Last spring, Haeden Ellis helped to deny Detroit Red Wings top prospect Carter Bear the opportunity to lift the Memorial Cup.
Next week, they will be teammates.
The Red Wings sent out six invites to free agents to fill out the club’s 24-player roster for the upcoming NHL Rookie Tournament at Belfor Training Center. The four-team event, also featuring the Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, and Pittsburgh Penguins, gets underway September 12.
So who are these guys that will be wearing Red Wings jerseys next week? Well, let’s start with Ellis.
He’s a 5-foot-10, 191-pound right-winger who played
He’s a 5-foot-10, 191-pound right-winger who played with USA Hockey’s national team program and in the USHL before moving to the OHL Kitchener Rangers. Ellis, 19, will be playing college hockey at Northeastern.
It was with Kitchener last season that Ellis and the Rangers beat Bear’s Everett Silvertips to win the Memorial Cup. While it may be a million-to-one chance that he or any of the other five free agents earn a contract from the Red Wings next week, don’t weigh Ellis down with tales of long shots.
The hardest trophy to win in hockey is the Memorial Cup, and he’s already checked that off the list.
You look at the names on there, Ellis
“You look at the names on there,” Ellis told Buffalo-Toronto Public Media on his day with the Memorial Cup. “You see a lot of household NHL names now, and you know it’s pretty special that your name will be right there with them.”
Junior Teammates Are Red Wings Teammates
A waterbug at 5-foot-6 and 153 pounds, right-winger Cooper Dennis, 19, is a teammate of Red Wings 2026 draftee Adam Levac with the OHL Peterborough Petes. The two will also be on the same team next week, wearing the Winged Wheel. Dennis is committed to the Michigan Wolverines.
Carter Hicks, 18, played for Canada at the 2026 World U18 Championship. The 6-foot-1, 183-pound right-winger for the OHL Brampton Steelheads is committed to the Connecticut Huskies.
Defenseman Brady Ness, 20, is a natural-born leader
Defenseman Brady Ness, 20, is a natural-born leader. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound rearguard is captain of the WHL Moose Jaw Warriors.
Cornell commit Michael Dec, 19, is a center/right-winger. The 5-foot-9, 156-pound forward plays for the OHL Erie Otters.
Defenseman Leo Laschon, 18, will feel at home when he sees the Penguins on the ice. From Pittsburgh, he played youth hockey for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 16U AAA team, wearing No. 86, one shy of Sidney Crosby’s digits. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder is committed to Northeastern. He’ll play in the OHL this season with the Oshawa Generals.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
