Strong start to season for Red Wings’ junior varsity shows Yzerman’s scheme is working – Hockey Writer – Detroit Red Wings

When Steve Yzerman took over as captain of the Detroit Red Wings in April 2019, he made it clear that rebuilding and returning to the glory days he led as captain would not happen overnight and would take time. While fans are a little upset that the Red Wings still haven’t made the Stanley Cup playoffs after six years, the 2025-26 Red Wings’ start with a handful of young players is starting to show real signs that his ultimate plan is starting to come to fruition.

Young players become vets

In Yzerman’s first draft back with the Red Wings, he selected Moritz Seidel with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft. This draft turned out very well, with Seidel becoming one of the league’s most exciting young defensemen and already becoming a strong all-around player. Most importantly, Albert Johnson was a part of that draft class.

The following year, Lucas Raymond was drafted by the Red Wings and was about to become an NHL superstar. Both players have become veterans for the Red Wings at a young age. Their maturation begins early in their careers and is an early sign of what’s to come for the Red Wings.

Strong airflow brings more youthful injection

Since taking over Yzerman, he’s had at least one first-round draft pick make his NHL debut and become a fixture in the lineup (excluding the 2025 draft). Whether it was Simon Edvinson and Marco Kasper, who became full-time NHL players last season and made an impact for the Red Wings, or Axel Sandin-Perica, Emmett Finney and Michael Brandsegg-Nygaard, who made their NHL debuts this season, the draft was a success every step of the way.

RELATED: 2025-26 Red Wings Comprehensive Prospect Rankings

The above three players who made their debut this season have all had different impacts on the lineup. Finney is the biggest surprise of the three and one of the biggest surprises in the league so far. The 2023 seventh-round pick has started his NHL career with all-around play in addition to creating and proving himself as an NHL player and has been a bright spot among the top six forwards. Sandin Pelica experienced some growing pains to start the season, but brings a solid all-around game and the offensive prowess he’s been touted for since being selected in the first round of the 2023 draft.

Finally, before being sent back to Grand Rapids to play in the American Hockey League (AHL), Brandseger-Nygaard showed his upside and was one of the Red Wings’ most consistent defensemen before being benched. His return to Grand Rapids is arguably a positive move for the young Swedish-born winger, where he should get more playing time and get his game going before hopefully getting back on the field at some point this season.

More prospects are coming

In addition to players at the NHL level, the Red Wings have a number of rookies who have excelled at their respective levels of hockey. Nate Danielson has returned from injury after a preseason injury, looked strong in his first few games against the Grand Rapids Griffins and should push for a call-up at some point this season. The same goes for Carter Mazur, who made his NHL debut and initially excelled with the Griffins (but he was sidelined by injury). Even though the goalie position is set for the season (barring injuries), Sebastian Cosar continues to show why he’s a first-round pick in the 2023 draft. They also have Michigan State’s Trey Augustin, who should make the jump to the pros next season.

Across the pond, they have players like Dmitry Butchernikov, Eddie Guernborg and others who are off to a great start and have a bright future within the organization.

Red Wings return to organization successful

Outside of the last few games, the Red Wings have shown that they could very well transition from playoff contender to a bona fide playoff team, and a lot of that can be attributed to the fact that the infusion of young players has paid off so far. While it’s still early days, the results are good for the organization and are really starting to show signs that Yzerman’s long-term plan for the team is achieving the goals the fan base and the organization itself had hoped for. No matter which way you look at it, the current roster offers plenty of hope, and the upcoming prospects bring further hope and excitement, all led by youth.