Draft weekend is always fertile ground for moves of all sorts across the NHL. The stars of the weekend are, of course, the prospects enjoying the pinnacle of their careers to this point. However, that doesn’t stop players that celebrated their draft day long ago from stealing the spotlight every now and then….
The Detroit Red Wings are no strangers to grabbing headlines on the draft floor during Steve Yzerman’s tenure as general manager. There’s the famous clip of Moritz Seider reacting to going sixth overall in 2019, the maneuver to trade up and select goaltender Sebastian Cossa 15th overall in 2021, and the move that landed goalie Ville Husso in Detroit in exchange for a third round pick. Red Wings fans are well-trained at this point to stay on their toes when it comes to draft weekend.
In the aftermath of the 2025 draft, oh boy did Yzerman deliver.
Overview of Red Wings’ 2025 Draft Class
Despite falling back one spot in the draft lottery, falling from 12th to 13th overall, the Red Wings had a lot of good options available to them when they were on the clock. They ultimately made forward Carter Bear the pick, and that set the tone for what Detroit would do with the rest of the picks they made.
Related: Red Wings Draft Carter Bear 13th Overall
Bear is known for being a tenacious player that gives the opposition hell while also having great scoring touch. There are some concerns about him – as well as some questions about whether Detroit got the best player available in that spot – but there’s no denying that he fits in with Yzerman’s stated objective of making the Red Wings tougher to play against.
They followed that up by selecting Swedish winger Eddie Genborg, a player that is known for being the type of player you hate to play against and love to have on your team. He plays an unapologetically physical game, and he can score when he has the opportunity. Sound familiar?
The Red Wings added a goalie in the third round and a couple of other players that have NHL upside due to their soft skills, but there was a real focus on bringing a little nastiness into the organization with this draft. While Yzerman still has work to do to make the present roster tougher to play against, his picks in the draft show that he is serious about matching the physicality of teams like the Florida Panthers and the Ottawa Senators.
Red Wings Acquire Goalie John Gibson
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