The Red Wings’ prospect tournament opened with Jesse Kiiskinen making an immediate impression, and the first Detroit goal of the event came from a player the organization didn’t even draft. Kiiskinen, one of two former Nashville Predators draftees now in the system, got the scoring started and showed why his name is starting to carry a little more weight.
At 6-foot-1 and 197 pounds, the Finnish winger has spent the last three years in the top league in Finland and arrives with a reputation that’s still building rather than fully formed. But he has been trending in the right direction. In 2024-25, he played at just under a point per game with 14 goals and 30 assists in 46 games, and he followed that up with 17 goals even though his overall points dipped to 28.
That production still put him among the top three scorers on his team, and he added three more points during HPK’s six-game playoff run. His offense has largely come from a quick, hard mid-range shot, but the goal he scored last night also reflected the energy and effort he brings to the ice.
That edge matters even more with North American rinks in play. Kiiskinen should get plenty of chances to use his size, lean into contact, and work through traffic, and that combination of physicality and durability gives him a different profile than a lot of energy players in the Red Wings’ pool.
He’s not expected to be in the mix for a Red Wings roster spot just yet, but his path may make more sense in Grand Rapids. Detroit lined him up on the top prospect-tournament line with Carter Bear on the wing and Nate Danielson in the middle, and that setup hints at where Kiiskinen could fit if he starts the year in the AHL.
Danielson looks ready for a full-time NHL jump, and if Michael Brandsegg-Nygard is also headed for an NHL role, there should be room for Kiiskinen to step into a bigger offensive job. In that scenario, he could become a central piece of the Griffins attack.
In Other News...
Red Wings Camp Battle Could Open Door For Two Surprise Names
Training camp always turns a few prospects into stories, and this one has two names worth watching in Carter Bear and Anton Johansson. Bear, the Red Wings 2025 first-round pick, arrives after a strong season with the Everett Silvertips and a bronze medal run at the World Juniors, while Johansson has kept building since being taken in the fifth round in 2022 and showed enough with the Grand Rapids Griffins to get another look.
Both are trying to force their way onto the NHL roster in a group that already includes more established options, which is what makes their camp battles so intriguing. Bears offense and pedigree give him real attention, and Johansson has the kind of steady upward track that can turn a long shot into a serious candidate, but neither is walking into an easy opening and the next stretch of camp should tell plenty about how close each really is. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Prospects Face One Big Question Before The Finale
The Red Wings prospect group got a useful test at the BELFOR Training Center on Sunday, even if the result slipped away late in a 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins prospects at the 2026 Prospect Tournament. Detroits young skaters traded blows with Pittsburgh through a game full of lead changes, and goaltenders Michal Orsulak and Xavier Wendt both had to make multiple saves to keep the Red Wings within reach.
Detroit also played without two players who had been in action Saturday, leaving the lineup a little thinner than it figures to be for the final game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The matchup offered another look at how the prospects handle pressure and pace, but it also left the bigger question hanging over the finale: how much stronger will the group look when those missing pieces are back in place? [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Rookies Had A Brutal Turn In Costly Loss To Pittsburgh
Kienan Draper went from hero to hard-luck rookie in the span of a night, helping Detroit outlast Dallas in a shootout before finding himself in the middle of a far less forgiving result against Pittsburgh. The Red Wings had enough chances to escape with points, but the game swung on a handful of costly moments and left the young forwards otherwise encouraging stretch under an ugly spotlight.
Detroit also wasted a night in which its special teams never really found a rhythm, and the Penguins were able to make the most of the openings the Red Wings handed them. With other scorers contributing and a few regular absences shaping the lineup, the margin for error was already thin, and one bad break in particular became the kind of play a team spends the next day trying to flush. [Read more 🡒]