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Michal Pradel, Team Slovakia (Photo by Leila Devlin/Getty Images)

Meet the Red Wings’ 2025 NHL Draft Class

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Jordan Orth | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 8:35 AM ET

With the 2025 NHL Entry Draft fully behind us and the offseason in full swing, Detroit Red Wings general manager (GM) Steve Yzerman and his staff had a busy weekend in Los Angeles. It was a weekend full of action, including making eight draft selections and acquiring John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks. With that being said, what did the draft bring to the Red Wings’ system?

Round 1 Pick 13: Carter Bear, LW, Everett Silvertips, Western Hockey League (WHL)

With the organization’s first selection of the draft, they went with a player who fits the bill of what Yzerman looks for: a two-way forward. Carter Bear plays a game that can be summed up as a pest at both ends of the ice. He plays a relentless defensive game and then turns that defense into offense with the skill set he has in his toolbox. While his numbers with Everett last season point more to being a well-rounded playmaker, he has a bit more goal-scoring ability to his game than players in the Red Wings’ system, such as Nate Danielson.

Bear has no issue with bringing physicality to a game and is a player who should be able to develop his game into a top-six winger role, which is something the organization is certainly looking for to go along with Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin on the top line. He has the ability to play in any situation, whether it’s five-on-five or on special teams. He could easily become a strong option on the second power-play unit and penalty kill when he eventually makes his way to Detroit. The biggest concern for Bear entering the draft was the Achilles injury he sustained toward the end of the 2024-25 season that ended his year prematurely. If he can bounce back from the injury and put up the numbers he did in his draft year (82 points in 56 games), there is no reason not to believe he will become a fan favorite within the pipeline.

Round 2 Pick 44: Eddie Genborg, RW, Linköping HC, Swedish Hockey League (SHL)

Sticking with the two-way player theme, the Red Wings added Eddie Genborg in the second round. Genborg has a solid frame, standing 6-foot-2, 194 pounds, and has no issue using it to his advantage at either end of the ice. His work ethic makes him a nuisance to play against as an opponent. He spent a good chunk of his draft year in the SHL after playing 28 games at the J20 level for the Linköping organization. He did not factor into the offensive production a ton, tallying only two goals in his action, but did join good company in playing as many games as he did. In the last 10 seasons, only 19 players 18 years old or younger played more games than he did at the SHL level.

Genborg earned comparisons to Brandon Tanev from THW’s own Dayton Reimer with the style of game he plays. At this stage of his development, he has shown offensive upside, but is more of a net-front presence with his size and ability to screen opposing teams’ netminders. If he can build off a solid season at the J20 level (34 points) in a full season in the SHL, he could end up being yet another Swedish-born prospect who works out in the favor of the organization. He projects more of a middle-six player at the NHL level.

Round 3 Pick 75: Michal Pradel, G, Tri-City Storm, United States Hockey League (USHL)

A surprise pick by Yzerman and the Red Wings, not because of the value of the selection, but because they have a solid setup at the position, the organization took netminder Michal Pradel in the third round. Pradel is a massive body in the net, standing at 6-foot-5, and moves around in the crease well for a big kid. One of the higher-ranked goaltenders in this draft class (third-ranked North American goaltender by NHL Central Scouting), he helped his stock with a strong showing at the Under-18 World Championship with Slovakia, putting up a solid 2.46 goals-against average (GAA) and .914 save percentage (SV%).

Pradel split time in the net for Tri-City last season, putting up an admirable 9-4-0 record, with a 2.41 GAA and a .889 SV%. He should take on more of a full-time role this season, and with further development to his overall play, he could easily project at the worst, a solid American Hockey League (AHL) starter.

Round 4 Pick 104: Brent Solomon, RW, Champlin Park High (HS-MN)

The first of two picks from the high school level this year, the Red Wings went with Brent Solomon in the fourth round. At the high school level, Solomon has proven to be a lethal goal-scorer (38 in 28 games played) thanks to a deadly accurate shot and quick release. He is likely going to be a longer-term prospect, but did show his offensive potential in limited action with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL, tallying six points in eight games played at the end of the season.

Solomon will be heading to the University of Wisconsin starting in the 2026-27 season. He will be a prospect to keep an eye on as he matures and works his way into higher-level competition.

Round 4 Pick 119: Michal Svrcek, LW, Brynäs IF (SHL)

Another player who spent time split between the J20 and SHL in their draft year, the Red Wings were able to snag NHL Central Scouting’s 46th-ranked European skater in the fourth round. Michal Svrcek, like Genborg, did not factor in a lot offensively at the SHL level (three points in 17 games), and he played a bottom-six role, but he has plenty of upside to his game. He is a player who has a high compete level, never giving up on a play at either end of the ice. He has the speed to turn a strong defensive play into a quick transition and further into an offensive chance when he’s on the ice and plays with great confidence. This helped lead him to being a point-per-game player at the J20 level (30 points in 30 games).

Svrcek has great potential from a fourth-round selection, showing flashes of being a potential middle six winger at the NHL level, and much like Genborg, if he can build off playing at the SHL level into this season, he can continue to showcase his all-around offensive game in a bigger role and earn even more attention from the Red Wings’ brass.

Round 5 Pick 140: Nikita Tyurin, D, MHL Spartak Moskva (MHL)

The Red Wings finally took a defenseman with their fifth-round selection of Nikita Tyurin. While the offensive numbers do not jump off the screen (20 points in 50 games), Tyurin plays a smooth game with the puck on his stick and has great patience when looking to make a play with it. He relies on his shiftiness to get down the ice. His patience with the puck translates well into the offensive zone, where he does not rush to make a play and activates well from the point when given the chance to do so. He may not pan out to be a full-blown NHLer, but he is still a valuable addition to the depth of the defensemen in the organization’s pipeline, with the likes of Simon Edvinsson, Axel Sandin Pellikka, and Albert Johansson either graduating to the league or getting close to doing so.

Round 6 Pick 172: Will Murphy, D, Cape Breton, Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)

A stay-at-home defenseman, the Red Wings selected Will Murphy with their sixth-round selection. He is another player, much like many of the players drafted in this year’s draft, with plenty of size. He stands 6-foot-5 and uses his big frame more often than not. He has no problem throwing his weight around when he can, while also playing a sound defensive game. He will likely be an organizational depth type of player, but having a player who plays the way Murphy does is certainly not bad to have in the system.

Round 7 Pick 204: Grayden Robertson-Palmer, C, Phillips Academy (MA-HS)

The Red Wings rounded out their draft class with another high school player in Grayden Robertson-Palmer. He does not necessarily have Brent Solomon’s offensive game, but he has a work ethic and pace that stick out. With making the jump to the QMJHL this season after being selected in the sixth round of the league’s draft, Robertson-Palmer has a chance to learn and develop under the Canadian Hockey League’s (CHL) reigning coach of the year, Gardiner MacDougall, and play for a strong organization in the Moncton Wildcats. His development in Moncton and eventually Dartmouth (he is committed to Dartmouth for the 2026-27 season) will be something to keep an eye on.

Yzerman Continues to Stock Up

Since taking over as GM of the Red Wings, Yzerman has worked on rebuilding a depleted pipeline for the organization with which he played his entire career. He has done a great job of doing so and continued to add pieces to keep it near the top of the league’s best, while giving hope for the future of the NHL club, with players like Bear and Genborg being the likeliest picks to become impactful NHL players down the line.