Red Wings prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka leads all SHL defensemen in scoring

Steve Yzerman faced an extraordinarily difficult situation when he returned to take over the role of Detroit Red Wings general manager in April 2019.

Not only did outgoing GM Ken Holland leave him saddled with a pile of bloated contracts of underperforming players, but he had also stripped the prospect cupboard bare down to the studs, leaving Yzerman to essentially start from scratch.

While it's taken time, Yzerman has managed to assemble one of the more highly-regarded prospect pools in the National Hockey League today.

One particular player that the team has high hopes for is Swedish defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka, who is currently playing with Skellefteå AIK of the Swedish Hockey League.

In fact, Sandin Pellikka is leading all defensemen in the SHL with 17 points; no other SHL defenseman has more than 14 points.

The Red Wings selected Sandin Pellikka with the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

He joined an impressive group of prospects whom the Red Wings figure to be a big part of their future, including Nate Danielson, Sebastian Cossa, Carter Mazur, William Wallinder, and Marco Kasper.

Last season, Sandin Pellikka helped Skellefteå AIK to the SHL championship and was promptly signed by the Red Wings to a three-year entry-level contract worth $2.85 million.

For Yzerman, it was the best decision to allow Sandin Pellikka to have another season of conditioning in Sweden before eventually making the jump to the United States.

This past summer, the Red Wings picked Michael Brandsegg-Nygård with the 15th overall pick, adding another intriguing name to their prospect list.