Carter Gylander officially turns pro and signs with the Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings drafted Carter Gylander in the seventh round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. They took a flier on him near the end of the draft, and he had a lot to like. Sure, he was just a junior goaltender back in the day, but Gylander had a lot of upside and has done an excellent job tapping into it.

He played out his career in the Canadian Junior leagues out in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), playing three years with the Sherwood Park Crusaders. Gylander had quite the career during his time in the AJHL, piecing together some really impressive statistics over the years.

Gylander went off to college, playing for Colgate University. He has spent the last four seasons with Colgate and has finally turned pro. After completing his fourth and final season with Colgate, Gylander has signed his entry-level contract with the Red Wings.

He was signed to a two-year entry-level contract and is heading to the American Hockey League (AHL), being sent to the Grand Rapids Griffins. He'll spend the remainder of the 2023-24 season with the Griffins, hoping to get his feet wet in the AHL.

Detroit Red Wings sign Carter Gylander to a two-year entry-level deal.

Gylander finished up his season with Colgate, piecing together a quality season. He played in 32 games with a 2.93 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. He managed a 14-14-4 record for Colgate, which may not be amazing, but the GAA is impressive and speaks to his success in the crease at the college level.

I'll admit I have always been the "high guy" on Gylander, expecting big things from him. After being such an impressive player in the AJHL, I expected him to march toward the Red Wings and have as much attention and steam as Sebastian Cossa has these days.

While the Red Wings currently have three netminders on the pro roster, Ville Husso is hurt. Gylander may not have the same level of attention and prospect value as Cossa, but he put together one heck of a collegiate career. His next step is to establish himself in the AHL. There should be plenty of intrigue with Gylander.

This is more of a 2024-25 season, but the 2023-24 season was a good one with Colgate, and now he may get a chance to make an AHL appearance and start a couple of games. It will be interesting to see what happens in the long run with Gylander, but I think there's still some value here.

Gylander may not be the next Red Wings goalie or a future Vezina winner, but there's potential value here. If things click, it could be interesting. Keep your eyes on Gylander moving forward.