The Detroit Red Wings finished the 2026 NHL Draft the way they started it: With a trade.
It was, granted, a minor deal – shipping the No. 207 pick to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Vegas’ 2027 seventh-rounder – made minutes before the second day of the draft ended at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. The Wings came away from the two-day event with five forwards – all of whom can play center – one defenseman and one goaltender.
The latter was taken in the third round, a day after the Wings traded a 2021 first-round pick, goaltender Sebastian Cossa, to the Utah Mammoth for the No. 23 pick, which enabled them to land high-scoring forward J.P. Hurlbert.
Cossa had dropped down the goaltending depth chart, resulting in the Wings only playing him in one NHL game, for 45 minutes, in all his time in their system.
“Going into the upcoming season, Sebastian would need waivers to be with our team,” Yzerman said. “We felt with the only depth that we have with John Gibson in net, and with Trey Augustine and Michal Postava, that we’ll have a good solution for a backup goaltender for the Red Wings. We felt if we can get a high enough pick or prospect that we can afford to trade Sebastian’s rights.
“When we were able to get the 23rd pick from Utah and see the players that we felt were going to be the prospects, we were comfortable making that move. We wouldn’t have traded Sebastian had we not been comfortable with the depth that we have in goal.”
Many of the newly drafted prospects, along with picks from the past couple of years, will be at Little Caesars Arena next week for the team’s annual development camp.
Meet the Red Wings’ class of 2026.
Round 1: F J.P. Hurlbert
Pick: No. 23 overall.
The buzz: Hurlbert (6 feet, 190 pounds) has strong family ties to metro Detroit, where his grandfather used to watch the Wings when Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, Alex Delvecchio and Terry Sawchuk were winning one Stanley Cup after another back in the 1950s.
Hurlbert, a Texas native, is a natural scorer and the type of high-powered winger that, if he develops his NHL potential, is exactly what the Wings need. Hurlbert played his juniors for Kamloops of the Western Hockey League in 2025-26, producing 97 points – including 42 goals – in 68 games. He posted 37 points in 56 games for the Plymouth-based U.S. National Team Development Program U17 team, and 31 points in 34 games for the USNTDP Juniors in 2024-25,
“You kind of go back and you look at a player and how he can produce,” Draper said. “He put up some real big numbers. He led the WHL in scoring for most of the year. We think it’s a real good fit for what we’re looking for – a prospect that has a knack around the neck, can score goals in different ways and certainly has some creativity when the puck’s on the stick.
Round 2: F Victor Plante
Pick: No. 47 overall.
The buzz: Plante is the younger brother of 2024 Wings draftee Max Plante (the Hobey Baker Award winner in 2025-26 as college hockey’s best player), and the son of former NHL’er Derek Plante. Plante (5-10, 165) has spent the past several seasons playing for the USNTDP. He posted 21 goals and 27 assists in 48 games last season with the U18 team.
“With picking Max and getting to know the family, you know, it’s an incredible hockey family,” Draper said. “We were real excited about the development of how and what Max has gone through over the last couple of years and feel that Victor’s wired the exact same way. He’s a very smart, competitive hockey player that has a passion and love for the game and we feel that 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.”
Victor, Max and their older brother, Zam, will all be teammates next season at Minnesota Duluth.
Round 3: G Michal Orsulak
Pick: No. 79 overall.
The buzz: Orsulak (6-4, 224) is a goaltender out of Czechia who played this past season for the Prince Albert Raiders in the WHL. Orsulak posted a 2.22 goals-against average and .907 save percentage in 36 games, and had a 2.80 GAA and .805 save percentage in 20 playoff games.
He also played for Czechia’s national teams, posting a .874 save percentage and 3.19 GAA in 5 games at the World Junior Championship.
“With talking to our goalie guys and watching him all year, playing in P.A. in the Western Hockey League, that’s a real good team,” Draper said. “We had a lot of eyes on him and were able to watch him play a lot. 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.”
Round 4: F Adam Levac
Pick: No. 108 overall.
The buzz: Levac (6-0, 176) had 15 goals and 44 points in 60 games with the Peterborough Petes (the same franchise Yzerman played for during his juniors years) in 2025-26, and four points in six playoff games. In 2024-25, he had 10 points in 57 Ontario Hockey League games.
“He has a top-notch motor and high-energy battle level,” Draper said.
“He was a guy that we saw a lot, a right-shot centerman. He’s very, very competitive. He plays a 200-foot game, he understands responsibilities with and without the puck. He was an intriguing pick for us. A lot of good things about him as a person throughout the Peterborough organization from doing our background stuff. When we’re sitting there and looking to meet that pick, he was somebody that we were excited to add to the prospect pool.”
Round 5: F Beckham Edwards
Pick: No. 143 overall.
The buzz: Edwards (6-1, 190) is another center out of the OHL. He had 19 goals and 26 assists in 64 games for the Sarnia Sting in 2025-26.
Edwards described himself thusly: “My skating is something that is a really big strength of mine. My hockey IQ, how I think the game, I like to play a full, complete game, whether it’s in the defensive zone or the offensive zone. I think I’m very versatile as well. I can play anywhere.”
Round 6: F Luka Arkko
Pick: No. 175 overall.
The buzz: Arkko (6-3, 212) is a big left winger out of Finland.
He had 11 goals and 14 assists in 42 games with the Pelicans U20 team and eight points in four games with the Pelicans U18 team in Finland’s highest junior hockey league in 2025-26, and also had six goals and five assists for Finland’s junior national team.
Round 7: D Myles Brosnan
Pick: No. 196 overall.
The buzz: Brosnan (6-0, 194) arrives out of Massachusetts preparatory hockey. In 2025-26, Brosnan played for multiple teams and leagues, most notably the USNTDP U18 (no points in two games), the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers (no points in two games) and Dexter Southfield School in the USHS-Preparatory (seven goals, 44 assists in 30 games).
Contact Helene St. James at Hstjames@freepress.com.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings’ 2026 draft: Steve Yzerman, Kris Draper weigh in
Reporting by Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
