Editor’s Note: This is the 14th installment of a Detroit Hockey Now series assessing the Detroit Red Wings’ prospects’ path to the NHL. The emphasis will be on what their chances are of playing regularly in the NHL and when we can expect to see them wearing the Winged Wheel.

Jesse Kiiskinen

Position: Right Wing

NHL Draft status: 68th, 2023 (Nashville Predators)

Detroit Hockey Now Ranking: No. 14 Red Wings prospect

Hgt./Wgt: 6-2, 197 pounds

Age/Experience: 21, 3 AHL games.

Detroit Red Wings prospect Jesse Kiiskinen doesn’t beat around the bush in his assessment of his own game.

“I score,” Kiiskinen said. “I’m like a scorer and still like the battle and like making some little bit frustration for the other team’s players.”

A scoring winger who enjoys the physical battle and fancies himself an agitator?

Sign him up.

That’s exactly what the Red Wings did. Kiiskinen signed a three-year entry-level contract with Detroit on June 3, 2025.

Unlike many of the club’s top prospects, Kiiskinen wasn’t a Red Wings draft pick. The Finnish right-winger was selected 68th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. On June 25, 2024, he was traded to the Red Wings along with a 2024 second-round selection in exchange for defenseman Andrew Gibson.

Quickly, it looked like Kiiskinen would be filling a void in the Detroit prospect pool as a physical forward with a scoring touch who was hard to play against.

“Yeah, I enjoy those battles,” Kiiskinen said. “It gets the feeling up all the time for myself.

“That’s why I like the small rink also because there’s all the time skating and battling.”

Jesse Kiiskinen Every 🚨+🍎 from 25-26
Liiga 17G 11A
Playoffs 1G 3A
AHL 1G 1A
Drop off in production from last season strictly in assists. Goals went up.
•High end wrist shot+one timer
•Needs to bring his relentlessness every game
•instigator#LGRWhttps://t.co/Wd0LiNWk0h

— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) August 2, 2026

During the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, he was named a top-three player on Team Finland. Kiiskinen led Finland in points with seven and was tied for second in the tournament with six goals. His performance helped the Finns win the silver medal.

With HPK in Finland’s SM-liiga, Kiiskinen collected 44 points, ranking first in points among junior players in the Liiga.

Last Season

Kiiskinen’s 2025-26 season brought mixed reviews. His goal total for HPK increased to 17 from 14. However, his overall points total slumped from 44 down to 28. And he went from a plus-six in 2024-25 to a minus-four last season.

A brief late-season taste of the AHL saw Kiiskinen collect a goal and an assist in three games with the Grand Rapids Griffins. However, the Griffins dropped him from their playoff roster.

Three Reasons Why Kiiskinen Will Play in the NHL

Kiiskinen is a natural goal scorer. And he gets hard-working goals by driving the net.

He likes to play the game in the dirty areas. You’ll usually find Kiiskinen battling for loose pucks along the boards and in the corners, or at the net-front in the offensive zone.

Kiiskinen gets on people’s nerves. He’s an agitating presence. He rarely has an uneventful shift.

What May Hold Him Back

Kiiskinen is far from a polished skater. He lacks explosive speed or high-end mobility to be able to easily separate from defenders. And he’s not much of a playmaker. He’ll need to upgrade in one of these areas to be considered a legit NHL prospect.

ETA

In his brief taste of AHL life last season, Kiiskinen showed plenty of promise. It was also evident that he still needs to mature, both physically and emotionally. He seemed like a boy among men.

It would not be surprising if he needs the full tenure of his three-year entry-level deal to make a case for himself as an NHLer.