Marco Kasper to finally get a taste of the NHL before season’s end

Detroit Red Wings fans are buzzing with the news that the organization’s top prospect, Marco Kasper, has been recalled following the conclusion of his season with Rogle BK of the Swedish Hockey League.

Marco Kasper, 18, met the team following their victory at home over the Carolina Hurricanes and flew with them to Winnipeg. Despite not playing in Detroit’s 6-2 loss to the Jets, the young center did attend the teams’ morning skate on Friday. Kasper took to the ice for Detroit’s pregame warmup in Winnipeg but did not play. With seven games remaining on Detroit’s schedule, I would expect there will be a pretty good chance Marco Kasper will make his NHL debut in Toronto on Sunday. If not, Detroit heads to Montreal for a date with the Canadiens on Tuesday. The rookie phenom will wear number 92 for the Detroit Red Wings.

The Detroit Red Wings selected Marco Kasper with the no. 8 selection in the 2022 NHL Entry Level Draft. Kasper won’t wow you with flashy offense. Still, he’s a tremendously reliable two-way center, especially for his age, with plenty of playmaking ability combined with excellent responsible defensive positioning and effort.

Red Wings fans are impatiently waiting for the debut of Marco Kasper.

Marco Kasper plays with a bit of an edge and isn’t afraid to put his head down and take the puck to the front of the net. The soon-to-be 19-year-old also does a tremendous job battling for 50/50 pucks along the boards. Kasper, at 6-foot-1, isn’t afraid to throw his weight around, all of which can be seen in the video below.

Here’s what Steve Yzerman had to say about Kasper’s game after the Red Wings drafted him.

"“He’s not super flashy with backhand toe-drags and whatever,” general manager Steve Yzerman said after the Wings drafted Kasper. “He makes the right play, can make a pass. He’s got a good shot. He can carry the puck up the ice. He’s very efficient.“He plays very simple. He drives to the net. He’ll drive down the wing. He can take the puck to the net. He’ll also pull up and look for the late guy, or he can find a guy through the seams.“I really like everything about the way he plays. He’s got good hockey sense. We think he’s a good, solid, all-around hockey player.”"

With Rogle this season, Kasper logged 52 games, scoring eight goals and adding 15 assists for 23 total points. Detroit’s top prospect also recorded three assists over nine postseason games.

Kasper will get a chance to play at the NHL level right away, which tells you all you need to know about how impressed Yzerman and the organization are with his play. Detroit is known to take its time with its prospects allowing them time to acclimate themselves at the professional level and North American style in Grand Rapids before jumping to Detroit.

Even the reigning Calder Trophy winner, Moritz Seider, spent a season with the Griffins before making the jump to Detroit. There have been some anomalies, Lucas Raymond being the latest to come from the Swedish Hockey League, only to be inserted into the Red Wings lineup and on the top line, as a matter of fact. Raymond won his job in training camp, and Kasper will get a bit of a head start by being granted the opportunity to showcase his skills over the final few games of the regular season.

This small sample for Kasper should bode well for his confidence heading into next season, where he will look to be a regular from day one. Kasper will get to spend the final couple of weeks with the Red Wings, and just being around the team should help him become comfortable and leave him with no surprises heading into the summer.

I would expect Kasper to slot in on Detroit’s fourth line, where he can be eased in playing alongside Alex Chiasson and Austin Czarnik.