Red Wings Sign Prospect to Entry Level Deal

Detroit Red Wings fans didn’t appreciate giving up prospect defenseman Andrew Gibson to the Nashville Predators to get the second round pick needed to persuade the San Jose Sharks to take Jake Walman off Detroit’s books.

But those fans are likely going to like feisty Finnish right wing Jesse Kiiskinen who also came to Detroit in that deal.

The Red Wings announced the signing of Kiiskinen, 19, to a three-year entry-level deal. He played for HPK Hameenlinna in Finland’s top league last season, racking up 14 goals and 44 points in 46 games. This is a player who uses strong skating, a high rpm motor and a physical presence to frequently get to the net.

Kiiskinen’s 44 points were the most produced by any teenager in the Finnish League. The 6-foot-1, 190 pounder helped Finland earn the silver medal at the 2025 World Junior Championships. Kiiskinen netted six goals, totaling seven points, in seven games at the tournament. He was the last player Finland was cutting from the country’s senior team for the recent IIHF World Championship.

The Predators originally drafted Kiiskinen 68th overall in the 2023 NHL draft.  Kiiskinen has blossomed into one of Detroit’s most intriguing forward prospects.

That helps ease the pain of the fact that after giving up the second-round pick to San Jose to take Walman, the Sharks ended up picking up a first round pick by trading Walman to the Edmonton Oilers.

Now, Walman is a key player for an Oilers team that is currently in the Stanley Cup Final playing against the defending champion Florida Panthers.