The Red Wings’ prospects engaged in their last full day of practicing on Friday, with Team Howe taking part in the dreaded skating test in front of what is a Holiday Weekend’s worth of jam-packed stands at the BELFOR Training Center.
The players were absolutely gassed after completing 3 circuits of the rink after 3, 2, and then 1 minute’s worth of rest, so I was only able to nab a couple of players during their media availability:
The Free Press’s Helene St. James spent 6 minutes speaking with Red Wings goaltending development coach Brian Mahoney-Wilson:
DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner spoke with goaltender Keith Petruzzelli’s coach at Quinnipiac University to discuss and review Petruzzelli’s up-and-down freshman campaign:
Quotable: “Keith came in with a high expectation and a lot of hype, so to speak, being a third-round pick by Detroit with a lot of excitement, but I think lost in that was the fact he was 18 years old and a true freshman, which is rare for college hockey at times, especially for goaltenders. So, there was a big adjustment period in terms of how hard the shots are, the pace of the game, just how grueling it is physically at the college level on a daily basis. It took a lot of adjusting and hard work on his part.
No question he struggled early on with that, so there had to be a reassessment of where he was with our goalie coach Jared Waimon and our staff. From that point on he made steady progress and his was putting time in until the end of the year where our other goaltender went down with an injury and he took over for the playoffs and did a real good job in our sweep of Yale and we hung in there in the second round with Cornell and a lot of that was because of him.
There was just a big maturity jump for him to realize what it takes to be successful at this level and as he gets into camp with Detroit, he’ll see it’s different at the pro level. The next step for him is to physically and mentally be a year older and more mature and handle adversity a little bit better and all the work he’s going to put in will pay off in his skill level. For him it’s about being a true college goaltender this year and winning the No. 1 job on our squad. Keith has a lot of potential and that’s why he was brought in – to eventually have that job.” – Bill Riga, Quinnipiac University associate head coach.
Of Red Wings-related note this morning:
1. MLive’s Ansar Khan penned an article about top prospect Michael Rasmussen, and Rasmussen earned Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon’s praises:
Grand Rapids Griffins head coach Ben Simon, who’s running drills at development camp, said Rasmussen has a “presence to him.”
“He’s got a little bit of a swagger to him, he’s got a confidence that a lot of elite players have,” Simon said. “He’s confident in himself and his abilities and a little bit bigger, a little bit stronger. With that confidence you can see he’s making plays, he’s moving his feet, he’s shooting the puck well. From a year ago to when I saw him, he’s made tremendous strides, so he’s on the right path for sure.”
2. Also: Rasmussen appeared on yesterday’s “Shep, Shower and Shave” show on WDFN…
3. And DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner posted a clip of Rasmussen and Gustav Lindstrom speaking with the media as Regner’s latest “Red and White Authority” podcast:
Of Red Wings-related note late this evening:
1. The Detroit News’s Gregg Krupa spoke with Red Wings GM Ken Holland and director of player evaluation Jiri Fischer regarding the next generation of Red Wings defensemen. Holland envisions the Grand Rapids Griffins’ blueline forming the bedrock of the Wings’ future defense:
“We’re going to have Brian Lashoff as a captain and (Dylan) Mclrath as a veteran,” Holland said. “And then we are looking between (Libor) Sulak, (Joe) Hicketts, (Vili) Saarijarvi, (Filip) Hronek and (Dennis) Cholowski. I’m planning on one of those guys is going to be in Detroit, and the rest of those guys will be playing regularly in Grand Rapids. We are creating opportunity.”
As for the development, Jiri Fischer, the director of player evaluation, the Red Wings’ approach is evaluated continuously.
“I think things are analyzed daily, and we’re aware of what we are trying to do,” said Fischer, who directed player development until Shawn Horcoff succeeded him before last season.
“It’s hard to find elite defensemen. So, hopefully, in this development camp, here, we’ve got a few guys coming. We’re hoping our guys will develop quickly and have a great internal competition in camp, as soon as fall comes.”
Krupa continues, noting that college prospects like Kasper Kotkansalo (for one) hope to add their names to the mix…
2. And the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan spoke with Michael Rasmussen regarding big Ras’ belief that he’ll make the Wings’ roster this upcoming season:
Continue reading Two Things: Krupa speaks with KH regarding the defense; Kulfan on Michael Rasmussen
Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill appeared on WBBL’s Huge Show this afternoon, speaking with Bill Simonson for over 14 minutes regarding the Wings’ summer development camp, the draft, the hiring of West Michigan native Dan Bylsma and more:
The third day of the Red Wings’ summer development camp is almost inevitably a day in which fatigue sets in, but the Wings’ prospects were plucky and ready-to-go on Thursday morning.
Griffins coach Ben Simon, Wings director of player development Shawn Horcoff and the slightly-dinged assistant director Daniel Cleary, sporting a couple of stitches above his right eyebrow (where he took a puck at the end of Wednesday’s sessions) built upon the first and second day’s worth of drills in front of both a packed house–fan turnout at the chilly BELFOR Training Center has been very good–and a packed family suite, currently occupied by members of the Red Wings’ coaching and front office staffs.
Continue reading Impressions from the third day of the Red Wings’ summer development camp ’18
Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin’s older brother Colin was signed by the Edmonton Oilers last spring, and the 24-year-old told the Edmonton Sun’s Robert Tychkowski that he’s pleased with the team he chose to join as an NCAA free agent:
“I had a lot of success at the college level and there were some teams (interested),” said the 24-year-old centre. “But the prestige of the Oilers organization and the opportunity to join the young talent here was a no-brainer for me.
“There is a chance to play with young players. There are a lot of high draft picks and a lot of elite talent in this organization. The arena and the facilities are state of the art. Honestly, I felt like I was selling myself to the Oilers more than anything, just getting a chance to sign with them was a dream come true.”
Larkin didn’t generate the same buzz that [Drake] Caggiula did when he picked Edmonton after leading North Dakota to an NCAA title, but if pedigree counts for anything he could be a sleeper.
His brother Dylan Larkin is carving out a niche with the Detroit Red Wings, coming off a 63-point season three years after being selected 15th overall.
He also has a couple of cousins, Adam and Ryan, making their way up the hockey ranks (Adam played in the ECHL last year and Ryan was a goalie at Miami-Ohio) that he can lean on as well.
The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan provides a Red Wings free agency update this evening, confirming that the Wings are likely to sign Jonathan Bernier as Jimmy Howard’s back-up…
Bernier, 29, helped lead the Avalanche into the playoffs after Semyon Varlamov was injured and missed the remainder of the season. Bernier was 19-13-3 with a 2.85 goals-against average and .913 save percentage.
It was expected the Avalanche would keep Bernier, but they acquired Washington’s Philipp Grubauer, leaving Bernier free to explore the market.
And Kulfan also confirms the MLive’s Ansar Khan and The Athletic’s Craig Custance and Pierre LeBrun’s suggestion that Detroit may be bringing back some old friends at forward:
They’re rumored to be extremely interested in bringing back either of two forwards — Valtteri Filppula or Thomas Vanek.
Filppula, 34, appears to be the preferred choice. He had 11 goals and 22 assists in 81 games with Philadelphia, and his versatility would be beneficial, as the Wings continue to have doubts regarding Henrik Zetterberg’s aching back.
The Wings also hope to re-sign defenseman Mike Green, a prospective UFA, to a 2-year contract.
Update: Here’s more from Hockeybuzz’s Bob Duff:
An NHL source told Mlive.com that defenseman Mike Green was close to signing a two-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings to stay with the team and was likely to do so before Sunday’s July 1 kickoff to the NHL’s free-agent frenzy.
The Wings tabled a two-year pact worth a reported $5 million a season to Green at the conclusion of the 2017-18 NHL season, but Green opted to wait until this week’s chance to speak to other teams leading up to the free-agent signing window opening. It would appear that he has decided there isn’t anything out there that trumps the Detroit offer.
Green made it abundantly clear during the season that he would prefer to remain a Red Wing.
“I love it in Detroit,” Green said. “It’s a great organization. I hope I stay.”
Of brief Red Wings-related note this afternoon:
1. The Free Press’s Helene St. James did confirm on Twitter that the Red Wings are going to sign Filip Zadina to an entry-level deal in July, which makes sense given that he may make the team in October…
Focus right now is on free agency, but Red Wings plan on signing Filip Zadina to entry-level contract in July.
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) June 28, 2018
2. And Fox Sports Detroit’s Trevor Thompson conducted a sit-down interview with fellow likely Wings forward Michael Rasmussen:
