One Time Red Wings Prospects Playing Starring Roles in European Playoffs

There was a time not long ago when these players figured in the future plans of the Detroit Red Wings. One of them actually played for the team.

Today, back on home soil, these European players are leading their teams as they battle for league titles.

In Sweden, former Grand Rapids Griffins forward Pontus Andreasson is setting a record pace as Lulea leads the SHL final 2-1 over favored Brynas. Teammate and former Red Wings forward Mattias Brome is also playing a significant role for Lulea. All the while, he’s weighing his hockey future.

In Finland, surprising SaiPa is preparing to face KalPa for the Finnish Championship. It’s the first time that SaiPa has ever reached the league final.

Jatkuuko Otto Kivenmäen kuuma vire edelleen? 🔥

Kivenmäki on jo rikkonut @Liiga_SaiPa-historian yhden playoffs-kevään piste-ennätyksen pisteillä 3+9=12! 🚨

➡️ Lue lisää: https://t.co/OYB0sICiBv#Liiga #SaiPa pic.twitter.com/GJjSNDv8lH

— Liiga (@smliiga) April 16, 2025

Showing the way is one-time Red Wings draftee Otto Kivenmaki. The diminumtive left-winger is leading the Sm-liiga playoffs in scoring with 3-11-14 totals. His postseason performance is coming on the heels of a career-best 16-34-50 output during regular-season play.

“I just always go where the puck is and want the puck,” Kivenmaki, 25, said of his game.

Red Wings Drafted Kivenmaki

The Red Wings selected the 5-foot-8, 171-pound Kivenmaki 191st overall in the 2018 NHL entry. That was the last draft under the regime of previous GM Ken Holland. Current GM Steve Yzerman opted not to offer Kivenmaki a contract.

Today, Kivenmaki is the talk of Finnish hockey.

“If you take Finnish NHL players or anyone else, Kivenmäki is by far the most skilled player in Finnish hockey at the moment in terms of aesthetics, movement language, rhythm and beauty of play,” former NHLer Raimo Summanen told Finnish website Ilta-Sanomat.

“When he has the puck, he can move with small gestures all the time and pop in any direction at any time. Real flow play.”

Andreasson On Record-Setting Pace

The Red Wings signed Andreasson as a free agent in 2022 after he enjoyed a career year with Lulea in the Swedish League, scoring 18 goals. He would play the 2022-23 season with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Andreasson produced 12-13-25 numbers in 63 AHL games. Then he returned to Sweden and rejoined Lulea.

Pontus Andreasson gör 5-1 till Luleå. pic.twitter.com/0IxXuPO7yQ

— Anton (@bolaniii9) April 23, 2025

This spring, Andreasson is on top the SHL playoff scoring race with 18 points. That’s a Lulea single-season record. With 10 goals, he’s just three shy of the club single-season mark for playoff goals, set in 2012 by former NHLer Jakob Silfverberg.

“Andreasson has been their most important player during the playoffs,” assessed former pro Sanny Lindstrom on the Swedish website Expressen.

Former Red Wings Player Weighing Options

Lulea forward Mathias Brome spent the 2021-22 season with the Red Wings. He accounted for 1-1-2 totals in 26 games, putting up the same numbers in two games for the Griffins. At season’s end, he’d sign with Davos of the Swiss League.

In his first season with Lulea, the 30-year-old left-winger was the club’s scoring leader with 19 goals and 39 points. As the battles with his club for the SHL title, Brome’s agent is also talking with four different Swiss clubs about his client joining them for next season.

“It has to be something that is good enough for my family, and me, to make it tempting to move,” Brome told Expressen. “Right now I feel fantastic here.”