Red Wings Prospect Kasper AHL Player of Week

When Detroit Red Wings 2021 first-round pick Simon Edvinsson made the move to North America last season, he indicated that he wasn’t feeling comfortable playing on this side of the Atlantic Ocean until after Christmas.

Maybe there’s something to that analysis. Marco Kasper has certainly caught fire since the holiday season.

From Dec. 27 onward, Kasper’s totals show him collecting 11 points over a 10-game span for the Grand Rapids Girffins, with 4-7-11 numbers. Included in that streak was a sensational weekend, resulting in the 19-year-old Austrian earning selecton as the American Hockey League player of the week.

Another day, another goal for Kasper pic.twitter.com/nbbLyezaEO

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) January 21, 2024

The eighth overall pick by Detroit in the 2022 NHL entry draft registered five points (3-2-5) in two Griffins victories this past weekend at the Manitoba Moose. Kasper’s offensive output was helping the Griffins rally from a three-goal deficit on each night. He scored the game-winner in overtime on Friday and secured his first two-goal game in the AHL on Saturday before assisting on Zach Aston-Reese’s game-winner with 12 seconds remaining in the contest.

To emphasize how much of a tear Kasper has been on of late, the AHL rookie has 19 points (6-13-19) in 36 games this season. That places him fourth overall in scoring on the Grand Rapids roster.

Offense Only One Element Kasper Can Bring To Red Wings

While point production is definitely what brings attention to a prospect, there’s much more than goals and assists that Kasper is capable of delivering on the ice.

Marco Kasper scores after some good patience with the puck in front of the net, in his strongest AHL game to date (3 points, +2) #LGRW pic.twitter.com/B1KfYFsZU5

— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) December 30, 2023

“He’s going to be a complete, 200-foot player,” Griffins coach Dan Watson said of Kasper. “Marco’s a competitor and that’s what he’s gotta keep doing. He’s gotta keep competing around the net, fighting for those loose pucks, trying to make plays as much as he can.

“He’s learning the pro game, learning how to play in his own zone, when to make plays, when to maybe keep it simple. But he’s a smart kid, he works extremely hard and that’s gonna be part of his identity as a pro hockey player, is that compete level.”