What I learned about Stars and Red Wings prospects from the two-game set in Frisco
Some notes/observations and thoughts after watching back-to-back games.
FRISCO, Texas — Normally I write this piece at a coffee shop in Traverse City. There’s a place a little bit off the water there, I get a large americano, and empty the notebook from the prospects games before making the three-and-a-half hour drive south home.
This year the location has changed, I’m penning1 this piece from a patio in suburban DFW, it’s much hotter than I’d like to be at this time of year, and later tonight I’ll fly back to Michigan.
While the location changed, and the prospect tournament “tournament” is no longer a tournament — I miss the days of watching 16 games over the course of five days — Sunday’s 6-5 Dallas Stars prospect win against the Detroit Red Wings capture the spirit of what these games are all about.
Sloppiness and chaos with a bit of high-level skill sprinkled in. These games, like Sunday’s are demolition derbies to open the season, played a pace and with September pressure — players trying to impress their future bosses — is hard to match.
So what should we take away from these games? What is actionable and what’s just juiced up adrenaline?
Let me do my best to empty the notebook and share my thoughts/observations on players that suited up for both Dallas and Detroit.
Nate Danielson, Red Wings, C
This two-game set was a good indicator how and why Danielson will thrive in his career. Danielson is a calming force in the midst of chaos, he limits opposition chances with both his skating and his stick work, and he’s starting to show a bit more of the offensive pizzazz he’s capable of. Danielson owned the neutral zone this weekend, he was the director on entries for Detroit and created space for others, while also frequently disrupting Dallas attempts to skate through the middle. I don’t know if the offensive finish will be there in the long-term for him to be a realistic top-six NHL center, on a good team, but he’s ready to play in the NHL now.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Red Wings, RW
Brandsegg-Nygård was more noticeable in Game 1, really working well with Danielson and Emitt Finnie on maintaining cycles, before being more of a passenger in Game 2. Brandsegg-Nygård has some obvious skill, I really like the way he uses the walls in transition, making little chip passes along the boards and using his deceptiveness to spark transition. The shot is always a threat, and I think as he progresses he’ll get even better at using that threat to create additional passing lanes. Overall strong impression, and someone I’m looking forward to watching more this season in Grand Rapids.
Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Red Wings, RHD
With Sandin-Pellikka I feel like I have to apply warnings, find ways to tap the breaks on his game and be the voice of reason when it comes his realistic timeline. Because the reality is, in Detroit, there’s been so much hype built around his arrival time and some local radio hosts have even called for him to play in the NHL this season. That isn’t fair to Sandin-Pellikka, who is ready for the NHL offensively with the puck on his stick, but needs at least half an AHL season, in my view, of defensive seasoning to have the best long-term career. He’s so much fun to watch with the puck, he opens up things for everyone else, but he’s also the case where I think rushing him to the NHL might be a big mistake and hurt his ability to reach max potential. Let him cook in the AHL this season and play 25 minutes per night with Grand Rapids, please.
Shai Buium, Red Wings, LHD
Buium really impressed me this tournament in the offensive zone. I’ve always felt his defensive game was the reason he’d reach the NHL, and he was Detroit’s best defensive-zone player this weekend, but there was some added confidence with the puck on his stick and his shot has improved. Buium told me he worked on his shot a ton this summer, finding ways to jump into the play and use it more. Give me a full season of him and Sandin-Pellikka playing together and Grand Rapids, and make them a pairing to start the 2026-27 season in Detroit.
Emmitt Finnie, Red Wings, LW
Finnie had a rough start to the AHL in the spring, making the jump from the WHL, but I think some of his best attributes were on display this weekend and I’m pretty excited too see his AHL growth this season. Finnie attacks like a multi-tool, with speed and physicality, he uses his shoulders to create more space and then dives into that created space with his skating. He’s never going to be the best player on the team, but I think he’s going to have a lengthy NHL career because he’s going to understand how to play well with the best players.
Rudy Guimond, Red Wings, G
Guimond played and posted a shutout in the first two periods of Detroit’s win on Saturday night. The goalie, who was nearly perfect after moving to the QMJHL this past season, is composed, calm and did something goalies aren’t supposed to do in prospect games — have a good time. Landon Miller and Michael Pradel, the two other Detroit goalies at the tournament, really struggled and this felt like a nice little boost for Guimond before he returns to the QMJHL after a couple days of NHL training camp next week.
Amadeus Lombardi, Red Wings, LW/C
He was only here because Carter Bear got hurt, and honestly, he was way too good for this level of competition.
Emil Hemming, Dallas Stars, RW/LW
I was expecting much more from Hemming, which unfortunately has been a common theme each time I’ve watched him in person in the OHL and with Finland at the under-20 level. Hemming’s shot is great, it’s something that will impress you and should cause concern for other teams. He also doesn’t do nearly enough to create his own shot, and I worry about him being able to find that space in the AHL this season. There were moments, particularly on zone entries, where you saw Hemming start to attempt something creative before bailing out and dumping the puck into the corner. He’s only 19, so I’m not writing him off or anything, I just need to see more.
Cameron Schmidt, Dallas Stars, RW
Schmidt was largely invisible this weekend, if I wasn’t actively looking for him throughout the games, I probably wouldn’t have had any notes on him. He was one of the younger players in the tournament, one of the smallest ones and there were some clear moments where defensive zone awareness needed to improve. He’s gonna go back to the WHL this season, likely score close to 1.5 points per game, and then we can better judge his game at this time next season.
Tristan Bertucci, Dallas Stars, LHD
Much better second game for Bertucci, which was common for the entire Dallas roster, and I think he’s a player that is going to really grow this season in the AHL. The defending details are solid, the transition game is improving. He really seized the moment in the third period on Sunday to help Dallas split the series.
Trey Taylor, Dallas Stars, LHD
One of the Stars older players, he’s 23, and one with four years of college experience, Taylor should have been one of the better players for Dallas. He was. He disrupts things well in transition, and jumps into the play better than I remember in some of my NCAA viewings for him. Maybe that’s on me, he did score nine goals last season for Clarkson. He’s going to have a long pro career, and I expect him to probably split that career roughly 60-40 between the AHL and NHL as an organizational 4A player.
Arno Tiefensee, Dallas Stars, G
Tiefensee used to have long flowing locks, he grew his hair for more than two years, but then chopped it off recently and donated it to an organization that creates hair prosthetics for disadvantaged children. I felt that was pretty cool, and worth including before talking about him as a goalie. Tiefensee started the second game for Dallas and it was a wild, scrambly one where the goalie’s athleticism was tested and on display. I personally think he outplayed Ben Kraws this weekend, but the best course of action might be for him to start this season in the ECHL with the Idaho Steelheads so he can get full starter minutes instead of backing up Remi Poirer in Texas.
If there are any other players you’d like to discuss/chat from the tournament, let’s do it in the comments. Thanks for reading, we’ve got some more fun things coming this week.
Penning? Does that term still work for a digital medium?