Which 5 Red Wings Prospects Had the Most Promising Seasons?

The Detroit Red Wings have long held one of the NHL’s most exciting prospects pools. Many of the players in their pipeline have graduated to the NHL and are among the team’s very best players, such as Moritz Seider, Simon Edvinsson, and Lucas Raymond. However, there are many more talented young players on the way.

With the dark cloud that has hung over this franchise since they began to fall apart in March (again), it can be hard to have optimism going forward, but I’m here to help. We’re going to take a deep dive into the five Red Wings prospects who had the most promising seasons in 2025-26 and look at what they might provide to Detroit in the near future. Let’s dive in!

Eddie Genborg, LW, Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL)

Eddie Genborg is already looking like an excellent draft pick less than 12 months after he was taken in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft 44th overall. He was excellent at the junior level in his draft year, and even earned 28 SHL games, though he didn’t see a ton of ice time with Linköping’s senior club.

Since being drafted, Genborg’s development has been a dream come true for the Red Wings. He spent the whole season in the SHL, and scored 25 points in 43 games there, the third highest total among all U20 players (despite being just 18). The only U20 players with more points were last year’s 3rd overall pick (Anton Frondell) and one of this year’s very best prospects (Ivar Stenberg).

After such an impressive showing as a pro in Sweden, the Griffins signed Genborg to an Amateur Try-out contract to have him join the Grand Rapids Griffins for the remainder of the season. He got into 11 games, scoring three points. Here’s a full list of 18 year old players who played at least 10 games in the AHL this year: 

• Ivan Ryabkin
• Eddie Genborg

That’s it. There were only 10 others who even played a single game.

Genborg turned 19 near the end of April and projects to be a major factor for reigning champs Sweden at the World Junior Championship next December, especially if Ivar Stenberg is playing in the NHL full-time. I expect Genborg will be an important piece for the Griffins, especially if their young talent continues graduating to the NHL. 

Max Plante, C, University of Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA)

Max Plante won the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in the NCAA after scoring a ridiculous 52 points in 40 games for the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

There were some down stretches for Plante around the World Junior Championship due to an injury, but he had an overwhelmingly positive season in college. If he returns to UMD to take another crack at the National Championship then Plante will be expected to repeat as one of the very best collegiate players in the nation. Plante has improved his NHL projection by proving he can become a more well-rounded player, and I think he will be a great top-six AHL player as soon as he goes pro.

Trey Augustine, G, Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL)

Trey Augustine has had a phenomenal amateur career so far, winning Gold once at the U18s, twice at the U20 level (WJC), and being named the best goaltender in the B1G in each of his last two seasons in college. Augustine was one of the best goalies in the NCAA from the moment he entered until he signed with Detroit at the conclusion of this past season. Full stop. 

He is an ultra-calm goalie, with a sense of composure that gave USA Hockey the confidence to give him some ice time back at the 2024 World Championship where he impressed teammates with his maturity at age 19. Augustine made his pro debut with the Griffins this Spring, and while the results weren’t spectacular, I thought he looked comfortable and he certainly wasn’t out of place. 

With questions swirling about Sebastian Cossa’s status as he is no longer waiver exempt and has been passed by Michael Postava on the depth chart, Augustine gives the franchise some stability and a goaltender they can rely on in Grand Rapids. 

Carter Bear, LW, Everett Silvertips (WHL)

After a slow start in the WHL, Bear scored an impressive 77 points in 53 games for the Everett Silvertips. That slow start was mostly due to him getting back up to speed following the injury that ended his draft season, a partially lacerated achilles tendon caused by an errant skate blade.

His pace bounced back quickly enough that he landed a depth role on Team Canada at the World Junior Championship, though he didn’t earn much ice time. Bear was excellent down the stretch for the Everett Silvertips, finishing the season with 77 points in 53 regular season games, and adding 22 more points in 18 games en route to a WHL title.

Bear is an absolute dog. He outworks just about everyone on the ice night in and night out, battling for pucks and open ice like his life depends on it. Bear has been successful on both special teams at the junior level and has been trusted in all situations as a junior player. However, don’t typecast him as just a worker. Bear has great skill and makes clever passes through traffic regularly. I could see him becoming a Bobby McMann or Tyler Bertuzzi type of player who does all the hard work on a top-six line to set up the stars for success.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, RW, Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL)

Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (MBN) had absolutely atrocious luck in his NHL stint this season, but his play in the AHL with the Griffins and in Detroit both give a ton of reasons for optimism. MBN’s PDO (a metric that roughly tracks luck) was among the worst the NHL has seen in the past few seasons, netting just one assist and no goals in 14 games with the Red Wings. 

However, in the AHL he had much more success, scoring 20 goals and 44 points in 60 games, the 9th highest mark among U21 players in the league. MBN also had a strong showing in the AHL playoffs where he scored eight points in as many games, leading the Griffins in scoring.

While the scoring numbers didn’t pop in the NHL, there is absolutely going to be some positive regression in his future. MBN showed exactly what he is going to bring to the Red Wings’ lineup in the near future with his physical play (being among Detroit’s players with the most hits before being assigned to Grand Rapids) and his direct game that drives through his powerful shot and a willingness to grind through the dirty areas of the ice.