No. 16: Red Wings Played Patient Game With James

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Editor’s Note: This is the 16th installment of a Detroit Hockey Now series assessing the Detroit Red Wings’ prospects’ path to the NHL. The emphasis will be on what their chances are of playing regularly in the NHL and when we can expect to see them wearing the Winged Wheel.

Dylan James

Position: Left Wing

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NHL Draft status: 40th, 2022

Detroit Hockey Now Ranking: No. 16 Red Wings prospect

Hgt./Wgt: 6-0, 182 pounds

Age/Experience: 22, 2 AHL games.

Dylan James doesn’t fit the usual NHL prospect mold. Generally, when an NHL-drafted player spends all four of his eligible seasons playing NCAA hockey, it’s not a good sign of his potential as a pro prospect. In the case of James, that four-year stay was all part of the plan.

“I wanted to go back to North Dakota for my senior year,” said James, selected 40th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. “I mean, that place is so special.

“Obviously, I wanted to grow my game offensively, and I did that. So I was happy with that.”

He’s pleased that the Red Wings have allowed him to evolve at his own pace.

“Some teams rush their prospects just to, I guess, own their rights once they’re signed,” James said. “Detroit allowed me to go back my senior year. It was, I guess, a little risky on their part. But yeah, I was grateful for it.”

Last Season

James improved his offensive output in each of his four seasons at North Dakota. In 2025-26, his senior season, he scored a career-high 21 goals.

“A little bit of it was opportunity,” James said. “I wasn’t on the power play for the first three years of college. So senior year I got that power-play opportunity, and that helped me just gain confidence, even five-on-five, too.

“We had a new coaching staff. They were great with teaching us the offensive side of things and how to score more.”

Moving to the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins following his college season, a guy known for his defense was contributing to the offense. In two AHL games, James scored two goals.

Three Reasons Why James Will Play in the NHL

  1. He’s a stellar penalty killer. A strong skater, James uses his speed to take away time and space.
  2. James is a physical presence on the forecheck, pressuring defensemen into committing turnovers.
  3. Coaches can trust his game without the puck.

What May Hold Him Back

By taking four years to develop, James is coming into his first pro season at the age of 22. His window of opportunity to move up the ladder will be shorter than some of his compatriots with the AHL Griffins.

He has the skating ability, the defensive acumen, and the 200-foot game. The question that James will need to answer to make the show is whether he can generate enough offense to be an effective player at the NHL level.

ETA

As noted, he’s already 22. In fact, James will turn 23 in October. His hockey biological clock is ticking.

If he’s not knocking on the door to move up to the Red Wings by the end of his second AHL season, it doesn’t bode well for James having an NHL future.

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