The Detroit Red Wings’ early-season surge is being powered by the same thing they spent years building toward: a roster packed with draft picks from the Steve Yzerman era. With Detroit off to a surprising 4-3-3 start in the 2026-27 NHL season, 11 players on the roster are homegrown selections, a group that reflects work done under Yzerman and Kris Draper, who has since been moved from head of amateur scouting to pro scouting.
The headliners are still doing heavy lifting. Moritz Seider, taken sixth overall in 2019, is leading the team in ice time at 25:46 and in blocked shots with 33.
He’s averaging more than five minutes per game more than any other Red Wings player and has blocked more than twice as many shots as any teammate. Albert Johansson, another Yzerman pick from 2019, is right behind him with 15 blocked shots.
Lucas Raymond, selected fourth overall in 2020, has also settled in after a slow opening stretch. He has scored three goals over the past two games and leads Detroit forwards in ice time at 20:33, assists with six, and power-play points with six.
A younger wave is helping too, and in some cases it’s making a real mark. Emmitt Finnie, a 2023 seventh-round pick at 201st overall, earned a full-time look last season when he scored 13 goals, and a move to center has sparked him again this year. His speed and persistence have made him especially effective on puck retrievals.
“Those centermen that can skate like that are effective because he can be low in our end and he can catch up to the play or lead the play because he skates so well,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, the 15th pick in 2024, is tied for the NHL rookie scoring lead with eight points. He also leads all rookies with a plus-10 rating and 39 hits.
On the blue line, William Wallinder, taken 32nd in 2020, has produced two goals and three points in five games. Anton Johansson, a 2022 pick at 105th overall, is logging top-four minutes, sits at plus-three, and has four points in 10 games. McLellan said there’s plenty to like in Johansson’s game.
“His physicality, his aggressiveness,” McLellan said. “The way he shoots the puck from the blue line.”
That shot was on display in Tuesday’s win at Vancouver, when Johansson sent a puck toward the net from the point and Michael Rasmussen got a deflection in front for Detroit’s fifth goal.
Not every piece of that draft haul is clicking just yet. Center Nate Danielson, the ninth pick in 2023, and left wing Carter Mazur, chosen 70th in 2021, have bounced in and out of the lineup and haven’t consistently brought the same offense they’ve shown with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. Axel Sandin-Pellikka, taken 17th in 2023 and a seven-goal scorer for Detroit last season, hasn’t shown the same offensive pop in his second year.
Marco Kasper, the eighth pick in 2022, entered the season hoping to rebound from a difficult sophomore year after scoring 19 goals as a rookie. Instead, an upper-body injury has sidelined him long-term.
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The tension is easy to see in the way the hypothetical trade market is being framed. Dylan Larkin would push the conversation toward established players who can help right away, while Simon Edvinsson points more toward a return that keeps the door open for the future, but Horcoffs temporary job makes it harder to know how aggressively the team can commit to either direction until a more permanent answer arrives. [Read more 🡒]