Month: July 2018

Mid-day Tweets of note

Of Twitter-related note this afternoon:

1. Regarding the Eastside Elite Hockey League, per Michigan Hockey’s Michael Caples:

2. Here’s an FYI from the Griffins:

3. If you were unaware that Red Wings training camp tickets go on sale on July 24th…

4. Alec Regula and Keith Petruzzelli have been assigned “teams” for the World Junior Summer Showcase:

5. And in the alumni department:

6. Also of note:

 

Chris Chelios leaves the Red Wings

This is a mild shock, per the Red Wings:

A STATEMENT FROM CHRIS CHELIOS

Detroit, MI…Chris Chelios, a legendary member of the Detroit Red Wings since 1999 as a player, advisor and ambassador for the team, announced today that he will be leaving the organization to return to his hometown of Chicago to be closer to family.

“I would like to thank everyone in the Red Wings organization, starting with the Ilitch family – Mrs. Ilitch, Chris Ilitch, and, of course, the late Mr. I.  There’s a reason the Red Wings are so revered around the National Hockey League and it starts at the top with ownership.  The Ilitch family’s dedication and passion for both the Red Wings and the city of Detroit is second-to-none.  I would also like to personally thank Ken Holland for everything he has done for me.  I’ve learned so much from him, both as a player and during my time on the management side.  Ken is a world-class general manager and he’s an even better friend and mentor.  I have no doubt the Red Wings will be Stanley Cup contenders again in the near future.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the Red Wings organization over the last 19 years.  Admittedly, I was skeptical about the 1999 trade that brought me to Detroit.  As a Chicago guy who was playing for the Blackhawks at the time, we despised those Detroit teams of the 1990’s.  After the trade, however, things changed quickly and I began to feel right at home.  What an unbelievable experience, playing on some of the greatest teams in league history, with some of the greatest players of all-time.  I consider myself extremely lucky to have been a part of it all.  The Cup-winning teams in 2002 and 2008 are the obvious highlights, but I’m grateful for every chance I had to put on a Red Wings sweater.

For me, this is an opportunity to move back to Chicago to be closer to family, and in particular my mother.  I began to seriously consider moving home last February after the passing of my father.  Now that my children have all graduated, it seems like the ideal time for my wife, Tracee, and I to make the move.

To the fans in Detroit – I want to say thank you.  You embraced me from day one.  My experience in Detroit was a lot of fun and we definitely had some unforgettable times together.  Just know that I won’t be a stranger.  I plan on visiting the area whenever I can, especially now that my son, Jake, is playing in the Wings organization.”

Khan profiles Kaden Fulcher

MLive’s Ansar Khan profiles Red Wings prospect Kaden Fulcher this morning. The goaltender helped backstop the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs to an OHL title and a Memorial Cup berth this past season, a year after signing with the Red Wings as a free agent, and it’s assumed that Fulcher will “turn pro” this season:

“I definitely want to make the jump to professional hockey, but I know it’s going to be tough,” Fulcher said during Red Wings development camp in June. “I know it’s going to be a lot of work this summer. It’s as much (the Red Wings’) decision as it is mine, so I think I’m just going to listen to what they’re telling me to do and it’s up to them.”

The Red Wings signed free agents Harri Sateri and Patrik Rybar to be their goalies with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. They might opt to have Fulcher play for the ECHL Toledo Walleye, with the opportunity to move up to Grand Rapids as needed.

“We got to make some decisions with the goaltending position, but (Fulcher) is a good character guy and he works hard and he’s looking for an opportunity and he’s going to make the most of it,” Griffins coach Ben Simon said. “Young guy, is he ready for that next opportunity? If you ask him, absolutely, he’s going to tell you he is, but again, it’s a long stretch of games in the AHL and it’s a grind. So, we’re going to look at that to help add a little bit of depth moving forward.”

Khan continues, and Fulcher’s got a fantastic attitude regarding the work he needs to put in to continue to evolve as a goaltender, so I believe that the future is very bright for him.

Slowly getting the blog’s shi…I mean ‘stuff’ together

The question regarding a “guest article” sort of prefaces what I hope will be a busier period for the blog.

If anyone else plans on joining the blog logo design contest, please let me know via email, Twitter, Facebook or comment section, because I need to go through my email and dig out the entries for your to vote upon…

I’m officially soliciting, “I’d like to see this feature/design/etc.” comments regarding some a serious blog redesign as it’s time to invest in getting this thing looking professional by the time that I head up to Traverse City for the prospect tournament and main training camp…

And regarding “heading up North,” we are going to be entering some uncharted territory between the 28th of this month and the 4th of August as the mom and I have cobbled together enough scratch to attend the family vacation in Grand Marais. I’m not quite sure how content is going to work with limited internet access and the whole “being on vacation” thing while I’m a sole provider of content, but we can certainly kick around some ideas.

A question about a potential ‘guest article’

Question for the blog: Would you be receptive to having Pro Stock Hockey write a guest blog article? I know it sort-of-kind-of skirts the commercial content angle, but I’ve been approached by PSH and I’m curious as to what they know regarding the Red Wings’ equipment preferences.

They tend to get pro stock gear from the team with more depth than Hockeytown Authentics, and I’d be curious as to whether they might share some of the secrets of the trade with us as well.

Just a thought. Let me know what you think.

Three Things: On ‘star power,’ Witkowski’s summer plans and Joe Veleno playing ‘This or That’

Of Red Wings-related note this evening:

1. The Detroit News’s John Niyo lamented the “lack of star power” on the Detroit sports scene, saying this about the rebuilding Red Wings:

The other Ilitch-owned team in town seems a bit further along in its retooling. But considering the Red Wings’ last two All-Star representatives were 34-year-old Frans Nielsen and 32-year-old Mike Green, there are no sure things here, either.

Dylan Larkin, a homegrown talent who made a big splash as a rookie All-Star and expects to sign a contract extension after an impressive 2017-18 campaign, is the best bet to grab the torch carried by Henrik Zetterberg the last several years. And the most recent first-round pick, 18-year-old Czech forward Filip Zadina, a goal-scoring winger brimming with confidence, probably carries the greatest hopes.

There’s also strength in numbers, and with 21 draft picks the last two years — including four of the top 36 overall this summer — and 11 more penciled in for 2019, Red Wings GM Ken Holland figures the odds are in his favor when it comes to finding the next Pavel Datsyuk or Nicklas Lidstrom. Or at least the next bona fide star.

“I’m trying to put together lots of young players that give our franchise — and give our fans — some hope,” he said.

Hope is in longer supply than Niyo thinks given the performances of Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou up front, but the Wings could definitely use some prospects stepping forward on the blueline and/or in goal over the next couple of seasons to round out the rebuild…

2. At the low end of the star spectrum, but very strong in the “folk hero” vein, the Holland Sentinel’s Chris Zadorozny spoke with Luke Witkowski as the Wings enforcer continues to coach young players at the Great Lakes Hockey Camp in Holland, MI:

Witkowski will continue working out and skating in the Eastside Elite League, which includes Dylan Larkin, Vlad Namestnikov, Igor Larionov, Dan DeKeyser and Tyler Motte, before training camp begins in September.

“It’s a really competitive summer league, best summer league I’ve ever played in and it’s helping me stay in good game shape,” Witkowski said.

He’s planning on coming in stronger next season and says he wants the Red Wings to be in the playoffs, to see Little Caesars Arena with a playoff atmosphere.

But giving back to his community and putting smiles on kids faces was a great way to spend three days in his hometown.

“I enjoy doing it, it’s not my first time doing it, I don’t expect it to be my last,” Witkowski said. “For it to be in Holland, kids growing up in Holland like myself, it’s very special for me.”

3. Finally, in the multimedia category, the Red Wings asked Joe Veleno to play a game of “This or That”:

 

Krupa examines the front office ‘brain drain’

The Detroit News’s Gregg Krupa takes note of some of Red Wings GM Ken Holland’s post-draft and free agency day comments regarding the “front office brain drain.”

As Krupa points, the Wings’ draft record hasn’t been stellar, really, since the Wings’ 2008 Cup win. Losing Steve Yzerman, Scotty Bowman, Jim Nill, Joe McDonnell and several scouts haven’t helped…

And the truth of the matter is that the final years of Jim Nill’s status as the Wings’ director of amateur scouting weren’t good, with the Wings whiffs including a long cast of characters, from Tom McCollum and Teemu Pulkkinen to a whole generation of blueliners in Brendan Smith, Ryan Sproul, Xavier Ouellet and Alexey Marchenko…

So now, with Tyler Wright as the director of amateur scouting and nearly half-a-dozen new scouts on the payroll, the Wings are trying to move forward, and they’re moving forward with the remaining members of the front office (see: Holland and Kris Draper) taking a more active scouting role:

“It’s up to me and my people to prove that the plan that we’ve got is a good plan,” Holland said. “How do we want to build our team?”

By moving Jiri Fischer from director of player development to director of player evaluation, and hiring Shawn Horcoff to direct development and Daniel Cleary to assist him, the Wings are hoping to improve the preparation of their prospects, Holland said.

After dispatching Jurco, Kindl, McCollum, Ouellet, Sheahan, Smith and Sproul, in recent seasons, development results clearly could improve.

 “We’re trying to develop the skill of the players that we’ve drafted,” he said.

For the first time this year, before the entry draft, he said the video and scouting staffs prepared a video of the top-10 prospects.

“Is there something in there, through video, through analytics, through numbers?” Holland said. “So, we’re trying to do things a little differently. Right now, we need good young players and lots of good young players. Next up will be trying to complement them by bringing in some players who are a little more experienced.

“I’d like to say a year or two,” before the team regains the playoffs, Holland said in April. “But, there are teams that run eight, nine, 10 years in a row, who miss the playoffs.”

Krupa continues… and I would also suggest that the Wings’ prospect development has seen a “long game” improvement since Fischer and now Horcoff and Cleary have come along. The Wings now allocate more resources to developing the not-quite-sure-things they draft, and they’ve done better in developing NHL’ers over the course of Fischer’s reign.

That being said, you can’t develop skill that isn’t there, and the Wings’ scouts will be judged as much on who they draft as much as how their draft picks develop.

 

Toledo Walleye scout advocates for physical, mental health through ‘Check Yourself, Express Yourself’ campaign

I’ve been debating whether to post this article as it isn’t necessarily hockey-related, but the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe spoke with a hockey scout who’s advocating for both physical and mental health issues, and my blog has a place for that kind of story:

While Walleye head scout Ed Burkholder dreams of one day bringing a Kelly Cup to Toledo, his daily passion is aimed at erasing stigmas surrounding serious issues affecting all of society.

Burkholder, whose connection with Toledo professional hockey dates to 2003, hopes to spark an open discussion on two subjects most people find uncomfortable.

Burkholder, a 50-year-old native of Welland, Ont., has launched a podcast to encourage others to speak up about topics such as testicular cancer, depression, and anxiety.

His campaign called “Check Yourself, Express Yourself” is deeply personal.

“It’s OK to talk about these things,” Burkholder said. “Plug into each other. Let’s talk about it.”

Burkholder, who also is a TV broadcaster for the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League, was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 26.

He has been cancer free since 2007, and has become a staunch advocate of cancer awareness.

“Cancer affects us all. Everyone has a story,” Burkholder said. “You need to check yourself. It could save your life. Get to a doctor. It may be uncomfortable for a lot of people, but it could mean life or death.”

Burkholder has created T-shirts and cause bracelets with his slogan. Last month, he developed the idea of producing the podcast as another outlet. The first episode features a compelling story from former NHLer Jim Thomson. It can be heard at podomatic.com/podcasts/checkyourselfexpressyourself.

Continued

USA Hockey Arena to host ‘Play With Purpose Charity Hockey Game’ on August 11th

USA Hockey Arena will be hosting a charity hockey game on August 11th, and the game will include several Red Wings and NHL’ers, past and present:

2nd Annual Play With Purpose Charity Hockey Game Set For August 11

Charity Game Presented by Hockey Has Heart to be Held at USA Hockey Arena

PLYMOUTH, Mich.- The second annual Play With Purpose Charity Hockey Game presented by Hockey Has Heart featuring several notable hockey players from the NHL, NCAA and the junior ranks, will take place at USA Hockey Arena on Saturday, August 11, 2018 at 4pm ET; doors will open at 3pm.

The Play With Purpose Charity Hockey Game was created to honor the memory of the late Mitchel Kiefer and to increase the awareness of the consequences of distracted driving.

Mitchel was killed by a distracted driver on September 19, 2016, while driving to Michigan State University after a weekend at home. Mitchel played his last hockey game in August of 2016, when he joined the summer interns of Gallagher-Kaiser (GK), in an employee vs. intern game. The following year, the interns decided to dedicate the event to Mitchel, creating the annual Play With Purpose game.

This year, GK’s memorial game will be presented by Hockey Has Heart, with a portion of the proceeds used to support distracted driving awareness initiatives led by the PEERS foundation, BRAKES foundation and Stopdistractions.org.

Continue reading USA Hockey Arena to host ‘Play With Purpose Charity Hockey Game’ on August 11th