3 franchise-level Detroit Red Wings prospects

Will Scouch, an opinion I highly regard in terms of National Hockey League (NHL) prospects, came out with his prospect pyramid for the Detroit Red Wings recently. Although I love and respect his work, I have a different perspective on some of the prospects and where they sit.

These opinions aren’t to undermine Scouch or his work, but to add to the discussion of the potential of franchise-level prospects within the Detroit Red Wings pool. Here’s a link to his video that provides more context to his pyramid tiers and prospect analysis:

Within his tiers, he describes the franchise tier as, “players you never, ever…want to get rid of.”

In his analysis, he provides context that prospects are ranked by their current development path and projectability to the NHL level. Based on his criteria, no one quite made it to the franchise tier. Here’s where I beg to differ the most.

The Detroit Red Wings have three prospects with franchise-level 

Simon Edvinsson

I didn’t quite get Simon Edvinsson when I researched him for the 2021 NHL Entry Level Draft.

Smart player, who played phenomenally well but consistency was questionable at best. Ideas varied as to why his level of play changed, in many cases very abruptly. It wasn’t just one area of the game Edvinsson was inconsistent with, either, as he would sometimes struggle in a certain zone, all over the ice, or something else. It was odd to me.

When I heard former Detroit Red Wings super scout, current general manager of the Dallas Stars, wanted to draft Edvinsson at first overall at the 2021 NHL Entry Level Draft, I was taken aback. 

Couple this information with the drastic steps Edvinsson has taken over the last two-to-three seasons, Edvinsson provides everything that is wanted and needed from a modern defenseman.

A lanky six feet, six inches (199 centimeters), isn’t just tall. He’s an albatross in terms of wingspan. Aside from Elmer Sõderblom and Sebastian Cossa, nobody rivals Edvinsson in terms of covering the ice. At certain points, it seems he can take up a quarter of the ice. It helps for blocking shooting lanes in the defensive, corralling pucks (especially on the blueline during the power play), and using his sticks to poke check his opponents just to name a few reasons his length of arms and legs makes a huge difference.

Edvinsson has the most potential of any prospect in the Detroit Red Wings system. 

When he’s on the ice, he’s one of the best players. It’s not a flex or bragging about the guy, he just is and I think he might be a bit humble or forgets about the things he can do on the ice.

Especially in the NHL, but even in the American Hockey League (AHL), Edvinsson deferred to his defensive partner or a forward to make the next play in a sequence of play. In reality, Edvinsson’s mind is sharp, he handles the puck well in transition while being the best skater I’ve seen live, and makes touchdown passes look easy.

Ideally, Edvinsson grows confidence in himself to take over the backend, playing his game and allowing his skill set to blossom.

He’s a wild stallion that just needs to be guided, but not controlled. (He does not and will not ever fit into a mold or box. Thank goodness for that.)

Sebastian Cossa

I went back and forth between Cossa and Edvinsson in terms of tippy top of this tier. It’s an easy argument, in my mind, to give the nod to Cossa.

To the outside world, I can see underrating Cossa. His path wasn’t ideal and it’s easy to write off any development as luck or a bit too late to matter much. 

There are rumblings of who is the best goalie prospect in the world. I’m not sure who that might be specifically, but I can tell you that there is no other goaltending prospect who I would rather have in the Detroit Red Wings system than Cossa.

After watching his traverse through challenges over the last two seasons, I have witnessed someone who has taken steps with a brave new composure. 

Cossa had the size, the inner drive and compete, but at times lacked consistency. In some ways, the inner drive might have come back to haunt him. Maybe pucks he should have stopped, games he should have won, his teammates not blocking shots or playing the right way could have compounded the despair he might have felt.

There were moments where I saw exhaustion, annoyance, or even a game he might have just given up on this past season. However, these games were few and far between. Instead of having a stretches of questionable games, it has turned into questionable goals against here and there, maybe a period he wants back, but nothing like the 2022-23 season.

Cossa loves to beat his opponent. It doesn’t matter if it’s practice against his teammates or in a game situation. Possibly as much as any other player. 

I think when this desire to win is added to his innate skill level (huge, along with his improved blocker, five-hole, puck-tracking aspects to his game) have only added to the potential that I see in Cossa.

Who knows if anyone outside of the Detroit Red Wings organization catches on to Cossa, but he’s certainly someone I don’t ever want to lose.

Axel Sandin-Pellikka

Arguably the best mind of a prospect that I have watched thus far in my green, public scouting hobby. Both on and off the ice, he’s always seemed like a bright mind.

He sees the ice like nobody else that I have watched, making plays out of seemingly nothing. His incredible hands help to turn his vision into a reality, something that often lacks (a player might have the vision but not the hands to back it up or vice versa).

Although he’s on the smaller side, he has the chops to hold his own on the ice. He doesn’t seem to seek out the physical play but there’s no shying away when it happens naturally in a game.

Sandin-Pellikka is great at finding soft spots on the ice, as well, to wire a puck home. His shot is effective from the point and he sometimes sneaks closer to the net or around the goal line, which is a bonus to the rest of his toolkit.

Much like Edvinsson, he has everything that a fan could want in a defenseman, except maybe size. To me, it’s part of Sandin-Pellikka’s charm.

Bonus: Marco Kasper

I could see the argument that Marco Kasper is a tier below, a core piece, for the Detroit Red Wings.

In my opinion, Kasper is kind of like the Moritz Seider of the forward group. 

Unless someone seeks them out, it’s hard for an observer to appreciate the impact either has for his team on the ice. Both play well in all three zones of the ice, do everything any coach or fan could ask, and are physical (but are disciplined in their physicality–not taking stupid penalties on a regular basis).

There is no doubt that Kasper is a player that I wouldn’t want to get rid of at any cost, but I’m not sure anyone else might see it that way.

To me, Kasper was the Grand Rapids Griffins most valuable player in the playoffs. It’s saying a lot considering my perspective on Cossa and Edvinsson. Both had arguments for MVP of their own, however, Kaspers’s consistency and tenacity gave him the edge in my book. 

In a world full of high tempo and flashy plays, Kasper brings an element of stability to the Detroit Red Wings system. Although, Kasper tries fancy plays from time to time, as well:

These are the three prospects (plus a bonus) of who I consider to be franchise tier level prospects in the Detroit Red Wings system. Who do you think should be in this discussion (or not)?