Red Wings at NHL Scouting Combine: Wingers who fit Detroit and what they're saying

New York Times

4 hours ago

BUFFALO, N.Y. — When it comes to the NHL Draft, the Detroit Red Wings have a bit of a type.
After six drafts under general manager Steve Yzerman (and five under assistant GM and director of amateur scouting Kris Draper), that type is easy enough to spot. Detroit likes competitive players with good hockey sense who can play (and succeed) in the hardest areas of the ice, at the hardest time of year. It's a profile you can find in nearly every Red Wings first-round pick under this administration, and when the team drafted Michael Brandsegg-Nygård last year, Draper alluded to it as 'Red Wing DNA.'
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Of course, that preference is not unique. You don't have to watch much playoff hockey to see why those qualities are so coveted around the league. It's one reason Marco Kasper was able to make an impact so quickly for Detroit last year, moving up the lineup because he could play a smart game, with pace, in the hard areas of the ice that complemented its skilled forwards.
Marrying that profile, then, with the team's needs in its prospect pipeline is the key to nailing the 13th pick in this month's draft.
After picking Kasper and Nate Danielson with top-10 picks in 2022 and 2023, Detroit looks to have a stable future down the middle, and it certainly doesn't need to reach for a center (though if one of this impressive crop of centers were to slip, there'd be nothing wrong with adding another). The needs, though, are more for a skilled winger who still has those underlying core traits (and ideally some size) and a tough, left-shot defenseman with some toughness and upside to round out the future top four.
The defense picture in this draft is a major variable in a class headlined by projected top pick Matthew Schaefer. Where the next two or three 'D' go after that could be the question that shapes the top half of the first round.
On the wing, though, the picture is a little clearer for who could be in the Red Wings' mix. Here's what stood out after speaking with some of those key candidates this week, all five of whom met with Detroit or planned to at the time I spoke with them in Buffalo.
It remains to be seen if Eklund will make it to pick 13. He's a highly talented winger who has proven he can produce against bigger, stronger players, potting 19 goals and 31 points in 42 games in the Allsvenskan. At 18, he was a big part of a Djurgårdens team that earned promotion to the SHL.
'It was incredible,' Eklund said of the experience playing against men last season. 'Kind of nervous in the beginning, you know, but as soon as I started playing (and) getting more confidence, just everything just kept going.'
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He also had a good showing at the World Juniors, scoring nearly a point per game. He's a high-motor goal scorer who can really skate, and that's an appealing skill set.
That said, he's also a smaller winger (he measured in at 5 feet 11, 169 pounds Saturday), which factors into the equation for teams picking early. Especially with some bigger-bodied centers and defensemen available, Eklund could still be on the board for Detroit.
And if he is, it's easy to see some of that 'Red Wings DNA' in his game, albeit in a smaller body. Eklund's father, Christian Eklund, had a long pro career as a 'grinder,' Eklund said, and taught him to build his game on his competitiveness. It's what Eklund sees as his most important tool, which is saying something when you consider his speed and shot.
'I get energy from him and how much he's working in the corners,' Eklund's teammate Anton Frondell said. 'He's battling a lot against men, and he's mostly winning every battle. Easy for me to play with him.'
That motor and physicality are also how he feels he differentiates himself from his older brother, William, a top young playmaker for the San Jose Sharks, whose motor is pretty good in his own right.
The size is still a factor, especially for a team that has smaller wingers Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat in the fold. But you have to like Eklund's mindset when it comes to how he'll win battles against bigger players.
'I don't care if they're two meters (tall) … I want to win that puck,' he said. 'And I'm pretty good at winning the puck. So I'll just do what I do best and get under the skin of the opponents and just go 100 percent every time.'
He is a right-hand shot — another thing the Red Wings are beginning to have a lot of — and that could be a minor part of Detroit's thought process as well. But he also might just represent the best blend of identity and upside among the wingers potentially available to Detroit.
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Bear would check a lot of those same boxes as a highly skilled winger — he put up 40 goals and 82 points in an injury-shortened 56 games for WHL Everett — who likewise prides himself most on his competitive traits.
'I think I want to be really known as a tenacious guy,' Bear told The Athletic. And he plays like it.
'Want to win every battle,' he said. 'Want to win every shift.'
Bear's not the biggest player, either, at 6 feet, but he's willing to throw all of it around. And when you combine that with the skill, it's an appealing package. He's also a left-hand shot, which again isn't the end-all, be-all but could matter down the line when you consider Raymond, DeBrincat, Brandsegg-Nygård and Danielson are all righties. Another lefty high in the lineup besides Kasper and Dylan Larkin could certainly benefit Detroit.
The big question around Bear surrounds his health. He missed the end of the season with a partially cut Achilles tendon.
The good news is Bear said he has already been back on the ice a handful of times, which is encouraging in his recovery process despite not participating in combine testing.
'It's really good. I just don't want to force anything, doing all the testing, and set me back more,' Bear said.
The injury has largely dominated the conversation around Bear, for understandable reasons, but the profile stands out as an obvious fit if Detroit feels comfortable with the medical.
Size is not a question with Lakovic. He's a big-time athlete at 6-4, 200 pounds and a fluid skater at that size with good skill and an impressive shot. That's a great tool kit to start from.
He used that standout shot to score 27 goals (and put up 58 points) in 47 WHL games this past season. But while he certainly looks the part of a big-bodied top-six scorer, he believes his playmaking is on the same level.
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'I think I'm very versatile,' he said. 'I think I'm really good at both. Some people might think my scoring is a lot better just off numbers, but I think my playmaking's just as good.'
There are some questions, though, about his willingness to make full use of his frame. Lakovic says he's aware of those questions, and though he feels it will come in time, he said it's something he knows will need to improve.
'You watch playoffs, and talent can only take you so far,' Lakovic said. 'I'm trying to add that part of the game. (One) guy I watch is Matthew Knies, you know, the way he competes, and he has a similar frame to me and the way he uses his body, and I know if I add that element, I really do think the sky's the limit.'
The Athletic's Corey Pronman sees similarities between Lakovic and Anthony Mantha, which points to the potential ceiling of that skill set but also to some of the consistency and compete-level questions.
Lakovic's team context is also worth a mention, as the lefty was part of a Moose Jaw team that went to the Memorial Cup a year ago and remained there as it moved into more of a rebuild this past season. He went from playing a role in the middle six to being 'the guy' this season, which comes with its share of pressure.
There's a lot of potential in his tool kit, which certainly can be a separator for him in this range of the draft. But how Detroit feels about those consistency and physicality questions could determine where he fits into the Red Wings' mix.
'I think I'm more than capable of taking over games at certain moments,' he said. 'It's just trying to be more consistent with it.'
'He's a tank.'
Why Justin Carbonneau's blend of skill and strength makes him one of the #2025NHLDraft's top power forwards.
My feature, with insight and background from those around him:https://t.co/MTosVFq3zy pic.twitter.com/GVa9aYQhCF
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) June 5, 2025
Carbonneau is a big-time scorer out of the QMJHL. His 46 goals and 89 points were second in the league, which is quite impressive as a draft-eligible, even factoring in that he's a November birthdate playing his third season.
He can really shoot it, has slick hands and is a big body on the wing at 6-1 and 205 pounds. That's the recipe for a power winger, and fittingly, he says the foundation of his game comes down to 'being hungry.'
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'Just always want to be better, want more — want to score more goals, more hits,' he said. 'It's just being hungry on the ice.'
Carbonneau's comments on the physical side of the game give off a sort of old-school vibe, too. 'That pain,' he said, 'that feeling of getting hit or throwing a hit is always a good feeling for me.'
That's pretty endearing to hear from a young player, and especially a talented scorer. As with Eklund, Carbonneau is a right-hand shot, which may not be ideal balance-wise. But again, that's a secondary factor if Detroit decides he's the player who best blends its preferences.
The athletic tools pop, but if there are any points of hesitation on Carbonneau, they largely stem from the relative strength of the QMJHL — which can vary — and in some of the defensive details in his game. Pronman has a below-average grade on his hockey sense, and for a Red Wings team that tends to like responsible, two-way players, that's something to keep in mind.
That said, after acknowledging some of the improvements he'll need to make defensively, he chalked up the work ahead mainly to needing to be more patient, rather than a willingness to defend.
'It's just being more consistent in that way. I'm willing to block a shot with my teeth if I have to,' he said. 'I'll go to the dentist if I need to. That's not a problem. It's just being more consistent as an 18-year-old. I'll be better at 20, for sure.'
There's a lot to like on the highlight reel for Carbonneau, and if he can find that balance to become a reliable player, there's serious potential.
Reschny is technically a center, but as a 5-11 forward who isn't a blazing skater, he could end up on the wing. Regardless, even if he's a bit undersized, the core traits are there as a skilled, smart, competitive forward — and he happens to shoot lefty.
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Reschny certainly helped himself with his finish to the season, particularly his nine goals and 25 points in just 11 WHL playoff games. After putting up 92 points in 62 regular-season contests, that postseason performance was an exclamation point on his draft season.
'I think I just found my stride,' Reschny said. 'By no means was I playing bad or struggling. I think it was just a tough little stretch there in the first half, and I guess after the Top Prospects games and Christmas break, I really started playing good and better and better, and I didn't look back from there on out.'
Certainly, his confidence grew from that, and he believes that in the playoffs, he proved he 'can play at the highest level and be a very impactful player.'
As for what he notices about his game when he plays more confidently, Reschny said: 'I'm playing fast, I'm playing with that edge. It's pretty cliche for some guys, but I think I play with a bit of pissiness, and I think that plays into my style: playing hard, I'm a centerman, I'm all around the ice. I think when I'm playing that way and I've got that confidence, I'm going, I'm a threat offensively.'
(Top photo of Victor Eklund: Bill Wippert / NHLI via Getty Images)