A prospect news round-up based on Steve Yzerman's end-of-season press conference
A prospect news round-up based on Steve Yzerman's end-of-season press conference
Among the topics Steve Yzerman tackled in his end-of-season press conference yesterday afternoon from the media room at Little Caesars Arena was the state and development of the Red Wings prospect pool.
On aggregate, Yzerman named "the play of some of our younger players not only in Detroit, but in Grand Rapids...and some of the younger players that haven't turned professional yet" as a source of optimism from the 2023-24 season, while Derek Lalonde expressed his excitement at the likelihood of a younger Detroit roster in '24-25: "I like youth," he said. "There's something special about youth. There's something special about rookies, what they bring the group, the passion, the drive."
Before getting into some specific updates, Yzerman also offered an extended answer as to his abstract philosophy of prospect development that's worth noting. He spoke to a belief in a patient approach, with prospects thriving at each level they reach before moving onto the next.
"I guess in my time here, I've been pretty conservative," Yzerman said. "I've taken for the most part the approach to finish your junior career, stay in college, turn pro, spend time in the American League until you're ready to go. Even Mo [Seider] spent a year in GR, then a year in Sweden in the pandemic. Lucas [Raymond] spent one year after his draft [in Sweden] and we actually had him penciled in to play in GR and he played well and we never sent him down and he's been fine in the NHL." In other words, the two biggest draft success stories since Yzerman returned to the Red Wings took time to develop, even as they were still unusually quick in arriving at NHL roles.
"I guess I don't know that there's a perfect way to develop a player," the Detroit GM continued. "If they're ready to play in the NHL and they can thrive, or they can be help the team win games...We're not keeping them in the minors if they're good enough to play in the NHL, but...if they're not gonna have an impact in the NHL, we'd prefer they stay in the American Hockey League or in college or stay in junior until you're ready. There's no real rush. I like guys playing a lot and having success, because regardless of what league they're in they're happy, and they're having fun, and their confidence is growing, and they're maturing. That's important." Because his public appearances are seldom, Yzerman can come across as curt or curmudgeonly, which makes his explicit emphasis on player wellbeing to the development process stand out.
Traverse City Prospect Tournament
Yzerman's update:
"Probably not the time to announce it, but the reality is...us and Dallas are gonna play two games. We're down to two teams now. Things are changing, evolving. The offseason, development camps, rookie tournaments—things are changing. Teams are doing different things. We're gonna go up with our rookies, and we're gonna meet Dallas there and play two games."
Why it matters:
2024 will represent the 25th edition edition of the Red Wings' Traverse City Prospect Tournament, to the extent that a two-team event can be referred to as a tournament. The organization's connection to Centre Ice Arena in Traverse City—a connection that extends to the team's training camp (which, as of yet, we have no reason to believe is in any sort of precarity)—is a longstanding one, clearly held dear from players (who appreciate the bonding, golf, and water sports) to team brass (who continue to see fit to assume the expense of the trip).
However, the logistics of Traverse City, particularly for a prospect tournament, are not exactly inviting. It's not easy to get to, and, as a resort town, it's expensive once you're there. It's not hard to see why other organizations might find a closer-to-home event for their prospects, perhaps one that would afford them to the opportunity to host on a rotating basis, to be more appealing than the journey up to Traverse City.
It seems at least for the time being the Stars are still willing to take part in the event, but you have to wonder how much longer that will remain the case, particularly if the Red Wings cannot attract enough interest from other teams to make it an actual tournament once again. Detroit training camp up north might not be in any jeopardy at all, but it appears as though the Red Wings prospect tournament's days in Traverse City may be numbered.
Axel Sandin Pellikka
Yzerman's update:
"I expect him to stay. We haven't actually had a conversation with him, but I expect him to remain in Sweden for another season, but we literally haven't sit down and had a phone call with him and say, 'hey Axel, what would you like to do?' but my impression, my understanding right now is that he'll remain there for another year, and if we wants to do that, we're more than happy with it."
"I had a chance to watch him at the World Juniors, and he played well. And he's been good. I watch a little bit of mostly highlights really in Skellefteå [his SHL club], and he's good. He just needs time, like all the younger d-men, he moves the puck well, he skates well, he's got good skills. He's a fun a player to watch, and he just needs time like all young players to get a little stronger, more mature, and I think he's gonna be a real good player for us. He's a little different in a lot of our D prospects. He's a different type of player, and he'll fit in nicely with our group of defensemen I feel in a couple years."
Why it matters:
In keeping with the patient philosophy Yzerman outlined above, it should come as no surprise that Yzerman believes Sandin Pellikka (selected 17th overall at last June's draft) will be well-served spending another year in Europe, before even coming to North America. Even then, I would imagine Yzerman's plan is for Sandin Pellikka to spend a year in Grand Rapids (in part to acclimate to the North American ice sheet) before graduating to the NHL.
Yzerman's point about Sandin Pellikka's profile relative to the majority of Detroit's defense prospects is an interesting one. Yzerman tends to have a predilection for big and physical defensemen—think Seider or Simon Edvinsson. Sandin Pellikka is something different—not quite six feet tall, with a game built around puck-moving and playmaking more than killing plays with his body. It might take time to get him to the point where he's ready for an NHL role, but Sandin Pellikka is a unique player within Detroit's system, and that will provide value when his time does come.
Jonatan Berggren & Albert Johansson
Yzerman's update:
"Looking at some of the younger players that are in our organization that aren't in Detroit or didn't finish the season in Detroit, I think there's potential. Most notably or specifically, simply for the fact that they'll need waivers next year we could expect or hope that Jonatan Berggren is on our team and having an impact. Albert Johansson another one, and those are two guys that need waivers next year. And my opinion today, I wouldn't expect either of them to clear waivers, so we have to make room for them, and it'll be up to them as individuals to earn that spot, whatever spot in the lineup that they can."
Why it matters:
This answer offered a major insight in that Yzerman essentially named the two Detroit prospects he feels are closest to NHL roles, and, as he pointed out, there's a practical reason for that. Entering next season, the Red Wings won't be able to return either Berggren or Johansson to the AHL without first exposing them to the rest of the league via waivers—a risk Yzerman explicitly says he is unwilling to take. It means, while they will of course still have to earn NHL roster spots, they are both primed to do that come training camp. That's interesting in each case for different reasons.
With respect to Berggren, it's noteworthy because Berggren's inability to secure a role during his post-trade deadline call-up—combined with season-long rumors he may desire a trade to find immediate NHL playing time—suggested that his days as a Red Wing may have been numbered. Detroit called him up after this year's deadline, he played just three games, and he was a minus player in all three. His lack of ice time made clear that Lalonde did not trust him to play meaningful minutes at the NHL level. Perhaps it's just a negotiating tactic for a potential trade this summer, but it at least sounds as if Berggren (a player Yzerman complimented at his post-deadline presser) will get another chance to make an NHL impact beginning at training camp.
The need for Berggren to step into an NHL role would certainly grow if both Patrick Kane and Daniel Sprong depart as free agents this summer. Arguably the biggest reason he struggled to find a role for the Red Wings this year was the arrival of Kane, Sprong, and Alex DeBrincat meant Detroit didn't have room for another top-six scorer on the wing, and Berggren didn't fit what Lalonde wanted from his bottom six wingers. Sprong and Kane may well sign elsewhere come July 1st, which would certainly make the path toward Berggren finding a scoring role at the NHL level easier.
As for Johansson, Yzerman also pointed out that—regardless of what happens with pending UFA Shayne Gostisbehere—Detroit is slated to return seven NHL defensemen from this season (Seider, Edvinsson, Jeff Petry, Ben Chiarot, Olli Maatta, Jake Walman, and Justin Holl). That doesn't exactly leave a void for Johansson to hop into, but it also reinforces the idea that one of Yzerman's top offseason priorities may well be unloading one of those returners on D, with Holl as perhaps the likeliest candidate.
Sebastian Cossa
Yzerman's update:
"Well, he's again had a very positive year. He's made a lot of progress. He's getting more starts. He's going in the right direction. I can't answer [whether he's 'an NHL option']. I'm guessing really, and I don't want to under-estimate him or treat him disrespectfully or put him under undue expectation. What I cant tell you is he's earning more starts, he's more games, he's playing well...He's stopping more pucks, and that's positive. Again, the coach will decide who plays in the [AHL] playoffs, but he's progressed, and we're really hoping for a whole host of reasons that he obviously has a successful, long playoff run, and he continues to go and play well. And if he does get the net and run with it, that puts him closer to the NHL, but right now, I still think he needs time. He's doing really well. He's working at his craft. He's getting better, and he's still got work to do. I'm very encouraged by his attitude and his performance."
Why it matters:
As with Sandin Pellikka, this is not exactly a surprising update. It would have been nothing short of shocking had Yzerman declared that Cossa will certainly spend the season in the NHL next year, and it is realistically more likely that he spends the majority of 2024-25 in Grand Rapids.
Cossa just wrapped a regular season in which he played 39 games to the tune of a 2.45 goals against average and .912 save percentage at the AHL level. Those are undeniably strong numbers who was nothing short of dominant for the second half. Still, Cossa more or less split starting duties with Michael Hutchinson this year, and there is probably value in spending another year in GR to get up into the 50-60 starts range. That would probably be the ideal number for him as a number one goalie in the NHL eventually, so you'd like to see him get exposed to that level of workload before he tries it at the NHL level.
Yzerman's note about the Griffins postseason is an interesting one, and it probably applies to all of Detroit's top prospects. To go out and dominate on a long playoff run would be a relative fast track toward the NHL. In much the same way it applies to Raymond and Seider's second halves, it would be tremendous development for some of the team's top prospects to play meaningful roles in high-stakes games over a playoff run, even at the AHL level.
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