2026-27 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Detroit Red Wings’ Top 10
Welcome back.
It’s time for Daily Faceoff’s third annual NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown, looking at the best all 32 teams have to offer. We’re highlighting the top 10 prospects for every franchise, their biggest strengths and weaknesses, and so much more.
Here are the criteria for being labeled a prospect: players generally have to have played in 50 or fewer NHL games or spent more time outside of the NHL than in it last year. Players over 23 years old are not included. Goaltenders are a bit more subjective, but they must be 25 or under, have played fewer than 15 games in the past season, or have not spent significant time in the NHL overall over a three-year period.
Today, we’re breaking down the Detroit Red Wings.
The Red Wings are still trying to figure out where the franchise is going.
Having your captain request a trade is not ideal. And Detroit has been trying to manage that over the past while. They also just traded away one of the top goalie prospects in the world. But it helps when you’ve got the goaltending depth Detroit has.
Oh, and the team needs a new GM.
This club is still trying to make the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade. And the Atlantic looks extremely dangerous heading into this season. It’s going to be an uphill battle to get back to the glory days, but Detroit has one of the best prospect pools in hockey to help make that work.
Detroit’s pipeline almost has a bit of everything. From top-rated goaltenders to quality wingers and shutdown defenders, Detroit is in a good spot moving forward. It’s up to the new GM to fill in the gaps to get this fanbase back where it belongs: at Little Caesars Arena late in the spring.
Biggest Strength
I love the goaltending depth. Trey Augustine is a legitimate star – so much so that they were able to trade Sebastian Cossa without falling apart. Michal Postava proved he was capable of big things in the AHL this year, while Michal Orsulak and Rudy Guimond both looked great in the CHL. I’m also a fan of Michal Pradel, who I feel like is a bit underrated in the goalie market right now despite being an athletic, 6-foot-5 goalkeeper. This is one of the toughest positions to develop, but Detroit’s strategy seems to be to select at least one goalie a year. I think it’s going to pay off.
Biggest Weakness
With Axel Sandin-Pellikka already graduating to the NHL, the Wings lack a real puck-moving defender in the system. The highest-rated defenseman on this list is Anton Johansson at No. 9, and he had just 17 points in the SHL this past season. Most of Detroit’s prospect defenders are more strong, depth options. It’s hard to find a good puck-mover on the free agent market because they get snagged quite quickly, too.
Fast Facts
NHL GM: N/A
Dir. Amateur Scouting: Kris Draper
Chief Amateur Scout: Jesse Wallin
AHL Affiliate: Grand Rapids Griffins
ECHL Affiliate: Toledo Walleye
Recent NHL Graduates: Axel Sandin-Pellikka, RHD; Emmitt Finnie, LW
TOP 10 PROSPECTS
1. Trey Augustine, G, 21 (Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL)
Acquired: Drafted 41st overall, second round in 2023
Augustine is one of the top goaltending prospects in the world. The 21-year-old is coming off a strong three-year run with Michigan State, and while he failed to win a national title, he did rack up a career record of 66-25-7 with nine shutouts and a .922 save percentage in 99 games. He was a proven winner at the junior level and is easily one of the most technically sound goalies around, which helped build up the hype. Augustine tends to play better when he’s busier, and he has the lightning-quick reflexes teams absolutely crave – and never seems to slow down during a game. Augustine will have the opportunity to learn behind Postava this year to help ease him into pro hockey duty after a short two-game stint to close out the 2025-26 AHL regular season.
2. Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, RW, 20 (Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL)
Acquired: Drafted 15th overall, first round in 2024
The strong, two-way forward is easily one of the best players to come out of Norway in recent memory, so it was nice to see him have a strong performance at the World Championship. Brandsegg-Nygård helped Norway win bronze, building on an excellent first year with the Griffins in the AHL. He proved he could dominate shifts with his two-way game and his excellent release, and his off-puck game is already so established for a player his age. The 6-foot-1, 207-pound winger is as competitive as they come, and he showed that during his 14-game run with the big club this past year. Brandsegg-Nygård will definitely be in the running to crack the Red Wings’ bottom six this year. But if he misses out, he’ll be one of Grand Rapids’ top players yet again.
3. Carter Bear, LW, 19 (Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL)
Acquired: Drafted 13th overall, first round in 2025
Bear is coming off a productive three years with the Silvertips – and he probably would have had 90 points had he played the full 2025-26 season. I love his competitive nature, great shot and his net-front presence. He was one of Everett’s top players when the games started to really matter this past year, showing that he craves big minutes. I still wish we had seen more of him with Canada’s World Junior team – he had the skill and hockey sense the team really needed. Bear is set for his first year of pro hockey, and I fully expect him to spend some time with Detroit – maybe even out of training camp. Consider me a big fan.
4. J.P. Hurlbert, LW (University of Michigan, NCAA)
Acquired: Drafted 23rd overall, first round in 2026
No CHL rookie was as lethal as Hurlbert, who recorded 42 goals and 97 points with Kamloops. He’s an exceptionally skilled forward who, at one point, was so far ahead in the WHL scoring race that nobody was in the same area code. The University of Michigan commit has a great one-touch shot that he routinely unleashes on the power play. He’s also an exceptionally smart puck-mover who has very little difficulty getting it where it needs to be against players his own age. My two pre-season concerns – his play away from the puck and his lack of high-end speed – remain issues. But with the puck, he’s scary.
5. Nate Danielson, C, 21 (Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL)
Acquired: Drafted ninth overall, first round in 2023
Danielson played 28 games with the Red Wings this past year, and, for the most part, he looked solid. There was never really high upside here – it was more about the projectables, and Danielson has more than his fair share. What really stands out is how rounded he is and how he uses his strength and hockey sense to win battles. At the AHL level, he already looks so advanced for his age. In the NHL, I still want to see him getting a bit more confident rushing the puck. I could see him maxing out as a 40-point NHLer, but he’ll be exceptionally useful in a two-way role. His game is in a good spot – that’s why his name continues to be targeted by other fanbases in trade rumors.
6. Max Plante, C, 20 (University of Minnesota-Duluth, NCAA)
Acquired: Drafted 47th overall, second round in 2024
When Plante was drafted two years ago, he was easily one of the best playmakers around. No matter whom he played with, it felt like Plante could find them on a dime with little difficulty. Two years later, he is not only still a stout playmaker but also a legitimate goal-scoring threat. With 25 goals and 52 points in 40 games, Plante took home a boatload of awards in college, including the Hobey Baker as the top player in NCAA men’s hockey. The 2025 World Junior gold medalist is a high-end thinker who is always looking to retrieve pucks and win battles no matter what. It was a shame he was injured at the World Juniors, because USA could have used him at 100 percent. Notably, the Red Wings drafted his brother, Victor, at 47th overall this past June. Now, they’ll get the chance to play together at UMD.
7. Eddie Genborg, RW, 19 (Timrå IK, SHL)
Acquired: Drafted 44th overall, second round in 2025
The 19-year-old has spent the majority of the 2025-26 season with Timrå IK in the Swedish Elite League, where he recorded nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 43 games. His production put him third among U-20 skaters in Sweden, which is nothing to sneeze at. It’s hard to break into the SHL as a junior-aged player and have a decent role, but Genborg’s fearless play style made it quite easy. Genborg is a hard-hitting, two-way forward who brings a boatload of energy to every shift. He’s quite capable around the net, too, having finished the World Juniors with eight points in seven games en route to a gold medal. While his off-puck play might be the most impressive element of his game, his offensive expertise has come a long way over the past two years.
8. Michal Postava, G, 24 (Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL)
Acquired: Undrafted UFA signing in 2025
It’s rare for an undrafted free agent signing from Europe to amount to much. But, man, Postava looks legit. He shared the net with Cossa last year, but after posting a 17-6-0 record with four shutouts and an incredible .937 save percentage, Postava earned the net for the playoffs. He has been one of the top goalies in just about every league he has played in since junior, and he has used that to parlay himself into the Red Wings’ third-goalie role. I like his athleticism, but he’s also always square to the shooter with his 6-foot-2 frame. If Daniil Tarasov isn’t the answer as backup to John Gibson, Postava could end up getting his first taste of NHL action next year. And it’s hard to say he doesn’t deserve it.
9. Anton Johansson, RHD, 22 (Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL)
Acquired: Drafted 105th overall, fourth round in 2022
Johansson has come a long way since getting selected in the fourth round. He has three full seasons of SHL action under his belt, and he’s coming off a personal best of 17 points in 42 games. His puckhandling isn’t the best part of his game, though, despite putting up six points in eight regular-season games to close out the AHL campaign with Grand Rapids. Instead, it’s how he leverages his 6-foot-4 frame to take up space and get in the way of anyone who tries to take him on. Johansson has improved his decision-making under pressure, so I do think there’s an NHL future for him. He’ll get a full year in the AHL this season, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him take a run at the Red Wings roster in 2027-28.
10. Jesse Kiiskinen, RW, 20 (Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL)
Acquired: Drafted 68th overall, third round in 2023
It’s been interesting following Kiiskinen’s development the past few years. He had 44 points in 46 games with HPK in 2024-25 and dominated the World Juniors that year, too. Last season, though, he dipped to 28 points in 54 games, despite seemingly being more lethal as a shooter. I liked his short stint with Grand Rapids, and think he should challenge for a top-six AHL role right away this coming season. I really like Kiiskinen’s play away from the puck – I feel like he’s always moving and making something happen. If he can explode offensively in the AHL, it’ll be easier to project him in a scoring role with the big club.
Other Prospects: Dylan James, LW (22), Noah Dower Nilsson, LW (21), Ondrej Becher, C (22), Victor Plante, LW (18), Adam Levac, C (18), Beckham Edwards, C (18), Luka Arkko, LW (18), Brent Solomon, LW (19), Michal Svrcek, LW (19), Grayden Robertson-Palmer, C (18), Austin Baker, LW (20), Charlie Forslund, LW (20), Kevin Bicker, LW (21), Brennan Ali, C (22), Owen Mehlenbacher, C (22), Myles Brosnan, RHD (18), Fisher Scott, LHD (21), Will Murphy, LHD (18), Nikita Tyurin, LHD (19), John Whipple, LHD (20), Brady Cleveland, LHD (21), Larry Keenan, LHD (21), Jack Phelan, RHD (22), Shai Buium, LHD (23), Rudy Guimond, G (21), Michal Orsulak, G (18), Michal Pradel, G (19)
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