Red Wings-Penguins prospect tournament Tweetcap: Detroit’s prospects lose 4-3 to Pittsburgh’s penalty-killers

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects battled the Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospects on Sunday night at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center, with both teams playing in their second of three games at the Red Wings’ 2026 Prospect Tournament.

Detroit would ultimately lose a 4-3 decision to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospects thanks to some spectacular penalty-killing from the Pens in a penalty-filled game, and Pittsburgh rallied from a 2-1 deficit and 3-3 tie thanks to a terribly unlucky “own goal” in which Kienan Draper accidentally redirected a Jordan Charron shot through Wings goaltender Michal Orsulak’s legs.

It was a frustrating game for the Wings’ prospects, who started out on fire, but faded down the stretch as the Penguins’ PK sapped Detroit’s momentum.

PREGAME: The Red Wings dressed the following lineup, with no Nate Danielson or Anton Johansson on the roster this evening, and Orsulak starting in goal:

Continue reading Red Wings-Penguins prospect tournament Tweetcap: Detroit’s prospects lose 4-3 to Pittsburgh’s penalty-killers

Griffins coach Dan Watson discusses evaluating the Red Wings’ prospects during Detroit’s 2026 prospect tournament

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills offers a recap of yesterday night’s 4-3 Red Wings’ prospects victory over the Dallas Stars’ prospects, and the most pertinent remarks come from Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson, who’s managing Detroit’s bench for the duration of the prospect tournament:

Behind Detroit’s bench for the fourth straight NHL Prospect Tournament, Grand Rapids Griffins head coach Dan Watson noted he’ll be in “evaluation mode” over these next few days.

“I will say that for sure,” Watson said. “I’m looking to see what their skillsets are, maybe what roles they can fill. I saw [Dylan] James and [Kienan] Draper there — they were the first ones over the boards for penalty kill. Everyone’s got a role to fill in GR, and I’m just trying to see where everyone’s going to fit and what they can bring to our team.”

Although these games don’t count in the standings, they matter a great deal to all the youngsters who are trying to take the next step. And with only four preseason contests before the NHL’s newly expanded 84-game regular-season schedule begins next month, that leaves less room than before to prove oneself.

“It’s great to get those games and come into Camp as ready as you can be,” defenseman Anton Johansson said. “You have games under your legs, and you know what it’s all about.”

Continue reading Griffins coach Dan Watson discusses evaluating the Red Wings’ prospects during Detroit’s 2026 prospect tournament

The NHL Network names Moritz Seider its 30th ‘Best Player Right Now’

Update: Per NHL.com:

30. Moritz Seider, D, Detroit Red Wings

Seider set NHL career bests in goals (10), assists (50), points (60), power-play points (28) and average time on ice (25:40) while playing all 82 games for the fifth straight season. His streak of 410 consecutive games played is second among active NHL defensemen (Brent Burns, 1,007) and tied for fifth among all active skaters. The 25-year-old was the first Detroit defenseman to have a 60-point season since Nicklas Lidstrom had 62 in 2010-11. He also led Red Wings defensemen with 180 blocked shots and was second with 128 hits, and finished fifth in voting for the Norris Trophy as the League’s top defenseman. The Red Wings were a different team with Seider on the ice — his 53.2 percent shot attempts percentage (SAT%) at 5-on-5 this season was higher than Detroit’s overall 49.2 percent SAT%.

Trey Augustine’s ready for a big transition from college to pro hockey

Red Wings prospect goaltender Trey Augustine’s “turning pro” for his first full season with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins this fall, and Augustine told MLive’s Ansar Khan that he’s very aware of the fact that he’s no longer a college student at Michigan State University…

“It has been my job for a while, but even more so now, it’s definitely a job,” Augustine said. “But I’m looking forward to the ups and downs that come with that.”

Augustine, 21, is preparing for his first full pro season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, after joining the AHL club in April. He made 26 saves in regulation and overtime and stopped all eight shootout attempts Saturday in a 4-3 victory over Dallas in the NHL Prospects Tournament. He’ll take part in his first pro training camp starting Thursday at Little Caesars Arena. Then he’ll join Michal Postava in Grand Rapids.

“It’s a new chapter in my life,” Augustine, selected 41st overall in 2023, said. “I’m just really excited to be a professional hockey player and really excited to be part of this organization.”

And Griffins coach Dan Watson explained to Khan that the differences between school-age structure and the structure (and lack thereof) surrounding professional hockey is a stark change for even the best-prepared athletes to deal with:

Continue reading Trey Augustine’s ready for a big transition from college to pro hockey

Tweet of note: a ‘tough act to follow’

In a lighthearted post on Twitter/X, the Red Wings’ social media crew asked its prospect tournament participants who they’d like to see play them in a movie:

Red Wings prospect Carter Bear’s ready to put the work in to turn pro

Red Wings prospect Carter Bear was dominant in yesterday’s 4-3 shootout victory over the Dallas Stars’ prospects, firing 10 shots on Arno Tiefensee, and Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson’s takes on Bear’s performance, as well as some commentary from Bear himself:

“He goes to the net,” Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson said. “He has no problem going to the hard areas, whether it’s digging along the wall, in the corners, or around the net front.”

This will be Bear’s first season in pro hockey, likely playing for Watson and the Griffins. He knows it’s going to be a quantum leap stepping up from junior. Bear is doing his utmost to be prepared for his new reality.

“I think obviously it’s pro now,” Bear said. “That’s a whole new level of hockey. Way different than junior. It’s faster, so you gotta be smarter and stronger.”

One thing about Bear is that he’s a good listener. Another positive quality is that he is also asking lots of questions.

“I talk to [Red Wings development director] Dan Cleary a lot,” Bear said. “What they want me to work on, for sure.”

Author of 76 goals over the past two seasons with the WHL Everett Silvertips, the Red Wings are counting on Bear to bring that offensive game to the NHL while operating as a power forward.

Continued

A final bit of praise for Patrick Kane from Red Wings forward/former teammate Alex DeBrincat

The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus posted one more column based upon player comments made during the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour in Las Vegas this past week, this time with a focus on Lazerus’ beat covering the Chicago Blackhawks. Lazerus noted the following from Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat regarding his former teammate, Patrick Kane:

DeBrincat thinks Kane has plenty left in the tank at age 37.

“He’s got a lot more than people give him credit for,” DeBrincat said at the NHL/NHLPA player media tour in Las Vegas. “Everyone thinks he was a great player, and I think he still is a great player. He’s still almost a point per game, the way he still controls the play and makes passes and slows it down. He’s obviously still a power-play guy, can really run your power play. And even his battle intensity — it’s not like he’s lost any of that. He’s still so competitive and wants to be the best and wants to win.”

…

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson, who decided to cut ties with the team’s championship era in 2023 by trading Kane and not re-signing Toews, is now counting on Kane to help Chicago get back into the playoff conversation for the first time since his heyday.

“I think Chicago’s lucky to have him,” DeBrincat said. “Obviously, we wish he was still in Detroit, but I guess if he’s going anywhere, it’s probably good he’s going back there. All the fans will treat him well there.”

Continued (paywall) with more Blackhawks news; I’m going to miss Kane’s presence as an on-ice and off-ice “rink rat” the most. Kane was constantly developing and redeveloping his skill set in Detroit, putting in extra work after every practice, and he set a fine example for the Red Wings’ younger players to emulate.

I hope that they continue to attempt to hone their respective skill sets and try to get better without Kane here to set an example as to how hard one must work to remain a great NHL player.

Bultman suggests that the Red Wings’ GM search has involved a failure to communicate

The Athletic’s Max Bultman weighs in regarding the “murky situation” that the Red Wings find themselves in as the team operates without a general manager, discussing the next GM’s to-do list…

Even if the Red Wings do announce a new general manager before the team’s first official practice on Thursday, the window for a smooth transition has passed. A new head of hockey operations will be stepping onto a moving treadmill with little time to plan.

Granted, there is really only one “must” before the season when it comes to the roster: a new deal for Simon Edvinsson, who is set to do the Red Wings a huge favor by reporting to camp without a contract. He’ll still need a signed deal to play when the season begins, so an agreement remains urgent business. But knowing their top-pair defenseman won’t miss crucial practice time buys the Red Wings more runway.

With the rest of the roster in place and coach Todd McLellan providing continuity behind the bench, the Red Wings’ players can go about their business preparing for the season. That’s the good news. But whether it’s handling [Dylan] Larkin, the future of leading scorer Alex DeBrincat — whose contract expires at the end of this season — or any other organizational changes that a new GM might normally make upon arrival, the time to address those matters in the quiet of summer has passed.

Bultman suggests that the uncertainty around finding the team’s next hockey executive cast a shadow upon the start of the Red Wings’ prospect tournament, and while Bultman argues that the Red Wings’ head managerial job does hold a certain elite appeal…

He suggests that the Wings have bumbled the search in terms of communicating its progress with the media and public. He’s 100% right there:

Continue reading Bultman suggests that the Red Wings’ GM search has involved a failure to communicate

HSJ in the morning: Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine’s prepared to embrace the challenges of turning pro

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects defeated the Dallas Stars‘ prospects 4-3 in a shootout on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center.

Prospect goaltender Trey Augustine gave up 3 goals, but also stopped 26 shots and 8 shootout shooters en route to the victory, so the Free Press’s Helene St. James profiles the first-year pro this morning:

The 21-year-old from South Lyon is entering his first full season of pro hockey, and this tournament is a good warm-up for the opening of the Wings’ main training camp, which runs Sept. 17-20.

“There’s nothing like playing games definitely for younger guys including myself coming in here,” Augustine said. “It’s really exciting. It’s a new chapter of my life now and I’m just really excited to be a professional hockey player. I’m really excited to be part of this organization.”

Augustine told St. James that he’s ready to prepare to play in Grand Rapids this upcoming season, knowing at least something about the city and team after spending a chunk of last spring with the Griffins:

Continue reading HSJ in the morning: Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine’s prepared to embrace the challenges of turning pro

Red Wings-Stars prospect tournament wrap-up: Detroit rallies for a 4-3 shootout victory over Dallas

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects kicked off the 2026 prospect tournament with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Dallas Stars’ prospects, rallying from a 3-1 deficit to force overtime and an 8-round shootout in which Kienan Draper was the only scorer.

Jesse Kiiskinen, Noah Dower Nilsson and Theo Rochette scored the regulation time goals for Detroit, and Trey Augustine stopped 26 shots and 8 shootout shooters en route to the win.

MLive’s Ansar Khan spoke to Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson about the game.

Watson’s running the prospects’ bench for Detroit, which will play games against Pittsburgh on Sunday (7 PM EDT) and Columbus on Tuesday (2 PM EDT; both streamed on DetroitRedWings.com).

Watson told Khan that Draper, who’s signed to an AHL contract with the Griffins, stepped up in a big way:

“It was fun to see the guys go and great for Kienan,” Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson said. “He called his shot. He told us, ‘I’ve got the next one, guys. And he delivered. So good for him.”

Goals by Noah Dower Nilsson (5:27 remaining) and Theo Rochette (1:14 to play) in the final six minutes of regulation enabled the Red Wings to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Augustine stopped all eight Stars shooters in the shootout after making 26-of-29 saves in regulation and overtime. The former Michigan State standout and Red Wings top goaltending prospect will start his pro career in earnest this season with the Griffins.

Continue reading Red Wings-Stars prospect tournament wrap-up: Detroit rallies for a 4-3 shootout victory over Dallas