Red Wings Place Two on Button’s TSN Top Prospect List

Defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka’s presence at No. 6 on Craig Button’s top 50 NHL-affiliated prospects is more evidence toward a verdict that the 2023 Detroit Red Wings first rounder is close to being ready for the show.

Detroit prospect Trey Augustine ranks 20th on Button’s list. The Michigan State sophomore is the No. 2 rated goalie on the list, trailing only Montreal Canadiens draft pick Jacob Fowler (Boston College).

Augustine, 19, is one of four goalies on the list. The others: Los Angeles Kings’  Carter George (OHL’s Owen Sound) who ranks 38th and Utah’s Michal Hrabal (Massachusetts, NCAA) who sits at 48th.

TSN and Button have’t laid out criteria to qualify for inclusion in Button’s list, but it should be noted that only five players on the list are age 21 and over, and only two of those are 22 and over (Carolina’s Alexander Nikishin and Scott Morrow).

Detroit Hockey Now has 6-foot-7 goalie Sebastian Cossa, 22, rated ahead of Augustine on our Red Wings prospect list. He is farther along in his development. Our guess is the Red Wings see a future season with Cossa and Augustine as their goalie tandem.

What is certainly nortworthy is the five players (Ivan Demidov, Ryan Leonard, Nikishin, Zeev Buium and Zayne Parekh) rated ahead of Axel Sandin Pellikka on the Button’s TSN list are all considered close to being ready for the NHL.

In Detroit Next Season?

The likely scenario for Sandin Pellikka is that GM Steve Yzerman will bring him to training camp next season. He would only make the roster if he proves he belongs in the NHL. Lucas Raymond is the example of a player who did that in his first training camp.

But in most instances, Yzerman will send young players to Grand Rapids to gain more experience before coming to the NHL. Even Moritz Seider spent time in Grand Rapids. But Sandin Pellikka has a level of offensive talent that could earn him a promotion quicker than most.

Meanwhile, Augustine isn’t hinting what he will do. However, he doesn’t have much to prove at the college level. It seems like his best step for his career would be to turn professional. He can then start to pick up AHL experience that he will need to reach the NHL. Cossa has played three professional seasons, and he has only played one NHL game.