Red Wings’ present and future showing serious muscle at World Championship – next up, Stanley Cup Playoffs?

May 16, 2025, 11:00 EDT

Red Wings’ present and future showing serious muscle at World Championship – next up, Stanley Cup Playoffs?

Typically, you don’t want your players taking part in the IIHF Men’s World Hockey Championship.

Not because it’s a bad tournament – it’s a celebration of the sport. It’s a great event, and anyone who hates it dislikes happiness. But the real reason is that it means you’re not chasing the Stanley Cup, and that’s what you watch the long grind of the NHL season to hopefully see in the spring.

Detroit Red Wings fans have been accustomed to watching this tournament. This year, they have seven players – both rostered and affiliated – battling for gold in Denmark and Sweden. The group is made up of Austria’s Marco Kasper, Latvia’s Eduards Tralmaks, Germany’s Mortiz Seider, Norway’s Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Sweden’s Lucas Raymond, Erik Gustafsson and Simon Edvinsson.

Sweden and Germany are off to hot starts, while Latvia is firmly in the playoff hunt. Norway has had a couple of difficult games and is in danger of being relegated, but there are still six days of round-robin action to go.

Statistically, Tralmaks – the team’s most recent European UFA signing – has been the best player. The 28-year-old winger is a big, 6-foot-4 power forward, but he has some shockingly good speed, too. That’s why he put up 51 points in the top Czech league this year on the team owned by Jaromir Jagr – and had 20 more points than anyone else on the team. Tralmaks is in his second World Championship, having registered points in the first three games. His best performance internationally ever came against Slovenia on Tuesday, when his three-point night lifted Latvia ahead. For a low-risk signing, getting Tralmaks was an outstanding move by GM Steve Yzerman.

Brandsegg-Nygard has only played two games, but he’s been incredible. He’s Norway’s best two-way forward, doing a bit of everything while also putting up three points. He might be one of the youngest players in the tournament, but MBN plays like a pro. His work ethic is NHL-ready, and he puts a ton of power into his shot, too. Brandsegg-Nygard is turning heads, and it truly won’t be long until he’s challenging for a roster spot.

The player that might be the most impressive, though, is Kasper. The NHL rookie is coming off an impressive first year with the Red Wings, and he’s been sleeper MVP material at the Worlds. He’s been an absolute workhorse for Austria, serving as the team’s most creative player and its best two-way threat by a mile. Austria doesn’t have much offensive talent, but Kasper is involved in just about everything at both ends of the ice.

None of those three teams will likely factor into the medal round, but Germany and Sweden should. Seider has had a so-so tournament for the Germans. On one hand, he’s easily the team’s top blueliner. On the other hand, he’s made his fair share of mistakes with the puck. The good news is that he almost always bounces back after a gaffe and teams are still struggling to beat him cleanly. Seider is carrying Germany’s blueline on his back – does that sound familiar, Motown?

Sweden has the best Red Wings representation – what a surprise! Once again, Raymond has been a key part of the attack. He’s playing at better than a point-per-game pace, and he’s coming off a two-point performance on Wednesday. He has been one of Sweden’s best puck distributors and gives the team a reliable two-way effort every single game. He drives the play, beats opponents with skill and takes good advantage of the extra ice. Raymond looks much more in control of the game than we’ve seen from him before – which is no surprise given he put up career-best numbers in Detroit this year.

On the blueline, Gustafsson and Edvinsson play very different games. Gustafsson likes to exploit open space and is great at generating offense. Edvinsson is more defensively focused, and while his game isn’t flashy, he does a good job of shutting guys down and not letting them get much of a shot off. He has played a more minor role on an experience-laden Swedish blueline, but he still looks good.

The Red Wings have one of the best pipelines in the sport today, and a few players who shine away from the spotlight have looked great at the Worlds. And then there are the core pieces of the future – Raymond, Edvinsson, and Kasper – who also have strong showings.

It’s rare for a team to have more than five players in this tournament and to have them all be impact players. But key pieces of the team’s present – and future – are giving the fanbase a lot to get excited about this spring. Maybe in the near future, they’ll get to cheer their players a little closer to home.

SPONSORED BY bet365

Red Wings’ present and future showing serious muscle at World Championship – next up, Stanley Cup Playoffs?

Recent Articles from Steven Ellis