Red Wings at the World Junior Championship: Day 1 TV schedule

The Detroit Red Wings’ 9 prospects participating in the World Championship will begin play in Edmonton today, and here’s the TV schedule for today’s games:

Czechia (Jan Bednar) vs. Slovakia, 2 PM EDT on TSN and the NHL Network;

Finland (Eemil Viro) vs. Latvia, 6 PM EDT on TSN and the NHL Network;

USA (Carter Mazur, Red Savage) vs. Germany, 10 PM EDT on TSN and the NHL Network.

#WorldJuniors GAME DAY:

Czechia 🇨🇿 🆚 Slovakia 🇸🇰: 2pm et on TSN 1/4

Latvia 🇱🇻 🆚 Finland 🇫🇮: 6pm et on TSN1

USA 🇺🇸 🆚 Germany 🇩🇪: 10pm et on TSN 1/4

Also LIVE on https://t.co/BQGeAnElqf and the TSN App: https://t.co/3PTSwVFR94#TSNHockey pic.twitter.com/ijQ2XLtL0L— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) August 9, 2022

The #WorldJuniors are BACK on NHL Network! Today’s triple header gets underway at 2pm ET with Slovakia vs. Czechia.

6pm ET – Finland vs. Latvia
10pm ET – Germany vs. @usahockey pic.twitter.com/fCyPM7T6Bj— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 9, 2022

A bit of praise for Jan Bednar as ‘one to watch’

Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala filed an article discussing several players to watch at the World Junior Championship, and his only Red Wings player included is Acadie-Bathurst Titan goaltender Jan Bednar:

Jan Bednar

Goalie | Catches left | Six-foot-four | 201 pounds | Detroit Red Wings (fourth round, 107th overall in 2020)

Team Czechia has a history of using more than one goalie at this event so it’s not a given that Bednar gets the net and keeps it. Having said that, the team will need big saves throughout the tournament and Bednar appears to have the most capable pedigree to give them a chance. This tournament could provide Bednar an opportunity to impress the Red Wings brass. He’s unsigned to date so he will want to prove he’s ready for a contract.

Continued; Bednar makes the big saves, but it’s his concentration and consistency that need work.

DHN’s Duff: Mixed reviews on the Wings’ draft picks from HockeyProspecting.com

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff asked HockeyProspecting.com‘s Byron Bader about the Red Wings’ prospect pool and 2022 draft picks, and Duff received mixed answers regarding the former and the latter:

“Their big strength is just the depth of the system,” said NHL Draft consultant Bader, founder of HockeyProspecting.com. “They have a ton of players in the system that have sort of NHLer potential, you could call it. And some star potential as well.”

Bader isn’t as certain about the depth of prospects who were Detroit’s selections in the 2022 NHL entry draft.

“In terms of their picks, their first three picks were okay, pretty decent value,” Bader assesses. “Then after that, it seemed like they got just a lot of low probability guys.

“Even a guy like (Marco) Kasper, who they took eighth overall. There were a lot of players at that point that show a lot better in my analytical models. When they take Kasper, there was so many players still there. There was (Matthew) Savoie, (Denton) Mateychuk, (Danila) Yurov, all these guys with super high NHLer probability and also star potential that were sitting there.”

Continued

Red Wings announce dates for prospect tournament, training camp

Per the Detroit Red Wings:

NHL PROSPECT TOURNAMENT AND RED WINGS TRAINING CAMP RETURN TO TRAVERSE CITY IN SEPTEMBER

  … Annual Training Camp Events Return to Centre ICE Arena from Sept. 15-26 …

DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman today announced that the Red Wings will return to Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City, Mich., to host the NHL Prospect Tournament and Training Camp, as well as the 2022 Training Camp Golf Classic at the Traverse City Country Club.

Continue reading Red Wings announce dates for prospect tournament, training camp

Two things: Regarding Edvinsson and Viro

Two more Red Wings-related World Junior Championship notes this morning:

  1. Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen posted a summary of the Red Wings’ prospects participating in the WJC this morning, and he notes this regarding one Simon Edvinsson:

Six-foot-six defenseman  Edvinsson should play for the Red Wings this season. Wallinder is another blue chip defensive prospect and Niederbach is one of the top forwards in the Detroit pipeline.

“When I was a little kid I always wanted to play in the World Junior Championship,” Edvinsson said. “I just played two games. That hunger goes a little bit more. It’s in the summer, I think that’s a good run-up to training camp to be prepared for the training camp. I always wanted to play in the World Juniors, always wanted to win one, too.”

Canada is the favorite, but the Swedes have an exceptional team. They launch their tournament Wednesday against Switzerland (2 p.m., NHL Network)

“After the World Juniors I think I’m going to go home and say goodbye to my family and everyone there and go straight up here (to Detroit) to fight for a spot,” Edvinsson said.

2. And MLive’s Ansar Khan posted an article about Eemil Viro, who will man Finland’s blueline before coming to Detroit to compete for a roster spot, though he’s likely to start the season in Grand Rapids:

“(The Red Wings) said to get ready in battles, to get ready to come and play here,” Viro said. “The rink is smaller and there’s going to be more competition in the corners. I needed to be better at that. Of course, the game is going to be a lot faster, hit harder in the battles. I’m really looking forward to that.”

Before [training camp], Viro, 20, will represent Finland at the World Junior Championship, which starts today in Edmonton.

The Red Wings’ sixth selection in 2020 (70th overall in the third round) will participate in his first NHL training camp next month and possibly play in some preseason games before being assigned to the Griffins. He’ll join a blueline that includes fellow prospects Jared McIsaac, Donovan Sebrango, Albert Johansson, Seth Barton and possibly 2021 top pick Simon Edvinsson.

Playing in Finland’s top men’s league for 2½ seasons with TPS Turku, including two long playoff runs, helped him prepare.

“I think defensively I got a lot better,” Viro said. “I think the season was also good. The team was playing well and got better in the end and got to the finals, but we lost.”

Is the NHL ‘rigged’ against the Red Wings?

I don’t know how to frame this one. The Athletic’s Sean McIndoe, a.k.a. Down Goes Brown, declares whether the NHL is “rigged” for or against each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams, and he offers this bluster about the Red Wings:

Detroit Red Wings: The NHL never forgave the dynasty-era Red Wings for drafting so well in the later rounds and has been making sure they get screwed in every draft lottery of the modern era. But smash a Red Wing’s face into the glass or into the boards and the league is pretty much fine with it.

Verdict: League rigged against you

Continued; the salary cap is certainly “rigged” against the Red Wings’ financial clout, and yes, I get pissed off about the Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Kronwall, etc. incidents…

But the league is not “rigged” against any team. The Department of Player Safety has been terrible of late to every team in the NHL.

Two things: Simon Edvinsson is ‘one ot watch’ at the World Juniors

Of Red Wings-related World Junior Championship note this morning:

  1. The Sporting News’s Bryan Murphy posted a list of 10 prospects to watch at the World Junior Championship, which begins in Edmonton today, and #1 on his list is one Simon Edvinsson…

1. Simon Edvinsson, D, Sweden: If there’s one player outside of the North American teams that is a must-watch, it’s Edvinsson. The towering defenseman for Sweden was taken by the Red Wings with the No. 6 pick in the 2021 draft.

Edvinsson excels in all three zones of the ice. Not only can he play physically, but his long stride allows him to be a strong puck carrier. He ended his 2021-22 campaign with 19 points in 44 games for Frölunda HC of the SHL. The Swede should be in the running for best defenseman at the World Juniors.

2. And Edvinsson is named in Future Considerations’ Austin Broad’s “Prospects to Watch” as well:

Simon Edvinsson, D, Detroit Red Wings: Sweden always has a strong defense group and this roster is no different, and the headliner has to be Simon Edvinsson. He’s a smooth-skating, two-way defender who can drive play from the backend. Edvinsson has all the skills and physical traits to be top tier NHL defender and after he was a force in Sweden’s two games during the December tournament. Detroit Red Wings fans can expect him to take another big step this time around.

A ‘hard pass’ from me on these theoretical Barzal deals

The hockey world has been on a low buzz regarding the concept that the New York Islanders somehow have to clear cap space to sign Nazem Kadri as an unrestricted free agent, and the Hockey News’s Lyle “Spector” Richardson notes that there’s been a particular trade pitched repeatedly, in several forms:

Rumors have linked the New York Islanders to Nazem Kadri for several weeks now. Given their need to free up salary-cap space if they’re to sign the 31-year-old center, it’s been suggested they move Mathew Barzal in a cost-cutting trade.

Boston Hockey Now’s Jimmy Murphy recently took to Twitter pitching a hypothetical deal that sends the 25-year-old Barzal to the Detroit Red Wings. He felt it would help the Isles win now by clearing space for Kadri while addressing their future with a return of promising youth from the Wings.

Barzal is slated to become a restricted free agent next summer with arbitration rights. He’ll also be a year away from unrestricted free agent eligibility. Murphy’s colleague Stefan Rosner reported there’s been no word of contract extension talks between the young center and Isles management.

Barzal indicated he’d love to sign a long-term deal during his end-of-season media session. Nevertheless, Rosner believes it’s important for the Isles to determine if he remains part of their long-term future. They don’t want to see him depart as a free agent like John Tavares did four years ago.

The Red Wings, meanwhile, have to deal with Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi as both forwards are slated to become UFAs next summer. If one or both appear headed to market, perhaps Wings management would be interested in trading for Barzal.

That’s a hard pass from me. It’s frickin’ August, and the Red Wings have until next July to sign Larkin, a Michigander who happens to be the captain, and Bertuzzi, who’s very explicitly said he wants to stay. Why would they move either one, even given how dynamic Barzal is as a player?

Dan Cleary weighs in on the Red Wings’ WJC prospects with NHL.com’s Kimelman

Red Wings assistant director of player development Daniel Cleary spoke with NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman regarding the fact that the Wings are represented by 9 prospects at the World Junior Championship:

“We’ve had a lot of a lot of draft capital the last number of years, our amateur scouts did a great job and it’s been great to work with some of these young guys,” Red Wings assistant director of player development Dan Cleary said. “We’ve got some talented players coming through that should come to fruition here within a year, two years, next year.”

Topping that list is their two picks from the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft, Sweden defenseman Simon Edvinsson (No. 6) and Canada goalie Sebastian Cossa (No. 15). Edvinsson had 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) and averaged 19:42 of ice time in 44 gams with Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League last season, and a strong tournament could give the 19-year-old a jumpstart on earning an NHL roster spot this season.

“Simon is an excellent prospect,” Cleary said. “He’s big (6-foot-4, 198 pounds), he skates effortlessly, he’s confident, he’s got good puck skills. He was off to a great start last year and he played great in Frolunda at 19. It’s not an easy league to play in and he played very well for one of the best teams in the league. We’ll see what happens in September. Our team is better, but certainly if Simon comes in and plays the way I believe he can play, I don’t see any reason why not.”

Cossa was the third goalie for Canada when the tournament was held in December but could see an elevated role after the 19-year-old was 33-9-3 with a 2.28 goals-against average and .913 save percentage in 46 regular-season games for Edmonton, and had a .919 save percentage and five shutouts in 19 playoff games to help Edmonton win the Western Hockey League championship.

“I’m really excited for him,” Cleary said. “His attitude in terms of preparation was great. After development camp [July 10-14], he stayed a few weeks later to get a lot of good prep work with our goaltending [development staff]. … You’re just one of the team. That’s the way we want him to go into it and go and just work hard and be a great teammate. Just go in and do your job and let the chips fall where they may. Be willing to do your job and you’ll be in the net.”

Other Red Wings prospects playing in the tournament are goalie Jan Bednar (Czechia); defensemen Donovan Sebrango (Canada), Eemil Viro (Finland) and William Wallinder (Sweden); and forwards Carter Mazur (United States), Theodor Niederbach (Sweden), Redmond Savage (United States).

“I think anybody who’s a Red Wings fan, part of our organization, should be really excited as well,” Cleary said.

Continued