Marco Kasper appealed on multiple fronts when the Detroit Red Wings added him to their organization: For his skill, his skating, and his hockey sense.
That was two years ago, when general manager Steve Yzerman chose a teenager playing in the Swedish Hockey League with his first pick in a draft for a fourth straight year, joining defenseman Moritz Seider (No. 6, 2019), forward Lucas Raymond (No. 4, 2020) and defenseman Simon Edvinsson (No. 6, 2021). Seider and Raymond have established themselves as bona fide stars in the NHL, and Edvinsson projects to be a full-timer next season.
Is it too early to get excited about seeing Kasper in Detroit? Maybe not.
Yzerman does like his prospects well-seasoned before joining the Wings – Edvinsson looked ready for the NHL at last year's camp, but still spent the majority of 2023-24 in the AHL starring for the Grand Rapids Griffins before a mid-March call-up secured his spot in Detroit. On the flip side, when the Wings brought Raymond to camp in the fall of 2021, he played so well he forced management's hand in making room for him.
Kasper, 20, is coming off his first season with the Griffins, where he posted 14 goals and 21 assists in 71 games, along with four goals and three assists in nine playoff games. Operating at nearly a point-per-game clip in his first AHL playoffs is pretty impressive. But then, Kasper (6 foot 1, 192 pounds) came to North America already having played two seasons in the SHL, so he's used to holding his own against much more physically mature and experienced players.
The Wings got to see a glimpse of that last spring when he appeared in one game for them; he was supposed to appear in the five games they had left, but a lower-body injury waylaid that plan. Still, in his one appearance, against the Maple Leafs in Toronto, Kasper engaged in one-on-one battles with Calle Järnkrok and Timothy Liljegren.
That made it all the more disappointing how listless Kasper looked in last year's camp/exhibition season, and certainly no surprise that he was sent to the minors. But he's shown growth and will get plenty of looks come fall, as the Wings sort out their best lineup.
They currently have six forwards (Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher, Robby Fabbri and Michael Rasmussen) under contract next season; at some point, restricted free agent Raymond will join the group. Joe Veleno is also restricted. At his season-ending review, Yzerman expressed interest in re-signing Patrick Kane and David Perron, both of whom are unrestricted free agents.
Daniel Sprong is unrestricted, too — he scored 18 goals in a fourth-line/power-play capacity, but his role may be filled next season by Jonatan Berggren. Christian Fischer is unrestricted as well — his bread-and-butter is checking and grinding as a bottom-six contributor. Kasper has much more range, but transitioning to the NHL as a winger on the third line could be a good adjustment, with the eventual goal that he plays center, the position for which he was drafted. Kasper doesn't project as a top-line middleman, but down the road, maybe he finds a role centering the second line.
"We like everything about the way he plays," Yzerman said when he drafted Kasper in 2022. "I think he's a centerman but I believe he can play anywhere at the three forward positions. He's not super flashy, he just makes the right play. He can make a pass, he's got a good shot, can carry the puck up the ice. He's very efficient. He's really fundamentally sound. He plays very simple — he drives hard to the net, drives down the wing, can take the puck to the net, and also pull up and look for the late guy. He's an all-around player."
Even if he doesn't start next season in Detroit, Kasper's development is on a good track to become an impact player down the road.
