Axel Sandin-Pellikka, D, Detroit Red Wings: Sandin-Pellikka (6-0, 186) is another Red Wings prospect having an impact in his first NHL season with 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) and seven power-play points (one goal) in 53 games. He was named the 2025 Junior Player of the Year in the Swedish Hockey League (29 points; 12 goals, 17 assists).
The right-handed shot, born in Gallivare, Sweden, has been playing with veteran Ben Chiarot on Detroit’s second defense pair and averages 16:48 of ice time. Sandin-Pellikka tied for second in scoring at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in seven games and was named the tournament’s best defenseman. He was the second in tournament history at his position to win back-to-back honors, joining Viacheslav Fetisov (1977, 1978).
Fetisov won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with the Red Wings (1997, 1998). Sandin-Pellikka seems to have earned the trust of Detroit’s coaching staff as one of two defensemen averaging more than 1:30 per game on the power play (1:46), with Moritz Seider (3:09).
“He’s now spent enough time to understand the pace of the game, the size of the players, the intensity, momentum, all those types of things,” coach Todd McLellan said. “He’s defending better. Usually, when you defend better, you’re not using up your gas tank, if you will, in the [defensive] zone. You have more energy to do what you do offensively, and we’ve been able to see that from him as well.”
Jesper Wallstedt, G, Minnesota Wild: The No. 20 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft is 12-5-4 with a 2.70 GAA, .914 save percentage and four shutouts in 21 games (all starts) this season.
Wallstedt will join his goalie partner, Filip Gustavsson, on Team Sweden at the Olympics after representing gold-medal-winning Sweden at the 2019 IIHF Under-18 World Championship. He played twice at the World Junior Championship (2021, 2022 bronze) and twice at the IIHF World Championship (2023, 2024 bronze). He and Gustavsson are set to become the first goalies to be NHL teammates and Olympic teammates in the same season.
Wallstedt was named the NHL Rookie of the Month for November after going 6-0-0 with a League-best 1.14 GAA, .967 save percentage and three shutouts in six games. His 33 saves in a 1-0 win at the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 2 made him the fourth rookie goalie in League history and first in 87 years to have four shutouts over a span of six games, joining Frank Brimsek (Boston Bruins, 1938-39), Dolly Dolson (Detroit Cougars, 1928-29) and Tiny Thompson (Bruins, 1928-29).
“I think his preparation has been good, his performance have been strong,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “I think he’s played in different situations against different teams, and this is his first time going through it. The thing I like about it he’s playing to his identity as a goalie and when he does that, he’s a hard guy to beat.”