Month: April 2018

Traverse City’s Centre ICE Arena is attempting to raise funds to offset the $110,000 it must pay to upgrade its rinks to NHL specifications, in order to continue hosting the Red Wings’ training camp.

Centre ICE executive director Terry Marchand spoke to Traverse City’s 9&10 News’s Whitney Amann and Jeremy Erickson regarding the cause…

Centre Ice Arena needs your help to make sure the Detroit Red Wings Training Camp and NHL Prospect Tournament continue come back to Traverse City.

NHL safety standards have changed for rinks that host events with players, including a different type of glass and new netting.

Even after a huge donation from Traverse City Tourism, they still need help raising another $110,000 to bring their rinks up to NHL standards.

“We went to the Red Wings and said, ‘Hey guys, we need a commitment, we need you to commit to come for x amount of years because this is a huge commitment on our part this financial expenditure.’ So they did, we got a five year commitment from them,” said Terry Marchand, Centre Ice Arena executive director.

And Up North Live reports that the fundraising drive itself and events to support the fundraising initiative will take place between now and June 2nd:

“Centre Ice is a community and Traverse City backs us so much so we appreciate the community that we’re in,” said Centre Ice Marketing Director Tricia Frey.

The yearly events bring in thousands of spectators, and a big economic boost to the area. That’s why Traverse City Tourism made a contribution to their campaign.

“So it’s very important from a business standpoint to keep the hotels full, the restaurants full, the golf courses running and at maximum capacity,” said Traverse City Tourism CEO Trevor Tkach. “All of that is affected by having this Red Wings camp and prospect camp in Traverse City.”

The improvements include new acrylic instead of tempered glass and new netting for spectator safety, which will benefit more than just the pro hockey team.

“Centre Ice will be one of a handful of private use rinks in the United States with this kind of safety standard,” said Frey. “It’s very beneficial for everyone that comes through these doors.”

You can donate to the campaign on Centre Ice’s website, by clicking here.

From MLive’s Ansar Khan:

#RedWings Luke Glendening had wrist surgery last week. Will be ready for training camp but can’t play for U.S. at World Championship. Wings confirmed for Worlds so far: Dylan Larkin (U.S.), Frans Nielsen (Denmark), Martin Frk (Czech Republic). Gustav Nyquist requested by Sweden.

— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) April 16, 2018

Of Red Wings-related note this afternoon:

1. At one end of the spectrum, DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji filed a locker room clean-out day article about Niklas Kronwall, who wants to continue playing through the 2018-19 season:

“I think it’s awesome when you have guys coming up,” Kronwall said. “And I think obviously with where we are at, we’re destined to have some young players, especially on D, taking steps. We’ve seen (Dylan Larkin), (Anthony Mantha), (Andreas Athanasiou), (Tyler Bertuzzi), we’ve seen some guys up front, and I think it’s definitely time for the back end to also get rejuvenated with some young players.”

As with Zetterberg, Kronwall knows that his career is closer to the end than to the beginning, but he is not ready to retire as he has one year left on his contract and he feels better than he has in previous seasons.

“The last two seasons after the year, I wasn’t really sure what was going to come out of the training,” Kronwall said. “That part I do feel like if I stick with the program and do what gave me a chance to play this year, I’ll be just fine. Hopefully, tweak the training regimen a little bit and make it even better.

“I don’t think It’ll be any different than it was last year. I’m trying to train as hard as I possibly can and just be ready to go come training camp.”

2. At the other end of the spectrum, the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a list of the top 20 available-to-draft NHL prospects, now that the NHL has released is 2018 draft rankings, and the Free Press’s Helene St. James posted an article in which she surmised which of the available-to-draft prospects might intrigue the Wings;

3. And in Grand Rapids, the Grand Rapids Press’s Peter J. Wallner eschewed end-of-season grades for a look at the Griffins’ stat leaders and “best and worst” of the Griffins’ 2017-18 campaign:

MOST IMPROVED: The Griffins, having seen Filip Hronek briefly at the end of last season, had high hopes for the defenseman this year. The rookie didn’t disappoint as he finished second among league rookie defensemen in points (11-28-39).

Hronek’s 39 points tied for most for a rookie defenseman with the Griffins and earned him a place on the AHL all-rookie team.

The Grand Rapids Press’s Andrew Streitel spoke with several members of the Grand Rapids Griffins regarding the team’s upcoming best-of-five playoff series against the Manitoba Moose, which kicks off with a pair of road games in Winnipeg on Saturday and Sunday:

The team was confident about their matchup against the Moose after going 6-2 against them during the regular season.

“We have been a good road team all season and we do a good job playing a simple game on the road and it’s a building we feel comfortable playing in,” said defenseman Brian Lashoff. “They are a really good team with size up front, great goaltending and special teams.”

Lashoff added that depth and execution on special teams could also help the Griffins in the series.

The Griffins finished the season on a roll at 9-1-1-1 in the final 12 games. The team played better on the road (22-10-1-5) and don’t feel stressed with the first two games at Manitoba.

“Feels like we are the underdogs and have something to prove,” Colin Campbell said after a three-goal night. “Physically we are a little worn out, but we have two days off here in a row. Everyone will be ready for them.”

Streitel continues, and Lashoff appeared on WOOD TV’s Sports Overtime with Larry Figurski on Sunday night:

MLive’s Ansar Khan filed a locker room clean-out day article regarding Martin Frk, discussing Frk’s desire to maximize his ice time by scoring more goals next season:

“I wish I scored more goals,” Frk said. “I was having kind of bad stretches. It’s a hard league and I got to find a way to be better with that. You’re also playing with great players on the power play. I learned a lot and I bet I will learn a lot in this league when I play more games.”

The right-shooting Frk’s booming one-timer was a weapon on the power play (five goals). His challenge is finding ways to score at even strength. He occasionally played on a top-two line but spent a lot of time on the fourth line. He averaged 10:17 in ice time, the lowest among regular forwards.

“There’s no way to have enough ice time for everybody if you want your better players in that 18-20 (minute) range,” Blashill said. “Someone’s going to get cut in ice time.

“As a group we got to find a way to score more goals. If we’re not able to score at elite levels with our top two lines, then we got to make sure we outscore teams in our bottom two lines, so certainly Marty would fit into that as well.”

Preventing goals also is important for Frk. His minus-14 was tied for the second-worst on the team.

“Blash is really strict and he wants the players to work on both sides of the ice,” Frk said. “It’s definitely a little bit different for me. I’m trying to be as good offensively and defensive side. Especially on that fourth line you don’t want the line to score against you.”

Khan continues, and he posted a video of Frk’s locker room clean-out day remarks:

Frk happens to have left Detroit on Sunday, so he said, “Goodbye” on Twitter and Instagram:

Until next time hockeytown ✌? Thank you Detroit for an unforgettable first season. It was a privilege to play for the Detroit fans, the Red Wings organization and staff, and with great teammates. ??pic.twitter.com/jaLWpxZNSo

— Martin Frk (@Frky91) April 15, 2018

Of playoff-related prospect note:

In the OHL, Givani Smith scored 2 goals, finishing at +2 with 3 shots as his Kitchener Rangers won 6-2 over the Sarnia Sting. You can watch highlights of the game here.

Kitchener won the teams’ second-round series in 6 games, and Kitchener advances to one of two OHL Conference Finals;

Kitchener will play against the winner of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds-Owen Sound Attack series, and Jordan Sambrook’s Greyhounds are in trouble.

Sambrook finished at -2 with 1 shot as Sault Ste. Marie lost 7-1 to Owen Sound, which now leads the teams’ second-round series 3 games to 2, tying the second-round series at 3 games apiece. You can watch highlights of the game here.

A bit of a bummer here as Matej Machovsky didn’t have the patience to stick around and earn a spot. From the Grand Rapids Griffins:

GRIFFINS ANNOUNCE ROSTER TRANSACTIONS

In the ECHL, in playoff action, the Toledo Walleye both rallied from a 1-0 deficit and fought of a late scare, scoring 3 straight goals en route to a 4-3 victory over the Indy Fuel.

Christian Hilbrich scored 2 goals, Tyler Barnes had 3 assists, Kyle Bonis had 2 assists and Pat Nagle stopped 29 of 32 shots as the Walleye took a 2 games-to-none lead over the Fuel.

The Walleye’s website posted a recap:

Continue reading Toledo Walleye take 2 games-to-none lead over Indy Fuel, winning 4-3

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a locker room clean-out day article regarding Andreas Athanasiou, duly noting that Athanasiou’s inconsistency clouds the restricted free agent’s future in Detroit:

“This is one of the greatest organizations in the NHL,” Athanasiou said. “If I get the opportunity to play here, it’s unbelievable. The main thing is trying to get this team back to a playoff position, so you’re a contender for the Stanley Cup.”

The opportunity to play more has been an issue for two seasons. Athanasiou saw his ice time slightly increase this season (15 minutes, 19 seconds, from 13:28 last year), but the inconsistency of playing time mirrored his production and overall play.

After a good start to his season, especially coming off a contract holdout (17 points in 31 games), Athanasiou struggled mightily the second half of the season (16 points in 40 games). Athanasiou also had a team-worst minus-15 plus-minus rating.

“You have to be ready; it’s that type of business you’re in,” Athanasiou said. “Whether it’s nine minutes, or 10 or 15, or 20, you have to be to try to do the best you can. Obviously you want to play a lot, and if I do play, I think can produce more and give the team a better chance of winning.

“(But) there are a lot of guys in this room that have to play. There’s a lot of things that go (into it) and you can’t really look to much into it. Whatever line combination (coach Jeff Blashill) puts out there, he’s trying to win hockey games. You have to respect that and be ready with whatever you got.”

Kulfan continues, and I’d peg the chances of Athanasiou being a Red Wing next fall at 60/40 “for.”

He and the coach disagree regarding the concept that ice time should be awarded based upon performance (or vice versa), and there really are games that Athanasiou dominates, and then stretches in which he disappears.

From the ECHL:

Indy’s Garrett Clake has been suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount under Rule #28 – Supplementary Discipline. Clarke was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for charging under Rule #42.5 at 16:57 of the first period.

Toledo’s Connor Crisp has been suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount under Rule #28 – Supplementary Discipline. Crisp was assessed a match penalty for fighting under #46.15 at 16:57 of the first period.

Both players will miss Sunday’s playoff game at Toledo.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the ECHL and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association, player fines collected by the ECHL are given to the PHPA for its ECHL Player’s Hardship Fund.

Per the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe:

Walleye F Connor Crisp has been suspended 1 game by the ECHL for his actions in Friday’s game. Indy’s Garrett Clarke also has been suspended for 1 game. Both won’t play in today’s Game 2 of the Central Division semis. Crisp punched Clarke, who boarded Toledo’s Christian Hilbrich.

— Mark Monroe (@MonroeBlade) April 15, 2018