- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,194,623
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The post Newest Red Wings Player Excited For Opportunity appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.
You must be registered for see images attach
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectIMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
All of Wilmer Skoog’s NHL points have come in games involving the Detroit Red Wings.
He’s delighted that he’ll get a chance to keep it that way.
“We talked about a few different options, but Detroit felt good, and I’m looking forward to it,” Wilmer Skoog told Swedish website Hockey Sverige. An unrestricted free agent, the Swedish forward signed a two-way contract with the Red Wings.
In his third pro season with the Florida Panthers organization in 2025-26, Skoog, 26, finally made his NHL debut. He played three late-season games for the Panthers. In the season finale, an 8-1 drubbing of the Red Wings, Skoog collected two assists. Those were his first NHL points.
He thought he’d done enough to earn a new contract with the Panthers. Skoog thought wrong. No qualifying offer was forthcoming from Florida.
“It wasn’t disappointing, but I was a little surprised,” Skoog said. “I then mostly saw opportunities to talk to other teams and see where there was interest.”
Skoog Anxious to be Part of the Solution for the Red Wings
He knows that the Red Wings haven’t made the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2016. Skoog embraces the opportunity to be a piece of the puzzle that finally puts it together and gets Detroit back into the NHL postseason.
“These are new challenges, and I hope to be a part of and contribute to hopefully making it to the playoffs,” Skoog said. “It’s a process all the time, even for all the players.
“I think it’s more about where I see opportunities for myself. A little bit of what they say and what I myself think and believe. I think it feels like a good ‘fit’.”
Red Wings vice president of hockey operations Nicklas Lidstrom suggested it was likely that Skoog will begin the 2026-27 season with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. The Swede has enjoyed 18 and 22-goal seasons in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers.
“I expect to do my best,” Skoog said. “How it turns out is not something I think about. It’s about my performance. Then I’ll see what happens.”
He got a bite-sized sampling of the NHL last season and liked the taste. Skoog wants to sample some more of playing at the top of hockey’s food chain.
“To continue to develop, have fun, hopefully get to play more NHL games, and do well” are the items on Skoog’s to-do list. “It was a lot of fun at the end of last season with Florida.”
Excited to be a Swede Wearing the Winged Wheel
Skoog is well-versed in Swedish history with the Red Wings and is excited to be a cog in that wheel.
“It’s crazy fun,” Skoog said. “Everyone knows there have been a lot of Swedes there, and there still are. I’m looking forward to being a part of it and getting to know the guys in the Detroit organization.
“I’ve always looked up to “Lidas” [Lidstrom] and all those guys. I’ve personally never had a favorite team in the NHL, but I know some friends have Detroit as their favorite team and walked around with caps and jerseys from there.
“They’re happy now. I sent a message when everything was done and only got happy faces in response.”
The post Newest Red Wings Player Excited For Opportunity appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.
Continue reading...
