The Detroit Red Wings announced that three recent first-round draft picks will be headed to the Grand Rapids Griffins to start the season. Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper, and Sebastian Cossa will all be starting their season in the AHL.

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All are top-15 picks in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 NHL Drafts, but this wasn’t exactly unexpected. Kasper had seemed to make the best case for NHL time with a strong showing in training camp, but may have been the victim of a numbers game.

In addition to sending that trio of players to the AHL, the Red Wings also loaned Michael Brandsegg-Nygard back to his club in the Swedish Hockey League, where he’ll join fellow Red Wings first-rounder Axel Sandin-Pellikka with Skellefteå.

With the return of Kasper and Cossa, and the arrival of Danielson for his rookie pro season, the Griffins will be among the more interesting teams in the AHL under second-year head coach Dan Watson.

Cossa took a big step last season, playing his first full year in the AHL. The 6-foot-6 netminder appeared in 40 regular-season games, posting a 22-9-9 record with a .913 save percentage. He also had a decent showing in the postseason. His return to the AHL was expected, given the longer timeline goalies need to develop. Cossa has been steadily heading in the right direction.

Seeing Danielson get sent back is another one that isn’t much of a surprise to see. He just turned 20 years old and only has two AHL playoff games under his belt in terms of professional experience. Danielson had a strong final season in the WHL in 2023-24, posting 67 points in 54 games during the regular season, and another 24 in 18 playoff games. Danielson was also part of Canada’s World Junior team last year. Now he’ll get a chance to get his pro legs under him.

Kasper was the one that really seemed to surprise people. He played well in camp and made a case to play a role down Detroit’s lineup. That said, the pressure is on for the Red Wings to make a postseason push this year and that often requires leaning more heavily on veteran players in depth roles. We’ll see how long Kasper ultimately stays in the AHL, but more time may not be the worst thing for him.

In his first North American pro season, Kasper recorded 35 points in 71 games. He didn’t exactly light the league on fire. There was improvement in the playoffs, however, as he had four goals and seven points in nine Calder Cup Playoffs contests.

The expectation should be that if the Red Wings need a player in a pinch, Kasper could be their first call. Even so, he’ll get more reps higher in the lineup with the Griffins, playing as more of a go-to player than he would in the NHL. He’s still just 20 years old and has time to grow into the role he will ultimately play as a long-term Red Wing.

In addition to the four first-rounders Detroit reassigned today, prospects Cross Hanas, Carter Mazur, Elmer Söderblom, Tory Dello, Antti Tuomisto, Eemil Viro, William Wallinder and Carter Gylander were all sent to Grand Rapids.

The Griffins will open their season on home ice Friday when they welcome the Milwaukee Admirals at 7 p.m. ET right here on FloHockey. 

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