from Ansar Khan of Mlive,

As the Detroit Red Wings begin their rebuild in earnest after missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season, they’re hoping to have anywhere between two and five young players on their season-opening roster who weren’t in the NHL at the start of 2017-18.

One will be Tyler Bertuzzi. A handful of others will be competing for jobs in training camp and the preseason.

Here is a look at 10 of the Red Wings’ top prospects, how they fared this past season and how far away they might be from the NHL.

Michael Rasmussen

Position: Center

Height/Weight: 6-6/221

Shoots: Left

Drafted: First round in 2017 (No. 9)

2017-18 season: He tallied 31 goals and 59 points in 47 games with the WHL Tri-City Americans in a season interrupted by wrist surgery. He was even more dominant in the playoffs, with 16 goals and 33 points in 14 games.

Timeline to NHL: The Red Wings are counting on Rasmussen to make the team in training camp. They plan to ease his transition to the NHL by starting him on wing, like they did with Dylan Larkin as a rookie in 2015-16. If Rasmussen isn’t ready for the NHL he will return to Tri-City for his final junior season. He is not eligible to play in the AHL in 2018-19.

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