Plenty of blame can go around from the coaching staff to individual players not performing up to snuff, but I think the biggest blame is on the Detroit Red Wings and Grand Rapids Griffins management staff. Hindsight is always 20/20. However, Marco Kasper was a stud to close out his American Hockey League (AHL) campaign. In my write-up on round one of last year’s playoffs, Kasper was the clear-cut most valuable player in my eyes.

I get that we can’t ink a player into Detroit’s opening night lineup in May when he hasn’t played but a game in the National Hockey League (NHL), but all signs pointed toward Kasper being finished in his AHL career. However, it was clear even outside of Kasper’s outgrowing the AHL that the players exiting the Griffins weren’t sufficiently replaced. This is a topic for a different discussion, though.

Instead, let’s focus on positive matters. Next season, there will be plenty of opportunities for Red Wings prospects to steal a spot in the opening night lineup. There are a couple of more obvious choices, but let’s take a look at a dark horse or two that might make their debuts in Hockeytown in game one of the season.

Here are the Detroit Red Wings prospects who will steal a spot in Hockeytown

Please keep in mind that Elmer Söderblom has graduated, in my opinion, so he’s not part of this exercise.

1 Amadeus Lombardi

Here me out, I know everybody’s looking for the flashy names like the ones coming up in this list. Yet, there’s something about Amadeus Lombardi that brings me back to him.

Sean Shapiro published an article posted to Shap Shots on May 17, 2024. There is a discussion with someone close to the Red Wings who said that Lombardi needs to improve his defensive play to be promoted to the National Hockey League (NHL).

For context, Lombardi jumped on the scene in the AHL, and he was flashy. One of those Trevor Zegras-style players, and I just rolled my eyes. Lombardi would make these fancy plays to nowhere and no one.

In his best shifts, he brought a little Dylan Larkin to his game where he’s blazing up the ice, dancing in the offensive zone all alone, only to get murdered and have his beloved puck stolen. As fun as he could be, it was more frustrating to watch. I love dekes and skilled players as much as anyone, with the caveat that the play is with purpose (not being fancy to be fancy).

I wrote Lombardi off as another failed prospect. Just like so many skilled players before his time in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

In the playoffs last season, though, I saw a sparkle of something special in Lombardi’s play that gave me pause on that idea. He seemed to increase his effectiveness and ability to play with his teammates rather than trying to do it all himself.

This season was his breakout for the Griffins.

Lombardi had a stellar 2024-25 campaign. Per Elite Prospects, Lombardi played in 70 games in 2023-24, finishing with five goals and 21 assists for 26 total points with a +5 rating. In 2024-25, Lombardi nearly doubled his point total in just 44 games played (scoring 19 goals and assisting on 21 of them), but had a -13 rating on his scoresheet. When I watched Lombardi, his game mirrored his stats, although I didn’t view his defense as bad. Could it be improved on? Sure, every young center’s defensive game has room to grow. In just his second full year in a professional hockey league, Lombardi showed he’s a guy to watch.