General manager of the Detroit Red Wings, Steve Yzerman, has proven that his eye for draft-eligible talent is top-notch. The top club has added four prospects that have been groomed and developed along the “Yzerplan” timeline from Grand Rapids just this season, all of which are thriving at the next level (except for Carter Mazur, due to his unfortunate injury).
Die-hard fans of the Griffins will tell you that outside of Nate Danielson and Amadeus Lombardi, the team has been picked clean of talent. With that being said, news has surfaced that reinforcements are on the way. Top-ranked prospect in the Red Wings system, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, will be making his way to North America at the conclusion of his season with Swedish Hockey League (SHL) club Skellefteå AIK.
During Steve Yzerman’s presser immediately following the conclusion of the trade deadline, he was asked if there was any possibility that Axel Sandin-Pellikka might see some playing time in either Detroit or Grand Rapids before the conclusion of the season.
He responded, "It's a possibility for sure...What I prefer to say is historically, it's been done with players under contract and whatnot once their season is over. I think out of respect to him and his team, they're focused on making the playoffs and having a good run, and we'll see what happens once his season is over...It's definitely something to consider."
One way or another, Axel Sandin-Pellikka will play North American Hockey by season's end
It certainly sounds like this is part of the plan and, short of an unexpectedly deep run from Skelleftea, expected to happen before the season’s conclusion. Sandin-Pellikka was drafted two years ago with Danielson in the first round. Many people who follow the organization would tell you that Danielson has high odds of making the Red Wings out of training camp next year. It would seem that Sandin-Pellikka should follow close behind.
After setting the record for most goals in a season for a U20 defensemen, he has clearly done all that he can possibly do in the SHL. The biggest adjustment that European players take time to fully grasp is the change to the smaller ice surface. Allowing Sandin-Pellikka to get a taste of that in real-time games before next season would prove extremely valuable in speeding up his development.
It must be stated that bringing a prospect, as talented as he may be, directly to the NHL and bypassing the American Hockey League (AHL), is not typically the Detroit way of doing things. However, there is still a path for this to happen.
Unfortunately, that would mean that the playoff race is over in Detroit. If by the time Sandin-Pellikka finishes his season in Sweden, the Detroit Red Wings are still in the thick of the wildcard hunt, it would be darn near impossible for him to see the ice with the team as Todd McLellan would not want to risk a shot at the postseason by inserting a rookie with zero North American hockey experience on the blue line. If that turns out to be the case, it would be a win-win for the fanbase. Detroit will continue to play meaningful games until the season’s end, as well as their top prospect getting AHL playing time with the Griffins ahead of schedule.
The bittersweet, and most likely scenario, is that the Red Wings do not keep up with the other wildcard hopefuls, and the strength of the schedule becomes too much to overcome. In which case, Sandin-Pellikka would almost certainly get a look in the Winged Wheel for the last handful of meaningless games of the season to see how he fares against NHL talent.
Rumors of potential buy-outs this offseason will leave openings on the roster. Could we see both Danielson and Sandin-Pellikka join the NHL club next season? Or will one or both need another season of minor-league development? The next two weeks could be very telling of that answer.