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Red Wings: Three Prospects Poised for a Breakout 2021-22 Season

By Alex Faber

KOSICE, SLOVAKIA - MAY 15: Moritz Seider of Germany looks on during the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Slovakia group A game between Germany and Slovakia at Steel Arena on May 15, 2019 in Kosice, Slovakia. (Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images)
KOSICE, SLOVAKIA - MAY 15: Moritz Seider of Germany looks on during the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Slovakia group A game between Germany and Slovakia at Steel Arena on May 15, 2019 in Kosice, Slovakia. (Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images) /
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Red Wings prospects are starting to make their way out of the pipeline and to Detroit. Joe Veleno made his NHL debut this season, and next year, a handful of prospects could very well crack the main roster on the way to a breakout season.

Moritz Seider

Mo Seider is the most obvious candidate. He’s already had himself a breakout season in the SHL this season at just 20-years-old (19 for most of the season), plowing through the rest of the league to earn himself defensemen of the year. Seider hasn’t slowed down in the World’s Tournament, either.

He’s already done his time in Grand Rapids, so he’s going to be in Detroit day one. After the kind of season Seider’s had, expectations are going to be sky high as soon as he hits the ice. If there is one player that can live up to those expectations, it’s Mo Seider.

Joe Veleno

Veleno had a decent season in the SHL, scoring 11 goals and nine assists in 49 games. However, because the Malmo Redhawks were eliminated from the playoffs early, fans were able to see him in action on North American ice.

Veleno played a few games in Grand Rapids before shifting over to Detroit’s main roster. In his first five NHL games, Veleno scored just one goal, with no assists. However, he illustrated his skills as a two-way player, making smart defensive plays and efficient passes. With such little NHL experience, Veleno already proved his high level understanding of how the game is played, even at such a high level.

Veleno will likely start the season in Detroit; if not, he’ll end up there by the end of the year. Either way, Veleno is one of the best options Detroit has for a breakout player. He’s already shown NHL poise, and he’s had a good amount of time to develop his play in the AHL and SHL. A breakout year for a player like Veleno doesn’t mean a ton of goals and points. It means a player with a top-tier corsi percentage that can drive play and control the game on both sides of the ice.

Lucas Raymond

Raymond did not have the season that Moritz Seider (Or even Jonatan Berggren) had. With Frolunda in the SHL, he had just an okay year; six goals and 12 assists in 34 games. The combination of a low-scoring offensive system and injuries didn’t help.

After signing his entry-level contract with Detroit, Raymond will be making his way over to North American ice for the first time in his career. With his relative inexperience, the organization will likely assign Raymond to the Griffins (Barring an excellent training camp performance).

Based on the past year and his inexperience, Raymond is a bit of a dark horse choice for a breakout season  Raymond has perhaps the most elite raw skills of any Red Wing’s prospect. He’s a playmaker that can rack up assists and round out his point total with a few goals. If Raymond can adjust quickly to North American hockey in Grand Rapids, he could be ready for an early call up to Detroit – a team that desperately needs scoring.

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