Gustav Nyquist (Credit: Mark Newman)
At least two members of Red Wings Central’s end-of-season prospect ranking, and maybe more, are expected to graduate to the Detroit Red Wings next fall.
Top-ranked defenseman Brendan Smith and second-ranked left-winger Gustav Nyquist are both poised to crack the big club full-time next fall. Forwards Tomas Tatar and Joakim Andersson have paid their dues on the farm and are at least ready for part-time roles. Throw in a fifth wildcard — center/winger Riley Sheahan — and the Red Wings have excellent depth to draw from depending on injuries and how aggressively they dive into the unrestricted free agent market.
Not to be outdone, forwards Calle Jarnkrok, Tomas Jurco and Teemu Pulkkinen, defensemen Ryan Sproul and Xavier Ouellet and goaltender Petr Mrazek all continued to emerge with excellent seasons and give the Red Wings 11 prospects with solid NHL potential.
There are also intriguing prospects outside the competitive top 11, but there is a dividing line as far as upside and NHL readiness. Following is a look at the top 25:
1. Brendan Smith (–), D, Grand Rapids (AHL), 56-9-25-34, plus-2, 113 shots.
Long criticized for his offensive risk-taking, Smith worked hard this season to make better choices and cut down on his turnovers. His skating, skill and physical edge will be a welcome addition to the Red Wings’ blue line as he progresses toward a top-four NHL spot.
2. Gustav Nyquist (–), LW, Grand Rapids (AHL), 56-22-36-58, plus-7, 152 shots.
Nyquist put together a tremendous season, producing with amazing consistency in the AHL and showing tremendous potential in 18 NHL games. He has upside as a top-six forward but is well-rounded enough to break into the NHL on any type of line.
3. Calle Jarnkrok (–), C, Brynas (SEL), 50-16-23-39, minus-3, 109 shots.
Jarnkrok is right there with Gustav Nyquist and should take over the No. 1 spot next season. His skill and work ethic make him a potential cornerstone for the Red Wings, and he’ll spend one more season in Sweden before attempting to crack the NHL lineup.
4. Petr Mrazek (–), G, Ottawa (OHL), 30-13-6, 2.84 GAA, .917 Sv%.
Mrazek put together one of the best seasons of anybody in the Red Wings’ system and has established himself as the franchise’s goaltender of the future. But as Thomas McCollum can attest, the AHL is a whole new world. The next level awaits.
5. Tomas Tatar (+1), LW, Grand Rapids (AHL), 76-24-34-58, plus-4, 224 shots.
Tatar not only finished the AHL season on fire, he kept it going at an even higher level with a strong performance for Slovakia at the IIHF world championship. While Tatar didn’t get an NHL look this season, it’s going to be hard to ignore him next fall.
6. Riley Sheahan (-1), LW, Notre Dame (NCAA), 37-9-16-25, even, 118 shots.
Sheahan finished his college season in a horrendous scoring slump and his lackluster production at Notre Dame has many fairly questioning his offensive upside. While he has the tools to be an NHL role player, how he produces as an AHL rookie in 2012-13 will be telling.
7. Tomas Jurco (–), RW, Saint John (QMJHL), 48-30-38-68, plus-46, 186 shots.
Playing on one of the top junior teams in Canada, Jurco has never been the leading offensive man. Still, he’s done nothing but produce points and improve his game and was recently compared to Marian Hossa by assistant GM Jim Nill. Next stop: the AHL.
8. Ryan Sproul (+5), D, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL), 61-23-31-54, plus-16.
Any time a defenseman finishes the season on a 20-game scoring tear at a pro-rated pace for 44 goals, he makes the hockey world notice. Sproul is big with immense offensive upside and, with a steadily improving defensive game, is rising very, very quickly.
9. Joakim Andersson (–), C, Grand Rapids (AHL), 73-21-30-51, plus-5, 145 shots.
Prospects of Andersson’s ilk don’t get much attention but are highly valuable once they get to the NHL. Just look at how coveted Sammy Pahlsson has been over the past decade. After a breakthrough year, Andersson is knocking on the door for an NHL job.
10. Xavier Ouellet (–), D, Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL), 63-21-39-60, plus-16, 202 shots.
Ouellet is neck and neck with Ryan Sproul, but they’re completely different defensemen. While Ouellet doesn’t have Sproul’s upside, he’s more steady and polished. He’ll be one of the best defensemen in the Canadian Hockey League next season.
11. Teemu Pulkkinen (-3), RW, Jokerit (FIN), 56-16-21-37, even, 235 shots.
Pulkkinen slips outside the top-10 after an underwhelming end to the season that saw him assigned to Jokerit’s junior team for a brief stint in the playoffs. He’s the most one-dimensional player on the prospect list but boasts far and away the best goal-scoring potential.
12. Nick Jensen (+2), D, St. Cloud State (NCAA), 39-6-26-32, plus-14, 68 shots.
It’s hard not to love Jensen’s tremendous wheels and the progress he’s made in two college seasons. A great find as a fifth-round pick, the Red Wings will consider signing him and yanking him out of college if he takes another step forward in 2012-13.
13. Marek Tvrdon (-1), LW, Vancouver (WHL), 60-31-43-74, plus-1.
Tvrdon put injuries behind him and produced excellent numbers in the WHL. But there are big concerns about his up-and-down intensity level and inconsistent play. If he can address those areas next season, he could have a dominating year in 2012-13.
14. Louis-Marc Aubry (+6), C, Grand Rapids (AHL), 62-5-11-16, minus-6, 91 shots.
The numbers don’t show it, but all you have to do is watch Aubry for a few shifts to see why the Red Wings have such high hopes for him. Big, mobile, smart and skilled, Aubry is a raw project who has still only scratched the surface of his potential.
15. Brian Lashoff (-4), D, Grand Rapids (AHL), 76-8-11-19, minus-5, 107 shots.
He’s established himself as a solid third-pairing defenseman at the AHL level, but has more potential than that. A big, strong, stay-at-home blueliner in the mold of Brad Stuart, Lashoff needs to elevate into the top four next season and make more of an impact.
16. Adam Almqvist (-1), D, HV-71 (SEL), 42-3-8-11, plus-16, 66 shots.
Highly skilled but extremely undersized, Almqvist is expected to put up numbers and hasn’t done so yet. The Red Wings felt Almqvist wasn’t given the offensive role he deserved in the Swedish Elite League, but he’ll get that chance in the AHL next season.
17. Mattias Backman (-1), D, Linkoping (SEL), 42-1-7-8, plus-7, 60 shots.
There’s nothing about the steady, mobile Backman that will wow you, yet he put himself on the map by earning a job in the Swedish Elite League and winning gold with Sweden at the IIHF world junior championship. He looks like a safe depth defenseman.
18. Landon Ferraro (-1), C, Grand Rapids (AHL), 56-9-11-20, minus-6, 87 shots.
After wrapping up his junior career with two sluggish seasons — and that’s putting it politely — Ferraro recovered with a respectable rookie pro campaign. Drafted to be a second-line center, a more reasonable act to follow is that of Cory Emmerton.
19. Alan Quine (-1), C, Peterborough (OHL), 65-30-40-70, minus-19.
Quine elevated himself well past the point-per-game plateau and has an intriguing set of skills, including impressive skating and quickness. But he’s not an elite scorer nor is he an adept checker, so finding his identity will be a big part of his continued development.
20. Alexei Marchenko (NR), D, CSKA Moscow (KHL), 6-0-0-0, minus-4, three shots.
A forgotten man earlier this season, Marchenko battled back from a tough knee injury and finished the season strong with CSKA Moscow’s junior team. The Red Wings think highly of the final-round pick but he needs to stay healthy for a full season.
21. Thomas McCollum (-2), G, Grand Rapids (AHL), 11-16-0, 3.49 GAA, .891 Sv%.
After three underwhelming seasons, McCollum has flopped as a first-round pick. With Petr Mrazek turning pro and Joey MacDonald under NHL contract, he’ll need a huge performance at training camp to avoid being squeezed out of an AHL job in Grand Rapids.
22. Mitchell Callahan (–), RW, Grand Rapids (AHL), 48-6-3-9, minus-3, 58 shots.
It’s not easy for a scrapping agitator to make the jump from junior to the pros, but Callahan did a solid job of it. He played with energy and threw down his gloves a team-high 14 times in 48 games but now needs to show he can stay in the AHL lineup every night.
23. Brent Raedeke (–), C, Grand Rapids (AHL), 64-11-10-21, plus-1, 108 shots.
He continued to establish himself as a solid AHL role player but it’s not clear if he’ll ever be more than that. His speed, energy and defensive smarts are terrific qualities, but he needs to take that next step toward an NHL job similar to Joakim Andersson this season.
24. Ben Marshall (–), D, Minnesota (NCAA), 41-4-9-13, plus-13, 79 shots.
Marshall stepped into the lineup of a top NCAA program and didn’t miss a beat, logging regular minutes and contributing at both ends of the rink. His size works against him, but the Red Wings covet talented puck-movers of his ilk, so he’s worth keeping an eye on.
25. Trevor Parkes (–), RW, Grand Rapids (AHL), 44-2-6-8, even, 66 shots.
The gritty winger was in and out of the Grand Rapids lineup, received a brief ECHL assignment in Toledo, and battled injuries. Parkes will obviously need to establish himself as an AHL regular sooner than later, but he’s no stranger to beating the odds.
thanks again – i always look forward to these. pretty well have a good idea of what to expect from the top 10, but mostly glad to see/hear/read Jensen and Aubry making such progress. will be interesting to see how/if they improve next season and beyond. hopefully Tvrdon, Marchenko, and Backman catch on as well.
This is addictive like crack. I lover these write ups by someone who only does the wings. HF has some nice content, but I believe these more than theirs because of the narrow focus.
I guess my only question is what is the target for andersson? Third line center who checks hard and had some offensive upside?
Looking at Pulkkinen, his weight (197)and the fact that he was demoted to juniors last year, maybe he can get a wake up call to do what Hudler did last off season. Perhaps he can work out like crazy and come to camp in the best shape he has ever been in. We need scorers–who doesn’t. They have to be able to play in all zones or they are never going to play here.
Dale – Ive heard a couple times now that Teemu Pulkkinen was “demoted,” but as I understand he was sent to Jokerit’s junior team as a conditioning stint as he recovered from a late season foot injury in hopes of returning for the SM-liiga playoffs. Also, to already be up near 200 lbs at 20 years old is pretty darned good. Compare that to where guys like Jarnkrok, Nyquist, and even Darren Helm are.
Conditioning stint after missing a week and a half? Somethings fishy about that, Im not buying it.
Regardless of Pulkkinen’s reason for being demoted for a “bried stint” lets hope it was a one time deal. Maybe he did need an attitude adjustment or maybe it was as it looks a conditioning issue. Lets not condemn the man just yet after one issue.
Sorry had a mistype there it should have been “brief stint” not bried! I think I need to check my typing before I hit submit.
He had been hurt for a while but played through it. and when the playoffs started getting closer they decided to let him rest but he still was having issues so they hoped maybe not really doing practices but playing in the junior’s games that he would be fine doing that til his foot felt better.
that’s what i read anyway
To me, the development of Pulkkinen is one of the most urgent things to watch for the next couple of years. Just have a look at some of the goal scoring leaders nowadays, like this year Stamkos and Malkin, also Ovechkin and Kovalchuk: All of them possess an extremely dangerous one-timer. Which absolutely makes sense considering the size of today’s goalies and the consequential need to move them around. Now who on the current Wings team has a decent one-timer? Hank sometimes scores this way but his shot is hardly a rocket. Of all the other players, nobody impresses me at all with his one-timer. Enter Pulkkinen who has a laser beam of a shot and also loves to use it. Plus he’s right-handed.
Pulkkinen would add an element that’s just not there on the current Wings roster, nor is it prevalent on the farm. Just reminds of how Pavel used to set up an aging Brett Hull for one-timers I really loved to watch.
How can sheahan be rated so high? He’s proven zilch. If your hopes are for a roleplayer out of your first round pick then congrats, you probably didn’t take the best available player.
NHLrick, I agree he is ranked a tad high. However, only 66% of all players taken in the first round of the NHL draft play more than 82 career NHL games. I would be thrilled if Sheahan becomes a solid third-line center.
I wouldn’t be thrilled. Satisfied maybe.. But even still I doubt he becomes a solid AHL third line center. Just a guess and only time will tell. I’m just not impressed in the least with that kid. Hope he proves me wrong.
sorry if i missed this, but aren’t the wings supposed to sign tomas jurco by TODAY (friday, june 1st)? or do i have that wrong? p.s.- i love these updates. great work as always!
Fennis, Jurco will be signed after the transfer agreement with Slovakia International Federation goes through, that is the current hold up. Also, he’s eligible to go back to juniors this year so they didnt have to sign him.
All things point to him being signed shortly and being in GR next year though.
Rough words there for Ferraro and a really low ranking.
Also, Sheahan ranked at 6? above Pulkkinen, Tvrdon, etc.? I think it is a far stretch to consider him a possibility for the big club next year, even if he is the ‘wildcard’ fifth on the chart. We all know they need some size, but they’re not about to throw away all proven methods to bring it in quickly.
Sheahan wouldnt be brought in simply because he’s big – he’d be brought in because he already possesses above-average hockey sense and is a tremendous forechecker. So he may never crack 60 points, NHLRick, that doesn’t prevent him from still being an outstanding draft pick. If he develops into Sammy Pahlsson, I’d be more than thrilled. We’ve got enough offensive-minded players in the system anyways. Him and Joakim are more important than most fans think.
I don’t ever see Ferraro making the NHL with the Wings or any team for that matter. He was a good prospect at 16 but has declined every year since, and with plenty of injuries in junior to boot. Ferraro’s destiny is playing pro in Europe after his stint with GR is over. The Wings will continue to draft bigger players like Jurco, Tvrdon, Aubry, Sheehan, etc, as one team cannot have a glut of smurfs and expect to compete with the big boys at SC time.
Dead on Huss. People fail to realize that there is more to a hockey player than putting up points. He may not have put up offensive numbers at Notre Dame but he’s already defensively responsible and has a great hockey IQ. Sure, he’s not going to be anything greater than a checker at the NHL level, but the third and fourth line guys are just as important to winning a championship as the first two.
We can all agree the Andersson role, that of third/ fourth line center or possibly winger is extremely important. I don’t believe that is what Sheahan was drafted for, but if that is what he ends up being, I’m sure he’ll be among the best. That said, that’s all he’d be right now and Andersson is far ahead of him in the depth at that role, IMO. Sheahan got his complimentary intro to the Wings this spring to get him motivated and show him what to expect in the big league, but he’s a couple of years off and it’s silly to think otherwise, IMO… at least in this program…
As for Ferraro, I think he had a respectable rookie AHL year. I think he’s in a great position to surprise the coming season. We shall see…
I’m really excited about this upcoming GR roster. Gonna have a seasoned Tatar and Andersson, second year Ferraro and Aubry, new Jurco, Sheahan, Almqvist, Mrazek… and I’m holding out hope for Nestrasil and McCollum to pull themselves back up the charts. With guys like Tvrdon, Järnkrok, Pulkkinen, Sproul, Ouellet, Marchenko and Bäckman on their way soon after, these are exciting times.
Interesting thoughts on Sheahan and Andersson. I agree on their importance. Here you have potentially two big, strong, defensively responsible 3/4th line players who may “chip in” a goal occasionally – guys that you can role out regularly and they won’t hurt you. That is what we are seeing in the cup final this year with LA and NJ.
I am really “high” on Xavier Ouellett and Ryan Sproul. Spoul has that big bomb – have we had one like that since Reed Larson? And Ouellett, I think people underrate this guy. He’s like a Brad McCrimmon/Ray Bourque/Eric Desjardins “general on ice” type – seen him play on TV several times now and the guy controls the play. Two great picks by Nill and the scouts.
Last thought … I can’t see how Mursak and Emmerton beat out Tatar and Andersson next fall. Maybe Mursak will have his speed back but Tatar looks like he has more upside on offense and Andersson would really fill a need as the big defensive center capable of PK duty with Helm.
I have to agree with you RW19 about Mursak and Emmerton. I think the Wings were out of options on both so they either had to be graduated, waived or traded. I think they were hoping when given the chance those guys would excel. I know it was Emmerton’s first year but I’m not exactly sold on him. It was unfortunate for Mursak to get injured. I hope the Wings put Emmerton on notice. Maybe he will improve this year if not dump him and move on. I would give Mursak a second chance in hopes that he will improve.
The Wings need to make some room for the younger players, and it certainly looked like emmerton should be one of the players to lose a roster space.
If they sign Parise and Suter, lose holmstrom, stuart, lidstrom, and hudler, emmerton, and mursak, I believe they have room for 3 other players. I believe if it weren’t for LTIR, they would have lost someone in the middle of the year. So they can bring up Smith, Tatar and Nyquist, or possibly sign Schultz (if they can get him)and leave Tatar in GR for one more year. Or drop Kindl, which I don’t believe they will do.
Teldar, I think Kindl played better than people give him credit for. I personnally thought he was more effective than Quincey when it came to moving the puck. My hope would be that they can maybe deal him if they cannot play him. He’s young, big, mobile and a good passer. Maybe they can use him to add another RH shot at forward or on defense.
I can’t imagine a world where it would be beneficial to trade Kindl. He’s a good defenseman and he’s only going to get better. Play him 20 minutes a night with a good partner and you’ll have a top-four guy. Quincey will come around too. It takes time to adjust to playing “Wings hockey”.
Teldar, I like your optimism, but they aren’t going to make wholesale changes. I think they’ll make every effort to get Suter and two forwards… I doubt Tatar or Andersson will get full time slots, but you never know.
Maybe I should have said they’ll make every effort to get Suter and 1-2 new forwards aside from Nyquist.
Even if we don’t get Suter/Parise this team would benefit from a few changes. A big physical forward on the 4th line, someone who can put the puck in the net on the top lines, and a shutdown defender are realistic changes that can and should be made. I think if Holland makes those changes a lot of fans will be happier than they have been in the past couple of years.
Concerning Sheahan: He was a terrific scorer in Junior A as well as being defensivily responsible. At N.D. he played in a very defensive oriented system. A number of years ago, Franzen was pretty much just a defensive forward who developed into a scorer. Franzen was, I believe, 24 when drafted. It might take a couple of years to develope this big body as well.
I think we’ll get Suter and strike out on Parise. But I’m okay with that because I think we’ll get Semin…. and possibly Penner.
But it’s time to dump some guys and make decisions on some guys because with hte talent we have coming up, we need to make room in the bottom 6.
Agree completely Torg. It’s not that the players the Wings have are all terrible, but they need to make room for some of the more talented youngsters they have in the minors.
And as far as Kindl goes, I don’t dislike him, but it doesn’t appear he’s going to get any kind of chance to play in Detroit in the next 3-5 years. He and the team are better off to trade him and make some room than to keep him sitting in the press box. That way, he gets to play and detroit gets another roster spot. Quincey looked terrible, however.
I’m a little nervous about giving up on a guy like Kindl too early. What if he has a breakout year and we traded him before that? Then someone else reaps the benefits. If we trade him we get very little in return at this rate. I say give him till at least the trade deadline in the coming season and then decide on what to do. Unless we are able to get a good package deal with him included it wouldn’t be worth giving up on him just yet
To say 3rd and 4th line players are as important as first line players is absurd. I’m not undervaluing those bottom line guys.. The truth is they don’t HAVE a lot of value. You could fill holes in ur bottom six every single year with cheap FA’s. Every year… Ofcourse you can’t have 4 scoring lines. So solid players in your bottom 6 is important. But let’s not get carried away here… And besides ALL of that.. Sheahan isn’t good enough to be a healthy scratch on an NHL team right now. Let alone a sure fire “roleplayer”. Maybe one day.. Maybe not..
Although I will agree with you NHLrick about the bottom 6 guys not exactly being as important as the top six but in my opinion you can’t just grab any lower tier guy out there. You still have to make sure those types of guys can match the type of system your team plays. As for Sheahan I wouldn’t expect to see that guy for at least a year or two. I would expect to see Tatar and Andersson before Sheahan in Detroit. Who knows maybe Notre Dame wasn’t the type of system to bring the best out of him. Some guys have a knack for surprising you when you least expect it. Lets hope that the case with him.
Hope? Yes. expect? Not really. But as we’ve said before, time will tell. ScottD I understand finding players to play your bottom 6 isn’t as easy as just grabbing the cheapest available FA. My post was a response to Scubasteve who suggests 3 and fourth liners being just as important to championship runs as 1 and 2nd liners. That statement just isn’t accurate.
What’s all this hating on Sheahan for? Remember everyone he played in a very defensive system at Notre Dame, and he already possesses the body of an NHL player. If he moves into a more offensive role and his production doesn’t increase, then we have an issue. As of right now, I’m not worried. Our front office seems pretty high on him.