As bad as 2019 was for the Red Wings on the ice (and it truly was among the worst years in memory), one of the few positives to come from it was a farm system that continued to grow.



In June, the Red Wings added a top defense prospect in the first round of the NHL Draft, and then, led by three picks in the second round, added four more of their top 12 overall prospects the following day. Elsewhere, players already in the system (including 2018 first-rounders Filip Zadina and Joe Veleno) continued developing, to the point where Veleno played a leading role for Canada’s recent world junior victory and Zadina has comfortably slotted into the NHL. And with the way this season has gone, they’ll be adding another high-end prospect courtesy of next summer’s draft, too.



The Red Wings aren’t likely to reap the rewards of most of that progress any time soon, of course. But as the team’s rebuild rolls on, a deepening prospect pool is one of the...