Former Red Wings second round pick Dylan James enters crucial last season with University of North Dakota.
The Detroit Red Wings used the 40th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft to select left winger Dylan James out of the University of North Dakota. The 21-year-old Calgary native is entering his final year of eligibility with the Fighting Hawks and will be looking to impress Detroit management to earn himself an entry level contract.
Several notable players picked after James include Matthew Poitras (54th overall), Lane Hutson (62nd overall), and defenseman Elias Pettersson (80th overall), meaning the hope is that Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman will get use out of James at some point in the future instead of missing out on other impact players.
Before being selected, James was a near point-per-game player in the USHL with the Sioux City Musketeers. He recorded 28 goals and 33 assists for 61 points in 62 games, which James then followed up with eight points over ten playoff games. Fans were excited about James' chances of being a difference maker at the NHL level but this was slowed down by his jump to the NCAA.
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In his freshman season, James scored eight goals and dished eight assists for 16 points through 36 games. His sophomore season saw little improvement as he played four more games at 40 but only recorded three more points at 19 on the year. This past season as a Junior, he continued his subtle climb in production up another three points to a fairly decent 22 through 38 games. Entering his Senior year, we can predict based on his regular three-point increase every season that he likely record 25 points, which would be solid but will it be enough to get an entry level deal?
The Red Wings just finished letting go of the rights to an in-state standout this past off-season in former fourth-round pick Red Savage. The Michigan State captain had a stellar junior season with 27 points over 38 games (0.71 point-per-game average) before finishing off his colligate career with an injury and being limited to 11 points through 20 games. Savage has, for the most part, produced at a higher clip than James on average and Savage still did not receiving an entry level deal. He would go on to sign with the Buffalo Sabres' AHL affiliate in the Rochester Americans.
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Hopefully, this isn't the same path for James as the Red Wings would like to get the most out of their picks. What would James need to do to show the organization that he's ready to take the leap to pro hockey?
From what other Red Wings prospects have said in their transition to the AHL and pro hockey is that size and speed are key factors. When recently speaking with top prospect Nate Danielson in an exclusive interview, he mentioned that a big adjustment for him was getting used to less space available and figuring out how to maximize the use of what space you are given.
"Every team plays better as a team, like systems wise, so I feel like there's a lot less time and space because of that and then you add in everyone's faster and stronger,” Danielson said.
Fellow Detroit prospect Shai Buium also noted in his exclusive interview how crucial it is to know how to play your position well to keep up at the AHL level.
“Pucks are going to the net, you have to be really good at box outs, in the corners, just little things that you maybe get away with sometimes in college, if you're maybe being lazy, or you're out of position, you can't be out of position in pro hockey," Buium said.
A point of emphasis for James this season could be to show that he is ready and prepared for this style of play. At 6-foot, 190 pounds, he could likely afford to put on a little bit of weight and be more mindful of showing that he can play a physical brand of hockey.
Scouting reports indicate that James does excel at body positioning as well as attacking the net while also being capable of relentless pressure on the defensive end to angle off offenders into the boards and perimeter. If he can continue to continuing growing and excelling in these areas, while continuing to add a little bit more offense, than we could see James in a Griffins jersey sooner than later for the 2026-27 season.
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