4 underrated Detroit Red Wings prospects to keep your eye on

Ever since the dreaded 2019-2020 season, Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings have been building one of, if not the strongest prospect pool in the NHL.

We've all seen the top end prospects like Mo Seider, Lucas Raymond, and Marco Kasper make the NHL, and even some lower-tier prospects like Albert Johansson, Elmer Soderblom, and Jonatan Berggren make cases for them being everyday NHL players.

However, the unfortunate fact about the Red Wings having as big of a prospect pool as they do, is that some of these prospects tend to fly under the radar by many fans who don't pay close attention to the pipeline as a whole.

So today, I decided to list just a few of the prospects I believe have either been written off or go unnoticed by the larger fanbase.

NHL or Busts for these four Detroit Red Wings prospects?

Antti Tuomisto
42GP 2G 18A 20Pts

Let's start with an easy one. Drafted 35th overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Antti Tuomisto is probably the one guy on this list that many fans will know about. Originally thought to be on the lower end of the Red Wings prospect pipeline, Tuomisto has started to show signs of potentially being a solid right-handed defenseman in the NHL.

While he is a defenseman, he's more of an offensive defenseman with an absolute Howitzer of a point shot that I would compare to prime Jeff Petry. On top of his shot, he is also able to facilitate a rush by being able to move the puck up ice with good accuracy. He is a strong skater and is pretty hard to knock off the puck as well.

It's likely that Tuomisto won't amount to much more than a third-pair right-handed defenseman. That bottom pair is free game for any prospect to grab should they choose to, and I think Tuomisto would be a fantastic fit for the spot.

Liam Dower-Nilsson
45GP 18G 20A 38Pts

Drafted 134th overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Liam Dower-Nilsson gets overlooked for a few reasons. The first one is that he's a late-round draft pick, and most of them are usually after-thought picks by most fans, as most of the time, they tend to become little more than American Hockey League (AHL) regulars. He is also hampered by playing in the HockeyAllsvenskan, which is a second-tier men's league in Sweden. At least as far as competition goes, it's not the best that hockey has to offer. He also hasn't necessarily been blowing the doors down in terms of counting stats, making many fans not take a second glance at him.

This season, however, Dower-Nilsson has been stellar. Being on pace to earn nearly a point per game, he has started to show signs that he could be a pretty decent catch for the Red Wings. He also has the advantage of providing something that the Detroit Red Wings don't have in their pipeline. That being an elite playmaker. Sure, they have a few guys who can find the right play and feed their shooters. But Dower-Nilsson's playmaking ability is on a different level. Being able to pass the puck between several defenders while never showing who his intended target is, Dower-Nilsson is calm, rational, and incredibly skilled with the puck.

There's a good chance that Dower-Nilsson could end up becoming a bottom six power-play threat for the Red Wings organization. It's just a matter of him proving he can do it consistently at a higher level.

Austin Baker
58GP 11G 6A 19Pts

Drafted 203rd overall in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, Austin Baker has been an afterthought in many fans' minds. Most fans, I feel, only remember that he exists thanks to the odd Red Wings Prospects tweet and then scroll on without thinking.

Even with the lack of attention he gets from fans, he's performing pretty well in the USHL, projecting to be over half a point per game. While that may not seem like much, it's good for a seventh-round pick and a potential sign that there's more to him than meets the eye. He appears to be following roughly the same path as Emmitt Finnie, although likely not to the same extent.

If he can develop properly, his straight-line game has the potential to be a real asset to the organization. The Red Wings don't have too much in the way of players who can push defenders back in the neutral zone based on speed alone. So even if he can develop into a bottom-six player, I'd consider that a win for a late-round draft pick.

Dylan James
28GP 10G 8A 18Pts

Drafted 40th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Dylan James, at first glance, is nothing special and could be seen as a bit of a waste of a second-round pick, especially when compared to other second-round picks in the Red Wings pipeline like Trey Augustine, Max Plante, and Dmitri Buchelnikov.

James currently averages over half a point per game in the NCAA with the University of North Dakota, but the offense isn't his forte. While he can provide a solid amount of it, his real strength is board battling and protecting the puck. I would compare his abilities to those of David Perron. Using leverage and body positioning instead of pure strength and size, James can handle the puck more freely to look for a play to the center of the ice. He can also use this to his advantage in the defensive zone, using his body position to apply loads of pressure to attackers, causing the play to remain on the perimeter.

As it stands, the Red Wings don't have somebody whose primary job is puck protection. Sure, guys like Michael Rasmussen and Christian Fischer can do so, but their job is to wear opponents down and let the offensive player capitalize. James can play with those offensively minded players and create plays the Red Wings haven't had since losing Perron. He may not be a top-six player, but he can provide something the organization needs in the bottom six.