Detroit Red Wings Prospect Tournament recap, thoughts, and takeaways

This past weekend was a busy one for the Detroit Red Wings as a group of their players was up north in Traverse City. They had a group of prospects suiting up for them, participating in the Prospect Tournament featuring four squads of NHL prospects.

There was a litany of talented hockey players on the ice this past weekend between the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars, and Toronto Maple Leafs rosters. The Red Wings group of prospects did not fare super well when it came down to performance, but that does not mean it was a lost weekend.

An 0-3 performance is not excellent, but there were plenty of highs and lows from the stretch of games that leave things to be excited about and even some things to worry about. With that in mind, let’s talk through the games and the players’ performances and talk through some takeaways.

For Detroit, they were given a tip of the cap this summer, being ranked as one of the organizations with the best minor league talent stockades out there. There have to be some folks out there who read about that, then saw the Red Wings prospects go to Traverse City and come away with three losses.

However, not every prospect was there, so that’s something to remember. As well as, these prospects have plenty of development left to do, and some of them may end up being late bloomers. There are a million things that could be said, so folks who are concerned about the performance should take a deep breath.

Detroit Red Wings Prospect Tournament recap, thoughts, and takeaways.

Game 2: Detroit Red Wings vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

In Game 2, the Detroit Red Wings came out looking to get in the win column, and a nine-goal second period would end up being the dagger. The Red Wings were outscored 7-2 in the second period, and even though Detroit put up two goals in the third, it was not enough, as they fell 10-7 to Columbus.

This was a game that finished with both teams going out and executing offensively. It was like stick-n-puck when a bunch of the college players are in town, and it turned into an all-out free-for-all scrimmage. The highlight of the game came from Columbus, with Adam Fantilli putting on a show.

The former Wolverines standout and no. 3 overall draft pick from this summer put on a show, making the most of his opportunities, notching a hat trick and two assists for five total points. However, on Detroit’s side, Nate Danielson had three more assists, and Cross Hanas found the back of the net twice.

For the Red Wings, both teams, really, it was a game full of undisciplined play, which left each team with the opportunity to create scoring chances; it just seemed that, more often than not, it was Columbus who was able to convert.

Detroit’s goaltending was left to dry again, though it was another challenging game for both Cossa and Bednar. Cossa allowed six goals on 21 shots against, and Bednar allowed three goals on 15 shots against.

Game 3: Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs.

Looking to avoid an 0-3 start, the Detroit Red Wings headed into game three on Monday, taking on Toronto’s prospects. They fell by one goal in a 6-5 loss to Toronto. Detroit was outshot 47 to 33 during the game, and several costly mistakes buried Detroit.

For the Red Wings, they played a better game, but a couple of mistakes ended up proving costly for Detroit. Cross Hanas potted two more goals, and Riley Sawchuk added three assists in his performance.

One of the common things among all three games was the team’s starts. They were able to come out and do some things well, almost setting the tone as most teams try to do. It was good to see from Detroit, even though they came up short.

While the Red Wings dropped game two with a really tough second period, they had another excellent start in game three against Toronto. They continued into the rest of the game, maintaining their performances, outside of the few mistakes that proved costly to allow Toronto to capitalize on opportunities.

It’s unfortunate for Detroit to drop all three games as they did, but there were some things to be excited about the performance as a whole. With all three games in the books, there were some things to look back on; let’s talk through some of the takeaways.

Thoughts and takeaways from the Detroit Red Wings Prospect Tournament.

It’s early yet. The three losses are neither ideal nor what fans wanted to see, but it’s okay. The Detroit Red Wings showed many things to note, mainly on the individual level. Some of these players will head off to various levels of the organization, and some may end up not even being part of the puzzle down the line, but there are plenty of individual storylines.

Though, it was a good thing, as a whole, for the Red Wings to get on the ice with these prospects and get them playing with one another. While they all are at different points in their development, it was a great experience to get them on the ice for prospect camp and see how some of them performed.

Perhaps the most concerning storyline from the weekend was with Carter Mazur. The Red Wings are having Mazur undergo further evaluation on his lower-body injury, seemingly a knee injury, that could leave him out for some time. Hopefully, it’s nothing too serious, and he can get back on the ice.

Goaltending. The other concerning factor was goaltending. Sebastian Cossa played in three games, totaling 84:53 in time between the pipes. Cossa faced 54 shots, allowing 13 goals, making 41 saves—certainly not a top-tier performance for the former first-rounder.

But it’s super early, and Detroit needs to get Cossa into more games, and 2023-24 will be a big season for him. It was good to get him back on the ice, but for Cossa, it’s time to shake it, leave this performance in the past, and come out strong this fall.

On the flipside, there were some positives. The Red Wings ran Marco Kasper, Alexandre Doucet, and Mazur in Game 1 on a line, and it was more than beneficial to see these three players together. They put pressure on the opposition and got after it in the offensive zone.

The Red Wings did a good job of this as a whole. Doucet is one of the players leading the way. The undrafted prospect is intriguing, and he did an excellent job in the offensive zone and was able to show what he does best. To pair with that, Nate Danielson put up five assists and was impressive in the two games he played.

The Red Wings first-round draft pick from this year was held out of the third game as a precaution. But he made an impact in his time in the first two games; he created offense and was true to what the Red Wings were expecting.

He showed signs of a 200-foot player and was smooth up the middle in the face-off dot. There’s room to keep improving from a prospect tournament to an NHL game, but there was plenty to like about Danielson’s performance.

It should also mentioned that Cross Hanas was impressive. The former Red Wings second-rounder did a great job getting involved offensively, leading the way with four goals and two assists for six points on the weekend.

One of the players who shined but without putting up the numbers like Danielson or Hanas was Amadeus Lombardi. He’s been an offensive prospect for the Red Wings for a few years and put up exceptional numbers during the 2022-23 season.

Lombardi managed a goal and two assists for a point-per-game in the Prospect Tournament, but it was his play that was the really impressive part. The youngster did an excellent job showing off the offensive tools, taking advantage of space, and performing well in the offensive zone.

Overall, there was plenty to look forward to with the Red Wings youngsters. However, it will take time, and all of these prospects will take different roads to Hockeytown, but the Red Wings certainly have some players to look forward to seeing down the road.