Steve Yzerman didn’t end up dealing his second first-round pick. Instead, he selected defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka out of Sweden. ASP is a fleet-foot right-shot blue-liner who no doubt plays bigger than his frame.
“I’ve had great talks with Detroit before,” said Sandin Pellikka when asked by ESPN. He added that the team’s Swedish scouts have talked to him a lot before which is an encouraging sign that perhaps superscout Hakan Andersson has his fingerprints all over this pick. You’ll recall that we featured the 18-year-old rearguard in our coverage leading up to the 2023 NHL Draft, where Riley made the case that ASP should be an option at pick nine:
Riley McPherson
“His puck skills, playmaking, shot, and the ability to walk an offensive blue line make him a credible scoring threat with the puck on his stick, as does his ability to process options and make plays at speed off the rush,” said a scout with EliteProspects in its 2023 NHL Draft Guide. The knock on him has been his size but I don’t think there’s any reason to worry about that.
Sandin Pellikka should return to the SHL for a full season of action with Skellefteå AIK. Thanks to some of our great community members who follow Swedish hockey so closely, we’ll be keeping an extra close eye on this player as he develops. All-in-all, this is a great pickup for Detroit’s pipeline.
For now, Detroit has used all of its first round picks. Here’s the haul for Steve Yzerman:
Pick no. 9: Nate Danielson (C, Brandon Wheat Kings)
Pick no. 17: Axel Sandin Pellikka (D, Skellefteå AIK)
