Helen St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports this afternoon that the destination for Swedish Elite League star Fabian Brunnstrom, 22, will likely be Detroit.

[ Edited 1/28 for clarity. Edited portions indicated in bold. ]

Brunnstrom, a free agent and classic 'late-bloomer' who went undrafted, had narrowed his list down to five NHL clubs: Detroit, Toronto, Vancouver, Anaheim and one other unnamed team.

The Red Wings have offered Brunnstrom an entry-level contract and Red Wings GM Ken Holland was in Sweden earlier this month to scout and meet with the Farjestad star. Brunnstrom, who turns 23 in two weeks and has been compared to the Ottawa Senators' Daniel Alfredsson, has eight goals and 32 points in 39 games so far this season.

Vancouver Canucks European Thomas Gradin scout had the following to say to the Vancouver Province on Friday regarding Brunnstrom:

"He has gone from a nobody to a player who really has made a name for himself. He has a lot of talent, for sure... He's a big player who can skate and he's a very fast skater for his size. He's a very good prospect."

Brunnstrom will not be able to sign a contract with the Red Wings until the conclusion of the Swedish Elite League schedule, which will occur sometime in late March or April.

While all NHL clubs can only offer Brunnstrom the rookie entry-level maximum salary of $850,000, teams are allowed to add performance bonuses into the deal that could potentially push the annual salary to over $3.5-million. Bonuses that high, however, are unlikely.

St. James mentions at the end of the blog entry that a source has said that the team is confident it will be Brunnstrom's final choice. She also adds that the feel from Brunnstrom's camp is that Detroit is his likely destination for next season.