The seventh round of the draft is when NHL teams roll the dice, and the Detroit Red Wings are no exception to this rule.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, it pays dividends. Center Emmitt Finnie<\/a> (201st overall, 2023) quickly earned an NHL contract. He\u2019ll be playing this season with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins<\/a>. Goalie Carter Gylander<\/a> (191st, 2019) will be playing his second season in the Red Wings organization this season, likely as the No. 1 netminder for the ECHL Toledo Walleye.<\/p>\n To be honest, though, most rolls come up snake eyes. Kirill Tyutyayev<\/a> (190th, 2019) was a junior scoring sensation in Russia. He scored twice in 39 games with the Griffins.<\/p>\n The jury is still out on several other seventh-rounders taken during the Steve Yzerman era who are currently playing college hockey. That list includes Kienan Draper (Michigan), Owen Mehlenbacher (UMass), Brennan Ali (Notre Dame), and Fisher Scott (Colorado College).<\/p>\n Robertson-Palmer Playing Junior Hockey This Season<\/p>\n Where will center Grayden Robertson-Palmer (204th, 2025) fit into this picture? Time will tell, but the early returns are encouraging.<\/p>\n Selected out of the Massachusetts prep school Phillips Andover, Robertson-Palmer will be playing this season with the QMJHL Moncton Wildcats. That\u2019s the same team as goalie Rudy Guimond, another Red Wings prospect.<\/p>\n Grayden Robertson-Palmer(7th Round\u201925) has been showing off his skating all day. Results in a goal in this red vs white scrimmage. #LGRW<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/wPQKPQ9fJZ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) August 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Robertson-Palmer has been turning heads in Moncton\u2019s training camp. He tallied a highlight-reel goal during a scrimmage. He scored a goal in the Wildcats\u2019 most recent QMJHL preseason game.<\/p>\n Stepping into the major junior ranks from high-school hockey, Roberson-Palmer is expecting the transition to be challenging.<\/p>\n \u201cI think having to learn how to like read off plays, move my body different ways, cut back in different ways and keep my head up all the time so I don\u2019t sustain any big injuries,\u201d he assesses as his main challenges. \u201cI think that\u2019s going to be the biggest difference for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Red Wings Pick A Natural-Born Leader<\/p>\n Those who know him best, his teammates at Phillips Andover, praise the leadership qualities that Robertson-Palmer exhibits.<\/p>\n Whether it was organizing a team dinner or a Secret Santa, or providing a teammate with a non-judgmental sounding board, his teammates talk about how they could always count on Robertson-Palmer to be at the forefront of the team\u2019s leadership group.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like he\u2019s the kind of guy who\u2019s always there for you if you need something or just want to talk,\u201d teammate Edouard Lord told The Phillipian<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s good at making sure everyone\u2019s in a good mental state.\u201d<\/p>\n What excites the Red Wings about Robertson-Palmer is his elite-level competitiveness and skating ability.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a solid kid, thick build, competitive kid that can really skate,\u201d Red Wings assistant GM and director of amateur scouting Kris Draper said. \u201cI think that was intriguing for us \u2013 the way he plays the game and the intensity that he plays the game with.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n At 5-foot-11, 197 pounds, Robertson-Palmer is built like a fire plug. His combination of tempo and fearlessness makes him an effective performer.<\/p>\n \u201cI play the game hard, play the game fast,\u201d Robertson-Palmer said. \u201cEven though I\u2019m not the biggest guy, I\u2019m not afraid to get in there, get some contact, make plays.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a pass-first kind of guy. I can shoot if I need to, but I like to move the puck, get my teammates involved. And I just work really hard, and I have a really good motor.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n