Detroit Red Wings prospects appreciate that it is in their best interest to perform well at the NHL Rookie Tournament. But with nine days to go before the tournament starts at Little Caesars Arena, those prospects have no idea who they need to impress.

The Red Wings have still not offered a timeline for when they will name a replacement for Steve Yzerman as the team’s director of hockey operations.

In the meantime, DHN offers a list of the critical storylines to pay attention to once the Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets and Dallas Stars prospect teams begin competition on Sept. 13.

Is Nate Danielson NHL-Ready?

No one earns an NHL spot based on how they perform against fellow prospects, but he can lay the groundwork by playing dominant hockey at this tournament.

The best example is Lucas Raymond. He played well at a rookie tournament, and just kept playing impressive hockey at training camp and in the preseason. His momentum led to a roster spot in his rookie season.

Danielson is not Lucas Raymond, but there is a path to make the Red Wings if he can show more offense. The Red Wings know Danielson is a smart, two-way center. What they don’t know is how much offense he can produce at the NHL level. They need to see him put up numbers at this tournament. That would be an indication is ready to take the next step.

Who is Theo Rochette?

This is the 24-year-old free agent forward the Red Wings signed out of the Swiss National League. The Red Wings don’t have an impressive history of hitting the lottery with European free agent signings. The organization took some criticism from Eduards Tralmaks because he didn’t believe he received a true chance to earn an NHL uniform.

But it will be the new regime making decisions about Rochette. What we know about Rochette: he is a former QMJHL player who went undrafted. But scouts were impressed this past season when he put up 22 goals and 21 assists for 43 points in 46 games for Lausanne. He was a 106-point scorer in his final season in the QMJHL.

This was his third season in the Swiss League, and he has improved each season. The issue with Rochette is his smallish physique. He’s 5-10, and not much more than 170 pounds.

A Better Bear

Carter Bear is getting a second chance to make a first impression. He wasn’t a factor last season at his first Red Wings training camp. He was coming off an injury and could not get going.

But he is coming off another strong WHL season. He was particularly impressive in the second half of the 2025-26 season. Bear netted 101 goals for the Everett Silvertips over the past three seasons and now must show the Red Wings those numbers will translate to the professional game. It starts with being highly productive at this event.

Ready or Not

Based on what we’ve seen of Swedish defenseman Anton Johansson thus far, we would expect him to be a force in this tournament. He’s 22 and is coming off a strong season in the Swedish Hockey League last season.

Late last season, Grand Rapids coach Dan Watson told Detroit Hockey Now that he thought Johansson was “close” to being ready for the NHL.

The crowded Detroit defense outlook makes it seem like Augustine is destined for Grand Rapids this year, but let’s remember there will be a new boss of Detroit hockey operations. What if he’s looking to shake up everything? If Johansson throws a multitude of body checks in this tournament and plays as he did in Sweden, he could force the new regime to consider him for Detroit.

New Beginning for Augustine

After two seasons of being a highly regarded prospect, Trey Augustine starts his pro career in earnest this fall when he plays for the Grand Rapids Griffins.

With Sebastian Cossa now in Utah, Augustine, 21, is Detroit’s unofficial goalie of the future, although Michal Postava, 24, may have something to say about that.

What really matters is how well Augustine plays in American Hockey League games. This rookie tournament is not a place you judge goalies because these are thrown-together teams and defense can be spotty at best. But the Red Wings would like to see Augustine get off to a strong start by playing confidently well in this tournament.