The Red Wings’ roster is sure to be shaped by roster moves this offseason, but there are also roster moves shaping next season for their various prospects. In the case of their reserve list players who haven’t been signed to a contract, their development paths are taking them to different teams and leagues across the world.
Here’s an updated list of where the Red Wings’ unsigned reserve list prospects will play in 2024-25.
G Joren Van Pottelberghe, HC Lugano (National League)
Van Pottelberghe is a bit of a lost prospect for the Red Wings in the sense that he’s a talented goaltender over in Switzerland, but it doesn’t seem there’s much interest in him taking his talents to North America. He’s played in the National League since 2016-17, and he’s signed to stick with HC Lugano until 2026-27.
C Ryan O’Reilly, Providence (NCAA)
A prospect whose draft rights expire Aug. 15, O’Reilly is set to play his fifth year in the NCAA with Providence. O’Reilly transferred after four years with Arizona State, where he scored 55 points in 127 games. He will probably never sign a contract with Detroit, but he should be a useful add for the Friars.
LHD Cooper Moore, Quinnipiac (NCAA)
Moore will be an alternate captain for the Bobcats, where he transferred from North Dakota last offseason. His draft rights expire Aug. 15, and he’s likely to explore his options in free agency next offseason.
LHD Kyle Aucoin, Harvard (NCAA)
Aucoin only played eight games in his junior year, but he’ll look to bounce back in his senior season with the Crimson this year. He’ll be one of the more experienced players on a Harvard team that was full of freshmen last season.
LW Chase Bradley, Connecticut (NCAA)
Bradley had a career year with the Huskies scoring 22 points in 31 games last season. Now, he’ll be a big source of veteran offense for a team that lost its best player to the transfer portal in Matthew Wood, who was Bradley’s linemate and a Nashville first round pick in 2023.
RW Kienan Draper, Michigan (NCAA)
A stone’s throw away from Detroit, Draper will play his third year with Michigan where he’ll be a checking presence for a team that’s bringing in a lot of offense through the transfer portal and a big freshman class.
RW Sam Stange, Omaha (NCAA)
Playing his fifth year of eligibility next season with the NCHC’s Mavericks, Stange will see his draft rights expire Aug. 15. He was a healthy scratch for Wisconsin last season, which makes next year’s opportunity a big one to give him more ice time to prove himself heading into free agency.
C Liam Dower-Nilsson, IF Björklöven (HockeyAllsvenskan)
The elder of two brothers in the Red Wings’ system, Liam Dower-Nilsson will play in the second-tier Swedish league. Last year for Björklöven, he scored 27 points in 52 games, tied for sixth on the team. Next season is the last year of his current contract.
C Red Savage, Michigan State (NCAA)
“21” Savage had a breakout year as a transfer for the Spartans, scoring almost as many points in one season (27 points) as he had his entire career at Miami (30 points). He’ll be an interesting prospect to watch next offseason, when his checking success and development of his scoring touch could combine to earn him a contract.
C Brennan Ali, Notre Dame (NCAA)
Entering his sophomore season with the Fighting Irish, Ali should be able to carve out a bigger role given how many guys ahead of him graduated. He’ll be playing against a lot of fellow Red Wings prospects in the Big Ten.
LW Dmitri Buchelnikov, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)
Buchelnikov is a highly-touted prospect with a whole lot of skill and scoring flair, which makes him a high value piece of the prospect pool. But, the Red Wings will have to wait to see him in action in North America. He’ll play for SKA St. Petersburg next year, the same team that Pavel Datsyuk captained after leaving the Red Wings in 2016-17.
LW Dylan James, North Dakota (NCAA)
James is a stout checker, and he plays the kind of hockey that grows well in the NCHC. In his junior year at North Dakota, look for James to develop a bit more to his offensive game after scoring just 19 points in 40 games last year.
RHD Anton Johansson, Leksands IF (SHL)
Last season, Johansson earned a bigger role with Leksands in a season that ended in the first round of the playoffs to Frölunda HC. Next season is the last year on his current contract.
LW Maximilian Kilpinen, Östersunds IK (HockeyAllsvenskan)
In April, Kilpinen signed a two-year extension with MoDo, but he will play on loan for Östersunds IK next season. He shredded the J20 circuit last season with 48 points in 43 games, ranking 17th in the league. Playing for Östersunds will give him the chance to prove his effectiveness against grown men after going pointless in five games of pro hockey last year.
F Owen Mehlenbacher, Wisconsin (NCAA)
A number of players left Wisconsin through the transfer portal this offseason including Red Wings prospects Brady Cleveland and Sam Stange. Mehlenbacher stayed. With four points in 26 games last season, he’ll look to make himself more effective against Big Ten competition.
G Trey Augustine, Michigan State (NCAA)
One of the top goaltenders returning to the NCAA next season, Augustine will be a focal point of this Spartans team. He had a banner year in 2023-24, from winning World Junior gold with Team USA to winning both the Big Ten season and tournament championships. Running it back will be the goal in 2024-25.
F Kevin Bicker, Löwen Frankfurt (DEL)
Signed to a DEL contract through 2025-26, Bicker’s role hardly extended past checking in his first pro season with Löwen Frankfurt last year. He scored three points in 41 games, and he’ll look to assert himself more against older competition after scoring four points in five World Juniors games for Team Germany.
LHD Brady Cleveland, Colorado College (NCAA)
Cleveland wanted to transfer to a school that could develop his abilities and give him a chance to play. He found that in Kris Mayotte’s Tigers program, where Cleveland’s size could make him useful in a physical league like the NCHC.
Noah Dower-Nilsson, Frölunda HC (SHL)
The younger Dower-Nilsson fought through injury trouble last season but is back on the mend and will look to play a bigger part for Frölunda next year. He’s signed there until 2025-26.
G Rudy Guimond, CedarRapids tryout (USHL)
Guimond was the starter for the RoughRiders last season, and he’s in the process of making next year’s team in his team’s tryout camp right now. If he makes it, his second year in CedarRapids will help him develop against other USHL talent before joining Yale in 2025-26.
LHD Larry Keenan, Massachusetts (NCAA)
Big and physical, Keenan should factor into UMass’ blue line after Scott Morrow and Ryan Ufko both went pro this offseason. His first season of true junior hockey with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees ended just two games shy of the Fred Page Cup championship, a campaign in which he chipped in nine points in 22 playoff games.
RD Jack Phelan, Wisconsin (NCAA)
It’s an unwritten rule that the Badgers have to have at least a couple Red Wings prospects on the roster. Alongside Mehlenbacher, Phelan will join as part of Mike Hastings’ first independent recruiting class of his Wisconsin head coaching tenure.
