Red Wings Draft Guide: Final big board, prediction (2024)

For the last several years, the NHL Draft has been the most exciting night on the calendar for Red Wings fans.

That may have finally changed a bit this year, after a playoff race that came down to the final seconds of the regular season (and ultimately, a tiebreaker that eliminated Detroit from playoff contention), but for a Red Wings team still looking to build its next contender, the draft is still of vital importance.

And now, it’s just a day away, with the action set to kick off at 7 p.m. ET Friday from Sphere in Las Vegas. So, what do the Red Wings need? Who could they target? Is there even a chance of a trade?

Whether you’re a die-hard counting down the hours until Friday night, or just checking in on this year’s draft for the first time, this guide should cover all the bases.

What are the Red Wings’ biggest draft needs?

The big one is at forward — and more specifically, on the wing.

Of course, Detroit would surely love to find a future No. 1 center at No. 15 this year. History says that’s unlikely, though, and would take quite a bit of luck. Really, though, the Red Wings don’t need to worry as much about the premium position here, after drafting centers Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson with top-10 picks the last two years. That bolsters the organization’s future down the middle.

But out wide, there are more questions. Detroit used the 2020 No. 4 pick on Lucas Raymond, who looks on track to become a star after a 31-goal, 72-point season in 2023-24. He just turned 22. The Red Wings also traded a 2024 first-round pick (Boston’s, acquired for Tyler Bertuzzi) last summer to acquire 26-year-old sniper Alex DeBrincat. Those are two young wingers who could be around for many years to come (although DeBrincat can become a free agent in 2027).

Outside of those two, however, it’s much more open. Detroit’s top winger prospect is 22-year-old Carter Mazur, a 2021 third-round pick who has surpassed expectations and looks the part of a competitive, well-rounded winger who can score at the net or from range. He could reach the NHL as soon as next season. Jonatan Berggren has shown flashes of promise as well, particularly in scoring 15 goals in 67 games in 2022-23, but he followed that up by spending most of last season in the AHL. He has offensive ability, but will turn 24 this summer and may prove to be a complementary offensive piece.

Beyond those two, however, no Red Wings winger prospect looks like a sure bet to play in the NHL. That could make it a priority position on draft day.

Detroit could also add another defenseman, although Steve Yzerman has used three of his seven first-round picks as Red Wings GM — as well as six second-rounders — on the blue line. Moritz Seider has quickly become the team’s No. 1 defenseman, Simon Edvinsson looks ready for a regular NHL role and 2023 first-rounder Axel Sandin Pellikka shows long-term promise as an offensive defenseman down the line.

But despite the heavy investment of second-round picks on defensem*n in the last five years, it’s still unclear whether any of Detroit’s non-first-rounders will be top-four regulars long-term. For that reason, it’s at least possible (although less likely than in past years) that the Red Wings could once again look to the blue line in the first round.

Final Red Wings Big Board

Note: This is a ranking of players I feel have a reasonable chance of being available when Detroit picks at No. 15. It does not include some popular draft prospects who I do not expect to be available, such as WHL center Berkly Catton, WHL winger Tij Iginla, OHL winger Beckett Sennecke and Finnish center Konsta Helenius. You can read Corey Pronman’s full rankings and scouting reports on each player here, and Scott Wheeler’s rankings and reports here.

1. Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, RW, Mora (Allsvenskan)

To me, he checks nearly every box of what Detroit needs. He’s a powerful winger with good size (6-foot-1, 198 pounds), mature detail and forechecking, and a big-time shot to bring real offense. There’s a little less flash, but plenty of substance — the kind of player who would be an excellent compliment to either of Detroit’s current top-six staples on the wing. There is some fair concern over whether Detroit has enough one-on-one skill in its top six, and Brandsegg-Nygård may not remedy that, but there’s so much to like about his game, including real scoring potential via his shot.

2. Michael Hage, C, Chicago (USHL)

If Detroit does choose to really hone in on searching for more offensive upside and skill, Hage feels like the strongest bet. He’s a center with good size (6-foot-1, 188 pounds), skating and skill, earning one vote each in both the best hands and best skater polls of Corey Pronman’s NHL Draft Confidential. Hage was the USHL’s fourth-leading scorer at age 17 and is committed to Michigan for college, where he will play for former Red Wings player development consultant Brandon Naurato. Whether he’s an NHL center or winger remains to be seen, but as noted, Detroit could benefit from either outcome.

3. Stian Solberg, LHD, Vålerenga (Norway)

As mentioned above, defense isn’t the most likely position for Detroit to target in the first round, but it is an option. And Solberg — whose late-season rise, particularly in international play, slightly mirrors Seider’s back in 2019 — is one potential fit as a hard-hitting, mobile defenseman at 6-foot-2. As with Seider in Germany, there is some difficulty assessing his draft-year stat line because of how few elite prospects come through the top Norwegian league, but Solberg did produce above a half point per game in his league’s playoffs, and scored a pair of goals (and added an assist) at the Men’s World Championship. He’s likely the biggest threat on this board to go before 15, but if he’s still available, he could make for an interesting decision.

4. Cole Eiserman, LW, U.S. NTDP

Eiserman’s a tricky one to quantify, as a pure shooter with few historical peers as a goal scorer. He was a goal-per-game player last season for the NTDP, and set the all-time program record with 127 goals in his two seasons, topping Cole Caufield. He’s arguably the best scorer in the draft for that reason. But there are questions about his game outside of his elite shot, which puts a substantial amount of pressure on that trait to remain elite in the NHL. At his best, he could be an ace power-play finisher and consistent goal scorer in the NHL. But there is risk if that junior production doesn’t translate as well, bringing to mind names like Filip Zadina as a potential downside. Weighing that risk versus the reward will be the biggest question for teams considering Eiserman.

5. Jett Luchanko, C, Guelph (OHL)

Luchanko’s flown a little more under the radar as a potential Red Wings pick, but he fits a lot of what they’ve targeted in the past as a speedy, competitive and reliable center, but with perhaps a bit more natural playmaking than Kasper or Danielson. Luchanko’s 54 assists in 68 OHL games last season ranked 12th in the league at age 17. He won’t turn 18 until late August, either, making him one of the youngest players in this class. Luchanko helped himself by playing a key role for Canada at the U18 World Championship, scoring at a point-per-game pace on the way to a gold medal. He’s on the smaller side at 5-foot-11, but the right-shot center plays a very translatable game.

6. Igor Chernyshov, RW, Dynamo Moscow (KHL)

Chernyshov spent the bulk of his draft season in the KHL, where his role was unsurprisingly limited at age 18. He had only four points in 34 games, playing just over eight minutes per game, but that stat line belies his ability: when he was in the MHL, he was among the league’s leading scorers on a per game basis. At 6-foot-2, he can play a power game with real skill, and Pronman has above-average grades on both his compete level and shot. His playing in Russia is a complicating factor, primarily because of the challenges of live scouting there, but Detroit does have a full-time scout in Russia, and of course, there’s plenty of video. His limited ice time in the pro league is probably the toughest factor, but playing most of the season in that league at 18 is impressive in its own right.

7. Egor Surin, C, Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)

Surin might be the super sleeper of the group, but he’s also among the youngest players in the draft as an August birthdate, and was a top scorer in both the MHL regular season (ninth) and playoffs (third). He’s got size at 6-foot-1, 197 pounds, and Pronman graded him with high-end compete, writing, “The energy he brings to shifts is what makes me optimistic about his NHL projection. He brings it every game, plays both ways, is very physical and has a lot of tempo in how he creates offense.” His 108 penalty minutes in 42 games last season speak to that intense competitiveness as well. He’s not typically ranked in the same range as the other six names on this list (Pronman has him 31st), but as with Luchanko and Brandsegg-Nygård, there’s a familiar profile here to consider.

Could the Red Wings trade the 15th pick?

Yzerman said last week he did not “expect any blockbuster trades from Detroit involving the 15th pick today. There’s not really that opportunity out there for us.”

That much seems pretty cut and dry. He did not rule out moving up or down, however.

“We’ll see how it plays out on the floor,” Yzerman said. “Those decisions happen really, like, two or three picks before yours is coming up.”

If the Red Wings were to do so, players such as Catton and Iginla could be potential targets in the 9-12 range — both would fit the need for a potential top-six winger, bringing significant offense without as many of the question marks found in Detroit’s range. The most recent analogous trade in that part of the draft was in 2019, when the Coyotes traded the 14th and 45 picks to move up to 11th. In 2021, Detroit traded the 23rd, 48th and 138th picks to move up to No. 15 to take goaltender Sebastian Cossa.

Still, history indicates such trades are more rare in the top half of the NHL Draft than they are in, say, the NFL or NBA, and the likely outcome will be Detroit staying put and picking at 15.

Prediction time

I think there will be some temptation for Detroit to chase the pure offense of Hage and Eiserman, but I’m sticking with Brandsegg-Nygård, who to me projects as a versatile winger who can score goals and bring key complementary impacts in the top six. As much as Detroit has leaned into complete two-way profiles the last two drafts with Kasper and Danielson, I think you want more than two such players high in your lineup, and Brandsegg-Nygård looks like he can make an impact in myriad ways, including the scoresheet.

Still, the draft is always hard to predict — and even more so this year down at 15. I think the Red Wings’ best possible move would be a trade up to nab someone like Iginla or Catton, though finding a willing partner is far easier said than done.

We’ll see how it all shakes out Friday night.

(Photo of Steve Yzerman: Dave Sandford / NHLI via Getty Images)