GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. \u2014 After dropping the first two games of their second-round Calder Cup Playoff series to the Chicago Wolves, the Detroit Red Wings\u2019 AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins have their backs against the wall. They\u2019ll need to win three straight in the best-of-five series to extend their postseason run and earn more reps of intense playoff hockey.<\/p>\n
But even six games into the playoffs, there has already been plenty to learn about which Red Wings prospects currently with the Griffins could be ready for NHL roles next season. Some are kicking down the door, and others are more straddling the line \u2014 while contract situations throw another wrench into things.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how the top prospects in Grand Rapids have looked, plus current projections for roles next season.<\/p>\n
Note: Center prospect Nate Danielson is injured and thus not included here.<\/p>\n
Michael Brandsegg-Nyg\u00e5rd, RW<\/p>\n
The Griffins\u2019 playoff scoring leader with six points in six games, Brandsegg-Nyg\u00e5rd has embraced every bit of postseason physicality. And for a Red Wings team short on both offense and pugnacity, that makes him arguably the cleanest projection into next year\u2019s lineup.<\/p>\n
He finished the AHL regular season with 20 goals and 44 points in 60 games, and has continued that in the playoffs, all while hitting everything that moves.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe playoffs, I think, (suit) him,\u201d Red Wings assistant general manager Shawn Horcoff said recently. \u201cThe games get tighter, he\u2019s a heavy body, guys just seem to bounce off him. He gets to the hard areas, he finishes all his checks, he can really shoot the puck, he gets to the net, he wins his 50-50 battles \u2014 like, all the things that you need in the playoffs to be successful, he seems to bring and it comes natural to him. Really encouraged by the way he\u2019s playing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The question: Is he ready to translate his AHL production to the NHL? He was only able to muster one assist in 14 NHL appearances in 2025-26, and while part of that is probably due to his deployment in Detroit, he\u2019s still working at maximizing his booming shot \u2014 his best offensive trait.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrying to find those open areas, trying to read the play off of his linemates, and then being ready to shoot,\u201d Griffins coach Dan Watson said in the first round of the playoffs. \u201cNot over-handling it, just pulling the trigger. And if it\u2019s not him scoring, he\u2019s going to give someone else an opportunity. He\u2019s got such a hard shot, a well-placed shot that goalies typically don\u2019t make clean saves off of it, so something is going to happen off of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sure enough, in the Griffins\u2019 most recent game (a 4-3 overtime loss on Saturday), Brandsegg-Nyg\u00e5rd factored in on all three Griffins goals: putting a puck to the net from a bad angle and getting a friendly bounce for a goal, then twice ripping heavy shots that created rebound goals for his teammates. Sometimes, it\u2019s that simple.<\/p>\n
He can still stand to shoot it even more (he\u2019s averaging two shots on goal a game these playoffs) and if he ends up with any more AHL time, that\u2019d be my guess for why. But I don\u2019t expect that to be the case. He looks ready for a full-time role in Detroit\u2019s top nine.<\/p>\n
Projected 2026-27 role: NHL third line<\/p>\n
Carter Mazur, LW\/RW<\/p>\n
The Griffins (and Red Wings) are probably just glad to have Mazur playing right now after all the injuries he\u2019s been through in recent seasons. But he\u2019s doing more than that, leading them in goals with four in six games and taking pucks hard to the net. That\u2019s what you want to see from a player who realistically would have already graduated from this level if healthy.<\/p>\n
\u201cAm I surprised at how well he\u2019s playing? No, because he\u2019s a hell of a player,\u201d Horcoff said. \u201cI think we all would have expected by this point for him, if he had not had injuries, to be a mainstay in the Red Wing lineup. And we still believe that he\u2019s a player that can do that for us down the road. \u2026 This is his type of hockey. Competitiveness, and when the game gets harder and tighter, his hockey sense and his competitiveness shines through.\u201d<\/p>\n
Working in Mazur\u2019s favor going forward is that he\u2019ll lose waiver-exempt status next season. He\u2019ll have to be on the Red Wings\u2019 roster, assuming they sign him as a restricted free agent.<\/p>\n
From there, it\u2019ll be up to Mazur to win a spot in the lineup. His late-season stint in Detroit was just OK, but he had also only been back from injury for a few weeks when he got that call. Between this playoff run and the summer ahead, he should be in a better place to chase down a fourth-line role, where he could bring some jam and offense.<\/p>\n
Projected 2026-27 role: NHL fourth line<\/p>\n
Amadeus Lombardi, C\/LW<\/p>\n
Lombardi has spent most of the playoffs between Mazur and Brandsegg-Nyg\u00e5rd (though Dominik Shine was in the latter\u2019s place for the most recent game), and their line has been among the Griffins\u2019 best. Lombardi has been part of that with his speed and skill, which makes a difference transporting pucks through the neutral zone and entering the offensive zone.<\/p>\n
But some things that have kept him in the AHL in spite of those assets have also shown up. He lost track of his man on the game-winning goal in Game 1 of this series, and while he zipped around with the puck plenty in Game 2, it didn\u2019t actually lead to many Grade-A chances for the Griffins. If anything, he probably overcomplicated things a bit, perhaps looking to make the perfect play.<\/p>\n
Lombardi has clear talent, though, and like Mazur, he\u2019s an RFA who will lose his waiver exemption next year. I would think the Red Wings re-sign him, but he\u2019ll still have to make sure he\u2019s ready to play the kind of game NHL hockey will demand.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had a great regular season,\u201d Horcoff said. \u201cFor him, it\u2019s just going to be, at that size (listed 5-foot-11), in order to be successful in the postseason in the NHL, you\u2019ve got to get to the hard areas, you\u2019ve got to get the front of the net, you\u2019ve got to win battles, you have to be able to defend against. And he\u2019s gotten better in all those areas. He\u2019s good through the neutral ice, he\u2019s a really good skater, he\u2019s shifty, he can beat you one-on-one.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think again for him, it\u2019s just going to be: how does he continue to learn and grow on being a successful player below the top of the circles in both ends?\u201d<\/p>\n
Projected 2026-27 role: NHL 13th forward \/ AHL top line<\/p>\n
Axel Sandin-Pellikka, RHD<\/p>\n
Sandin-Pellikka played 68 NHL games this season, but still ended up in Grand Rapids after the trade deadline, when Detroit acquired Justin Faulk. Now the question is what that means for him next year.<\/p>\n
He certainly showed flashes in his time in Detroit, but the offense didn\u2019t pop at the level you\u2019d hope for a highly touted offensive blue liner, and there were times he looked overmatched defensively. You can live with the latter if the offense is significant, but it wasn\u2019t this past year.<\/p>\n
So in these AHL playoffs, does he hone in on polishing the defense? Or work on getting the offense to that more special level? For the Red Wings, it\u2019s not an either-or.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want both,\u201d Horcoff said. \u201cWe all can see his offensive gifts. He\u2019s got (a) great brain, nice set of hands on him, he\u2019s a great passer, he shoots the puck great from the point. So, of course, we want to see him control the game when he\u2019s out there. We want to see him run the power play well from the top, which again comes naturally to him. And then on the defensive side, he just has to continue to get better. \u2026 The benefit of him playing in the NHL this year is being exposed to what it takes to defend in the NHL.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd as a young guy, there was some nights I thought he did really well, and then there was other nights where he got exposed a little bit. And that\u2019s a good thing to happen, it\u2019s natural. So for me, our big focus with him is the night-to-night consistency of defending hard and killing plays and just being responsible in your own end. And he knows that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He could end up as the most interesting decision come September. With the right summer growth, he can come into training camp and win the third-pair job. But will Detroit prefer that to a potential massive-minute role in Grand Rapids?<\/p>\n
Projected 2026-27 role: NHL third pair<\/p>\n
Anton Johansson, RHD<\/p>\n
It\u2019s impossible not to like Johansson\u2019s traits as a 6-4 righty who skates well, plays with an edge and gets plenty of shots to the net. He leads the Griffins in shots on goal these playoffs with 19, and he\u2019s plenty willing to activate into the play.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s been really impressive, though, is Johansson\u2019s improved risk-reward calculus this year as he picks his spots better.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not constantly trying to go out there and force offense,\u201d Horcoff said. \u201cTo me, that\u2019s a sign of maturity, is he takes what\u2019s given to him. If the first pass is there, he makes it. If someone needs to be beat, he thinks he can do it, he does it. I just like his overall game. He\u2019s a big body that can skate, that\u2019s physical, and he can move the puck pretty well and he\u2019s starting to chip in with some offense for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johansson is still a bit skinny, and he\u2019ll need to add more strength. That could be his biggest obstacle to winning an NHL job in September. But it wouldn\u2019t shock me in the slightest if he pushes for NHL time at some point next season.<\/p>\n
Projected 2026-27 role: AHL top pair, but a sneaky chance at NHL third pair<\/p>\n
William Wallinder, LHD<\/p>\n
Wallinder can be a forgotten prospect at times after three years in the AHL, but Horcoff made a fair point about him when we spoke: \u201cYou almost want him to be a guy that you don\u2019t really notice too much at the end of the night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wallinder has some real tools, standing 6-4 with fluid skating, but he doesn\u2019t put up much offense and doesn\u2019t deliver many bone-crushing hits. That can make it easy for him to get lost in the shuffle, especially when his defense partner these playoffs has been Johansson, who plays maybe the loudest game of all the Griffins\u2019 defensemen.<\/p>\n
But their pair has been effective in high-stakes games, and Wallinder\u2019s defending has been a real part of that.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s funny,\u201d Horcoff said, \u201cThe last two years, I think the games I\u2019ve liked Wally the most has been in playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another player who will lose waiver exemption after this season, Wallinder would have to be on Detroit\u2019s roster next season if they re-sign him as an RFA, or they\u2019d be risking a 2020 second-round pick on waivers. I don\u2019t see him displacing any of the Red Wings\u2019 current left side as of now, which could mean being a seventh D to start. His path probably depends on tapping into his size more to kill as many plays as possible.<\/p>\n
Projected 2026-27 role: NHL seventh or eighth \u2018D\u2019<\/p>\n
Antti Tuomisto, RHD<\/p>\n
I waffled on whether to count Tuomisto as a prospect, considering he\u2019s a couple months older than Moritz Seider. He\u2019s actually eligible to become a Group 6 UFA this summer, as a 25-year-old with less than 80 NHL games played. With Detroit having three NHL RHD signed for next year, plus Sandin-Pellikka and Johansson on the way, he would be signing up for a very crowded field if he were to stick around.<\/p>\n
But I\u2019m including him here because he had a great season, he\u2019s playing on the Griffins\u2019 top pair ahead of both Johansson and Sandin-Pellikka, and Horcoff had a lot of praise for him when we spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Antti Tuomisto\u2019s played excellent for us,\u201d he said. \u201cI know he\u2019s a guy that\u2019s been there for a while, he\u2019s paid his dues, but I think you\u2019re finally starting to see the type of player that he can be. He\u2019s poised now, he\u2019s worked on his skating a lot here in the last few years, and that\u2019s starting to come, and you can see him being more comfortable in the hard areas. He\u2019s just a smart player, and I think his play has been very, very good for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know if that will be enough to earn an NHL deal, especially considering the crowded right side. Keeping him in Detroit as a seventh or eighth D would probably require the Red Wings to send both Sandin-Pellikka and Johansson to Grand Rapids. But he\u2019s had a good year, and they seem to like him.<\/p>\n
Projected 2026-27 role: AHL top pair<\/p>\n
Sebastian Cossa and Michal Postava<\/p>\n