Red Wings wrap up weekend in Los Angeles with Day 2 of 2025 NHL Entry Draft

LOS ANGELES -- As much as the NHL Entry Draft revolves around an organization injecting young talent into its prospect pipeline, trades involving established players can also occur during the annual two-day event.

The Detroit Red Wings did both on Day 2 of this year’s Draft, making seven picks and three trades, including acquiring goalie John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks, during Rounds 2-7 at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater.

“We don’t necessarily draft by position,” Red Wings Executive Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman said via Zoom on Saturday afternoon. “We always try, at this stage of where we’re at, to get the best prospect and we put them in that order…We’re happy with what we were able to accomplish here in the Draft. We like all the kids that we got. We’re excited about Carter [Bear] in the first round, that type of player who will fit in very well for us – a left winger. He’ll be good.

“The remainder of the group here were all good prospects. We were able to get a couple of defensemen, several forwards… We add another goaltender…We’ll see if he can develop over time as well. Again, our scouts feel good about it. We were able to address some needs as far as depth in the prospect pool. We’ll try to do our best and be patient, develop them, help them along the way to become professional players and hopefully play for the Red Wings.”

At No. 44 overall, its lone pick in the second round, Detroit selected forward Eddie Genborg. A native of Trollhättan, Sweden, Genborg spent part of the 2024-25 season with Linköping HC’s U-20 squad in Sweden’s top junior league, recording 34 points (19-15-34) in 28 regular-season games before collecting three points (one goal, two assists) in three postseason contests.

“I’m very thankful to get drafted by Detroit,” Genborg said via Zoom. “[The Red Wings] have drafted a lot of Swedish guys and are an Original Six team, so I’m very excited.”

Genborg also made his professional debut with Linköping HC in the Swedish Hockey League last season, scoring two goals in 28 games as well as posting two points (one goal, one assist) in one appearance with Linköping HC’s U-18 team.

“He’s a big, strong kid,” Red Wings Assistant Manager and Director of Amateur Scouting Kris Draper said about Genborg, also via Zoom. “He can really skate. He’s physical on the forecheck. A guy that is really tough to play against. We just really liked the intensity that he’s able to bring.”

Then, the Red Wings acquired goaltender John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for netminder Petr Mrazek, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick. Originally taken by Anaheim in the second round (No. 39 overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Gibson was 11-11-2 with a 2.77 goals-against average and .912 save percentage in 29 games with the Ducks in 2024-25.

Yzerman said the Red Wings are counting on the 31-year-old Gibson, who has appeared in 506 games with Anaheim since 2013-14, to “give us quality starts and upgrade our team in net.”

“John has been, throughout the course of his career, a proven starter and a good starter in the NHL,” Yzerman said. “As Anaheim’s gone through its rebuilding process, I think probably affected his play a little bit. And as their team gets better and they have a good young goaltender in [Lukas] Dostal, John was looking for more opportunity to play.”

In the third round, the Red Wings used the No. 75 overall selection on goaltender Michal Pradel.

“I want to thank my parents and family,” Pradel told the assembled media in Los Angeles. “And all the coaches in Slovakia who trained me. It’s a nice feeling.”

Born in Dolny Kubin, Slovakia, Pradel spent part of this season with the Tri-City Storm in the United States Hockey League and earned a spot on the All-USHL Rookie Second Team after going 9-4-1 with a 2.41 GAA, .899 SV% and one shutout in 14 regular-season games before starting one Clark Cup Playoff game.

“We love [Pradel’s] size and athleticism,” Draper said. “He’s obviously in Tri-Cities, has an opportunity down the road to go to school. That’s something you’re excited about with any prospect.”

Next, the Red Wings acquired a 2025 fourth-round selection (No. 109 overall) and a 2026 fourth-round pick from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for their own 2025 third-round pick (No. 76 overall). With that newly assigned spot, Detroit took forward Brent Solomon, who recently finished his senior year at Champlin Park (Minn.) High School and recorded 56 points (38 goals, 18 assists) in 28 games with the Rebels.

“The one thing that certainly stood out to us right away was the release,” Draper said about Solomon. “The way he shoots the puck. He’s got very good offensive-zone instincts and just kind of a knack for scoring. The way he shoots the puck at the level he plays, it’s natural.”

Forward Michal Svrcek (No. 119 overall) marked the Red Wings’ second selection in the fourth round. The 5-foot-11, 189-pound forward spent the majority of the campaign with Brynäs IF’s U-20 team in Sweden’s top junior league, recording 30 points (14 goals, 16 assists) in 30 regular-season games, as well as four points (two goals, two assists) in three playoff contests.

“We had a lot of talk about him in our Draft room,” Draper said about Svreck. “The thing that we really like is the skating, compete and puck skills that he has. He plays a lot bigger than he is.”

With its only fifth-round pick, Detroit chose its first defenseman of this year’s Draft in Nikita Tyurin (No. 140 overall). As a rookie, Tyurin spent most of this season with MHK Spartak Moscow in Russia’s Junior Hockey League (MHL), recording 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) in 50 regular-season games and helped the club win a MHL championship by tallying five assists in 19 postseason contests.

“Good skater, good hockey sense, good with the puck and good pass-first defenseman,” Draper said about Tyurin. “When you’re sitting there kind of in the later rounds and you have one of the area scouts who is excited about a player, that’s what I want to hear.”

The Red Wings drafted blueliner Will Murphy (No. 172 overall) with their lone sixth-round pick. He played the entire campaign with the Cape Breton Eagles in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, posting four points (two goals, two assists) in 54 regular-season contests before dishing out one assist across six postseason games.

“A big stay-at-home defenseman,” Draper said about Murphy. “The physicality and toughness, it’s something that we felt at the time with where we were at we wanted to bring into the organization.”

Entering Saturday, Detroit held two seventh-round selections but acquired a 2026 seventh-round pick from the Calgary Flames in exchange for its 2025 seventh-round pick (No. 211 overall).

And so, with its final pick (No. 204 overall) in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, the Red Wings took forward Grayden Robertson-Palmer, who is coming off his senior year as captain at Phillips Academy Andover in Andover, Mass., where he recorded 39 points (16 goals, 23 assists) in 30 games.

“He’s a solid kid,” Draper said about Robertson-Palmer, who also suited up in 24 games for the Neponset Valley River Rats AAA program in 2024-25. “Thick build, competitive kid that can really skate. I think that was intriguing for us -- the way he plays the game and the intensity that he plays the game with.”

Now, the newly drafted prospects will pack their bags and head to Detroit, where they, along with players who were selected by the Red Wings as well as signed free-agent prospects and undrafted free-agent invitees, will participate in 2025 Development Camp from June 30-July 3 at BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena.

“There’s so much that we want to offer them and there’s so much information out there,” Draper said. “We think that we do a real good job in educating all these young players and give them something.”