DETROIT – Less than a week after joining the organization, the Detroit Red Wings’ 2024 draft picks wrapped up development camp Friday at Little Caesars Arena, along with other prospects.
The camp served to educate, not for evaluation purposes before they return to their junior, college or European teams, or in a couple of cases, the Grand Rapids Griffins.
“I try to tell them, but I don’t think they believe me when I say we’re not evaluating them,” Danny Cleary, the Red Wings assistant director of player development, said. “Of course, we test. It’s basically, ‘Here’s what you got to work on, here’s what you’re good at, let’s focus on that and have a good summer.’
“The most important thing is these guys take all the information they can. These guys love nutritional seminars, sleep seminars. They take a lot of good intel out of that. That’s really what the week is.”
Here’s an update on some of the organization’s top prospects at development camp:
Trey Augustine, G, 6-1, 179: He won gold for the U.S. at the World Junior Championship, was named second team All-Big Ten as a freshman at Michigan State and played a couple of games at the World Championship during an eventful season.
“When I watch Trey, he gives me a lot of confidence,” Cleary said. “He’s got a calm, cool demeanor, but competitive. That fire burns inside him. Tremendous season for him. I think he’s just going to grow.”
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW, 6-1, 207: The team’s top pick this year (No. 15) will transition from Allsvenskan in Sweden’s second men’s division to the Swedish Hockey League with Skelleftea, where he and fellow Red Wings’ first-round pick, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, will be teammates.
“You can see he’s strong, protecting the puck, he can shoot it very well,” Cleary said. “Like every young kid, we look at their testing, they got to get stronger, which they will as they get older and more mature. His skating, he knows he’s got to work on, he’s driven to work on.”
Shai Buium, D, 6-4, 210: After winning two NCAA Championships in three years at Denver, the 36th overall pick in 2021 is preparing for his first pro season at Grand Rapids.
“The game gets faster, guys are stronger,” Buium said. “Really just skating and building strength, I think they come together. When you have good strength and your edgework is getting better, it’ll come together and you’ll be a better skater, faster and stronger.”
Nate Danielson, C, 6-2, 188: The club’s top pick in 2023 (ninth overall) also is preparing for his first season in Grand Rapids after a productive final junior year and two playoff games with the Griffins.
“Nate had a tremendous season. (Portland coach) Mike Johnston can’t say enough good things about Nate,” Cleary said.
“I thought he was great every day (in camp). Came in in terrific shape. He talks the talk and he walks it. He does everything right and really showed the way in his testing, his preparation, his professionalism, the way he handles himself, his maturity.”
Jakub Rychlovsky, LW, 5-10, 181: At 22, he was one of the older players in camp, an undrafted free agent signed this offseason after he led the Czech League in goals (26 in 51 games). He’ll transition to North America in Grand Rapids.
“Quiet, strong little guy,” Cleary said. “I was friends with someone who was coaching him in Czech. He thought it was a great signing for us. I haven’t seen him play live in a game, but just watching him skate, handle the puck, move it, he’s a driven young kid. Going from the Czech League to Grand Rapids is a bit of an adjustment. But I think he’s got a good, strong base.”
Axel Sandin-Pellikka, D, 5-11, 185: This right-shooting future power-play point man, selected 17th overall in 2023, will develop for another year with Swedish Hockey League champion Skelleftea.
“He’s going to play quite a bit in Skelleftea, they’re going to have a good team,” Cleary said. “He’s going to run the power play. He’s going to play quite a bit with the puck.
“Axel is a very smart player. He moves well. We just don’t see the harm in it (staying in Sweden). No sense rushing him. We got a pretty good D in Grand Rapids. Not to say Axe couldn’t come over and play in Grand Rapids, no problem, but Skelleftea is a real good development place.”