Red Wings select Eddie Genborg No. 44 overall in 2025 NHL Draft

The Detroit Red Wings decided to add some toughness to their 2025 draft class by selecting Eddie Genborg with the 44th overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Genborg got second-round grades from most experts (including Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis), but it can be difficult to rank players of his ilk for the simple reason that he will never be a high-end offensive producer in the NHL. That said, he’s also a near-lock to make it to that level thanks to his physicality.

Where so many Day 2 draft picks are talented kids who need another 15 pounds to have a shot, Genborg is already built like a semi at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. He will only get bigger and stronger ahead of his arrival in North America.

Genborg hits hard and often on the forecheck, and was already so physically developed in his age-17 season that he logged 28 games against grown men in the SHL for Linkopings HC, albeit without much success on the scoresheet (two points).

He isn’t just a big lug, either. Genborg keeps his feet moving and has some legit two-way chops that could make him a valuable bottom-six contributor in the show rather than an eight-minute-a-night nail gun. While his offense wouldn’t get him drafted in a 5-foot-10 body, he fires the puck hard, moves decently for a big man, and has drawn netfront duty on occasion for Team Sweden’s youth outfits.

There’s a temptation to take a swing on undersized players in the middle rounds and try to land the next Lane Hutson, but the vast majority of those guys will top out in the AHL. While Genborg is a long shot to ever suit up in a top-six role, there is value in the relative certainty that he’ll end up in the NHL with the Red Wings as a handful to play against.