WJSS Tweet of note: Plante’s in and Hurlbert’s out for Team USA vs. Team Canada

Per Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis, the Americans and Canadians have released their roster for tonight’s World Junior Summer Showcase finale, and Victor Plante remains in Team USA’s lineup, but JP Hurlbert is sitting tonight:

Update: Team USA confirms:

Preparing for a ‘worst-case scenario’ when it comes to trading Dylan Larkin

Sports Illustrated’s establishing a blog dedicated to Red Wings coverage, which is always good (more coverage is better coverage), but it’s mostly posted articles involving “lists.”

Today, SI’s Nathan Smith discusses the “3 Worst-Case Scenarios” for the Red Wings this upcoming season, and I honestly believe that this one is going to come to pass thanks to Detroit’s GM search (and the fact that Detroit needs to find “equal value” for their disgruntled captain):

Dylan Larkin Trade Saga Finds no Conclusion Into the Regular Season

This off-season in Detroit has been relatively quiet in terms of player moves, but it has been filled with speculation and discussion, primarily focused on captain Dylan Larkin and his trade request. When Larkin first made his request, he named three teams to which he would accept a trade: the Minnesota Wild, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Florida Panthers. He later added the Dallas Stars to that list, which has limited the Red Wings organization’s ability to negotiate a deal.

Again, it’s Helene St. James’ word (Larkin hasn’t added Dallas to his list) vs. Ansar Khan’s word here (Larkin added Dallas to his list), so there’s not really a consensus here…

It’s now August, and a resolution has not been found; there are still two full months to go before the regular season begins, and there’s some expectation that an end to this saga isn’t anywhere in sight. With the departure of Steve Yzerman, there have also been some suggestions that Larkin could change his mind, but with so much being said by all parties this off-season, the overwhelming expectation in Detroit is that a trade is still coming.

Again, I don’t see Larkin changing his mind due to the managerial shake-up in Detroit. Especially given the ownership’s tendencies regarding trade requests, once you’re asking “out,” you’re “out.”

Continue reading Preparing for a ‘worst-case scenario’ when it comes to trading Dylan Larkin

Three Tweet things: On the NHLPA Rookie Showcase, Guimond’s records and Raymond’s ranking

Of Red Wings Twitter-based note this afternoon:

  1. Trey Augustine and Carter Bear make multiple appearances in this 2:45 highlight clip from the NHLPA Rookie Showcase in Chicago:

2. Red Wings prospect and incoming Harvard freshman Rudy Guimond is leaving a heck of a legacy in the QMJHL…

3. And I’m guessing that the answer to this one is, “No,” mostly because there were players who had flashier seasons than Raymond (and yes, this means that the NHL Network’s going to release its lists of best left wings, centers, right wings, defensemen and goaltenders over the next couple of weeks):

Bonus Tweet: Is this just Trolling?

Anton Johansson’s ready to ‘make the jump’ to the NHL

Red Wings prospect Anton Johansson was on the ice with his hometown team, Leksands IF, for their “ice premiere” yesterday. Today, the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a profile of Johansson, a 22-year-old right-shooting D who stands at 6’4″ and 196 pounds:

The likely path [for Johansson] is beginning the season in Grand Rapids, learning the North American professional game with the Griffins, and then graduating to the NHL and the Red Wings.

Defenseman Anton Johansson realizes that probably will be the road he’ll take after September’s training camp. Johansson has already played a handful games with the Griffins, including an impressive performance in April during the AHL playoffs. But like any young player, Johansson, 22, is already dreaming about wearing the Wings’ sweater in the NHL.

“You have high expectations of yourself and the team,” Johansson said during his season-ending interview with reporters. “I’m looking forward to getting started. I want to (have) a great season and hopefully make a debut (in the NHL).”

Continue reading Anton Johansson’s ready to ‘make the jump’ to the NHL

Press release: Grand Rapids Griffins sign goaltender Jonathan Lemieux to a 1-year contract

Per the Grand Rapids Griffins:

GRIFFINS INK JONATHAN LEMIEUX TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins signed goaltender Jonathan Lemieux to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2026-27 season.

Lemieux competed in 26 games last season with the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings, totaling an 11-9-4 record with a 2.95 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. In addition, the 25-year-old made his AHL debut with the Abbotsford Canucks in 2025-26 and logged a 0-0-1 ledger with a 2.82 GAA and a .902 save percentage in two outings. The fourth-year pro has appeared in 105 ECHL outings with Kalamazoo since 2023-24 and has produced a 42-44-11 record with four shutouts, a 2.96 GAA and a .907 save percentage.

Prior to turning pro, Lemieux was named the 2022-23 USports OUA East Goaltender and Rookie of the Year when he notched a 16-4-0 record, three shutouts, a 1.98 GAA and a .933 save percentage in 21 games with Concordia University. The 6-foot-1 netminder also competed in six seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Val-d’Or Foreurs (2017-21), Saint John Sea Dogs (2021-22) and Moncton Wildcats (2021-22). Throughout 184-career QMJHL games, Lemieux possessed a 78-75-18 mark with three shutouts, a 3.69 GAA and an. 895 save percentage. He had his best QMJHL season in 2020-21 when he was named to the Second All-Star Team with a 20-2-2 record to go along with a 1.96 GAA and a .920 save percentage in 24 games with Val-d’Or. Also in 2020-21, Lemieux led Val-d’Or to the QMJHL Finals with an 11-4 postseason record, a 1.95 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 15 games.

Duff: Detroit’s logo and jersey are the ‘most distinctive’ in the NHL

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff reports that a sports branding company called “Distinctive Bat” conducted a survey which concluded that the Detroit Red Wings’ logo and jersey are the most recognizable logo and jersey in the NHL:

The Red Wings come out top in both the logo and jersey distinctiveness stakes. Among other NHL teams, the Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers also consistently featured in the top five.

“Across both logos and jerseys, a clear pattern emerges – some NHL brands are almost instantly retrieved in memory,” Freddie Bell, Research Director at Distinctive BAT, said in a statement. “Others require greater mental processing before they can be correctly attributed.”

That isn’t necessary when the Red Wings are the subject.

“Detroit’s iconic red winged-wheel logo is a near-literal visual expression of the team name,” Bell said. “The asset and the brand name occupy much the same mental territory. Fans don’t need to perform any interpretation to connect one with another.”

Similarly, the San Jose Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs all benefit from the synergy between what the team is called and what consumers see.

“Taken together, these results point to a broader principle,” Bell said. “Brands become easier to identify when their visual and verbal assets reinforce the same memory structure, rather than requiring people to create new ones.”

Continued; a Red Wing is a Red Wing is a Red Wing. James Norris, Detroit’s first owner, imported the logo if his Montreal “Winged Wheelers” hockey club, flipping it from a vertical logo to a horizontal wing, and the rest is history.

Should the Red Wings utilize their ‘centennial jersey’ as their 3rd/alternate jersey?

The Athletic asked its NHL beat writers to revive retired jerseys from every NHL team, and Max Bultman believes that the Red Wings’ 100th anniversary jersey should remain in rotation:

Detroit Red Wings

2025-26 centennial jersey

Realistically, the centennial jersey had a purpose, and that purpose has already been served. But would it make any sense for Detroit to keep it as an alternate? It was gorgeous and adds some sizzle while remaining faithful to the iconic winged wheel design and paying homage to the franchise’s history. That would make it a worthy candidate to stay in the rotation, even if it’s unlikely. — Max Bultman

Continued (paywall)

It’s ‘ice premiere’ time in Europe, and here’s Anton Johansson taking part in Leksands IF’s ‘ispremiar’

I’m not much of one for “proof of life” photos, but SHL teams are already making their first appearances on the ice to practice in front of fans, and Falu-Kuriren’s Viggo Ekbejar posted a photo of Red Wings prospect Anton Johansson and Winnipeg Jets forward Isak Rosen taking part in Hockeyallsvenskan team Leksands IF’s “Ispremiar”:

Twitter video: Profiling JP Hurlbert

Via the Red Wings’ Twitter/”X” account comes a CHL.ca 1:45 profile of Red Wings prospect and incoming University of Michigan freshman J.P. Hurlbert, who spent this past season with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. Hurlbert posted in 68 regular season games for Kamloops, posting 42 goals, 55 assists and 97 points:

Banking on ‘D’

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen argues that the Red Wings must rely on their team defense to improve if the team is to enter the 2026-2027 season without having added a goal-scoring forward (or two):

Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson are still young enough that they are improving significantly each season. The Red Wings will benefit for the entire season from Justin Faulk’s two-way game. Albert Johansson is as competitive as anyone on the team. And what if 6-foot-4 rookie defenseman William Wallinder is as steady and effective as scouts believe he can be? This defense could be very good.

If John Gibson plays as impressively well as he did last December, the Red Wings will have a chance be in the race even if they can’t score like the 1980s Edmonton Oilers.

Gibson was 25-15-3 with a 2.45 goals-against average and .912 save percentage in his last 44 games. Last season, the league-wide save percentage was .896.

Continue reading Banking on ‘D’