Month: March 2018

Articles from practice II: All about Svechnikov making the most of his chance(s)

Also of note in terms of articles penned by the Red Wings’ beat writers after today’s practice at Little Caesars Arena:

  1. Evgeny Svechnikov’s teammates and coach were not surprised that “Geno” scored his first NHL goal last night, as noted by Hockeybuzz’s Bob Duff…

“He’s played better every game he’s been up here, kind of adjusted to how he needs to play,” Detroit left-winger Justin Abdelkader said of Svechnikov. “He’s a big strong player that goes hard to the net, has some good skill and a good shot.”

In his seventh game since his recall from AHL Grand Rapids, Svechnikov scored his first NHL goal, but just as significantly, displayed that he is beginning to succinctly comprehend the type of game he must play in order to be a successful NHLer.

“I thought that was Svech’s best game since he’s been up,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. “I’ve talked lots about the chicken or the egg. Do you get ice time and produce, or do you earn the ice time? I thought he took a step in the right direction in terms of earning more ice time.”

Averaging 7:45 per game coming into Tuesday’s contest, Svechnikov played 8:38 against the Flyers.

“He needs to outplay other players, but I thought he was heavy on the puck and he got rewarded with a goal,” Blashill said.

2. The Free Press’s Helene St. James reports that coach Blashill wants Svechnikov to emulate Tyler Bertuzzi’s high-energy game…

Continue reading Articles from practice II: All about Svechnikov making the most of his chance(s)

Khan clarifies Libor Sulak’s situation

Red Wings prospects on Twitter noted that NHL.cz journalist Jakub Prchal stated that Libor Sulak was heading over to Detroit to join the Red Wings. MLive’s Ansar Khan clarified the situation:

Sulak update: Defense prospect Libor Sulak is coming to Detroit to have a medical issue checked, not to play for the Red Wings. If he’s cleared, he might join the Griffins. Sulak, 24, a free agent from the Czech Republic, had nine goals and 23 points for Pelicans of the Finnish League.

On billet families and the NTDP

The Plymouth Observer’s Tim Smith wrote a superb article discussing the roles that billet families play in the lives of Team USA’s National Team Development Program players:

The long journey for National Hockey League players such as Detroit Red Wings star forward Dylan Larkin involves plenty of God-given talent and a non-stop desire to excel.

But that quest often requires a necessary pit stop for players in the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, where Larkin cut his teeth before moving on to the University of Michigan and the NHL.

We’re talking about unsung heroes — billet families who provide stability, friendship and a calm-before-the-storm environment for the teenagers who spend two years hundreds and even thousands of miles from their actual homes.

The next Larkin, Patrick Kane or Auston Mathews goes through their paces on the ice in hopes of hearing their name called someday by an NHL general manager. Off the ice, they can’t get to that destination without down-to-earth people such as the Birchlers, McKendrys and Wrights, among many others.

They give unconditional love and friendship — and no matter where a player winds up, it’s as valuable to success as skating, stickhandling and sniping top shelf.

“My host family is a special group,” said Luke Martin, a defenseman in the NTDP from 2014-16 currently at the University of Michigan and drafted in 2017 by the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. “They made it (transition to U-M) incredibly easy on me. You have bad days while at the NTDP, but my host family understood that and made it easy to just come home and be myself around them.”

Smith continues at significant length…

Articles (and videos) from practice: On Svechnikov and snapping the winless streak

Updated at 2:54 PM: The Detroit Red Wings practiced in front of season ticket-holders on Wednesday, and while the Wings skated without Henrik Zetterberg, Trevor Daley, Mike Green and Luke Glendening, all four players will be available when the Wings host the Washington Capitals on Thursday.

Thus far, we have videos to examine, with articles from practice to come:

From the Red Wings’ Twitter account:

The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a clip of Svechnikov and coach Jeff Blashill speaking with the media as well:

Continue reading Articles (and videos) from practice: On Svechnikov and snapping the winless streak

Prospect news: Sulak possibly ‘coming over’; Walleye sign Kevin Lohan

Of prospect-related note:

1. Via Red Wings prospects on Twitter, it’s possible that Libor Sulak is going to join the Red Wings or Grand Rapids Griffins for a couple of games…

As NHL.cz’s Jakub Prchal reports that Sulak will be joining the Wings:

 

2. And the Toledo Walleye said they would acquire a big NCAA free agent defenseman after their trade with Brampton fell through, and the Walleye signed defenseman Kevin Lohan today:

WALLEYE ADD BIG COLLEGE DEFENSEMAN

(Toledo, OH) – Former University of Michigan defenseman Kevin Lohan has signed with the Toledo Walleye.

Lohan spent four years with the Wolverines until playing as a grad student this year for Boston College. The 6’5”, 220 pound defenseman completed this season with two goals, six assists and 10 penalty minutes with an impressive plus 14 in 22 games for the Eagles. Prior to that, the Cold Spring Harbor, New York native, spent four years at the University of Michigan, appearing in 64 games with a pair of goals, nine assists and 34 penalty minutes. He finished his college career with a total of 86 games with 19 points (4G, 15A), 44 penalty minutes and plus 31.

The 24 year old received a medical redshirt for the 2015-16 season when he skated in just two games for Michigan allowing to play a grad year at Boston College. Prior to his collegiate career, Lohan appeared in 54 games with the Merritt Centennials of the BCHL. In that one season, he scored five goals with 18 assists with 26 penalty minutes.

 

Tweets from practice: Season ticket-holder practice includes ‘maintenance days’ for Zetterberg, Daley, Green

The Red Wings hit the ice at Little Caesars Arena for practice just before noon on Wednesday, hoping to follow up their shootout win over Philadelphia with a strong performance against the Washington Capitals on Thursday.

Meanwhile, in Washington, per the Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan (Washington won a 4-3 decision over Dallas last night):

Continue reading Tweets from practice: Season ticket-holder practice includes ‘maintenance days’ for Zetterberg, Daley, Green

Freep report on Little Caesars Arena: attendance up(!), atmosphere a work in progress, and parking is too expensive

According to the Free Press’s Carlos Monarrez, the Red Wings and Pistons are actually doing a very good job of drawing fans to Little Caesars Arena..

The Red Wings and Pistons have records below .500 and they are both either entirely out of the playoff race or on the outside looking in. But if you go by attendance figures, the Wings and Pistons are having great seasons.

The Pistons have sold out six games this season, compared with just two sellouts in their final season at the Palace. They have drawn 603,128 fans and are averaging 17,232  — 20,491 is a sellout. They are on track to draw 706,521 fans over 41 regular-season games, which would be the most since they drew 768,826 in 2009-10.

The Wings expect to sell out their 41 regular-season games, with 19,515 marking a sellout.

There’s optimism the success will continue.  Both teams expect little change in ticket prices for next season. The Wings said the vast majority of ticket prices will stay the same or decrease, though they did not provide details on pricing or season-ticket renewals.

But the biggest issue for fans isn’t the lacking atmosphere, the empty seats because “fans are enjoying the arena amenities” or the fact that some of LCA’s seats are actually more “squished” than the Joe: it’s parking, with $20 or $30 not unheard of to park a car anywhere near the facility.

The day of the Wings-Golden Knights game on March 8, the only Olympia Development lots open were at the Fox Garage on Montcalm and the D Garage on Fisher Service Drive. Both lots were charging $30 and were two-tenths of a mile away with snow and temperatures in the 20s in the forecast.

For the Pistons-Chicago Bulls game March 9, parking ranged from $30 to $40.

According to the Wings, every lot and garage Olympia Development operates is open for Wings and Pistons games and concerts with nearly 8,000 parking spots available for as low as $5, depending on the event and proximity to the arena. The Wings encourage fans to reserve parking early through ParkWhiz.com.

There are other parking areas and lots not affiliated with Olympia Development, which the Wings acknowledge and said afford “far more parking options compared to Joe Louis Arena.” But as more people discover these options, they’re filling up as well.

Monarrez continues…

Mrazek wasn’t yelling at his coach when the Flyers pulled him

Petr Mrazek appeared to bark at his coach as Mrazek was pulled from last night’s Wings-Flyers game, so 97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burtchfield asked Mrazek about the exchange:

Mrazek was pulled about two minutes later after giving up a goal to Evgeny Svechnikov, the first of the rookie’s career, and the netminder appeared to have a few choice words for Hakstol when he arrived at the bench. After an animated back-and-forth, Mrazek stalked down the hallway toward the Flyers’ dressing room.

But Mrazek explained afterward he was merely asking Hakstol if the play was worth challenging for goalie interference. Mrazek had absorbed some contact from Dylan Larkin just prior to Svechnikov’s goal.

“It wasn’t anything like I was mad or something that I got pulled. I was just asking him if there was a goalie interference or not,” Mrazek said.

The 26-year-old Mrazek has been characteristically inconsistent in his time with the Flyers, who acquired him after their top two goalies went down with injuries. He won his first three starts while posting a save percentage of .947. Since then, he’s 2-5-1 with a .860 save percentage. Tuesday marked his second time being pulled for backup Alex Lyon.

Continued

Jimmy Devellano speaks with NHL.com’s Cotsonika regarding the Wings’ rebuild

NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika spoke with Red Wings VP Jimmy Devellano regarding the state of the Wings’ “rebuild on the fly”:

“Certainly I’m not in denial, and I would say to you Ken probably isn’t in denial either,” said senior vice president Jimmy Devellano, 75, part of the Red Wings’ front office since 1982. “We know where we’re at. We understand the state of our team. We are not surprised. We knew that it would eventually happen.”

The Red Wings made the playoffs for 25 straight seasons from 1990-91 to 2015-16. In that span, they won more games in the regular season (1,133) and playoffs (170) than anyone else. They won the Presidents’ Trophy six times, three times more than anyone else, and the Cup four times, tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for most. But thanks to success and trades, their average first pick in the NHL Draft was No. 38. That made it hard to restock elite talent.

They tried to keep the playoff streak going as long as possible. But when they saw it was about to end last season, Holland sold at the NHL Trade Deadline and collected picks. He did the same this season. They have 11 picks in the 2018 NHL Draft, including seven in the first three rounds and two in the first. The plan is to try to remain competitive, while playing out some contracts, working in some younger players, collecting more picks and finding the next generation of stars in the draft.

“For the Red Wings to rebuild, we need a lot of kicks at the can,” Devellano said. “They certainly all don’t come through, but if you have 10 or 11 picks, if three come through real good for you, that’s what counts.”

Devellano declined to comment on the futures of Holland and coach Jeff Blashill in a wide-ranging interview with NHL.com, but Holland and Blashill are expected to return.

Cotsonika continues…

Khan speaks with Shawn Horcoff regarding Rasmussen and Cholowski

MLive’s Ansar Khan spoke with Red Wings director of player development Shawn Horcoff regarding the progress made by Michael Rasmussen and Dennis Cholowski this season, in which Rasmussen captained the WHL’s Tri-City Americans and Cholowski played for the Prince George Cougars and Portland Winterhawks:

“These guys are focused,” Horcoff said. “They want to make that jump to the NHL soon, and are willing to do anything it takes to speed up that process.”

The 6-foot-6, 221-pound Rasmussen will get a good opportunity to make the roster next season as a 19-year-old. The Red Wings plan to use him at left wing in the spot vacated by the traded Tomas Tatar and eventually groom him to be a center, like they have with Larkin.

Rasmussen missed six weeks due to mid-season wrist surgery but led Tri-City in points per game (1.26) and power-play goals (17). He had 31 goals and 59 points in 47 games.

Taken ninth overall in 2017, he is the Red Wings’ highest selection since 1990. The organization covets his size and hands, which contribute to his scoring instincts around the net, and is looking for him to increase his strength and quickness.

“We got to be able to get his first couple strides quicker, so when he tries to pull away from a checker he’s going to be able to separate a little more, which will allow him to buy more time,” Horcoff said. “He took another step forward this year. There were times in junior hockey that he looked like he didn’t belong. He’s a guy we expect to come to camp and vie for a spot.”

Khan continues….