The Red Wings’ annual prospect tournament does not, ultimately, count for anything. The records get lost to time, and the stats don’t factor into anyone’s season totals.
But the impressions left at the event? Well, those can linger a bit. And sometimes, they are, in fact, telling. So when the event wrapped up Sunday, with the Red Wings staring at an 0-and-3 record and some big numbers in the goals-against column, there was a bit more to it than simply turning the page to training camp.
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Here’s who and what stood out for the Red Wings — in both good ways and bad.
1. The Red Wings’ best player over the weekend was probably Elmer Söderblom. And he should have been. At a tournament composed mainly of players looking to make the NHL — and many of those knowing they won’t have a real chance for a couple years — Söderblom has already played in the world’s best league. You wanted to see him look like a man against boys, and he did. So that’s a good sign for him heading into camp — he seems ready to go.
Two things in particular stood out to me. The first was that while Söderblom’s length has always been obvious, I felt like I saw him using it more to extend possessions at this tournament. He was swatting pucks out of the air, and just generally disrupting exit attempts in a way that earned the Red Wings extra time with the puck in the attacking end. That’s great to see, and it’s something he can use to separate himself if he can carry it over into the preseason.
The second was I want to see him use his weapon of a shot more. His hands are the reason he’s become such a tantalizing prospect at 6-foot-8, but that body also equates to a rocket of a shot when he gets his weight behind it, and I was encouraged to see him utilize that shot a few times at this tournament. I still want to see it more though, especially in stride on the rush. Obviously, his sublime puckhandling will continue to be a huge part of his game, but his shot stands out as a tool that can help him really maximize his potential.
2. Detroit’s 2023 first-round pick Nate Danielson finished the tournament with five assists, which was tied for second at the event, despite playing only two games. He sat out Sunday after getting hit by a shot in Detroit’s second game, with the team wanting him to be ready for main camp, but that production in two games is a great way for Danielson to hit the ground running.
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He wasn’t as noticeable to me in the second game as he was in the first — but then again, none of the Red Wings looked all that great in Game 2, a 10-7 loss to Columbus. Still, especially for a player whose offense has been questioned by some, being among the most productive players at the tournament is a great opening statement.
In his postgame press conference Saturday, Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson said he’d like to see Danielson be a little more selfish with his play, and Danielson’s final line was zero goals and five assists. But he did get his looks, and will continue to. He’s a virtual lock to be back in the WHL this season, which will be a great opportunity for him to continue honing his goal-scoring touch.
Nate Danielson was drafted by the Red Wings with the No. 9 pick of the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)3. Marco Kasper enters Traverse City with a more realistic path to playing in Detroit at some point this season, and he showed plenty of positives throughout the weekend too. But he was held to just a pair of assists in three games, and it was notable that Watson, in his press conference, highlighted the need for the 19-year-old to make smart decisions with the puck.
“Knowing when to make those high-risk plays,” Watson said. “Knowing when to make sure it’s a low-risk play. But that’s going to be part of his development, too. Whether that’s with myself, with Detroit, that’s to be determined. I think for him, it’s when to do that. You can see the skill. He is smart. He can make those plays. Now it’s showing him the right times to do it. You could see it this weekend: There were times he did it really, really well, and there were times he had some turnovers. But that’s correctable. That’s coachable. He wants to be coached in those areas, he will want to watch video on that. Those are the players we’re excited about and excited to coach.”
Kasper can sometimes be cast as simply a meat-and-potatoes player with a high motor and tenacity, but he certainly has skill in his game, and he likes to use it as much as any other young player. You could cut and paste those first few lines for nearly any prospect in the sport. But the key is that final line, and everything in Kasper’s track record says he will indeed get to work on that area for improvement.
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4. Cross Hanas tied for the tournament lead in goals with four — although co-lead Jordan Dumais did so in two games, compared to Hanas’ three — and had an overall positive showing. Watson did make a distinction after the second game between Hanas playing with emotion versus playing emotional, which felt notable, but after the third game, he said Hanas progressed as the tournament went on and praised his compete level and decision making.
Hanas was off to a nice first pro season last year in Grand Rapids before he was derailed by injury, and he’ll be looking to build on that this year at age 21. He did his damage with his shot this weekend, and while Hanas’ path to the NHL likely depends just as much — if not more — on his ability to bring energy on the forecheck, showing finishing touch is always a plus.
5. Amadeus Lombardi had his moments, and his skating pops so often throughout a game — especially on zone entries. He had three points in three games, including a slick assist from behind the net, but I did leave the tournament thinking Lombardi had gotten a taste of what will be more challenging about pro hockey.
In his defense, he didn’t have the same talent on his wings as Kasper and Danielson did at the event — even before Carter Mazur’s injury — but like Kasper, he’ll go through a learning curve of when to use his slick puck skills and hold onto the puck, and when to simplify a bit. Watson noted that, like Danielson, he’d like to see Lombardi shoot more, and that’s certainly an objective to watch throughout the year.
6. So much of Sebastian Cossa’s career so far has been viewed through his immense potential. And when you think about his athleticism, it’s easy to see why. His play down the stretch in Toledo last season only underscored that.
But he had a rocky weekend at the prospect tournament, and with his 21st birthday not far off, it’s fair to expect more from him by now. Yes, the Red Wings did him no favors with some of the turnovers they coughed up over the course of the weekend, putting him in bad situations. But he let in some goals that had no business going in, including the Toronto Maple Leafs’ late game winner from the point on Sunday, which was just thrown on net and got by Cossa.
There was traffic in front of him and whether it was that, turnovers leading to sudden change, or something else, you can find a reason most of the goals he allowed this weekend went in. But a first-round pick in his third year at this event can’t be allowing 13 goals on 54 shots — especially after he already proved he could play well at this event last year.
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Watson pointed to a possible lack of focus that might have led to some of the goals against, and pointed to the mental game as key for Cossa going forward.
“That’s the next step in his development right there,” he said. “I think we saw it firsthand. Obviously a lot of resources here with the wings. There’ll be a plan in place. But just to help him through some of these tough spots, how to kind of refocus, or turn the page on some of these, but learn from them too. This isn’t just wipe the slate clean: You still have to learn from these last two appearances.”
(Top photo of Elmer Söderblom: AP Photo / Jose Juarez)
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