It looks like some Griffins might finally get their Wings.
Heading into training camp, the Detroit Red Wings have a number of young prospects knocking on the door to join the NHL ranks. Defensemen Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson, along with forward Jonatan Berggren, are nearly locks for the roster based on either talent or contract status. Meanwhile, any one of the forwards Carter Mazur, Nate Danielson or Marco Kasper have proven they deserve a serious shot at an NHL roster spot.
Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
For a team built on veteran depth last season, the incoming youth movement is somewhat of a paradigm shift. Whether or not any of these young players crack the roster come October, the fact that there are potential rookies nearing readiness is exciting, especially to those behind the bench.
“There’s something unique about the energy of youth, guys getting their first NHL games, guys competing for spots — there’s a sense of urgency to them,” Red Wings coach Lalonde said Aug. 7. “I think you’ll see that in all those guys in camp. I just think it’s healthy. I think sometimes with that proper mix, it can push the team a little bit. That’s what we’re looking for from those guys.”
How could Lalonde not be excited about young reinforcements? Whereas Detroit has built more and more competitive teams the past two seasons by leaning on free agency, this time, some high potential homegrown talent could come through the door. Nevermind the way their rookie deals allow for a more flexible salary cap. There’s also plenty of untapped potential and high-level skill that Lalonde can draw out from the young prospects that has largely been explored among the older ranks of the roster.
It’s easy to label these players as roster hopefuls in August, when they’ve yet to take the ice and show both their strengths and their flaws. With an excess of potential over experience, there’s a lot of room for these young prospects to make mistakes and show where their game lacks. This is the hard part of fielding rookies, the expected failures they must learn to overcome from experience. Lalonde knows this well after having to sit Jonatan Berggren during a call-up last season due to poor defensive play. It’s sort of a fact of life when managing a youth movement.
However, as difficult as it is to address these flaws in the regular season, training camp offers a chance to coach up players’ weaknesses with a little less stress through the preseason. When coaches aren’t worried about scheming to beat Boston and Florida, they can spend more time teaching potential rookies where to be on the backcheck or where to place their sticks in a battle. If anyone ever thought that the preseason is getting a wee bit long, know that Detroit is thankful for the opportunity to use them all, especially given the abundance of prospects knocking on the door.
“I think the eight games will be beneficial,” Lalonde explained. “Not only the fluid situations, lines and special teams, getting looks for everyone, but I think it’s getting looks for our young guys, too. I’m very excited about some of our young guys from Grand Rapids that will be pushing. You need that push from the bottom.”
In limited viewings of Grand Rapids last season, the usual suspects stood out to Lalonde. He mentioned Jonatan Berggren, Carter Mazur, Nate Danielson and Marco Kasper played well when he watched the Griffins late last season. He also saw firsthand how good Edvinsson can be in his 14-game call-up with Detroit to end last season. There might also be some dark horses among the youth group, including 2024 first round winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygard who is interrupting his early SHL season to attend camp. Training camp will offer a close look at the youth group as a whole, offering comparisons between all the high-profile prospects who are of a similar NHL readiness.
The question isn’t really if some of these young players are going to work their way into the NHL lineup, but rather how many and when. If any players don’t make the roster out of training camp, the Red Wings will probably call them up sometime during the season if injuries occur. That’s especially true of the forwards, who have limited spots to earn on the roster. Contract situations force Detroit to roster eight defensemen and three goaltenders next season, eating up all three reserve roster spots without room to bring up an extra forward. But, if injuries occur, players like Kasper, Mazur and Danielson may have a path to getting up to the NHL next season even if they don’t make it directly out of camp.
How this youth movement shapes up hinges on training camp and the preseason, where these players are sure to get extensive looks. If they bring the energy — that “energy of youth” that Lalonde is so excited about — along with their skill, they might be NHL-bound by the end of camp.
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