Red Wings Rookies Ready to Roll as NHL Season Nears

If there were a song of celebration to correlate with this week’s accomplishment that Detroit Red Wings rookies Axel Sandin Pellikka, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, and Emmitt Finnie achieved, perhaps Barry Manilow’s Looks Like We Made It would fit ideally.

“This is a dream come true for every kid,” Sandin Pellikka said. “I think ever since getting to know what the NHL is, that’s where you want to go.

“Yeah. Best on best hockey, and it’s a dream come true.”

Axel Sandin-Pellikka #44 preseason game 8 mixtape vs Toronto #LGRW

ASP: 2 Assists, -1, 17:47 TOI, 1 shot, 1 hit
4 points in 7 games pic.twitter.com/I3sgP3kWGE

— The Wings Wagon (@TheWingsWagon) October 5, 2025

There’s another aspect of Manilow’s industry that is also an appropriate factor to keep in mind. It’s rife with one-hit wonders. Acts who thought they’d hit it big, only to hit the skids and vanish from sight almost as rapidly.

The world of pro sports isn’t all that different. It’s a results-based business, and it’s relentless. Just because you’re here today, that’s no guarantee that you’ll still be there tomorrow. Someone is always lurking, looking to take away your role, your position on the team.

Red Wings Rookies Must Keep Delivering The Goods

In the NHL, they call it being an everydayer. Showing up and delivering the goods consistently, day after day. Truth be told, one of the reasons why the Red Wings haven’t been a playoff team is that they suit up too many players who aren’t everydayers.

If Sandin Pellikka, Finnie, and Brandsegg-Nygard keep performing into the regular season as they’ve delivered during the preseason, they’ll be NHLers for a long time. But the fact of the matter is that their development won’t be linear. It never is.

“There’s ups and downs and there’s lessons to be learned along the way,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. “There’s going to be nights when they drive home or we drive home and we’re a little disappointed in everything, and then there’ll be a lot of joy the following night.

“It’s just the way it happens.”

EMMITT FINNIE! pic.twitter.com/I98VKtzm40

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 21, 2025

When the bumps occur, when they hit ruts, that’s when the veterans must step in and help smooth out the road.

“Everybody, starting with them, has to pull their weight,” McLellan said. “And then everybody else around it, the coaching staff, teammates, have to help them along but still take care of our jobs and make sure that the rest of the team is focused as well.”

McLellan’s message to the kids as they navigate the rapids ahead is simple. Keep on paddling.

“They know what’s ahead of them,” McLellan said. “They’re probably as excited as can be. And if I was going to tell them anything, I’d say, ‘Just go play.’

“If a mistake occurs, we can live with that. That’s what we coach for. We’ll help you fix it. You have teammates around you that’ll protect you in certain situations from mistakes.

“Just go play.”