Fourth Overall Pick in 2020 NHL Entry Draft Has Recorded 174 Points in 238 Games
The Detroit Red Wings today re-signed right wing Lucas Raymond to an eight-year contract with an average annual value of $8.075 million.
Raymond, 22, skated in all 82 games with the Red Wings during the 2023-24 season and ranked among the team leaders with 31 goals (2nd), 41 assists (2nd), 72 points (1st), six power play goals (4th), 16 power play points (6th), three overtime goals (T1st), four game-winning goals (T3rd), 163 shots (3rd) and a 19.0 shooting percentage (1st). The 5-foot-11, 188-pound forward also paced the Red Wings with 21 multi-point games, including his second career hat trick on April 11 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Raymond became the first Detroit skater to lead the team in points at season’s end at age 22-or-younger since Dylan Larkin, who did so in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Additionally, Raymond is the fourth Red Wings player in the previous 30 years to score at least 30 goals in a season at age 22-or-younger, joining Larkin (32 in 2018-19), Vyacheslav Kozlov (34 in 1993-94) and Keith Primeau (31 in 1993-94).
Raymond showed a 27-point improvement from his sophomore campaign, when he recorded 45 points (17-28-45) and 24 penalty minutes in 74 games during the 2022-23 season. He was named the NHL’s Second Star for the week ending Jan. 15, 2023 after logging seven points (3-4-7) in a three-game span from Jan. 10-14. Raymond made his NHL debut in 2021-22, collecting 57 points (23-34-57) and 16 penalty minutes in 82 games en route to being selected to the All-Rookie Team and placing fourth in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which was awarded to Red Wings teammate Moritz Seider. Raymond was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for November 2021 after leading all rookies in goals (5), assists (7) and points (12) in 14 games. Selected by Detroit in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Raymond became the Red Wings’ highest draft pick since the team chose Keith Primeau third overall in 1990. In total, Raymond has compiled 174 points (71-103-174) and 70 penalty minutes in 238 NHL games, which is the second-highest point total in his draft class behind Tim Stützle.
Prior to arriving in North America, Raymond played in parts of three seasons with Frölunda HC, based out of his hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden. Raymond made his professional debut in the Swedish Hockey League at age 16, notching 33 points (14-19-33), a plus-13 rating and 16 penalty minutes in 87 games from 2018-21. He also won back-to-back Champions Hockey League titles with Frölunda in 2019 and 2020. Raymond developed in Frölunda’s system, totaling 62 points (16-46-62) and 32 penalty minutes in 54 games with the under-20 team, adding 84 points (38-46-84) and 20 penalty minutes in 56 games with the under-18 squad and accumulating 151 points (71-80-151) and 60 penalty minutes over 72 games at the under-16 level.
On the international stage, Raymond won a bronze medal at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, recording nine points (4-5-9) in 10 games. Raymond also represented his country at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, tallying eight points (2-6-8) in eight appearances. He competed in back-to-back IIHF World Junior Championships in 2020 and 2021, earning a bronze medal at the 2020 tournament. Raymond led Sweden to a gold medal at the 2019 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, where he racked up eight points (4-4-8) in seven games, including a hat trick and overtime winner in the gold medal game against Russia. He captured a bronze medal at the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, registering seven points (4-3-7) in six games, and also won a silver medal at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup with a team-leading seven points (5-2-7) in five games.