Top 20 Detroit Red Wings Prospects To Watch In 2019-20

Filip Zadina, Grand Rapids Griffins, 35 points in 2018-19

Finally, we’ve made it. The Detroit Red Wings number one prospect just happens to be a player that fell a few spots into the lap of the Wings during the 2018 NHL Entry Level Draft.

Zadina was expected to be the third player chosen in 2018, yet fell to the Wings who were eying a defenseman.  Once Zadina slides down to the Wings at six, Ken Holland couldn’t help but shift gears and go off the board a bit selecting the scoring winger.

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When I say go off the board, that’s not exactly the perfect description because Zadina was expected to be already selected before the Wings picked at six.  The Wings desperately needed to add a couple of defensemen to their cupboard of prospects which very much lacked back-end players. Zadina is just way too talented to pass on.

The same issue happened later in the first round and again at the beginning of the second when Ken Holland selected Joe Veleno & Berggren. Veleno is a player we nearly put ahead of Zadina, but Filip’s pure scoring ability keeps him at number one for the time being.

Zadina plays the game with a bit of swagger, and he was quickly humbled a year ago as he entered the preseason. A play that still sticks out in my mind happened during Zadina’s preseason debut.  Jonathan Toews took the young winger to school on the half wall.  Toews dangled around Zadina and was entering the Wings zone with a scoring chance before Zadina knew what had happened.

With the Grand Rapids Griffins Zadina started transitioning very slow from junior hockey to the professional level.  As the season wore on, Zadina started to become more and more comfortable.  He seems like a streaky scorer.  He will score 4 or 6 throughout three games and then go cold for ten games.

If he wants to grow into the top-six forward the Detroit Red Wings feel he’ll be, he needs to become a much more balanced scorer. He totaled 35 points with the Griffins in 59 contests last year scoring 16 goals adding 19 helpers. He was a minus -17, which is a bit concerning. In 5 playoff games, he recorded 2 goals and 1 assist.

Early Expectation: Filip Zadina seems like the real deal.  He can shoot the puck with the best of them.  He will be lethal on the power-play, and in today’s game, with all the PP opportunities per night, he’ll have a chance to score 30 in his first full season if he’s granted the proper amount of ice-time.

Zadina could find himself on Dylan Larkin‘s wing in a year from now if his game continues to improve.  I expect Zadina to start in Grand Rapids this season on a line with Veleno and Svechnikov.

If Zadina has a strong preseason, there is an opportunity he makes the club to start the season.  If that’s the case, he’ll likely be on the third line playing with Frans Neilsen.  Sort of the perfect player to play alongside in your first full season.