enough to already play and improve in NHL, just like ASP (but is he strong enough physically yet ?) : they have the proper mindset. MNB seems like a teenager happy to play but not mature enough, but maybe I’m wrong. Time will tell !

    By the way, I was wondering : in an NHL rink, if you are at the top, can you see the game properly or are they too far away ? I can imagine the best seats are probably quite expensive. In France, we have small rinks but you may watch games just behind the glass. Nice if you want to see all the strategies !

    September 6, 2025 at 4:10 pm #25426
    Jlaura76
    Participant

    Hello again!!!

    I’m not sure what happened, I saw your original reply in my email but it didn’t appear on the website. I’ll see if i can figure that one out!!!

    As far as the stadiums, Detroit’s new arena is fantastic. I’ve actually sat in the seats furthest back and the way it is laid out you can absolutely see the game well! I believe they looked to Montreal for some design ideas. The fans are on top of the action all throughout the arena. Ticket prices can be all over the place. If games don’t sell out you can sometimes get amazing deals. But, for a team like Toronto that is always packed it’s very difficult (I’ve heard) to get in. In Detroit, you can still get a good deal on a ticket and a good view pretty much anywhere!

    Danielson, physically, has really started to fill out. At 6’1” or 6”2” he’s listed at near 190lb but may have put on even more muscle this summer. I think that’s a big advantage for him over Lombardi. If he makes the cut, I feel confident he can physically manage the game. ASP needs to bulk up, but is incredibly clever. MBN, they called him panda because he can be a mountain out there! Already able to push players aside and make his presence known. I’m very excited about the prospects and it’s a great opportunity to watch so many of them this year between the AHL and NHL

    September 6, 2025 at 6:33 pm #25444
    Mike Augello
    Keymaster

    Hey folks, we are linking the forums to the blogs going forward, so make all comments here from now on.

    September 8, 2025 at 5:00 pm #25849
    mcmastermike1968
    Participant

    Hey, Jeremy! Hoping all’s well, excited as evwr to get the season rolling. Everything seems right in this insane world when I hear Ken & Mick talking Red Wings. We all could use some ‘righr’ right now.

    You found a pic of the end-of-seasin scuffle with Kaster, Mo, Rayzor, & Eddy!!! There was a bit more cameral roll where the 4 of them were skaing off and in a line, trying like the dickens to find that pic. THAT is our future. Those 4 kids are the foundation upon which the house will be built. Get them humming, then slice in some Danielson, Mazur, Wally…..the future is bright.

    I wonder, for now, how long it’ll take for ASP & MBN to move up, along with Cossa. There are 6 names we need to watch VERY closely as that’s going to be the line up teams will be forced to contend with. What’s missing? Boss D-dude or 2, and a Take-Over F to seal the deal. UFA could be very interesting next summer….as well as the TDL.

    Keep seeing write-ups linking McDavid to us. Makes sense, great fit. And the roll would move him into the stratosphere, IF the kids click (and seriously; which of the 6 names above won’t be impact players that draw significant opposition attention???). And truly, if The Captain wishes to retain his spot on the Alter of HockeyTown, bringing in McDavis would surely do that!!!

    I’M. READY!!!!!

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