Red Wings Select Axel Sandin Pellikka with the 17th Pick

With the first round's 17th pick, the Red Wings chose Axel Sandin Pellikka, a defenseman from Skellefteå AIK of the SHL

After taking Nate Danielson at nine, Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings selected Axel Sandin Pellikka—a defenseman from Skellefteå AIK of the SHL—with the 17th pick at the 2023 NHL Draft.

Sandin Pellikka was the fourth defensemen taken in the first round, but many pundits have speculated that he will end up the best blue liner in the 2023 class.  

"It's an unbelievable feeling," he told ESPN's Emily Kaplan after being drafted.  "I've had great talks with Detroit before, and I had a great feeling when they were coming up to pick.  I'm very happy that they picked me."

The 18-year-old Swede has dazzling offensive skills for a defenseman.  He's an outstanding possession player and skilled playmaker, and his puck handling would be elite, even for a forward.  He's a threat to score, and he has a knack for playing the right pass at the right time in transition. 

The Hockey News' Tony Ferrari wrote of Sandin Pellikka: "The dynamic and skilled defender has excelled all season long. Sandin Pellikka has improved as much or more than any defender in the class defensively this season, and while there’s more work to do, he has shown the capability to continue improving that aspect of his game.

"The Swedish defender has the shiftiness and four-way mobility that allow him to manipulate opposing players all over the ice, from dealing with forecheckers in his own end to finding space in the offensive zone. Sandin Pellikka is a wiz in transition, and his puck skill makes him a dangerous player off the rush."

For Red Wings fans, it's hard not to start entertaining fantasies about the next great Swedish blue liner in Detroit, and Sandin Pellikka's highlight reel provides plenty of ammunition for just that.  At 5-foot-11, he won't be a physically dominant player, and he has room to grow as a puck mover and in-zone defender, but with Sandin Pellikka, the Wings appear to have gotten phenomenal value for the 17th pick.