Trey Augustine was the difference in the skills competition, and Kienan Draper finished the job for Detroit.
The Red Wings prospects edged the Dallas Stars 4-3 in the NHL Prospect Tournament after Augustine stopped eight shootout attempts and Draper scored on Detroit’s eighth try. It was a game that kept bending one way, then the other, before Detroit finally sealed it.
Detroit had already gotten itself even once on a power-play goal from Finnish prospect Jesse Kiiskinen at 8:16 of the second period. Sutter Muzzatti, the former Notre Dame player acquired from the Nashville Predators, and Carter Bear picked up the assists.
Bear stood out all night. The 2025 first-round pick, coming off an injury last season and unable to find a rhythm in Detroit’s training camp, was the most noticeable offensive player on the ice. He fired 10 shots on goal and looked much more like himself.
The late-game push came from Noah Dower Nilsson, who scored with under six minutes left in the third period to pull Detroit within one. Then, with Augustine pulled, Theo Rochette tied it late with the goalie out.
Rochette, a Detroit offseason free-agent addition, forced overtime with 1:14 left in regulation. Danielson and Anton Johansson assisted on the goal.
Rochette scored 20 goals in the Swiss League last season.
Dallas had grabbed a second-period lead on a goal from Charlie Paquette, who played for the Red Wings as a free invitee three years ago in this tournament. The Stars’ late answer kept the game alive, but Detroit’s goaltending and shootout execution finished it.
There were signs worth watching beyond the score. Muzzatti, son of former NHL goalie Jason Muzzatti, is a 6-foot-6 forward who kills penalties and brings a net-front presence on the power play.
The Michigan native also showed offensive instincts. Detroit’s top line to start the game featured Nate Danielson between Bear and Kiiskinen.
The shot chart told the story of the flow. Detroit dominated the first period 17-4, but Dallas had the edge the rest of the way, outshooting the Red Wings 25-23 over the final two periods.
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Red Wings Prospects Just Put Early Roster Pressure On Detroit
The annual prospect tournament gave the Red Wings a first look at a few names that could eventually squeeze into the picture in Detroit, and there was plenty to like in the showing against Dallas. Carter Bear was active throughout the game, Trey Augustine looked sharp in goal, and the young group left with a shootout win that provided an encouraging start for the organizations next wave.
Nate Danielson was back on the ice after a season-ending injury and looked comfortable skating alongside Bear, which is the sort of early chemistry the Red Wings will keep watching closely. For a club trying to sort out who might be ready sooner rather than later, performances like this do not settle anything, but they do make the roster conversation a little more interesting. [Read more 🡒]
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Red Wings Need To See If Danielson Can Fill A Huge Void
Nate Danielsons return to game action offered the Red Wings a useful early look at a prospect they hope can eventually help solve one of their more familiar roster problems. Detroit needs more offensive production down the middle, and Danielson entered the NHL Rookie Tournament carrying the added weight of a season interrupted by a hip injury that kept him out for much of the year.
He made his first competitive appearance since last seasons injury-affected stretch and came away with an assist while getting pucks to the net throughout the weekend. For a player the organization is trying to gauge in the context of that center-ice void, the tournament was less about the box score than about whether Danielson can keep building toward the kind of role the Red Wings need him to fill. [Read more 🡒]