At the start of the season, it looked like a youth movement was emerging for the Detroit Red Wings.
Five rookies - Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Anton Johansson, William Wallinder, Axel Sandin-Pellikka* and Nate Danielson* all made the roster out of camp.
We're now a quarter into the NHL season, with the Red Wings 21 games down. Yesterday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning capped off a brutal road trip that saw the Red Wings tested in ways they hadn't been yet.
Still, if there are any bright spots to glean from this season, it's through the youth. Emmitt Finnie is emerging as a legitimate top-six center. Lucas Raymond is on pace to crack the 30 - if not 35 - goal plateau. Moritz Seider, regardless of partner, is thriving.
With that said, let's dive in to the newest faces in the Winged Wheel.
*Note: While Danielson and Sandin-Pellikka played more than nine games last season, neither has yet to reach the 100 game threshold typically associated with "rookies".
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard is the real deal
Believe it or not, Brandsegg-Nygard is already breaking records with the Red Wings. During a game against the Edmonton Oilers, the Norwegian winger recorded the most hits in a Red Wings game since the NHL began tracking the stat. As of November 14, Brandsegg-Nygard is second in the league in hits.
Yes, you read that right: not second among rookies, second in the league.
But hits aren't the only thing he's done. So far, Brandsegg-Nygard has 10 points in 20 games (as of the morning of November 14). He's shown he can be just as much a scoring threat as he can be a physical one. While lulls are to be expected, Brandsegg-Nygard brings a gear to the Red Wings' game they've been seeking for quite some time.
Nate Danielson disappointed early on
It's hard to wonder if Danielson's lack of production is due to his own shortcomings, or the team's ineffective deployment. Through 13 games, Danielson managed just two assists, finding himself a healthy scratch for multiple nights on end. He started his season off on the fourth line and, despite a few auditions in the top-six, couldn't break through.
With the Grand Rapids Griffins, on the other hand, Danielson looked completely different, exploding for a three assist night in his first game back in the AHL. He's clearly got some level of talent, but the Red Wings just can't figure out where to put him in the lineup. Perhaps a change of scenery will be best for both parties in the long run.
William Wallinder taking opporutnities in stride
At first, it looked like Wallinder would be the odd man out among the young defensemen. At 24 years of age, he had a tougher time in the preseason keeping up with young players like Anton Johansson and Axel Sandin-Pellikka. Despite this, he's come into his own as the best rookie defensemen among the Red Wings this season.
Wallinder's ice time has gradually increased throughout the season; now, with Albert Johansson injured and Ben Chiarot showing some inconsistencies, Wallinder plays on the top pairing with Moritz Seider. Things haven't always been easy - or consistent - but they're getting better with every game. It's likely Wallinder taps out around the bottom pair, but, regardless, he's played well above expectations.
Axel Sandin-Pellikka needs to refine some things
The worst thing you can do for a young defenseman like Axel Sandin-Pellikka is mess with his confidence. Unfortunately, his short stint in Detroit - followed by multiple healthy scratches - did a number on Sandin-Pellikka for two seasons in a row. It's not the end of the world, though: Sandin-Pellikka is young and can easily turn things around.
Like Danielson, the Red Wings just don't know where to place Sandin-Pellikka in the lineup. The defensive room is crowded. Thus, he's been sent back down to Grand Rapids to hone his game. He's still an exciting, raw talent, capable of taking over the offense when he's on, but he needs to figure everything else out first before his return to the NHL.
Anton Johansson is steadily improving
It's hard enough to transition to one league, but to transition to another completely different style of ice is another. Johansson came over to North America from the SHL last season, adapting slowly to the smaller rink size and more physical style of play almost immediately. Now that he's finally settled in, he's had both tough games and triumphant ones, with the latter slowly showing up more than the former.
Defensemen take longer to develop than forwards. It's likely we see some more inconsistency from Johansson before he starts ironing out other parts of his game. It's not that he's been ineffective, but his average ice time of 13:30 per game suggests he hasn't been trusted much, either. It certainly doesn't help that he's been played alongside Andreas Englund, who has the lowest ice time among defensemen in the Red Wings right now.
Time will tell how these rookies pan out, but, for now, the prospects are promising.
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