Yzerman and Draper talk 2026 NHL Entry Draft, adding to Detroit’s prospect pool and more offseason topics

BUFFALO -- Following the conclusion of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft at KeyBank Center, Executive Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman as well as Assistant General Manager and Director of Amateur Scouting Kris Draper touched on several topics in a combined Zoom call with the media on Saturday afternoon.

According to Yzerman, the decision to trade netminder Sebastian Cossa to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for the No. 23 overall pick – which Detroit used to select forward J.P. Hurlbert on Friday night – stemmed from the organization’s confidence in its goalie depth and which prospects were still left on the board.

“I had several teams inquire about our goaltenders, in particular Sebastian,” Yzerman said. “Just internally, we thought, ‘Look, we think we have some depth in our goaltender prospects. If we can add a good prospect or a good young player in exchange for Sebastian, we have goaltender prospects coming. With John (Gibson) in net, we’ll figure out exactly what we’ll do with the backup goaltender.’”

The Red Wings’ first pick on Day 2 came with a familiar last name, as they took forward Victor Plante in the second round (No. 47 overall). He’s the younger brother of the 2026 Hobey Baker Memorial Award recipient Max Plante, whom Detroit selected at that very spot two years ago.

In 2025-26, Victor recorded 48 points (21 goals, 27 assists) in 57 games with the United States National Team Development Program’s Under-18 squad.

“Just to go to the same spot as my brother, same exact pick too, is pretty funny,” Victor said with a big smile. “But a huge honor just to go to the Detroit Red Wings. An Original Six franchise with so much history, it’s awesome.”

Having already gotten to know the Plante family through his older brother’s continued development, Draper said the Red Wings feel they have a good sense of what the 5-foot-10, 165-pound forward brings into the fold.

“We feel like Victor is wired the exact same way [as Max],” Draper said. “He’s obviously a very smart, competitive hockey player that has passion and love for the game. We feel like those types of players are always going to get better…Sitting here a couple of years ago, that's exactly what we said about Max: How much he loved the game and with that passion and love for the game that he was going to get better, and that's exactly what he did."

In the third round (No. 79 overall), Detroit drafted netminder Michal Orsulak. The 6-foot-4, 224-pound goalie spent this past season with the Western Hockey League’s Prince Albert Raiders, compiling a 28-4-4 record with a 2.22 goals-against average, .907 save percentage and four shutouts in 36 appearances.

Orsulak also put together a 2.80 GAA, .897 SV% and three shutouts in 20 postseason games, helping the Raiders clinch a berth in the WHL Championship series.

“We had a lot of eyes on him and were able to watch him play a lot,” Draper said of the young goaltender. “Just watching the size, the compete, the way he moves, we just felt that with where we were in the draft, we felt it was a real good pick to have."

The Red Wings’ fourth-round selection (No. 108 overall) was forward Adam Levac, who had 44 points (16 goals, 28 assists) in 60 regular-season games and four points (two goals, two assists) in six postseason contests with the Ontario Hockey League’s Peterborough Petes.

“He's very, very competitive,” Draper said of the 6-foot, 176-pound forward. “He plays a 200-foot game, understands responsibilities with and without the puck…When we were sitting there and looking to meet that pick, he was somebody that we were excited to add to the prospect pool."

Then came the fifth round, when Detroit took forward Beckham Edwards (No. 143 overall). He had 45 points (19 goals, 26 assists) in 64 games with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting in 2025-26.

“It’s a special moment, getting drafted by Detroit,” the 6-foot-1, 190-pound forward said. “Hockeytown – not every team gets that name for any reason. I played a year of hockey in Little Caesars Arena, so being back inside BELFOR (Training Center) is going to be special.”

Forward Luka Arkko (No. 175 overall) was the Red Wings’ sixth-round choice. Standing at 6-foot-3, 212 pounds, Arkko recorded 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 42 games with the Lahti Pelicans’ Under-20 team in addition to two points (one goal, one assist) across four playoff matchups in Finland’s top junior league in 2025-26. He also had eight points (six goals, two assists) in four games with the Pelicans’ Under-18 squad.

Detroit made a trade involving one of its initial two seventh-round picks, swapping the No. 207 overall selection on Saturday for a seventh-round choice in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft from the Vegas Golden Knights.

As a result, the club’s final selection in this year’s Draft was blueliner Myles Bronsan. The 6-foot, 194-pound defenseman captained Dexter Southfield (Brookline, Mass.) in 2025–26, posting 51 points (7-44) in 30 games, and also appeared in two USHL contests with the Sioux City Musketeers and two games with the U.S. NTDP Under-18 squad.

Yzerman highlighted the decision-making process that occurs during the later rounds of an NHL Entry Draft, outlining how there’s a healthy mix of strategy and communication.

“We look a little bit at our depth chart maybe closer in those later rounds, maybe who we’ve picked in the previous rounds today and last night,” Yzerman said. “And then just kind of go through and see does anybody really stand out? Who do we really want? What specific traits or skills that each prospect has do we think can help our organization or give us belief that player is a legitimate prospect? It all seems to work itself out and ultimately, we kind of make these decisions more as a group and based on the individual scouts or area scouts who they really feel excited about, who they really want from their particular area.”

Detroit’s newest and more recent draftees will now have the chance to immerse themselves within the organization even more at Development Camp, which will be held at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center from June 29 – July 2.

“What we want to do with these guys is basically give them as much information as possible,” Draper said of the annual multi-day camp. “You know, the importance of training on and off the ice. They’re going to get a full-body analysis of how they move, what they need to do and what they need to improve on. So, we’re going to get that to them and once we do that, our expectations are that they’re going to do that and have an incredible summer."

Speaking of training and preparing for the 2026-27 campaign, Yzerman was asked about the Red Wings’ recent announcement regarding their forthcoming Prospect Tournament and Training Camp.

“It’ll be a little smaller Training Camp, probably fewer bodies and fewer days simply,” Yzerman said. “Just thought it made sense and was more practical to do it at home this year. It’s something we’d revisit in the future because, obviously, going up to Traverse City was very attractive and everyone – players, the staff – looks forward to it for a lot of reasons. The facilities were great, the camaraderie was great and it’s a tremendous experience that we’ll explore in the future.”

 Yzerman wrapped up Saturday afternoon’s Zoom call by addressing recent reports surrounding captain Dylan Larkin, confirming the 29-year-old forward’s agent had requested a trade on his client’s behalf following the end of Detroit’s 2025-26 season.

“My job as the manager of the Detroit Red Wings is always to do what is in the best interest of the Detroit Red Wings, and I will act accordingly to that,” Yzerman said. “I cannot make any guarantees, or did not make any guarantees, that that request could or would be met.”