With the All-Star Break upon the Detroit Red Wings and its fanbase, it’s a good time to circle back to some of the team’s up-and-coming stars. The Athletic($$) writer Max Bultman recently took a look into Marco Kasper, the eighth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
In Bultman’s piece, he talks about his trip to Sweden to do a check-up on some of the Detroit Red Wings prospects. His trip was quite telling about how much success Marco Kasper might be able to come up with down the line.
Kasper is playing in the SHL with Rögle BK, the former team of defenseman Moritz Seider. But Kasper’s offense is starting to really show. The strides he’s showing are what make him seem like a big piece of the Red Wings puzzle moving forward.
His offensive skillset continues to show, and at 6-foot-1 &192 pounds, he’s developing more physically. He’s physical enough to succeed and has also started to show glimpses of the offense he can bring to the table.
Detroit Red Wings forward Marco Kasper is slated for arrival next season.
It’s early to really speculate on where he will officially end up, but Kasper is likely to arrive in the North American game during the 2023-24 season. He’ll likely come into training camp looking to earn his way onto the roster but could end up in the minors to get acclimated to the North American game.
However, the time he’s logging overseas in the SHL has been great so far. He’s an 18-year-old handling things well and holding his own in the Swedish professional league. His ability to create offense shows.
In Bultman’s piece, he references a goal that Kasper scores after getting a nice pass from a teammate; this goal would not happen if not for his superb skating and ability to get to the open ice. Kasper drives hard through the neutral zone and stays onside, showing some explosiveness to slip through the defenders, catch the pass, and bury the in-tight scoring chance on the goalie.
Kasper has seven goals, and 12 assists for 19 total points over 39 games played in 2022-23 with Rögle BK. The ability to manufacture scoring chances and be an offensive asset are looking pretty advanced.
If he can bring this level of play over to North America to the AHL and NHL, the Red Wings will get a nice boost if things work out the way they are supposed to. Expect Kasper to arrive next year for the 2023-24 season.