Detroit Red Wings sign top prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka to entry-level contract
The Detroit Red Wings have signed one of their top defensive prospects to an entry-level contract.
Axel Sandin-Pellikka, a first-round pick from the 2023 draft, was inked to the standard three-year deal Monday. But hold up on the picturing him in a Wings uniform next fall: General manager Steve Yzerman indicated after the season that the highly skilled right-shooting defenseman would spend another season in the Swedish Hockey League, where he can help in trying Skelleftea defend its SHL championship.
Sandin-Pellikka, 19, was drafted at No. 17. He recorded 10 goals and 18 points in 39 games with Skelleftea AIK. The 5 foot 11, 181-pound Swede added two goals and seven points in the playoffs.
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Sandin-Pellikka represented host Sweden at the 2024 World Juniors, recording two goals and six points in seven games, en route to a silver-medal performance.
He also had two goals and 11 points at the 2023 U18 World Championship for a silver medal and recorded an assist in seven games at the 2023 World Juniors in Halifax and Moncton, leading Sweden to a fourth-place finish.
The Wings drafted Sandin-Pellikka a few months after trading Filip Hronek, an offensive defenseman who shoots right. Sandin-Pellikka projects to take over that role down the road, eventually joining a Detroit defense anchored by right-shooting defenseman Moritz Seider.
Looking ahead, depending on when Skelleftea's season ends, the Wings could bring Sandin-Pellikka to Detroit next spring, as they did last year with that previous summer's first-round pick, Marco Kasper. Sandin-Pellikka likely will spend a season in Grand Rapids before joining the Wings, following the path of Seider and 2021 first-round pick Simon Edvinsson.
Per NHL rules, if a player signs his entry-level contract and is either 18 or 19 years old before Sept. 15 of the signing year and does not play 10 games in the NHL that season, their entry-level contract is extended by one year. So even though Sandin-Pellikka signed his contract this spring, it won't kick in next season.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings sign top prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka to contract
