Month: April 2018

Twitter report: Griffins sign Sarnia Sting goalie Justin Fazio to Amateur Try-Out deal

Via Mark MacDonald on Twitter, CHOK Radio Sarnia’s Josh Boyce reports that Sarnia Sting goaltender Justin Fazio has signed an Amateur Try-Out (ATO) with the Grand Rapids Griffins:

Fazio, a 20-year-old who’s 6’1″ and 189 pounds, played 51 games for the Sting this past season, going 37-11-and-3 with a 2.85 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.

He’ll probably serve as a Black Ace and goaltender on the Griffins’ practice squad; he signed an ATO with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers last spring, ultimately spending his spring with the ECHL’s Reading Royals.

NHLPA hits the “Way Back Machine,” posts Fedorov interview from 2004

The NHLPA has been posting videos from its early 2000’s-era “Be a Player” show, and today, they posted a video of Sergei Fedorov from 2004, who was then a member of the Anaheim Ducks. In retrospect, the 23-minute video is campy, but it’s an interesting “watch”:

 

A bit about Dylan McIlrath and Joe Hicketts’ professional aspirations

Ahead of the Grand Rapids Griffins’ first-round series against the Manitoba Moose, the Winnipeg Free Press’s Mike Sawatsky penned a profile of Griffins defensemen Dylan McIlrath and Joe Hicketts:

In 2010, when Dylan McIlrath was drafted in the first round (10th overall) by the New York Rangers, he was a prime prospect and a prototypical shutdown defenceman.

He was big, a capable fighter with a nasty edge and a fearsome nickname (The Undertaker) — all qualities scouts savoured when he graduated from the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors.

Nearly eight years later, the way the game is played has changed dramatically, but McIlrath is still working to find permanent employment in the NHL. Traded twice last season (from the Rangers to the Florida Panthers to the Detroit Red Wings), the 25-year-old Winnipeg product has finally found a stable hockey home with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit’s chief farm team.

He also hasn’t given up on his big-league aspirations.

“Last year, I bounced around — five different teams and three organizations — so it was a lot of hotels, a lot of people to get to know and different cities,” said McIlrath via telephone from Grand Rapids, where the Griffins were preparing for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series with the Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg on Saturday afternoon. “I was lucky to be in one place this year and I re-signed here because I love it here and knew I had a good opportunity in this organization to move up, hopefully.”

Sawatsky continues…

Free Press posts an excerpt from Murray Howe’s “Nine Lessons I Learned From My Father”

The Free Press has published an excerpt from Murray Howe’s book, Nine Lessons I Learned From My Father, and here’s a taste thereof:

So many great memories flooded over me as I stared at my laptop. I thought long and hard about this one-of-a-kind man I called Father. Obviously he was larger than life to hockey fans and friends. But he was even bigger than that to me, his son, the one he called “the little guy,” even when I was 55. I idolized him for all that he was, and did my best to follow his lead. But although he was a man of strong conviction, he spoke softly and judiciously, and taught mostly by example.

Staring at the screen, I asked myself, What did I learn from my father? What did he stand for? My first thought, without hesitation, was live honorably.

Honorable: honest, moral, ethical, principled, righteous, right-minded; decent, respectable, estimable, virtuous, good, upstanding, upright, worthy, noble, fair, just, truthful, trustworthy, reliable, reputable, creditable, dependable, law-abiding.[1]

Yep, that was Dad. A man who stood up anytime a woman entered the room. Even when he was 88 years old.

Mr. Hockey stood for nothing if not for honor. Honor through loyalty, respect for self and for others, and excellence in every endeavor.

Continued

Prospect playoff round-up: Fulcher, Bulldogs take game 1 of Conference Final; Larsson’s Storm eliminated

Of prospect-related playoff note:

In the OHL, Kaden Fulcher stopped 26 of 28 shots as the Hamilton Bulldogs won 6-2 over the Kingston Frontenacs, taking the first game of the teams’ Conference Final series;

And in the USHL, Filip Larsson’s Tri-City Storm struggled without him during the regular season, and they struggled without him during the playoffs, losing 3-0 to the Fargo Force.

Tri-City dropped both games 1 and 2 of a 3-game series, and thus, they’ve been eliminated.

Toledo Walleye win 2-1 over Indy, take 3-games-to-0 lead

The Toledo Walleye won a 3-1 decision over the Indy Fuel on Wednesday night, taking a 3 games-to-0 lead in the teams’ best-of-seven series.

Kyle Bonis scored 2 goals, A.J. Jenks scored an empty-netter, and Pat Nagle stopped 30 of 31 shots along the way.

The Walleye’s website posted a recap:

Continue reading Toledo Walleye win 2-1 over Indy, take 3-games-to-0 lead

Afternoon news: On Bertuzzi’s conditioning, prospects, Tomas Tatar, Ken Daniels and a “mock draft”

Of Red Wings-related note this afternoon:

  1. DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji spoke with Tyler Bertuzzi during locker room clean-out day, discussing Bertuzzi’s need to focus on conditioning during this offseason:

“Two summers in a row have been short,” Bertuzzi said. “I’ve been kind of hurt to start the summer off and that kind of delayed training. Last year we made a long playoff run and I was hurt. I think this is a big opportunity for me to take full advantage of having a long summer in the gym.”

In 48 games with the Wings, Bertuzzi had seven goals, 17 assists and was minus-7. Five of those goals came in the final eight games.

When he was first called up, Bertuzzi played limited minutes. After the team traded Tomas Tatar to the Vegas Golden Knights, it opened up more ice time for the young winger, who earned a spot alongside captain Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist.

“Down the stretch, I had a lot of fun,” Bertuzzi said. “It was fun to play with Z and Gus. It makes it a lot easier. They’re fun to be around. We’ve got such a great group here. We worked hard every night, we battled every night. We’re only going to be better next year.”

Bertuzzi, 23, is 6-feet, 190 pounds, and will be looking to add muscle. After some time at home, Bertuzzi plans to return to metro Detroit to train at Barwis Methods with Dylan Larkin and Luke Glendening, among others.

Wakiji continues…

2. In the prospect department, the Oakland Press’s Pat Caputo penned a list of “5 Factors to Consider” regarding the Red Wings’ off-season, mostly talking about the Wings’ prospect corps, and Caputo is quick to throw water on the progress made by the Wings’ young prospects:

Michael Rasmussen is dominating during the Memorial Cup playoffs – In the first two rounds, the Red Wings’ future 6-foot-6 power forward (his NHL projection is likely on the wing) has 24 points in eight games. It’s a really good sign, and this isn’t meant to rain on the Rasmussen parade, but it should be considered he has benefitted greatly from playing with two of the best defensemen in junior hockey, Jake Bean (13th overall pick ‘16 by Carolina), and Juuso Valimaki was (No.16 by Calgary in ’17). They are extraordinary players at the junior level, basically controlling the games they participate. They are largely responsible for Rasmussen’s recent surge for the Tri-City Americans.

Caputo continues, and Rasmussen is no slouch…

3. In the alumni department, the Free Press’s Helene St. James took note of Tomas Tatar’s struggles with the Vegas Golden Knights…

Tatar has joined the list of Wings players who have not performed as expected after leaving Detroit. The Vegas Golden Knights wrote another chapter in their delightful story on Wednesday when the expansion franchise advanced to Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs after completing a four-game sweep of Los Angeles.

That feat, though, came without the services of Tatar, who was a healthy scratch after the first two games of the best-of-seven series. The Wings traded Tatar Feb. 26 in exchange for a first-round pick in 2018, a second-round pick in 2019, and a third-round pick in 2021. At the time of the trade, Tatar had 16 goals in 62 games with Detroit.

He only scored four more goals during the regular season, finishing with six points in 20 games with the Knights.

St. James continues, discussing the performances of Petr Mrazek, Riley Sheahan and Brendan Smith…

4. From The Athletic’s Craig Custance:

In November, Red Wings television analyst Ken Daniels opened up about the incredible and heartbreaking details surrounding his son Jamie’s death in a story published in The Athletic Detroit. Since then, ESPN has produced a documentary about the family and Daniels’ efforts have resulted in Washington D.C. listening and making changes. Daniels joins the podcast to share all those details along with a great story on what it’s like to be on Scotty Bowman’s bad side.

Continued…

5. And in the theoretical draft pick department, The Sporting News’s Steve Kournianos conducted a mock draft which does not have the Wings winning the lottery:

5. Detroit Red Wings: Adam Boqvist, D, Brynas J20 (Superelit)

As much as the Red Wings would love to get their hands on Dahlin, this “other” Swedish rearguard is far from a consolation prize. Boqvist (5-11, 168 pounds) was too dominant for Sweden’s junior circuit but not physically ready for the rigors of an adult league. Still, his ridiculous shot and skating ability should make him a staple on the Red Wings’ power play for many years to come.

 

Red Wings Alums, Toledo Police to square off on Saturday; Griffins holding “watch party” for road playoff games; “Paint the Ice” on at LCA

According to the Toledo Blade’s Allison Dunn, the Red Wings Alumni Association and the Toledo Police Department are squaring off in a charitable game on Saturday, April 21st:

The Toledo Police Department Hockey team is scheduled to take on the Detroit Red Wings alumni team — for the first time — at 7 p.m. Saturday at Sylvania Tam-O-Shanter, 7060 W. Sylvania Ave. Notable names like Darren McCarthy, Joey Kocur, Mickey Redmond, and Toledo native Bryan Smolinski, are set to attend.

Funds raised from Saturday’s game will be donated to the Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center, an agency which assists thousands of families each year in education and intervention to reduce family violence.

The agency works closely with Toledo police at the Children’s Advocacy Center and through the Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Program, said the agency’s Chief Executive Officer Christie Jenkins.

“This money will help to ensure that we do not turn anyone away for services and that we are able to see all victims and their families at no cost to them,” Ms. Jenkins said.

Continued, and also of community note from the Red Wings and Griffins:

 

Khan checks in with Shawn Horcoff regarding Givani Smith, Jordan Sambrook

Red Wings prospects Givani Smith and Jordan Sambrook are having good playoff runs with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, respectively.

The pair will meet up in the OHL’s Western Conference Final this weekend, and ahead of their showdown, MLive’s Ansar Khan spoke with Wings director of player development Shawn Horcoff regarding the pair:

Shawn Horcoff, Red Wings director of player development, has watched both players during the first two rounds. He said Smith is coming off a “fantastic series” against Sarnia. He scored twice in the deciding game and has seven goals and 12 points in 12 playoff games.

“He’s a big, physical guy who’s skating very well right now and producing offense,” Horcoff said. “He’s playing definitely some of his best hockey, really starting to come into his own. For Givani, a lot of it comes from skating, and right now he’s skating fantastic and he’s physical, very heavy body every shift, getting under opponents’ skin. He’s doing a heck of a job.”

…

Sambrook has no goals and three assists in 11 playoff games. He was traded from Erie to Sault Ste. Marie midway through the season and finished with 10 goals and 29 assists in 67 games.

This is the third year in a row he’s gone past the first round of the playoffs.

“He’s solid defensively, plays all situations, has real good hockey sense,” Horcoff said. “He’s one of those guys that seems to play on winners. He knows how to win. At the junior level at least, he plays both sides of the puck. He’s gotten better as his junior career has gone on.”

Khan and Horcoff continue…

 

Cholowski arrives in Grand Rapids, likely to stick around as a “Black Ace”

Dennis Cholowski practiced with the Grand Rapids Griffins this morning, and after he skated with the team, Cholowski and Griffins coach Todd Nelson spoke with the Grand Rapids Press’s Peter J. Wallner regarding the possibility that he might join the Griffins’ lineup:

Cholowski, whose junior team was eliminated last week from the WHL playoffs, has to vault over several blueliners to make the top six or seven. That includes prime Red Wings prospects in Joe Hicketts and Filip Hronek, along with veteran anchors such as Brian Lashoff and third-year pro Robbie Russo. Coach Todd Nelson said as much after Wednesday’s practice, though he didn’t rule out the possibility of ice time.

“We have a pretty deep defensive corps but … if we feel he’s good enough to knock someone out of the box then he’s going to play,” he said.

The Griffins open the best-of-five Central Division Semifinals at Manitoba on Saturday.

“The positive thing,” Nelson added, “is we have good depth on the bench so if some guys get banged up over the course of a series, we can go to guys like Dennis …”

Cholowski is familiar with the situation. He signed out of St. Cloud State last season in time to play in the Griffins’ regular-season finale. Then he practiced, along with a group of other prospects, but didn’t play again as the Griffins won the Calder Cup Trophy.

“Last year was great being on the team and it will definitely help in the years to come,” Cholowski said. Asked if not playing was frustrating, he added: “Yeah, obviously; everyone wants to play and last year I wanted to play and this year, obviously, I want to play. I’ll do what they tell me and keep working hard.”

Wallner continues, and he posted a video of Cholowski speaking with the media:

 

Update: The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan spoke with Cholowski and Nelson as well:

Cholowski was able to get into one regular season game with the Griffins last season after he left college (St. Cloud State) but didn’t dress for any playoff games.

It could be a struggle this spring, as well, with the Griffins deep on defense, and prospects such as Cholowski, Libor Sulak and to a lesser extent Vili Saarijarvi, who split the season between Grand Rapids and Toledo (ECHL), all battling to enter the lineup.

As much as it would help a young player like Cholowski to get some playoff games, the Griffins are going after a second consecutive Calder Cup and have a lineup that has jelled and played extremely well the last two months.

The Griffins are there to win, and Nelson will put together lineups that will do so.

“I don’t know yet,” said Nelson, as to when, or if, Cholowski will play. “We have a pretty deep defensive corps. But if he’s good enough to knock someone out of the box, he’ll play.

“The positive thing is we have good depth on defense right now. So if some guys get banged up over the course of a series, we can go to and use Dennis, or Sulak, Saarijarvi. But as of right now, our defensive corps is pretty solid and it’s been good for the last couple months.

“I haven’t seen Dennis since training camp, essentially. I’ll see where he’s at. We’ve had one practice out there today. As we go along, if I like what I see and he can help our team and he can knock someone out of the box, he’ll play.”

Continued

Update #2: The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan also posted short videos of Griffins coach Todd Nelson speaking about Cholowski…


And two videos of Cholowski speaking to the press: