Red Wings prospect timelines: When will Detroit's pipeline talent make an NHL impact?

New York Times

3 days ago

There may not have been a more important development for the Detroit Red Wings last season than Marco Kasper's arrival and rapid ascent to top-six staple. The 2022 No. 8 pick was called up in mid-October, and by late January, he quickly became one of the team's most important players.
It was a welcome sight in a long rebuild, and the Red Wings are hoping it won't be the last time they see that arc play out. They are counting on their prospects to change their outlook.
Advertisement
But when will those prospects get to Detroit? And how good will they be?
Those are the questions we'll try to answer today about 10 of Detroit's top prospects who are gradually getting closer to arriving at the NHL's doorstep.
Before we dive in, a couple of things to keep in mind:
First, the 'estimated arrival' refers to when I'd expect a player to debut (or, in the case of players who have already debuted, the next time they could be called up). That's not necessarily the same as being a permanent roster fixture — though in some cases it will be. In other cases, there will be some up-and-down, or they may never become full-time roster players.
Second, the long-term projection is what kind of role and impact I think the player will ultimately have in Detroit, not the role they'll have immediately upon being called up. And of course, the projections are meant as broad expectation-setters, not a hard ceiling or floor for each player.
Long-term projection: Bottom-six forward
Estimated arrival: 2025-26
Mazur made his debut already, and for that reason, he's probably the slight favorite for the next young player to get the call. His debut was short-lived, of course. He sustained a season-ending injury just over a minute into his first game, but the work Mazur put in to earn that call-up last spring didn't just vanish when he got hurt.
When healthy, the 23-year-old Mazur has lived up to his reputation as a gritty forward with a nose for the net, willing to dig out pucks for second chances and boasting an impressive shot. That could give him a nice path to a bottom-six role soon, adding the kind of hard offense Detroit needs more of.
He'll need to deliver a strong preseason — and stay healthy — but I could see him jumping into the bottom six more regularly this season, and possibly early.
Advertisement
Long-term projection: Second-line center
Estimated arrival: 2025-26
Danielson has all the tools to be a legit second-line center in the NHL as a smart, responsible, 6-foot-2 center who skates well and can make plays with the puck.
The main question on whether he will reach that level is the production — which, in fairness, was virtually identical to what Kasper did in the same league at the same point in his development. But the two are different players, and it remains to be seen if Danielson can find the same hard-area offense Kasper has. So if you wanted to say 'middle-six center' as the projection, I could understand that too. Especially with Kasper looking like Detroit's long-term 2C.
But whatever the long-term role, I think Danielson makes his way to Detroit at some point this coming season. He'd need a big camp to make the team for opening night, with the Red Wings typically preferring their top prospects play a major role in Grand Rapids, but it's easy to imagine him getting a look at some point this season and earning his keep when he does.
Danielson has a lot of tools to work with and a lot of ways to contribute in a top nine very soon.
Long-term projection: 1A goaltender
Estimated arrival: 2025-26
Cossa is another player who has already technically made his NHL debut and could very well get his next look this coming season. He's set to start in Grand Rapids again, though, with John Gibson and Cam Talbot locked in as Detroit's NHL tandem, and he has some work to do with the Griffins. The 2021 first-round pick had a rocky finish to last season after a lights-out start.
It's probably a little longer than Cossa would have preferred to spend in the AHL, but if he can show he's ready for the next level, it's realistic to think he could get a handful of games in 2025-26 (especially with Gibson now 32 and Talbot 38) and be ready to share the net with Gibson in 2026-27.
Advertisement
As for the long-term projection, the NHL is clearly moving more toward tandem goaltenders. Last season, only 12 goaltenders started 55 or more games. While Cossa does have the upside to someday take on that kind of workload, the safer bet is probably that he becomes more of a lead type in a tandem, starting 40-50 games a year and sharing the crease with another capable goaltender — quite possibly one who will appear later on this list.
Long-term projection: Third-pair defenseman
Estimated arrival: 2026
It's about time for the Red Wings to see what they have in Wallinder, a 2020 second-round pick. The physical tools are impressive as a 6-4 blueliner who is an excellent skater. That gives him a projectable path to the NHL; those are coveted traits for a defenseman, especially when it comes to defending the rush.
But to be a regular, Wallinder will need to show he can clear the front of the net consistently, ideally with some meanness in his game to make full use of his size. Griffins coach Dan Watson felt Wallinder was close to being ready late last season, and if he can come into camp with some extra strength and ready to play with that jam, I could see him getting that chance at some point this season. From there, how he plays will determine if he becomes a permanent fixture or more of a depth piece.
Wallinder's entry-level contract expires after this season, so it would behoove the Red Wings to get a look at him before then, though it's worth noting that 2019 second-round pick Albert Johansson didn't debut until he was on his second NHL contract.
Long-term projection: Bottom-six scorer
Estimated arrival: 2026
Lombardi had a breakout season in Grand Rapids in 2024-25, scoring 19 goals and 40 points in 44 games. He's a creative scorer and a very good skater, both of which are appealing traits in a young forward.
Advertisement
Now it's all about showing he's ready for what the NHL will demand: consistency and responsibility, so a coach feels comfortable trusting him at the NHL level. At 5-10, Lombardi likely isn't going to play a classic checking role, but if he can manage the puck well, be a pest on the forecheck and still create offense, he could bring some pop to a bottom-six line soon (though I'd guess forwards such as Mazur and Danielson would get first crack, so a later-season call-up would be more likely).
Lombardi is the same age as Jonatan Berggren was when he got his first taste of NHL action, and his production rate was comparable to Berggren's in the AHL at the same age last season. They're not identical players — I'd prefer Lombardi's motor and skating and Berggren's poise and smarts — but I could see their roles and career arcs being similar: yo-yoing a bit between the NHL and AHL but chipping in secondary offense when he's up.
Long-term projection: Second-pair defenseman, power-play specialist
Estimated arrival: 2026-27
Sandin-Pellikka may be the single most anticipated prospect in this group because of what he did over the last two years, putting up rare production for a young defenseman in the SHL and twice being named the best defenseman at World Juniors.
After dipping his toes into the AHL late last season, he's expected to be in Grand Rapids full-time this year, looking to prove his game can translate to the faster, heavier North American game.
It wouldn't shock me to see Sandin-Pellikka get an NHL game or two late this season if he plays well, but what I saw from him last spring suggested he'll need at least a year in Grand Rapids to acclimate. Remember, Simon Edvinsson spent the bulk of two seasons in Grand Rapids before he became a full-time player — and he was much bigger than Sandin-Pellikka, who stands just 5-11.
Advertisement
Regardless, the Red Wings will be far more concerned with making sure he reaches his potential as a top-four puck-mover (and power-play quarterback) than how soon he debuts.
Long-term projection: Top-nine winger
Estimated arrival: 2026-27
Brandsegg-Nygård got his first taste of the AHL late last season and scored a pair of goals in three playoff games. He's got a rocket of a shot, is physically advanced for his age (he'll turn 20 in October) and is not afraid to throw his weight around.
For all those reasons, he projects to have serious versatility in an NHL lineup. He can win pucks down low, use his size around the net or blast pucks from distance. That kind of player can fit anywhere in a top nine, whether serving as a big-bodied complement to skilled players in a top six or as a menacing matchup forward who can still score 20 goals on a third line. I lean more toward the former long-term, but the versatility to do either is part of the appeal.
As for when he could arrive, I think he'll benefit from a year in Grand Rapids — in a league that should suit his game well — and then be one of the more interesting potential roster challengers a year from now.
Long-term projection: No. 4/5 defenseman
Estimated arrival: 2027
Johansson came over for the end of the AHL season, and in the games I saw, he was even more impressive than Wallinder and Shai Buium despite being younger than both. He's got the size at 6-4, the edge to make use of it and is a good skater with a big shot from the point. That's an impressive profile that projects to at least an NHL third pair, with an outside chance to log some time on a second pair if he can consistently make the right decisions with the puck.
He's back in Sweden this season, and I expect he'll get some time in Grand Rapids before jumping to the NHL, but I could see it being a shorter stay in Grand Rapids than some others because of his age (he's already 21), the physical tools and how good he looked in that first glimpse.
Advertisement
Long-term projection: Top-six winger
Estimated arrival: 2027-28
Detroit's most recent first-round pick is an exciting addition as the kind of creative, skilled forward the Red Wings need while also playing a fearless brand of hockey. That profile looks like a natural fit in a future top six, where he can think the game at the level of players such as Lucas Raymond and play in the hard areas of the ice.
But he'll need time, like any other prospect — even before remembering he's coming off an Achilles injury. Bear will be back with WHL Everett this season, and it's not impossible to imagine him competing for an NHL job as soon as 2026-27. As a late birthday, though, he'll also be eligible to play in the AHL that season, and that's the path the Red Wings have tended to prefer for at least a season.
If so, that would put Bear on track to debut sometime in the 2027-28 season and on a similar timeline to Danielson.
Long-term projection: 1A goaltender
Estimated arrival: 2028
All Augustine has done, at every level he's played, is thrive. He led Team USA to a gold medal at the World Under-18 Championship, then back-to-back golds at World Juniors. He's backstopped the hockey revival at Michigan State and is a big reason why the Spartans are among the national title favorites going into 2025-26. He's been a force and has a real case as the Red Wings' top goalie prospect at this stage, ahead of Cossa.
But as Cossa has shown, goalies take time, even when they're very good prospects. With Augustine going back to East Lansing for his junior season, he won't even arrive in Grand Rapids until spring 2026 at the earliest. I can't see him spending any less than a full season in the AHL, and with how the Red Wings have operated, it could very well be two full seasons there before Detroit gives him a look.
Advertisement
The timeline I have projected for him here would mimic that of Dustin Wolf, who debuted at the very end of his second AHL season (though Wolf turned pro a little sooner than Augustine). But it's worth noting even after Wolf debuted in April 2023, he still spent most of the following season in the AHL. That's just the way it goes for goalies, who tend to need lots of pro reps before they're ready for full-time NHL workloads.
There's an obvious question of whether Augustine or Cossa can emerge as a true workhorse starter while competing with the other. And managing too many good goalies would be a great problem to have.
But the Red Wings aren't there yet and realistically need to make certain they have at least one legit lead netminder before thinking too far ahead.
Certainly there are more prospects whom Detroit will want to make an impact in the coming years. Another young defenseman, Shai Buium, had an encouraging rookie season in Grand Rapids (finishing with 25 points in 67 games, second among Griffins defensemen) and is another big body with plenty of smarts. A call-up in 2025-26 might be a tad ambitious, especially with Wallinder ahead of him, but with a big season he could put himself in the roster conversation at this time next year.
Two more skilled wingers, Dmitri Buchelnikov and Max Plante, are on the horizon and have gotten plenty of fanfare for outstanding production in their respective leagues. Buchelnikov was top-20 in KHL scoring at age 21, while Plante scored more than a point per game as an NCAA freshman at 18. Buchelnikov's creativity and poise with the puck are impressive, and he could come to North America as soon as the end of the 2025-26 season, though his smaller build could pose some challenges in terms of how quickly he progresses. Plante is built a bit thicker and plays with plenty of competitiveness, but he's so young that he's likely at least a couple of years away from any NHL conversations.
Detroit also has a pair of promising energy players in Emmitt Finnie and Jesse Kiiskinen, with Finnie slated to play in Grand Rapids this season and Kiiskinen headed back to Finland. Kiiskinen's shot can be a real weapon for him and complements his high-motor game in a way that could compare to Mazur as he develops. He'll turn 20 later this month and should be in North America a year from now, but he'll likely need at least a year in Grand Rapids, possibly more. Meanwhile, Finnie looks like a late-round find and had some success in a late-season AHL stint last spring. He's smart and responsible, and his production offers hope that he could blossom into a bottom-six type after a couple more years of seasoning.
(Photo of Nate Danielson: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
Spot the pattern. Connect the terms
Find the hidden link between sports terms
Play today's puzzle