Red Wings Eager to See Sandin Pellikka Tested in AHL

Twenty-five NHL defensemen scored 10 or more goals this season and none did it wearing a Detroit Red Wings jersey.

Colorado defenseman Cale Makar set a new career high of 31 goals. Detroit used eight different D men this season and they only totaled 28 goals for the season. Moritz Seider led the Detroit blue line group with eight goals. Lack of scoring from the defense is one reason why the Red Wings were among the lowest scoring teams in five-on-five situations.

TSN reported that Detroit’s 64 power play goals out of  235 total goals represented the highest percentage of power play goals (27.3%) recorded for an NHL team since those statistics were tracked. Yes, the power play was good, but what it also meant is Detroit struggled scoring even strength.

That’s why the Red Wings are eager to see Axel Sandin Pellikka play for the Grand Rapids Griffins. Expectations are Sandin Pellikka and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard will be playing tonight in a road game against the Rockford IceHogs.

There’s hope that ASP is the pure puck-moving defenseman the team needs to upgrade their  five-on-five and power play scoring potential. The 2023 first round pick (17th overall) set a Swedish Hockey League record with 12 goals this season. It was the most by a defenseman who started the year as a teenager.

NHL Ready?

He turned 20 on March 11, and the Red Wings are hoping he can play at the NHL level next season at some point. Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes was just turning 20 in October of his first full NHL season. Like Highes, Sandin Pellikka is not a big defenseman, not quite 6-feet.

The Red Wings wanted ASP and Brandsegg-Nygard to join the Griffins because an AHL experience comes closer to mirroring the NHL experience than the Swedish Hockey League. The AHL can’t match the NHL’s speed, but it offers a physical element. The Red Wings are interested in seeing how he’ll be handling the rougher play, particularly in the AHL postseason

Brandsegg-Nygard is also intriguing because he adds a layer of grit to a scoring ability. He’s the kind of player who could start in Grand Rapids next season and earn a call-up. He could start in the bottom six and work his way up.

The Griffins are battling to earn third place in their division because it gives them a bye into the Central Division best-of-five semifinal series. If the Griffins finish fourth, they would have to play the IceHogs in a preliminary best-of-three matchup.

Given the number of prospects who are close to being NHL ready, a long playoff run for the Griffins would be beneficial for the Red Wings.