Overlooked Red Wings Prospects to Watch This Season

Star Players:

• Sebastian Cossa: Grand Rapids Griffins, Goaltender 6’7″ 220 lbs

Stock: Skyrocketing

Stats: 9GP 1.56GAA .942%

Notes: I know Grand Rapids is a wagon, but Cossa is more of a reason for that than a product of it. He won Star of the Week recently and, despite being injured for a short bit, has been red hot. With his draft-rival Jesper Wallstedt having an amazing NHL start, the ultra-competitive Cossa might be able to hop into a poor Detroit goalie room soon.

• Trey Augustine: Michigan State Spartans, Goaltender 6’1″ 179lbs

Stock: Rising

Stats: 12GP 1.66GAA .938%

Notes: Similar to Cossa, Augustine is also on a great Spartans team. Similar to Cossa, Augustine is a big reason for their success. All in all, Augustine is fiery but remains awfully calm in the net. This offseason I compared him to Joseph Woll and I stand by that until proven otherwise.

Top 6F / Top 4D:

• Max Plante: University Of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, Left Wing 5’10” 181lbs

Stock: Skyrocketing

Stats: 16GP 13G 13A 26P

Notes: The guy might win the Hobey Baker, what else is there to say. A guy that I called a pure playmaker has shut me up well, boasting one of the best goal totals in the NCAA. With that, his passing continues to be great. Expect Plante to be the playmaker Detroit has needed for years in this lineup in the bottom 9.

• Carter Bear: Everett Silvertips, Left Wing 6’0″ 177lbs

Stock: Falling

Stats: 20GP 11G 13A 24P

Notes: I don’t think I’m alone when I say I expected more from Bear. He’s been solid for sure, but if it wasn’t for a monster hat-trick night recently, I would be a lot more worried. There is still time for him to pick it up, but as it stands, Bear does not seem like the most promising player the Red Wings took in last season’s draft.

• Eddie Genborg: Timra IK, Right Wing 6’1″ 179lbs

Stock: Rising

Stats: 24GP 8G 7A 15P

Notes: One of the best U21 players in the SHL at just age 18, Genborg was drafted for his physical grit and hard-to-play-against style, because of course he was. But this season, he has shown some serious producing potential, and I’m really excited for my end-of-season prospect update on him. He’s looked really good thus far.

• Anton Johansson: Leksands IF, Defenceman 6’4″ 196lbs

Stock: Rising

Stats: 17GP 1G 4A 5P

Notes: Despite being pretty light, Anton Johansson continues to be one of the more interesting prospects in Detroit. Now that ASP has graduated to the NHL level, Johansson is probably Detroit’s most promising young defenceman. He can move the puck well and skates well for his size too. Hopefully he can put on some more weight back in North America this summer.

• Michal Svercek: Vasteras IK, Left Wing 5’10” 172lbs

Stock: Falling

Stats: 3GP 0G 0A 0P

Notes: Thought to be one of the steals of the draft, Svercek has had a pretty slow start to his season. His SHL numbers are already worse than they were last season. All in all, Svercek should be thought of as a fourth round pick, not as a huge dropper.

• Dmitri Buchelnikov: CSKA Moscow, Left Wing 5’10” 170lbs

Stock: Steady

Stats: 30GP 10G 10A 20P

Notes: A good season is going to be cut very short for Buchelnikov, who just underwent shoulder surgery. His goal scoring looked better this year, even if his total points are projected to go down. Keep in mind, he is on a stacked Moscow team that won’t give him as many looks as he once had. His slow start limited his points, but he looked good before going down.

Depth Pieces:

• Jesse Kiiskinen: HPK, Right Wing 6’1″ 190lbs

Stock: Falling

Stats: 25GP 9G 8A 17P

Notes: After being pretty much a point per game last season, Kiiskinen has come back down to earth a little bit this season. He is still that gritty, scoring winger with a great shot that we thought he would be. There is still time to challenge his fantastic pace from last season, but all is uncertain in terms of ceiling until he makes it to America.

• Michal Postava: Grand Rapids Griffins, Goaltender 6’2″ 205lbs

Stock: Rising

Stats: 5GP 2.15GAA .936%

Notes: Postava is having an amazing season, overshadowed by the Red Wings goaltending depth. Don’t get me wrong, I have him in the depth category by no fault of his own. Detroit just has such a great goaltending prospect tandem that Postava has some ways to go to beat them out.

• Nikita Tyurin: Spartak Moskva, Defenceman 6’1″ 190lbs

Stock: Steady

Stats: 6GP 0G 0A 0P

Notes: Tyurin finally broke into the KHL this season. He’s an offensive defenceman who can move the puck well, and he has a solid frame to go with some offensive upside. It’s a ways to go before making any conclusions on what he is or what he can be, he remains one of the more intriguing prospects in the Red Wings system nonetheless.

More to Read:

Detroit Red Wings Prospects Check-In: Defensemen and Goalies

Who Will Join the Red Wings? Analyzing Current Top Prospects