Red Wings officially sign top defensive prospect

He's one of the highest-regarded defensive prospects in the National Hockey League, and his professional career has now officially begun. 

The Detroit Red Wings announced earlier today that they've inked Swedish defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka to a three-year entry level contract: 

Selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, Sandin-Pellikka spent this most recent season playing with Skelleftea AIK of the Swedish Hockey League. In the 39 games that he skated in, he lit the lamp 10 times while adding eight assists. He also helped his native Sweden to the silver medal in the recent 2023 U18 World Championship, contributing a pair of goals with nine assists. 

His scouting report via Elite Prospects was full of praise, giving Red Wings fans rightful excitement about the prospect of good things to come: 

"Sandin Pellikka is an offensive defenceman with legitimate first-unit power play upside. 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. The Swedish blueliner is an engaged defender, particularly stout between the blue lines and along the boards."

Former NHL defenseman Ryan Whitney, currently a co-host of the popular "Spittin' Chicklets" podcast, declared that Pellikka represented the next wave of Swedish royalty in the Red Wings system, who has already produced the likes of Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, and Tomas Holmstrom. 

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