Per Centre ICE Arena come the dates for the 2018 prospect tournament and main training camp:
2018 Dates Announced
2018 NHL Prospect Tournament
September 7 – 11, 2018DRW Golf Classic
September 13, 2018Detroit Red Wings Training Camp
September 14 –18 , 2018
Alumi Game – Saturday September 15 – 7:00pm
Red & White Game –Sunday September 16 – Time TBA
Of audio-related note from the first day of the Red Wings’ summer development camp ’18:
Goaltender Jesper Eliasson was the first player brought out of the locker room to speak with the media, and the affable Troja goaltender and 3rd round 2018 pick spoke about his assets in the crease, his desire to get better and his belief that all aspects of his game need improving upon:
Dennis Cholowski followed, and Cholowski gave a long media availability in which he expressed his confidence in his ability to compete for a spot on the Red Wings’ roster come fall. Cholowski finally looks like a grown-up after being a consummate “late-bloomer,” and he spoke earnestly:
Defenseman Alec Regula regaled the media with tales from his father’s days working as the Red Wings’ dentist, when Regula was able to have access to the team and took a liking to Valtteri Filppula. Regula also spoke about his season spent with the London Knights, playing alongside Evan Bouchard against other teams’ best lines:
Joe Veleno sounded somewhat spurned as he addressed his status as having dropped to the Wings at 30th overall, and the once-“exceptional” QMJHL player spoke at length about his belief that he’s a better player than his draft spot indicates:
David Pope gave an excellent interview, speaking about his growth toward professional-level maturity as he advanced through his four years at the University of Nebraska-Omaha:
And Red Wings director of player development Shawn Horcoff addressed the development camp in wide and small scopes, discussing the purposes thereof, the fundamentals that the Wings hope to instill upon their younger players and the efforts necessary for the players to deliver upon their promise as professionals:
Per the Grand Rapids Griffins:
GRIFFINS RE-SIGN CAPTAIN MATTHEW FORD FOR TWO YEARS
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Tuesday re-signed right wing Matthew Ford to a two-year contract.
Ford, 33, captained the Griffins in 2017-18 and totaled 38 points (22-16—38) and 42 penalty minutes in 72 regular season games before posting five points (2-3—5) in five Calder Cup Playoff appearances. He placed fourth on the team in goals and ranked sixth in points. Ford’s career-high-tying 12 power play goals tied for fifth in the AHL and seventh on the franchise’s single-season list.
In two seasons with the Griffins, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound winger has tallied 73 points (36-37—73) and 70 PIM in 123 regular season contests. He’s skated in 24 postseason games in Grand Rapids, showing 17 points (10-7—17) and helping the Griffins win the franchise’s second Calder Cup in 2017.
Originally drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the eighth round, 256th overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Ford has accumulated 379 points (185-194—379) and 429 PIM in 603 career AHL contests between Hartford (2008-09), Lake Erie (2008-11), Hershey (2011-12), Adirondack (2011-13), Springfield (2012-13), Oklahoma City (2013-15), Bakersfield (2015-16) and Grand Rapids. He showed career highs in both goals (29) and points (59) in 2011-12, while splitting the campaign between Hershey and Adirondack. Ford posts 30 points (15-15—30) and 58 PIM in 45 career Calder Cup Playoff games.
A native of West Hills, Calif., Ford played college hockey at the University of Wisconsin (WCHA) from 2004-08. He totaled 39 points (21-18—39) in 124 games and helped the Badgers claim the 2006 NCAA National Championship. Ford was also named the USHL’s Rookie of the Year in 2003-04 after scoring 68 points (37-31—68) in 60 games for the Sioux Falls Stampede.
Update: Here’s Ford speaking to the Grand Rapids Press’s Peter J. Wallner:
“I’m obviously excited to stay here in Grand Rapids,” Ford said after the announcement. “A place my family has come to call home.
“The last couple years with the Griffins have been some of the most enjoyable and proudest moments of my career. It was a no brainer that I wanted to stick with this group of guys and this winning culture that this organization has developed with the Red Wings.”
From The Athletic’s Max Bultman:
[On Monday, Ken] Daniels announced the Jamie Daniels Foundation’s partnership with the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation — a partnership meant to address the opioid crisis in Michigan. Daniels’ foundation “supports individuals and families struggling with addiction by providing the education, resources, professional guidance, and financial support they need to make recovery possible.”
“I think he’d be very proud of what we’re doing,” Daniels told The Athletic. “I really do. And the fact that his sister (Arlyn)’s involved with the foundation, he’d love that. … He was a very caring, loyal person, and his friends will tell you that. He went over and above to bring people into a group — when kids felt on the outside, he’d bring them in. And that’s who he was.”
Daniels first felt a dark cloud around him begin to dissipate after meeting with Matt Friedman, a PR professional from Tanner Friedman, and Larry Burns, president and CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation, to discuss a partnership.
The foundation may prevent that cloud from needlessly attaching itself to so many families each year. There were more than 63,600 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Jamie had been seven months sober, but set up to fail by greed, an abusive system and insurance scams,” Daniels said in his speech. “Addiction is a mental illness. Addicts don’t want to be addicts.”
From the Detroit Red Wings:
RED WINGS ANNOUNCE FAN OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOLD-OUT DEVELOPMENT CAMP
… Fans in Attendance Can Take Advantage of Discounts at Little Caesars Arena Restaurants and Official Team Store, Arena Tours and More …
… Fans Without Tickets Invited to Chevrolet Plaza to Watch Live Streaming of Select Practices and Enjoy DRW Experience Interactive Games; DetroitRedWings.com to Host Streaming of Select Practices and the Red & White Scrimmage on Saturday …
DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today announced details for numerous free, fan-friendly activities surrounding the sold-out Red Wings 2018 Development Camp, which will be held at the BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena from Tuesday, June 26 to Saturday, June 30.
Continue reading Red Wings announce fan events taking place during summer development camp
I haven’t mentioned the f-word (fundraising) in some time now, but I’m about to embark upon a 5-day endeavor covering the Red Wings’ summer development camp downtown, and I could use a hand.
Between gas costing $3.85 a gallon, the associated costs of dry cleaning, food and miscellaneous expenses, I was hoping to ask that I might be able to raise about $500, or $100 a day.
Given that I will be writing from home (there’s a 1-hour commute of about 45 miles each way) and have no accommodations expenses, there’s no need to raise $ for that, but this week is going to cost me money, and I’d really like to break even if that is possible.
If you’re willing to lend a hand, http://paypal.me/TheMalikReport will send you to Paypal, and if you’re willing to lend a longer-term hand, my Patreon account is available here: https://www.patreon.com/themalikreport
We are going to have a longer discussion about fundraising soon, because the State of Michigan has written into law a work requirement for Medicaid recipients starting in January of 2019, and I’m about $600 a month short of being able to meet that requirement. I can’t do this job if it’s going to cost me my health insurance. :/
Anyway, it’s going to be a busy week, and I hope you enjoy the coverage. As usual, if you have any questions regarding players or want me to focus on certain individuals, please comment, talk to me on Twitter, Facebook or via email.
Off to the rink!
Red Wings GM Ken Holland appeared on 97.1 the Ticket’s Jamie and Stoney Show yesterday morning, speaking about the Wings’ draft haul for 11 minutes:
The Red Wings just posted the latest episode of the “Red and White Authority” podcast as well, and Arthur J. Regner speaks with TSN’s Craig Button about the draft:
Update: Kris Draper appeared on WJR 760’s Frank Beckmann show as well, speaking with guest host Sean Baligian:
Red Wings play-by-play announcer Ken Daniels appeared on Fox Sports Detroit’s Tigers broadcast yesterday, first speaking for 4-and-a-half minutes regarding the Red Wings’ 2018 draft class…
Of Red Wings-related note this morning, on a source-by-source basis:
A. DetroitRedWings.com:
B. MLive:
The Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe penned a superb article regarding former Toledo Walleye and Grand Rapids Griffins goaltender Jordan Pearce, who has graduated from medical school:
Pearce played parts of four seasons for the Walleye before retiring from professional hockey in 2013. Since then he attended four years of medical school at Wake Forest University before graduating.
One of the most diverse characters in Walleye history, the native of Anchorage, Alaska, comes from a family of rugged outdoorsmen. Pearce also is a certified pilot and devoted family man.
At age 31, Pearce is now about to be in a residency to become an orthopedic surgeon.
“It’s been good,” Pearce said. “The lessons I learned and the experience I gained playing pro hockey have definitely been helpful at medical school. I learned how to handle expectations and how to be a professional.”
Pearce said in Toledo he learned to build trust between himself and his teammates, coaches, and the team’s fans.
“There are pretty close parallels between operating and playing hockey at a high level,” he said. “There are expectations that you will do well and you have to handle that pressure and develop trust.”
