Three weeks ago, the Detroit Red Wings began a training camp rife with intrigue.
A team desperate to snap a nine-year playoff drought arrived in Traverse City with questions on its top line, in its top four on defense, and with regard to depth scoring.
After an eight-game preseason schedule, they seem to have found those answers — at least for now — in a surprising place: a trio of rookies who were all expected to start the year in AHL Grand Rapids.
When the Red Wings hit the ice for practice Monday with 23 skaters, 20-year-old seventh-round pick Emmitt Finnie was still skating on the top line next to Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. 2024 first-round pick Michael Brandsegg-Nygård was on the third line with Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher. And 2023 first-round pick Axel Sandin-Pellikka was running the second power-play unit from the point, and looked to be skating with Simon Edvinsson on what could be the second defense pairing.
At the time of head coach Todd McLellan’s press conference, nobody was quite ready to say whether the three rookies had formally “made” the Red Wings. But the writing sure seemed to be on the wall.
“Well, they were here at practice today, so that’s a real good sign for them,” McLellan said. “We skated with 23 players. Obviously, we’re allowed to submit our opening roster with as many as 23, so that’s obviously a real good sign for them. Everything they’ve done to this point has led to them getting this day, and we’ll just take it day by day.”
Another strong indication came later Monday afternoon, when Detroit released its initial 23-man roster with all three rookies listed. A day earlier, the Red Wings had waived defensemen Justin Holl and Erik Gustafsson, and on Monday they assigned Holl to Grand Rapids.
So while we don’t yet know the Red Wings’ precise lineup for their season-opener Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens, all the signs right now are pointing in the same direction.
“They’re really good kids, and I’m really excited for them,” Larkin said. “And I’m excited for our team because of them.”
Finnie, Brandsegg-Nygård and Sandin-Pellikka have indeed been a jolt of excitement, both in the Red Wings locker room and throughout the fan base. This is an organization that for years has operated with an abundance of patience in promoting its prospects, and so for three rookies to all come in and make the initial 23-man roster speaks volumes about what they were able to accomplish over the last three weeks.
Finnie, who from the outside seemed like the longest shot of the group, was the first to start making his claim to a job. He hit the ice in Traverse City on a mission and his ceaseless motor stood out from the very first days of camp.
“He was here before training camp, and the first practice up in Traverse City, where we scrimmaged, I think him and (Amadeus Lombardi), who had a great camp as well, they were flying around,” Larkin said. “Saw him the next day, and he just continued to get better and better.”
Emmitt Finnie goes down the fist-bump line after scoring against the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Nick Turchiaro / Imagn Images)
McLellan raved about his pace, detail and fearlessness, and used him as an example of a player unafraid of making a mistake, saying, “He’s been full-on gas.” That resulted in him getting an early camp look on Detroit’s top line with Larkin and Raymond, the team’s two top forwards.
The Red Wings’ coaching staff put Finnie in all kinds of different roles and situations throughout camp and used him in seven of the eight preseason games. While he didn’t always score, he showed in that span that he wasn’t out of place — and in particular that his speed, smarts and willingness to go to the tough areas of the ice could complement Larkin and Raymond.
“I think for any line he would play on, his feet just win pucks,” Larkin said. “He beats people to pucks with his feet, and he’s got sense to know what he wants to do with it next. Throughout the preseason, he created so much for us because he got first touch and got it to us, and then he went and got open.”
Time will tell how long Finnie’s look with Larkin and Raymond lasts at a position that feels like it could be ripe for experimentation even as the season begins. Veteran winger James van Riemsdyk missed much of camp and could eventually be a candidate to see time there. Copp and Elmer Söderblom also had looks on that top line at points this preseason.
But at least as of Monday, it certainly looks like Finnie could get the first crack — surprising perhaps everyone but himself.
“I’ve always been a confident person and feel like I could play at this level,” Finnie said. “So, seeing myself here definitely wasn’t surprising. But it feels good to be here.”
If Finnie, as a seventh-round pick, was at times overlooked on his way to this point, Brandsegg-Nygård and Sandin-Pellikka have gotten much more spotlight. Sandin-Pellikka in particular may be the most anticipated prospect in the Red Wings’ current farm system.
But because of their age, the Red Wings’ slow-moving M.O. with prospects, and the fact that both were coming over from the SHL where they played on a larger ice sheet with more time and space, both were expected to need at least some time to marinate in Grand Rapids before making a serious run at the roster.
That changed, though, as the preseason went along, and both players just kept proving their readiness.
The appeal for Sandin-Pellikka lies largely in his brain, with excellent vision to go with deception and a deft ability to walk the blue line. It remains to be seen what his defending looks like against full lineups of fully motivated NHL players, especially if he does start out in a top-four role. But Sandin-Pellikka certainly competes to hold his own defensively, and the impact he can make for the Red Wings with the puck can be significant.
“As camp went on, he felt better and better with pucks, held onto them longer, made good, smart plays — whether it was on the power play, breakout or wherever,” McLellan said. “So we saw him continue to grow that part of his game, and work on the other part.”
As recently as a week ago, I thought Albert Johansson — who was a standout through training camp — was a shoo-in to play with Edvinsson on Detroit’s second pair. But if it is Sandin-Pellikka instead, that pairing would come with a whole lot of puck-moving and poise, and could also allow Johansson to drive a potential third pair. Again, it’s too soon to say how the Red Wings will line up Thursday night, but having Sandin-Pellikka certainly makes their blue line a lot more interesting.
“He’s a heady player,” McLellan said. “He’s got good eyes, good vision, anticipation skills. I’ve used the terms ‘chess’ and ‘checkers,’ he can play chess every now and then on the ice, and that’s a valuable thing to have. We believe he’s only going to get better, as well. We’re seeing him evolve right in front of our eyes, but we think over time he’ll get better.”
Brandsegg-Nygård, meanwhile, had the loudest preseason showing of all of them. He scored four goals and put up seven points, tying for the league lead in both categories — albeit in more games (seven) than every other player he was tied with.
But it was also his heaviness and competitiveness that drew appreciation from the coaching staff, and the spot he’s been skating in practice next to Copp and Compher would certainly put him in position to grind while delivering offense, too.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygård’s grinding play and booming shot caught the Red Wings’ attention. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
“You think about the goals he’s scored throughout camp, he’s been able to score from distance because he’s got such a heavy shot,” McLellan said. “Yet he’s (also) found his way into the dirty areas, and he doesn’t leave. He stays in there until the play dies. So that’s a sign of a fearless player, in my opinion.”
Of all the ways the Red Wings have needed to improve in recent years, getting more hard offense from right around the net, amid traffic, is certainly one of the most important. Detroit has been able to produce rush offense and score on the power play, but those greasy goals from the blue paint have sometimes eluded them. It could be one reason they’ve struggled in late-season games, as teams begin to gear up for the playoffs.
Brandsegg-Nygård, if he sticks, should help address that as a thick-framed player who can both rip the puck and box out defenders.
Of course, just making the initial 23-man roster — or even the opening-night lineup — doesn’t guarantee anything beyond that.
Three years ago, winger Elmer Söderblom was the surprise story of training camp, making the opening-night lineup as a 21-year-old sixth-round pick and even scoring the first goal of the Red Wings’ season. But by year’s end, he played just 21 games in Detroit and 20 with Grand Rapids, and then spent the entire 2023-24 season in the AHL.
Development is not always linear, and expectations for these young players should be set accordingly.
Despite being waived, Holl and Gustafsson could still very easily factor in for the Red Wings at some point this season — whether due to injury or by winning their own jobs back.
Gustafsson was even on the initial 23-man roster after clearing waivers, with veteran James van Riemsdyk designated “non-roster” after missing significant time in camp due to a family matter. The veteran forward is certainly expected to be back in this lineup at some point — perhaps even soon — and that should be enough to keep the forwards on their toes. So should the presence of Jonatan Berggren, who skated as an extra Monday but certainly has the ability to step into the lineup at a moment’s notice.
But those realities also shouldn’t take away from the excitement of what the three have accomplished over the last three weeks. They turned long shots into roster spots and have exceeded virtually all expectations.
And it could be just the kind of boost the Red Wings need going into an all-important season.
“It’s energizing, it’s invigorating,” McLellan said. “But make no doubt about it, if we’re relying on three 20-year-olds to take us to the wonderland right off the bat, that’s really unfair. The rest of the group has to play their part in it as well. But it is energizing right now.”