Top Prospects: The NHL System Rankings
#3: Detroit Red Wings
Number of Ranked Prospects: 47
Number of Forwards in the Top 50: 2
Number of Defensemen in the Top 50: 4
Average Rank of Top 10 Prospects in Pool: 60th
Top Forward Prospect in The System: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (13th)
Top Defenseman Prospect in The System: Axel Sandin Pellikka (5th)
System Score: 4.75
Steve Yzerman took over the Detroit general manager role in the spring of 2019. Tasked with rebuilding one of the most storied teams in NHL history, the Hall of Fame player began mining for diamonds and gold in the draft, looking deep into European leagues to build a highly skilled, smart prospect pool. In the 2019 draft, Yzerman selected German defenseman Moritz Seider sixth overall, despite major pundits having the player ranked much lower than that (Hockey Prophets had him ranked 19th). Seider would go on to win the NHL's Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie in the 2021-2022 season, and at this point has played in 300 NHL games, with 167 points. The following draft, the Red Wings selected left winger Lucas Raymond out of the top Swedish league at fourth overall (ranked 7th by Hockey Prophets). Raymond is currently leading the Red Wings in scoring with 58 points in 54 games this year. Detroit took Austrian center Marco Kasper eighth overall in 2022, and he, too, has become a starting member of the Red Wings lineup.