Month: June 2018

Afternoon mishmash: on the draft, ‘GOAT’ voting, a contest, goaltending and the NTDP

Of Red Wings-related note (mostly) this afternoon:

  1. TSN’s Bob McKenzie released his final draft rankings and USA Today’s Kevin Allen posted a mock draft earlier this afternoon, picking the player that I believe the Wings will select at #6 overall:

6. Detroit Red Wings: Defenseman Evan Bouchard, London (OHL): The Red Wings desperately want a blue-chip defensive prospect, and Bouchard can be that guy. He’s 6-foot-2 and can do it all. A gifted passer who can also be an effective defensive player. He’s also a right-handed shooter. Everyone is looking for those.

Noah Dobson may have more long-term potential and Quinn Hughes is a better skater, but Bouchard, a “late birthday” player, is arguably NHL-ready…

2. In the interactive vein, the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a gallery of the 10 best Red Wings draft picks, and the Free Press’s “Greatest of All Time” Red Wings vote is still open;

3. Also of interactive note:

4. In foreign-language news, Wings signee Patrik Rybar spoke with the Slovak News Agency SITA, and the translation thereof is a bit garbled, but Rybar says that he felt that he had to take a chance on earning a spot with the Wings, even though he knows that his two-way contract comes with no guarantees;

5. Also in the goaltending department, The Hockey News’s Jared Clinton suggests that the Wings should make a bid for Washington Capitals back-up Philipp Grubbauer:

PHILIPP GRUBAUER (RFA)
It’s no secret that Grubauer has played his last game in Washington. His opportunity to usurp Braden Holtby slipped through his fingers when he faltered upon taking the starting reins to start the post-season, and now Capitals GM Brian MacLellan has made it clear that he’ll pursue trade options for the 26-year-old keeper. Teams seeking an upgrade in goal, or franchises that need a netminder to build around, could do much worse than taking a shot on Grubauer. Of goaltenders to play at least 80 games over the past three campaigns, he ranks third with a .923 save percentage and he’s ready for his chance to be a No. 1.

Already, reports have surfaced about the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes showing interest in Grubauer and with good reason. Both teams are in dire need of goaltending. One team that should really take a look at bringing Grubauer aboard, though, is the Detroit Red Wings. With no other bluechip goaltending prospects in the system, Grubauer could have the opportunity to settle into the No. 1 role and become a fixture in the Red Wings’ crease. He’ll have more long-term competition in Carolina and New York, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

6. And in more local news, The Score’s Hannah Stuart penned a superb article about the U.S. National Team Development Program, which has become an American hockey player-development machine. This isn’t Red Wings-related per se, but it’s a good read.

Monroe: What the Toledo Walleye’s “season-ending roster” means

The Toledo Walleye released their “season-ending roster” earlier this afternoon, and the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe explains what exactly that means:

The Toledo Walleye announced today their season-ending roster, a list of players that the team now has exclusive rights to sign.

Every ECHL team must submit a season-ending roster, which may include up to 20 players but can’t include any players who did not sign an ECHL contract in 2017-18.

ECHL teams are entitled to reserve the rights to a maximum of eight players from the list by extending a qualifying offer no later than June 30.

There 19 players on the Walleye’s protected list.

The 12 forwards are Alden Hirschfeld, A.J. Jenks, Tyler Barnes, Kyle Bonis, Colin Jacobs, Charlie O’Connor, Christian Hilbrich, Shane Berschbach, Connor Crisp, Mike Embach, Austen Brassard, and Dane Walters.

The seven defensemen are Beau Schmitz, Trevor Hamilton, Parker Reno, Ryan Obuchowski, Kevin Lohan, Simon Denis, and Jamie Doornbosch.

Toledo’s list does not include players who were under contract with the Walleye’s American Hockey League affiliate, Grand Rapids, last season. Those players include goalie Pat Nagle, forwards Mike Borkowski, Dylan Sadowy, and Zach Nastasiuk, and defensemen Kevin Tansey and Patrick McCarron.

Update: FYI:

Grand Rapids Griffins re-sign Turner Elson, Dominik Shine

From the Grand Rapids Griffins:

GRIFFINS RE-SIGN ELSON AND SHINE

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Monday re-signed forwards Turner Elson and Dominik Shine to one-year contracts.

The 25-year-old Elson tallied 21 points (9-12—21), a plus-12 rating and 49 penalty minutes in 57 games during his first season as a Griffin in 2017-18. His plus-12 rating marked a career high and tied for third on the team. Making his Calder Cup Playoff debut, Elson scored a pair of goals in five games.

Since debuting with the Abbotsford Heat at the end of the 2011-12 season, Elson has appeared in 232 career AHL contests between Abbotsford (2011-14), Adirondack (2014-15), Stockton (2015-16), San Antonio (2016-17) and Grand Rapids and compiled 87 points (43-44—87) and 193 PIM. He logged back-to-back career-high 30-point campaigns in 2014-15 with Adirondack and 2015-16 with Stockton.

A 6-foot, 195-pound forward, Elson made his NHL debut with the Calgary Flames on April 9, 2016, against Minnesota and logged his first NHL point on an assist.

Elson won the 2014 Kelly Cup as a member of the ECHL’s Alaska Aces, tallying 15 points (5-10—15) in 18 regular season games before scoring 11 points (7-4—11) in 21 postseason tilts.

A native of New Westminster, British Columbia, Elson appeared in 254 games with Red Deer of the Western Hockey League from 2009-2013 and racked up 151 points (72-79—151) and 337 PIM. He placed second on the Rebels in goals (26), assists (31) and points (57) during his final campaign in 2012-13.

Skating in his first full professional season in 2017-18, Shine, 25, accounted for 16 points (8-8—16), a plus-four rating and 54 PIM in 58 games with the Griffins. He also played in five postseason contests while making his Calder Cup Playoff debut.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound winger made his pro debut with the Griffins at the end of the 2016-17 campaign, recording three assists and seven PIM in eight appearances.

Prior to turning pro, Shine competed four seasons (2013-17) at Northern Michigan University (WCHA), where he posted 97 points (48-49—97) and 185 PIM in 131 games and served as a two-time alternate captain.

During his senior year in 2016-17, Shine paced the conference with 20 goals in 33 contests en route to his second-straight 30-point season and was named to the All-WCHA Third Team.

A native of Pinckney, Mich., Shine played four seasons for the USHL’s Lincoln Stars from 2009-13 and served as captain during his final two years. He totaled 134 career points (64-70—134) and 503 PIM in 188 regular season contests while chipping in five points (2-3—5) and 22 PIM in 15 postseason appearances.

Led by first-year head coach Ben Simon, the Griffins will begin the home portion of their 2018-19 season on Friday, Oct. 12 at Van Andel Arena with Opening Night Presented by Huntington Bank. Additional home dates confirmed by the American Hockey League include Dec. 31, Jan. 19, Jan. 26, Feb. 9 and Feb. 16.

Single-game tickets will go on sale to the public in September. Fans can secure their full-season, select-season or group ticket packages by calling (616) 774-4585 ext. 2 or visit griffinshockey.com for more information.

Toledo Walleye release ‘season-ending roster’

From the Toledo Walleye:

Walleye announce season-ending roster
June 18, 2018

Toledo, OH – The Toledo Walleye have announced its season-ending roster from the 2017-18 season. Information on season-ending rosters follows the list of players.

The forwards are: Alden Hirschfeld, AJ Jenks, Tyler Barnes, Kyle Bonis, Colin Jacobs, Charlie O’Connor, Christian Hilbrich, Shane Berschbach, Connor Crisp, Mike Embach, Austen Brassard and Dane Walters.

The listed defensemen are: Beau Schmitz, Trevor Hamilton, Parker Reno, Ryan Obuchowski, Kevin Lohan, Simon Denis and Jamie Doornbosch.

Season-ending rosters may include up to 20 players. Season-ending rosters cannot include any players who did not sign an ECHL contract in 2017-18.

Continue reading Toledo Walleye release ‘season-ending roster’

Morning news: On ‘strength and conditioning,’ Mike Green and draft pick discussion

Of Red Wings-related note this morning:

1. In the latest episode of The Red and White Authority podcast, DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner speaks with Red Wings strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar:

2. Hockeybuzz’s Bob Duff examined some of the major personnel decisions that the Red Wings must make this offseason, including Mike Green’s future, the team’s courting of Ilya Kovalchuk, their need for a back-up goaltender and the team’s cooling on re-signing Martin Frk:

This isn’t as much as choice for Detroit as it is for impending unrestricted free agent defenseman Mike Green. He’s been a Red Wing for the past three seasons, and the Wings made it abundantly clear a while back that they’d like to keep him in the fold, tabling an offer to Green not long after the NHL trade deadline passed and he wasn’t moved to another team.

Green hasn’t jumped on the offer, though. He’s 33 and has yet to win a Stanley Cup, and that certainly figures to weigh heavily into his decision. It would appear that at the very least he’s going to wait until July 1 and see what the market has to offer him.

Losing Green would prove costly, because there’s not much out there this summer in terms of available UFA defensemen. The Wings won’t have a shot at Washington’s John Carlson, and beyond him the class of 2018 includes the likes of Jack Johnson, Calvin de Haan, John Moore, Thomas Hickey and Roman Polak.

Continued

3. The Athletic’s Craig Custance discusses the Wings’ options with their 6th overall pick. As you might imagine, the situation is somewhat fluid as of this morning:

6. Detroit Red Wings: The Red Wings’ preference is to take a defenseman or center with this pick, and it could be that the best player available is a winger. That makes Detroit a real candidate to trade down, but there’s no appetite internally to drop out of the top 10. Plus, the Red Wings already have another first-round pick and two high second-round picks. All that ammunition makes Detroit a team to watch in this spot. There are a lot of teams that would love a crack at the cluster of defensemen in this range and they know Ken Holland is a deal-maker, so there will be calls.

4. Finally, the Free Press’s Helene St. James has posted a mock draft (having the Wings select U of M defenseman Quinn Hughes at #6), a list of prospects both available in the neighborhood of the 6th overall and 30th overall picks; St. James offered a set of booms and busts picked 6th overall throughout draft history, and this morning, the Free Press posted a video of the Wings’ in-the-top-10 picks since 1983, when they drafted Steve Yzerman:

 

The Athletic’s Strang on the hit that changed David Booth

David Booth hasn’t formally retired yet, but the forward likely played his last NHL game when the Red Wings wrapped up their regular season on April 7th vs. the New York Islanders.

Booth played a supporting role on the Red Wings’ roster, reclaiming NHL credentials after two seasons abroad; before a severe concussion changed the course of his career.

The Athletic’s Katie Strang retells the tale of Booth’s concussion in a superb article this evening:

The​ date is Oct.​ 24, 2009,​ and the Philadelphia​ Flyers​ are​ leading the​ Florida Panthers 3-1 at​​ the Wachovia Center.

David Booth, coming off a 30-goal campaign the previous season, has scored the Panthers’ only goal of the game. There’s a little over three minutes remaining in the second period, and the Detroit native is barreling through the neutral zone with the puck, when he crosses the blue line and turns his head ever so slightly as he makes a drop pass to teammate Stephen Weiss. This is when the shoulder of Flyers center Mike Richards connects with Booth’s head and obliterates his path, sending him to the ice in a grotesque spin.

This is the exact moment when David Booth’s career, and in many ways, his life, changed forever.

“Here comes David Booth. He has the Panther goal tonight — Oh, did he get hit hard. Oh my goodness. David Booth is down. He got hit high on the ice, and he hasn’t moved. Oh my goodness.”

You can hear it right then in the voice of Panthers broadcaster Steve Goldstein — a mix of terror and concern. This is not just any thunderous hit. The camera cuts to Booth, face down and prone on the ice, motionless, and then back to the bench. Booth’s teammates look stunned, and there’s a palpable sense of the unknown.

“There’s an immediate emotional anger or response,” said Pete DeBoer, who was behind the bench for the Panthers that season. “And then it turns to fear for the player, when he gets stretchered off the ice. Rarely do you see that. We knew that once he was stretchered off and taken off to the hospital, that’s when there was real fear and concern to our group.”

Strang continues at length, reporting that Booth is working with Hockey Ministries International this summer.

 

HSJ examines the Wings’ 2017 draft class

The Free Press’s Helene St. James wraps up her examinations of the Red Wings’ most recent draft selections by discussing the 2017 draft, which consists of a crop of players still very much so “in progress” toward their developmental goals:

F Michael Rasmussen

Drafted: Ninth.

Draft year doings: 32 goals, 23 assists in 50 games for  Tri-City Americans (Western Hockey League).

Draft day scouting report: Goes to the hard areas. Plays the net-front on the power play. Good scoring touch around the net. Competitive. Good skater. Has got a chance to be really good.

Post-draft doings: Had 31 goals and 28 assists for 59 points in 47 regular-season games this past season with Tri-City, missing about six weeks because of wrist surgery. Finished season on a seven-game point streak (seven goals, three assists). In 2018 WHL playoffs, Rasmussen had 14 goals and 17 assists for 33 points in 14 games. He had multi-point performances in 10 games, and only went without a point in one game.

Next up: Rasmussen’s dominance down the stretch and through the playoffs have earned him a shot at making the Wings this autumn. He’s 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, so even though he’s only 19, that’ll help him as he plays against men. He’s smart, goes to the net, and a candidate for power-play minutes. He’s a center but played wing during the playoffs, and that should help him this autumn, because it’s a less demanding position than center, especially for a young player (Dylan Larkin started out in NHL as a wing, then found his footing at center).

Rasmussen has a year left of junior eligibility, so he’ll either be in Detroit next season, or juniors. The AHL is not an option. If the Wings keep him past 10 games, it’ll burn a year of his entry-level contract if they later end up sending him back to juniors.

Early assessment: Looks promising.

St. James continues…

Free Press posts Mitch Albom’s tale of the Wings’ 1998 Stanley Cup win

The Detroit Free Press commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Red Wings’ 1998 Stanley Cup win with a re-printing of Mitch Albom’s narrative regarding the Wings’ Cup win:

The first one they won for the city. This one they won for their hearts.  A hockey saga that began last summer in yelps of joy, and was interrupted six days later by tears of sadness, has worked itself back around to joy once more, with Red Wings players in a happy mob around the net, another Stanley Cup in tow. But this one was different. It was hard-fought, it was tiring, it was long and sometimes painful. But it was always meant to be. We can see that now. What happened here Tuesday night was less about victory than it was about belief.

And so, when the hockey ended, even as the pundits were banging out notes about a Detroit dynasty, even as fans back home were screaming themselves hoarse, the Wings were doing what they had dreamed of doing all year long.

Finally, with tears in their eyes, they handed the Stanley Cup to their fallen colleague, Vladimir Konstantinov, and that tells you all you need to know about this team. They weren’t playing for themselves. They were playing for a higher cause — and it took them to the highest heights.

“TWO! TWO! TWO!” yelled the Wings, as they posed for their first photo as 1998 champions gathered around Konstantinov in his wheelchair, the cup in his lap, a victory cigar in his fingers, an unbelievable smile on his face.

“Everything we did all year, we did for this guy,” Igor Larionov said. “We never stopped believing.”

Continued

 

Khan outlines the Wings’ free agency plans

MLive’s Ansar Khan penned a set of updates on Friday afternoon, discussing Jimmy Howard’s status (staying around), Martin Frk’s status (may or may not be re-signed), the statuses of the team’s other restricted free agents (Andreas Athanasiou, Tyler Bertuzzi, Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha = 3 “bridge deals,” if not 4 if Larkin is not interested in a long-term contract), coaching staff (Dan Bylsma remains a possibility as an assistant coach) and outlining the Wings’ free agency plans:

Left wing Ilya Kovalchuk is at the top of their wish list. They’d be willing to give him a two-year contract at a high salary, a source said. They believe he’s capable of scoring 25 to 30 goals.

Kovalchuk, 35, is returning to the NHL after playing in Russia for five years. He has stated a desire to play for a Stanley Cup-contending team, so it’s unlikely he’d be interested in Detroit.

The Red Wings are interested in bringing back Thomas Vanek, 34, on a one-year deal. They would trade him at the deadline for a draft pick if they’re out of the playoff race. Vanek was a good fit in Detroit in 2016-17 (15 goals, 38 points in 48 games), before being dealt to Florida at the deadline for a third-round pick.

He had 24 goals and 56 points in 80 games last season between Vancouver and Columbus.

The Red Wings want to re-sign defenseman Mike Green, offering him a one-year deal at $6 million, his salary the past three seasons, or two years at $5 million per year.

Green turns 33 in October but was the team’s lone consistent offensive threat on the blue line. It’s a particularly weak free-agent market for defensemen.

The Red Wings are eying two 32-year-old goalies – Carter Hutton of St. Louis and Anton Khudobin of Boston. Hutton, their first choice, went 17-7-3 with a 2.09 goals-against average and .931 save percentage. Khudobin went 16-6-7, with a 2.56 GAA and .913 save percentage.

Khan continues at length…

 

Here are the Red Wings’ picks (officially) for the 2018 draft

The NHL released its Order of Selection for the 2018 draft in Dallas next Friday and Saturday, and the Red Wings’ picks are as follows:

1st round, 6th overall

1st round, 30th overall (from Vegas)

2nd round, 33rd overall (from Ottawa via NYR)

2nd round, 36th overall

3rd round, 67th overall

3rd round, 81st overall (from Philadelphia)

3rd round, 84th overall (from Pittsburgh)

4th round, 98th overall

6th round, 159th overall (from Montreal)

6th round, 160th overall

7th round, 191st overall