2024 Red Wings Mid-Season Prospect Report
2024-02-17
1) Luke Hughes – LHD, 20 (will graduate after this season)
After ending his college career as a Hobey baker nominee and impressing in a 2 game NHL audition last season, Luke Hughes has transitioned seamlessly to the NHL with an impressive 8 goals and 27 points in 53 games. He is currently averaging 21:04 per game and this has continued to trend upward with multiple games above 25 minutes in the past five games. He already looks like a strong #2 defenseman, and clearly has the potential to be a #1 dman that plays 25 mins a night for a decade, like a Zach Werenski.
2) Simon Edvinsson – LHD, 21 (chance to graduate)
Edvinsson is a one-of-a-kind prospect due to his 6’6” 216lbs frame, his strong skating, his physicality, and his high level of skill with and without the puck. He has been allowed to grow his game at the AHL level so far and isn’t being rushed. He has produced 24 points in 41 AHL games and looked competent in a 2 game NHL call-up. This kid has every tool in the box, now it’s just a matter of refining and waiting for opportunity. He projects as a top pair defenseman that can play on both PP and PK, but it is possible he tops out as a #3 dman instead.
3) Ryan Leonard – LW/C, 19
You won’t find a single scout that has a bad thing to say about Ryan Leonard. They universally adore his game, because he works his ass off every night and it shows up in the results. He has a bullet wrist shot and has used it to snipe 18 goals in his first 28 NCAA games. He’s added 20 assists in those games as well to show that he’s not just a shooter. His strong play has helped lead team USA to gold medals at the U18s and World Juniors these past two seasons, and he’s still eligible to return to World Juniors again next season. He projects as the 3rd player on a top line, like a Zach Hyman, or a top-tier 2nd line winger that can play both PP and PK.
4) Gabe Perreault – RW, 18
You could make a strong argument that no prospect from the 2023 draft has trended upward this season more than Gabe Perreault. He is currently leading all of NCAA in scoring with a ridiculous 46 points as a freshman. He put up an impressive 10 point at the World Juniors as an 18 year old, and is likely to return next season if he doesn’t end up playing in the NHL instead. Like his longtime teammate and linemate Ryan Leonard, he has a pair of gold medals to his name. He also has the all-time record at the US Development program with an absurd 132 points in 63 games last season, beating out the marks set by Auston Matthews (117) and Jack Hughes (112), as well as his linemates Leonard (94) and Smith (127). It’s hard to overstate how good Perreault has looked. He projects as a top line playmaking winger that can run a PP unit at the NHL level, but he has a little more risk in his projection than some.
5) Nate Danielson – C, 19
Nate Danielson had a bit of a slow start to the season with a bad Brandon Wheat Kings team, and was relegated to a bottom 6 role at the World Juniors for Team Canada, but a recent trade to the Portland Winterhawks has seen him pick up the scoring pace - he just put a 5 point night on Tuesday and is up to 45 points in 39 games in the WHL. The 6’2” C skates well, defends well, has a strong right handed shot, and isn’t afraid to engage physically, so it’s not hard to see him fitting into a variety of NHL roles. He projects as a 2nd line C that can play on a 2nd PP unit and a top PK.
6) Jimmy Snuggerud – RW, 19
Snuggerud was part of the top line in hockey last year along with Logan Cooley and Matthew Knies and put up an impressive 50 points as an NCAA freshman and 13 points at last year’s World Juniors. This season he has followed that up with a strong but not quite dominant 18 goals and 20 points in 31 NCAA games and 8 points at World Juniors. His game blends the cerebral and the physical quite well, and it’s not hard to see what does translating to the NHL. He projects as a physical 2nd line scoring winger that can play on either PP unit, like a Joel Farabee or Alex Tuch.
7) Jonathan Lekkermimaki – RW, 19
Lekkerimaki has absolutely dunked on all of his doubters with his elite play this season. He had a pretty lackluster first half of 2022-23 and then got sidelined by mono, but came out guns blazing in the Allsvenskan playoffs with 15 points in 15 games. He used that as springboard into this season, putting up 14 goals and 23 points in 37 SHL games, and then going nuclear at World Juniors. He put up 7 goals and 10 points in 7 games to lead Sweden to a silver medal on home ice in his 3rd appearance at the World Juniors. He projects as a dynamic top six winger scoring winger who fits on a top PP unit, like a Jonathan Marchessault.
8) Dustin Wolf – G, 22 (will likely graduate)
Wolf has been the top goalie in the AHL for a solid 3 seasons now, but the presence of Markstrom and the bizarre contract of Vladar continue to block him from a full-time NHL role. He has managed to get into a few games this season with the Flames as an injury call-up but has looked shaky. He has proven that he can handle a 55-60 game per season load without breaking down, and that’s a lot more than most prospects his age can say. His size continues to be the only real reason to question his upside. It’s still hard to tell what exactly he projects as in the NHL, but it’s certainly possible that he becomes a star #1 goalie still, and a pretty safe bet that he’ll at least be a #1b type.
9) Alexander Nikishin – LHD, 22
Nikishin has looked like the best defenseman in the KHL for two straight seasons, and this season he wore the C for SKA St. Petersburgh, the best team in the league. He has followed up his 11 goal 55 point +19 performance last season with 16 goals 54 points and a +32 this year. He regularly plays 25+ mins a night and looks hungry to lead his team to a championship after losing in round 3 last year. He could probably step into an NHL lineup tomorrow and be a top 4 defenseman. The 6’4” 216lbs defender has a booming shot, good skating, sold instincts, and can lay punishing hits. He may have a bit of a learning curve translating his game to the NHL, but he projects as a #2 or 3 defenseman that can play both PP and PK.
10) Sam Rinzel – RHD, 19
Rinzel was seen as a bit of a reach when Chicago drafted him in round 1, and he had some a little worried when he repeated the USHL level last season and played well but didn’t dominate. Well, this season has been a different story. He has emerged as the #1 defenseman for the University of Minnesota, a team with four other defensemen that were NHL draft picks. He made the US World Junior team as an injury replacement but ended up playing in every game for the gold medal winners. After returning to the NCAA, he really turned up the heat and is now up to 25 points and a +17 in 32 games. Impressive totals for a freshman defenseman. The 6’4” right shot defenseman has all the tools needed to be an impact defenseman at the NHL level, and is looking likely to make a late 2025 debut for the NHL’s Blackhawks after finishing his sophomore season. He projects as a #3 or 4 defenseman who can play on the PP and play around 20 minutes a night.
11) Dmitri Buchelnikov – LW, 20
It should surprise no one that Buchelnikov, who put up 28 points in 35 VHL games last season at 19, has been the best rookie in the KHL this season with 28 points in 51 games. Only Nikishin, Michkov, and Yurov have outplayed him among top KHL prospects, which is definitely saying something. Buchelnikov is your classic stereotype of a small Russian winger – he’s fast, he’s a wizard with the puck, and he puts the puck in the net. Can he defend? Probably not very well, but he does offense well. He projects as a middle six scoring winger.
12) Dmitri Sapovaliv – C, 19
Sapovaliv is a lanky 6’4” C that plays a strong two-way game on top of his strong puck skills. He is the type of player that doesn’t need to score to impact a game, but saying that, he still does his fair share of scoring as well. He has played at three separate World Juniors. He helped lead underdog Czechia to silver in 2023 with 7 points, and bronze in 2024 with 4 points. In the OHL he has 49 points in 39 games and is set to play in the Memorial cup since his Saginaw team is hosting this year. He looks like a winning NHL player if he can continue to add speed and offense. He projects as a lower ceiling high floor player that could top out as a top tier checking line player.
13) Denver Barkey – C, 18
Barkey is a small but fierce forward that has terrorized the OHL with his partner-in-crime Easton Cowan. Barkey has put up an impressive 27 goals 76 points and +35 in 50 games to lead the London Knights, a team with 9 NHL draft picks (and a likely top 10 pick in the coming draft in Sam Dickinson). Barkey is a proficient PKer at the OHL level and looks dynamic with his combination of speed and competitiveness. He projects as a middle six forward that plays on both PP and PK, but his size means there is above average risk here.
14) Sergei Murashov – G, 19
Murashov put up a ridiculous .948 last season in the MHL with 11 shutouts in 37 games and then put up a .947 in his lone KHL game. This season he has followed that up with a .930 in 26 MHL games and a .925 in six KHL games, with a shutout. Murashov looks like a top goalie in Russia but at 6’1” and without seeing him at the U18s or World Juniors (due to Russia’s war crimes and subsequent ban), it is hard to tell how he projects at the NHL level. There is some star potential here along with a lot of risk.
16) Vsevolod Komarov – RHD, 20
Komarov played a big role for the Memorial Cup winning Remparts last season with 3 points in 4 games, and has only upped his game this season. Like Murashov, Komarov missed out on playing at the U18s and World Juniors, but unlike Murashov he was lucky enough to get the heck out of Russia and play in an actual league. A recent trade to Drummondville has brought Murashov to new heights – he has 7 goals 32 points and a +35 in his past 24 games since being traded and currently leads all QMJHL defensemen in scoring with 51 points in 46 games. What makes this even more impressive is the fact Komarov is a strong defender and likes to throw around his 6’3” 187lbs frame. He projects as a #4 defenseman that can play on both PP and PK.
16) Kalan Lind – LW, 19
Lind is having a bit of an unlucky year. He has missed about a dozen games due to injury and his Red Deer Rebels have been very lackluster. Despite this, he has managed 37 points in 36 games. Those numbers don’t exactly pop off the page, but his 57 PIMs certainly do. Lind is one mean SOB, and that’s a key reason why he was drafted 46th overall last season by the Preds. They are the team that drafted Tanner Jeannot after all. Lind will need to continue to add offense to his game and play a controlled-but-aggressive style to succeed at the NHL level. He projects as an aggressive bottom six forward with some scoring upside that can play on the PK.
17) Collin Graf – RW, 21
Last season Graf emerged out of obscurity after transferring from Union College to lead Quinnipac to an NCAA title with an incredible 59 point +31 season. He then shocked the hockey world by refusing to sign an NHL deal and returning to college in hopes of repeating. He missed time early in the season with an injury but since then has managed to put up 42 points in 26 games with a +23 and only 2 PIMs. He also scored a hat trick earlier while I was writing this article, what a guy. He’s a bit of an enigma until he plays at the pro level but there is a chance his scoring translates and he ends up as a 2nd line scoring forward, but there’s some risk in his projection.
18) Georgii Merkulov – C/W, 23 (chance to graduate)
Merkulov is on the older side for a prospect at 23, but he only really emerged as an NHL prospect three years ago at age 20 when his strong freshman play at Ohio earned him an ELC with the Bruins. Since then, he has proved more than worthy of that contract. He currently sits 5th in the AHL with 44 points in 44 games and looked fine in a 4 game audition with the Bruins. He projects as bottom six scorer in the NHL and he is a strong 13th forward already.
19) Alex Jefferies – LW, 22
Jefferies has missed a bit of time with injuries this season but has looked strong again at the NCAA level with 13 goals and 22 points in 20 games for Merrimack College, after leading them with 41 points in 38 games last season. He’s a strong skater and a good athlete that can shoot and pass well. He projects as a bottom six forward.
20) Dmitri Rashevsky – RW, 23
Rashevsky has been a regular contributor for Dynamo Moskva in the KHL for three straight seasons and has continued to trend upwards in that time. He has a good shot and isn’t afraid to go to the net. This season he has 21 goals 41 points in 63 games, after putting up 19 goals 38 points in 67 games last season. It remains to be seen if his game will translate to the NHL – he’s a bit on the skinny side at 176lbs - but he looks ready for a shot. He projects as a 3rd line scorer with above average risk in his projection.
21) Leevi Merilainen – G, 21
Merilainen, like everyone else in the Sens organization, has suffered from their decision to sign Forsberg and Korpisalo to absurd contract. This has forced them to keep Sogaard in the AHL and has caused the domino effect of Merilainen having to play at the ECHL level to get consistent starts when he’s definitely ready to play in the AHL – I mean, he did it last year pretty well with a .933 in 4 games after coming over from Finland. This year he has been jerked around a bit and has played 13 games at both the ECHL and AHL levels with a .926 in the ECHL and a .898 in the AHL. He could use a few years of AHL development time but there might be a quality NHL goalie in here eventually.
22) Dyllan Gill – RHD, 19
Gill has unfortunately missed most of the season recovering from surgery for some sort of upper body injury. When healthy, he produced 9 points in 12 games with Rouyn-Noranda as their captain, after an impressive 57 points in 68 games last season. If he can get healthy, maybe he can rediscover his form. Before injury, he projected as a quality bottom pair defenseman. Hopefully he is still at that same level.
23) Matthew Maggio – RW, 21
Maggio led the OHL with 111 points last season for Windsor but then was a significant part of their first round sweep with 2 points and a -9. He followed up that brutal playoff ass-kicking with a solid 2 points in 3 AHL games to close out the season. This season, he started out on the 4th line in Bridgeport and has worked his way up the lineup a bit in recent games. He has a modest 13 points in 37 games but 5 of those have come in his past 10 games. Maggio is a hard worker who thinks the game well but lacks a standout skill and has pretty average size at 5’11” 183lbs. He could follow a similar path to fellow Islander Simon Holmstrom but that’s a close to a best case scenario.