5 Red Wings Prospects Ready for the NHL in 2025-26

The mark of a successful rebuild is when older players are replaced with younger players that were preferably drafted and developed in-house. While there is more than one way to successfully conclude a rebuild, the point is usually to establish a young core of players that can lead the charge for the next decade or more.

The Detroit Red Wings are nearing the end of their rebuild, having established a solid group of young players headlined by defenseman Moritz Seider and winger Lucas Raymond. Entering the 2025-26 season, the Red Wings will almost certainly have to rely on their homegrown talent to propel them forward and end their playoff drought.

That being said, Detroit’s young core should expect some new additions at some point this season. The organization has a handful of young players and prospects that are knocking on the door, and they are seemingly ready to compete against the best players in the world and establish themselves as core members of the Red Wings’ future in the process.

Expect to see these players push to wear the winged wheel at some point this season.

(F) Amadeus Lombardi

One of the biggest stories out of Grand Rapids last season was the progress shown by forward Amadeus Lombardi. Lombardi, a fourth round pick in the 2022 draft, missed nearly half of his second season in the American Hockey League (AHL) due to an upper-body injury, but he still finished with the third-most goals (19) and fourth-most points (40) on his team.

Through 114 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL, the 22-year-old has 24 goals and 66 points. His first season wasn’t a highly productive one in terms of raw production, but he clearly learned a lot from that season given his increase in production the following season. If not for his untimely injury, there were whispers that the speedy, offensive forward was on his way to securing an NHL call-up.

Drafted as a center, Lombardi will likely have to switch over to the wing if he is going to secure a spot in Detroit any time soon. That being said, his speed and playmaking ability would be a nice addition to the Red Wings’ offense and power play. It shouldn’t be surprising if he is a standout in training camp and then makes his NHL debut as some point this season.

(D) William Wallinder

A second round pick in the 2020 draft, William Wallinder hopes to follow in Albert Johansson’s footsteps as a defenseman that took a long road to arrive, but was a pleasant surprise once he did.

At 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, Wallinder is a big-bodied defender that has seen his role in Grand Rapids increase over his two full seasons in the AHL. With just 34 points in 128 games, he hasn’t exactly lit a fire offensively even though his offensive play was one of the reasons he was a highly-touted prospect in his draft class. Instead, his game has become more well-rounded as he has been able to play big minutes on both special teams units for the Griffins.

With a good training camp and a strong start to the season, Wallinder will position himself to be an early call-up if Detroit needs a body on the blue line. He did receive a brief call up right before Chirstmas last season (he did not play), so it goes to reason that the Red Wings’ front office views him as being within call-up range on the depth chart. If he can find another level this season, he will at least warrant consideration as the seventh-defenseman for the NHL club.

(G) Sebastian Cossa

Historically speaking, goalies develop on their own timeline. Some are able to beat the trend and arrive in the NHL at a young age, while others don’t hit their stride until their mid-to-late 20s. At 22 years of age, Sebastian Cossa is running out of time to be considered an “early riser” as the Red Wings’ goalie of the future, but that hardly means he is cooked as an NHL prospect – far from it actually.

Drafted 15th overall back in 2021, Cossa has now completed two full AHL seasons with the Griffins. After finishing both seasons as the team’s “1A” in the crease, he has a 43-24-15 record, a 2.43 goals-against average, and a .912 save-percentage. Those numbers won’t blow anyone away, but they speak to a certain level of comfort and consistency for the young goaltender. Putting the stats aside, the Ontario-native also looks significantly more comfortable in the crease than he did when he made his debut for the Griffins, and that comfort level should only be higher in what would be his third AHL season.