THEODOR NIEDERBACH

A trio of Detroit Red Wings prospects will impact Sweden’s fortunes at next week’s World Junior Championship in Edmonton. The tournament will serve as a warmup for Simon Edvinsson prior to training camp, where the sixth overall pick in 2021 will compete for a spot on the Red Wings’ blue line. “I got my game going, my defensive game started to work out,” Wallinder said at Red Wings development camp last month. It’s where Seider excelled in 2020-21 and where Marco Kasper, the Red Wings’ top 2022 pick, also plays. “You’re playing against full-grown men, so it’s tough every game,” Niederbach said.

(Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)Here’s a look at how the seven Detroit Red Wings prospects participating in the 2021 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships are performing. Here’s how they’re doing:🇸🇪 Team Sweden -- five Red Wings prospects:🇫🇮 Team Finland -- one Red Wings prospect:🇨🇿 Team Czech Republic -- one Red Wings prospect:The international U-20 tournament got underway Christmas Day. Only the top four teams in each group will proceed from the preliminary round to play in the single-game elimination playoff round. The United States is competing in Group B with Russia, Sweden, Czech Republic and Austria. View: Detroit Red Wings 2020 NHL Entry Draft picksFollow updates here:

(Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)Here’s a look at how the seven Detroit Red Wings prospects participating in the 2021 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships are performing. The United States is competing in Group B with Russia, Sweden, Czech Republic and Austria. The Red Wings have seven prospects playing in this tournament:🇸🇪 Team Sweden -- five Red Wings prospects:🇫🇮 Team Finland -- one Red Wings prospect:🇨🇿 Team Czech Republic -- one Red Wings prospect:Here’s how they’re doing:Here is Soderblom’s between-the-legs goal against Czech Republic:Another angle of this ridiculous Soderblom goal. 🇷🇺 Team LarionovFormer Russian Five member Igor Larionov is coaching Team Russia in this tournament. I’m happy to see some good signs of listening to how we played back in the day and in Detroit with Russian Five.”The “Professor’s” Russian team defeated the Americans, 5-3, on Christmas.

Raymond, who was selected 4th overall by the Detroit Red Wings at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, is representing Sweden. The 18-year-old right wing is one of seven Red Wings prospects competing in this tournament. Raymond highlights:This pass by Lucas Raymond. pic.twitter.com/zeQy1E5zn3 — IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) December 26, 2020Albert Johansson and Lucas Raymond with a give-and-go, a potential view of the future in Detroit. Tracking Red Wings prospects at WJC:🇸🇪 Team Sweden -- five Red Wings prospects:🇫🇮 Team Finland -- one Red Wings prospect:🇨🇿 Team Czech Republic -- one Red Wings prospect:The international U-20 tournament got underway Christmas Day.

The Detroit Red Wings will have seven prospects competing in the World Junior Championship, including five for Sweden. He had two goals and two assists in seven games last year on Sweden’s bronze medal-winning team. Raymond is playing for Frolunda in Sweden’s highest men’s league, where he has five goals and seven assists in 21 games. His transition to Frolunda’s men’s team has been difficult (no points in seven games). Gustav Berglund, a 2019 sixth-round selection (177th overall), plays for Vasteras in Allsvenskan (two assists in 16 games), Sweden’s second division.

The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a toll on rosters for some World Junior Championship teams. Three Detroit Red Wings prospects are out of the tournament due to the coronavirus. Grewe, a third-round pick by the Red Wings in 2019, is playing for Djurgardens. The Red Wings have five other prospects in Sweden’s World Junior evaluation camp: forwards Lucas Raymond (2020 fourth overall pick), Theodor Niederbach (51st pick this year) and Elmer Soderblom (159th in 2019) and defensemen Albert Johansson (60th in 2019) and Gustav Berglund (177th in 2019). More: Red Wings prospects pack Sweden’s World Junior preliminary roster

If all goes according to plan, they will be teammates on the Detroit Red Wings in the near future. The Red Wings took Niederbach, a center, 51st overall in the second round because they believe he has the skills to reach the NHL. The Red Wings watched Niederbach closely during scouting trips to see Raymond. “We like that he’s very smart, he’s got really good skills, he’s a smooth skater,” Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said. More: Red Wings' second pick, William Wallinder, brings size, mobility

(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) Here are the 2020 NHL Entry Draft picks by the Detroit Red Wings:Detroit GM Steve Yzerman was able to add picks through in-draft trades -- he also traded for a future pick:Read more: Red Wings' Kris Draper drafts his son, Kienan Draper, in 7th roundView: 2020 NHL Entry Draft first round selectionsRead back: Here’s who Red Wings selected in 2019 NHL DraftSign up for my Red Wings newsletterSign up here for the latest news on the team and from around the league, and some jokes (good ones).

The Detroit Red Wings selected a pair of forwards late in the second round of the NHL draft Wednesday. The Red Wings took center Theodor Niederbach (Frolunda Juniors in Sweden) with the 51st selection and added left wing Cross Hanas (Portland, WHL) with the 55th pick. The Red Wings traded down from the 45th selection, acquiring picks 51 and 97 from the Los Angeles Kings. Red Line Report said of Hanas: “High energy player with touch around the net. Consistent development and goal-scoring ability.”The Red Wings selected defenseman William Wallinder with the first pick in the second round (No.