2 young Red Wings that might need more AHL time

Sometimes, the best thing you can do for an NHL prospect is give him the ice time he deserves.

Waiting for a prospect to pan out can be frustrating -- especially in the case of the Detroit Red Wings. The team has reputation of "over-ripening" their prospects, keeping them in the AHL for as long as they can to ensure they're more than ready for the rigors of the NHL. Some players, like Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, quickly find their way to NHL success.

Others take a bit more time.

This season, five players made the leap from the Grand Rapids Griffins to the Red Wings: Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Anton Johansson, William Wallinder, Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard. While Brandsegg-Nygard, Danielson and Sandin-Pellikka all played in the NHL last season, this preseason was seen by some as their final "audition" before making the full-time roster.

For Brandsegg-Nygard, Wallinder and Johansson, it appears to be a success. Brandsegg-Nygard scored his first goal against the Seattle Kraken and thus far has three points in five games. Wallinder and Johansson have both been rewarded with increased opportunities for their performance, with Wallinder scoring his first goal against the Kraken, as well.

But, for two other young players, things haven't gone according to plan just yet.

If this trend continues, the best thing for them might be a little extra time in the AHL.

Axel Sandin-Pellikka needs more minutes

In order for a player like Axel Sandin-Pellikka to find success in the NHl, he needs to play meaningful minutes. The issue right now is that the Red Wings just don't seem comfortable enough with giving him those minutes.

This is what ASP's time on ice looks like across the first

ASP's ice time has dropped every game he's played this season -- even resulting in a healthy scratch at one point. This is not conducive to the successful development of a defenseman. To be fair, Sandin-Pellikka has yet to register a point this season. But how can an offensive defenseman be expected to produce when he's just playing a hair under nine minutes a night?

In the AHL, Sandin-Pellikka will have more than enough ice time. He'll be able to build up his confidence again and smooth out some rough edges while playing with an exciting young group. Until the Red Wings get around to freeing up a roster spot on the team's top-four, there really isn't a lot of opportunity for Sandin-Pellikka to find NHL success.

Nate Danielson is another thing entirely

It's hard to know what to expect with Danielson. Injuries have derailed his career thus far. He spent the majority of last season recovering from an injury, dealing with both hip and wrist injuries over his professional career. Now, five games into the season, he's failed to make much of an impact in the NHL.

Worse yet, the team just doesn't seem to trust him with ice time whatsoever. Here's what Danielson's deployment looks like across five games:

Danielson has played the entire season on the fourth line, sharing time with Carter Mazur, Mason Appleton and Sheldon Dries periodically. It seems as if the Red Wings have pigeonholed him into a grinder role, though it isn't exactly clear what they want to do with him. It's hard to complain about a lack of offense when Danielson is playing eight to nine minutes a night, but, at the same time, the Red Wings want players to earn their role on the roster.

During his introductory press conference, Shawn Horcoff stressed that the NHL is not a "development league". If the players can't make an impact, the best choice might be to send them back to the AHL for further seasoning.

Danielson is 22. He'll be 23 at the start of next season. This is the most important year of his career. If he can't figure it out this time around, some difficult conversations may need to happen.

Sending Danielson down to the AHL isn't the end of the world for his development. But, if he hopes to become a regular NHLer, he can't end the season in the AHL.

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