Red Wings Set 23-Man Opening Roster With Several Young Faces

The Detroit Red Wings have unveiled their 23-man roster, but will not see regular-season action until they host the New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 2.

Detroit Red Wings, Little Caesars Arena, Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Detroit Red Wings will open their 101st season in franchise history on Oct. 2 — which will be a home game at Little Caesars Arena against the New York Rangers.

Accordingly, marking the end of the preseason schedule, NHL rosters were required to be submitted by 3 p.m. EST on Sept. 28 and allotted a maximum of 23 players on each organization's roster from the commencement of the regular season through the trade deadline. As such — the Red Wings announced a number of moves on Sept. 28 in order to finalize their roster.

Detroit assigned goaltender Carter Gylander to the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL), in addition to placing defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker on injured reserve retroactive to Sept. 24.

Fellow-blueliner Andreas Englund was designated to immigration non-roster, and forwards Carter Bear and Chase Stillman as injured non-roster.

The full Detroit 2026-27 roster is as follows, per NHL.com:

Forwards (14):

Andrew Copp
Mason Appleton
Lucas Raymond
Michael Rasmussen
Michael Bransegg-Nygard
Nate Danielson
Viktor Arvidsson
Carter Mazur
J.T. Compher
Keegan Kolesar
Emmitt Finnie
Dylan Larkin
Marco Kasper
Alex DeBrincat

Defensemen (seven):

Ben Chiarot
Albert Johansson
Anton Johansson
Axel Sandin-Pellikka
Moritz Seider
William Wallinder
Justin Faulk

Goaltenders (two):

John Gibson
Daniil Tarasov

UPDATE: The #RedWings have reduced their roster to 23.

Details » https://t.co/NTCeXtHSgJ pic.twitter.com/40n6mQH2tR

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 28, 2026

Red Wings Head Coach Todd McLellan previously said this roster is not set in stone — and incoming moves are almost expected.

"We have to put the puzzle together," McLellan said. "What I can tell you too is that on Monday, the roster will go out and you’ll see names or whatever. That could change real quick. There could be paper moves. There could be moves made for waiver reasons. There could be something in the hopper somewhere else where you have to buy time. Remember, we don’t play until Friday. So, got to submit Monday. We got to go for four days before we play, and there could be some movement and stuff in there."

What Happened in the 2026-27 Preseason for the Red Wings?

The Red Wings preseason finale resulted in a 4-2 loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Detroit would win  two of their four preseason games — with a 3-2 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres in addition to a 7-4 win win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Detroit is looking to rebuild after having gone 41-31-10 for 92 points in 2025-26, while also on the hunt for a new general manager in the midst of drama surrounding former captain Dylan Larkin's trade request.

Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the interim, Shawn Horcoff is currently serving as the franchise's GM while Steve Yzerman transitions to the role of Senior Advisor to the Governor and CEO, Chris Ilitch.

While regular-season action does begin for the NHL on Sept. 29, the Red Wings not playing until Friday allows them a few more days of practice.

After Detroit hosts the Rangers on Oct. 2, they will then host the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 4.