Marco Kasper looks ready to make the jump to the Detroit Red Wings

Drafted 8th overall in the 1st round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the Detroit Red Wings drafted Marco Kasper was billed as being:

"Physical and capable along the boards, even in terms of manipulation"

EliteProspects 2022 Draft Guide

He also has shown a willingness to get his hands dirty by not being afraid to get under players' skin and get in their faces. It's something the Red Wings have lacked for quite a while now.

In a draft that was considered to be pretty shallow, getting Marco Kasper was probably the Red Wings' best-case scenario considering where they drafted that year and while he wasn't considered a reach, he didn't strike many as what the Red Wings needed. Granted, the Red Wings at the time needed a lot of things, but at the time of the draft, the Red Wings had quite literally nothing on the team or in the prospect pipeline at the center position. The only centers of note in the Red Wings system at that time were: Joe Veleno, Michael Rasmussen, and Red Savage.

While he was originally drafted with the hope that he would eventually develop into the Red Wings second line center, he has likely lost that job to Nate Danielson, to no fault of his own. Danielson has just shown to have a bit more offensive talent than Kasper while not having to sacrifice his defensive abilities.

Is Kasper more ready for the NHL than other prospects?

For the last three years, Kasper has been playing pro-level hockey. He was originally drafted out of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and spent his Draft+1 year there as well. He was eventually brought over to North America where he played for the Grand Rapids Griffins. While he started a bit slow, he picked up the place in the second half of the season when many of the other Red Wings prospects like Carter Mazur and Sebastian Cossa did.

Kasper finished the 2023-24 season with 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points in 71 games played. He was regularly playing in the top six with American Hockey League (AHL) veterans such as Taro Hirose and Austin Czarnik and guys like Jonatan Berggren and fellow top prospect Carter Mazur.

Whether or not he breaks into the Red Wings logjammed roster is still to be determined. If he doesn't break the opening night roster this season due to lack of space, another year in Grand Rapids isn't the worst thing for him.

We saw it last season with Simon Edvinsson when we were all convinced he would be on the 2023-24 roster to start the season and he ended up in Grand Rapids for nearly their entire season except for a 16-game stint with the Red Wings. a stint where he proved that an extra year in the AHL helped him hone his skills and abilities.

While everybody talks about the big three of Danielson, Kasper, and Mazur fighting for a roster spot this season, I believe that Kasper has a higher likelihood of doing so. Not because he's necessarily better than both Danielson and Mazur. Instead, having more pro-level experience than the other two combined and having the skill set to not be easily pushed around like many other rookies do when they arrive in the NHL along with better offense than many fans give him credit for, make Kasper ready for the NHL.