The Red Wings landed a center in The Athletic’s way-too-early 2027 mock draft, and it’s Green Bay’s Gunnar Conboy at No. 7.
Conboy, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound pivot, put together a strong first season with the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League. In 32 games, he scored 12 goals and added nine assists for 21 points, while piling up 83 penalty minutes.
Corey Pronman called him out as a player who made a real impression in junior.
"Conboy had a great first season in junior," The Athletic's Corey Pronman wrote. "He’s a tall center who’s highly athletic and physical, showing a brand of hockey that will excite evaluators.
"The pure skill and offense in his game are minor questions, but as of now, he looks good enough to be a significant NHL prospect."
Conboy is set to go back to the Gamblers this season. Green Bay is coached by former Michigan Tech forward Patrick McCadden. After that, Conboy is committed to play at the University of Minnesota in 2027-28.
The mock draft has the Red Wings sliding to seventh-worst in the league, or 25th overall, based on the team’s future odds with or without captain Dylan Larkin. Detroit finished 16th overall and missed the playoffs last season.
At the top of the board, The Athletic has the Calgary Flames taking Landon DuPont first overall. The 6-foot, 190-pound defenseman is already being billed as the draft’s early consensus No. 1 prospect and is committed to the University of Michigan after two seasons with the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League.
The first round projection is center-heavy, too. Five of The Athletic’s top seven players are centers, including Sammy Nelson, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound forward who posted 54 points in 58 games with USA Hockey’s NTDP U18s last year. Nelson will play at Notre Dame this year.
Here’s how The Athletic’s top 10 and projected order shake out:
- Calgary: Landon DuPont, RHD, Michigan (NCAA)
- Vancouver: Alexis Joseph, C, Saint John (QMJHL)
- Chicago: Nazar Privalov, LW, CSKA (MHL)
- Seattle: Milan Sundström, C, MoDo (Sweden Jr.)
- Nashville: Jonah Neuenschwander, C, Biel-Bienne (NL)
- St.
Louis: Sammy Nelson, C, U.S. NTDP (USHL)
- Detroit: Gunnar Conboy, C, Green Bay (USHL)
- N.Y. Rangers: Timothy Kazda, RW, Chicago (USHL)
- N.Y. Islanders: Noah Davidson, LW, Medicine Hat (WHL)
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