From stars to busts, a look at how Detroit’s last 11 first-round picks have shaped the rebuild.
The NHL Draft is just around the corner, taking place next Friday, and the Detroit Red Wings are once again in a pivotal position as they prepare to make their next first-round selection. Holding the 13th overall pick, the Red Wings have been linked to several intriguing prospects, including Carter Bear, Lynden Lakovic, and Radim Mrtka.
Not long ago, during their run as perennial Stanley Cup contenders, the Detroit Red Wings approached the draft with a win-now mindset. Rather than using their first-round picks to build for the future, they frequently traded them away in exchange for proven veterans who could immediately contribute to their championship pursuits.
This strategy helped extend their reign as one of the league's most consistent powerhouses but came at the cost of long-term prospect development. Over the past decade, however, the Red Wings have undergone a major philosophical shift with the team mired in a nine-year playoff drought, the draft has become the cornerstone of their rebuild.
Every first-round pick now represents a potential turning point for the franchise’s future. Some of Detroit’s recent selections have shown promise as foundational pieces, while others have fallen short of expectations, struggling to break into the lineup or make a meaningful impact.
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As the team gears up to make another crucial selection in this year’s draft, it is the perfect time to look back at their last 11 first-round picks from the past decade and evaluate which players have helped advance the rebuild and which have fallen short of expectations.
2015 – Evgeny Svechnikov (19th overall)
Drafted with the expectation of developing into a power forward and top-line winger like his brother Andrei, Evgeny Svechnikov was unable to secure a lasting role. He appeared in only 41 games for Detroit, as injuries and inconsistency stalled his development and led to his exit from the team.
Svechnikov went on to spend two more seasons in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets and San Jose Sharks before continuing his career in the minors and European leagues. Once a high-upside junior star, Svechnikov unfortunately fits the label as a bust.
2016 – Dennis Cholowski (20th overall)
Cholowski entered Detroit as a one of the most promising offensive defenceman in junior play but while he showed some potential in his rookie NHL season with 40 points over a 50-game season in the BCHL, yet that promise began to fade.
He never secured a full-time role, was left unprotected in the 2021 expansion draft and was picked up by the Seattle Kraken but struggled at the NHL level and has bounced between AHL squads since. Cholowski played for the Islanders and Devils last season but enters this summer as a free agent.
2017 – Michael Rasmussen (9th overall)
At six-foot-six and hard-hitting, Rasmussen evolved into a reliable two-way forward rather than the dominant scorer experts expected. He consistently finds a way to record 15-20 points while also killing penalties and still has plenty of room to grow and mature his game as a 26-year-old. He's entering his second year of a four-year, $12.8 million deal with an annual cap hit of $3.2 million per season.
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2018 – Filip Zadina (6th overall)
Zadina was highly regarded as a dynamic winger that would be a future superstar and staple of Detroit’s lineup. However, teams took notice when he dropped in the draft from a projected top three pick to the Red Wings at sixth overall.
Things started to trend downwards from there with his production never meeting expectations. After two lacklustre seasons, he was eventually shipped off to the Sharks. Despite flashes of skill, inconsistency defined his tenure, and the Wings greatly regreted passing on defensemen like Quinn Hughes or Cale Makar in that draft.
2019 – Moritz Seider (6th overall)
The Red Wings hit their first true first-round home run in years by landing the German defenceman, who has quickly become a cornerstone on their blue line for the future.
As the 2019 pick, he quickly became Detroit’s top-pair defenceman, earning SHL Rookie of the Year and finding immediate NHL success with 50 points in his debut season. He's not missed a game for the Red Wings since with appearances in 328 straight games.
2020 – Lucas Raymond (4th overall)
Another swing and another hit for the organization as Raymond has transformed into Detroit’s offensive engine as a top-end NHL talent.
He finished with a career-best 80 points this past season and has lead the Red Wings in points in each of the last two seasons. Through 320 career games, he’s amassed 254 points firmly positioning himself as a budding star and one of the most impactful recent first-round selections.
2021 – Simon Edvinsson (6th overall)
Tagged as one of Europe’s top blueliners, Edvinsson impressed in the SHL with 19 points in 44 games and earned a call-up to Detroit in March 2023. After logging 31 points and significant minutes alongside Seider through 78 games this past season, he is expected to take on a regular role in the Red Wings' top defensive pairing moving forward.
2021 – Sebastian Cossa (15th overall)
Cossa made history when making his NHL debut in early December 2024 when he made 12 saves to snap a Red Wings five-game losing skid, and he became the first NHL goalie to earn a shootout win in relief.
The 22-year-old Hamilton native is one of the most elite prospects at the position and should make an impact when making the eventual jump to the main roster. His AHL numbers have fans anxiously waiting his arrival after securing a 21-15-6 record with a 2.45 goals against average this past season.
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2022 – Marco Kasper (8th overall)
Drafted as an intelligent two-way centerman, Kasper spent time in Sweden's SHL before transitioning to North America. He debuted in April 2023 and quickly stood out, highlighted by a clutch performance against Tampa Bay where he scored the game-tying and overtime goals to keep Detroit’s playoff hopes alive.
One of the most desired positions in hockey is a second-line centre and Kasper looks like he'll fulfil the role for years to come with the Red Wings.
2023 – Nate Danielson (9th overall)
A WHL standout (150 points in 145 games), Danielson signed an entry-level deal July 2023 and quickly joined the AHL Griffins by May 2024, becoming one of the few to debut in the playoffs within a year of being drafted, just like Dylan Larkin. His road-mapping suggests NHL readiness in 1–2 years, and his leadership profile hints at a strong future.
2024 – Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (15th overall)
Detroit selected Brandsegg-Nygård as the best player available, but did make history with the pick as he was the first Norwegian ever taken in the first round.
A strong, two-way winger with a heavy shot and physical edge, who impressed Steve Yzerman and company with Sweden’s Allsvenskan, totalling 18 points through 41 games. Brandsegg-Nygård added to his success at this year's IIHF World Championships when he recorded four points in five games against some countries with top tier NHL talent.
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