Month: August 2018

Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin is attending the Power Edge Pro camp in Toronto this week, and Larkin spoke with Sportsnet’s Luke Fox regarding his contract status:

“Something’s coming,” Larkin promised Tuesday afternoon, following an intense skills-training session alongside Connor McDavid and other NHLers at the Power Edge Pro camp in Toronto.

“I’ve told everyone I think it’ll be before training camp. It’s right there. I’m just waiting to iron out the details.”

The 22-year-old Larkin made a smooth shift from wing to centre last season, leading all teammates in scoring (63 points) while embracing a penalty-killing role and improving his defensive game. With captain Henrik Zetterberg turning 38 in early October and back issues putting the long-serving star’s availability in doubt, Larkin is the undisputed franchise centre of the present and future.

GM Ken Holland would prefer to lock Larkin up for the next five or six seasons, but he’s under a salary-cap crunch.

“That’s a pretty good honour — they’re showing a long-term commitment to you — but there are different offers out there, whether it’s a short-term bridge deal or a long-term deal,” Larkin said.

“Now we’re just trying to figure out what’s going to be best for both our futures.”

Continued

From the Detroit Red Wings:

RED WINGS ANNOUNCE 2018 NHL PROSPECT TOURNAMENT ROSTER
… First-Round Picks Zadina, Veleno, Rasmussen and Cholowski Slated to Compete in Annual Traverse City Tournament …

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today released their 2018 NHL Prospect Tournament roster, a team consisting of 26 recent draft picks, free agent signees and tryouts who will battle against seven other NHL prospect teams for the Matthew Wuest Memorial Cup from Friday, Sept. 7 to Tuesday, Sept. 11 at Centre Ice Arena in Traverse City, Mich.

Among the highlights on Detroit’s roster are the team’s four most recent first-round picks in right wing Filip Zadina (sixth overall, 2018), center Joe Veleno (30th overall, 2018), center Michael Rasmussen (ninth overall, 2017) and defenseman Dennis Cholowski (20th overall, 2016). In 2017-18, Zadina led all QMJHL rookies with 82 points (44-38-82) in 57 games with Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and also scored seven goals in seven games for the Czech Republic at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y. Veleno, selected by Detroit with a pick acquired from Vegas for Tomas Tatar on Feb. 26, also spent last season in the QMJHL, split between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Drummondville Voltigeurs. After starting the season with 31 points (6-25-31) in 31 games as captain of the Sea Dogs, Veleno racked up 48 points (16-32-48) in 33 games with the Voltigeurs to finish 10th in the league in scoring.

Rasmussen and Cholowski are each returning to the tournament after debuting in 2017 prior to spending the 2017-18 campaign in the Western Hockey League. Rasmussen produced 59 points (31-28-59) with the Tri-City Americans in an injury-shortened 47-game regular season before amassing 33 points (16-17-33) in 14 postseason games to lead Tri-City to an appearance in the WHL’s Conference Finals after back-to-back upsets in the first two rounds. Cholowski ranked among the league’s highest-scoring defensemen, combining for 66 points (14-52-66) between the Prince George Cougars and Portland Winterhawks. After Portland was eliminated from the playoffs, Cholowski made his professional postseason debut with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins.

This season’s roster includes two players who spent a majority of their first North American professional seasons with the Griffins in center Axel Holmstrom and defenseman Vili Saarijarvi. Holmstrom picked up 26 points (7-19-26) in 66 games with the Griffins in 2017-18 following a decorated career in Sweden, where he was named the Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year in 2015. Saarijarvi notched six points (2-4-6) in 10 games for the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye prior to earning a promotion to the AHL, where he contributed 11 assists in 42 games with Grand Rapids. Saarijarvi twice represented Finland at the IIHF World Junior Championship, combining for eight points (2-6-8) in 13 games over two tournaments and winning a gold medal in 2016.

Four players selected by the Red Wings at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft are slated to participate, including Zadina and Veleno. Defenseman Jared McIsaac was a teammate of Zadina with the Mooseheads and was drafted by Detroit in the second round (36th overall). McIsaac has recorded 79 points (13-66-79) in 124 QMJHL games over the last two seasons and won a gold medal with Canada at the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. He is one of three Red Wings currently competing for Canada, along with Rasmussen and Veleno, at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Kamloops, B.C. Fellow 2018 draftee and defenseman Alec Regula (third round, 67th overall) is one of two Detroit prospects in the United States’ camp, along with goaltender Keith Petruzzelli. Regula contributed 25 points (7-18-25) in 67 games with the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights in 2017-18.

Other roster highlights include right wing Givani Smith, a second-round pick (46th overall) in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft who capped off his major junior career by racking up 18 points (11-7-18) in 18 playoff games for the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers to place second on the team in goals during the postseason; center Christoffer Ehn, a former fourth-round pick (106th overall) in 2014 who is slated to move to North America after playing 147 games over the last five seasons in the top Swedish professional league with Frolunda, where he helped win a championship in 2017; and left wing David Pope, a fourth-round pick (109th overall) from the 2013 draft who signed with Detroit following a senior season at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, in which he led the team with 41 points (20-21-41) in 35 games.

In goal, the Red Wings have two recent free-agent signees in Patrik Rybar and Kaden Fulcher. The 24-year-old Rybar was signed by Detroit in May after spending four seasons playing professionally in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and representing the Slovakian national team at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Korea, and 2018 IIHF World Championship in Denmark. Fulcher was signed by Detroit after attending development camp and the NHL Prospect Tournament on a tryout prior to the 2017-18 campaign and backstopped the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs to a championship, leading all league netminders in goals-against average (2.70) and save percentage (0.905) during the postseason.

Twenty-one players who skated for the Red Wings during the 2017-18 season participated in the tournament during its 19-year history, while 597 total players have played in the tournament and moved on to skate in at least one NHL game. Prospects from the Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues will also be competing in this year’s tournament.

Tickets are available for $10 per day and can be purchased at Centre Ice Arena or at www.centreice.org. Each ticket is good for all four games per day. Teams are divided into two divisions and will play each team within their division once during the round robin before a crossover on the final day of the tournament, with the first-place finishers in each division meeting for the championship on Tuesday, Sept. 11. For more information and a complete tournament schedule, visit www.centreice.org.

2018 Detroit Red Wings NHL Prospect Tournament Roster

#      Name                               Pos.                            2017-18 Team                             Acquired                   
11    Filip Zadina                      RW                              Halifax (QMJHL)                          2018 1st round (6th overall)
21    Dennis Cholowski            D                                 Portland (WHL)                            2016 1st round (20th overall)
27    Michael Rasmussen        C                                 Tri-City (WHL)                              2017 1st round (9th overall)
29    Vili Saarijarvi                    D                                 Grand Rapids (AHL)                    2015 3rd round (73rd overall)
34    Patrik Rybar                     G                                 Hradec Kralove (Czech)              Signed by Red Wings, 5/21/18
36    Kaden Fulcher                 G                                 Hamilton (OHL)                            Signed by Red Wings, 10/3/17
46    Lane Zablocki                  RW                              Victoria (WHL)                              2017 3rd round (79th overall)
48    Givani Smith                    RW                              Kitchener (OHL)                           2016 2nd round (46th overall)
49    Axel Holmstrom               C                                 Grand Rapids (AHL)                     2014 7th round (196th overall)
50    Reilly Webb                     D                                 Saginaw (OHL)                             2017 6th round (164th overall)
53    Jordan Topping               LW                               Tri-City (WHL)                               Signed by Griffins, 7/20/18
58    David Pope                      LW                               Omaha (NCHC)                           2013 4th round (109th overall)
62    Trevor Hamilton               D                                 Penn State (B10)                          Signed by Griffins, 3/28/18
63    Jared McIsaac                 D                                 Halifax (QMJHL)                           2018 2nd round (36th overall)
64    Zach Gallant                    C                                 Peterborough (OHL)                     2017 3rd round (83rd overall)
67    Brady Gilmour                 C                                 Saginaw (OHL)                              2017 7th round (193rd overall)
68    Justin Fazio                     G                                 Sarnia (OHL)                                 Free Agent Invitee
70    Christoffer Ehn                C                                 Frolunda (SHL)                              2013 4th round (109th overall)
73    Marcus Crawford             D                                 Saginaw (OHL)                             Signed by Griffins, 4/3/18
74    Cole Fraser                      D                                 Peterborough (OHL)                     2017 5th round (131st overall)
76    Nicolas Guay                   C                                 Drummondville (QMJHL)              Free Agent Invitee
81    Trevor Yates                    C                                 Cornell (ECAC)                             Signed by Griffins, 3/28/18
89    Pavel Gogolev                 RW                              Peterborough (OHL)                     Free Agent Invitee
90    Joe Veleno                      C                                 Drummondville (QMJHL)               2018 1st round (30th overall)
92    Maxim Golod                   LW                               Erie (OHL)                                    Free Agent Invitee
94    Alec Regula                     D                                 London (OHL)                               2018 3rd round (67th overall)

According to WDIV’s Von Lozon, the Red Wings’ preseason tickets go on sale this morning, with individual-game regular-season tickets hitting the market on August 24th:

The Detroit Red Wings announced that tickets for all preseason home games at Little Caesars Arena are set to go on sale Monday morning at 10 a.m.

The first preseason game is at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 19 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Wings then play Chicago (Sept. 20), Boston (Sept. 22) and Toronto (Sept. 29).

You may purchase tickets at the LCA box office by calling 313-471-7575 or online at DetroitRedWings.com.

Regular season tickets go on sale Friday, Aug. 24.

Filip Zadina spoke with ISport.cz’s Kvetoslav Simek recently, and I asked any Czech-speaking Wings fans for assistance in translating the article. Martin Pohanic stepped up, and here’s his translation of Zadina’s conversation. Many thanks to Martin!

Detroit’s gonna help me, but It’s up to me, says Zadina. Now, He’s battling driving school.

He made his first strides on skates in Trinec. It’s also the same city Filip Zadina is doing his offseason drills this summer, under supervision of his father Marek. Filip was taken 6th overall in this year’s NHL draft. NHL is my boyhood dream and I will do whatever it takes to get there. Now He wants to get ready to make the jump to professional hockey.

Finish driver’s school, finish his third year in high school and get ready for the NHL. All of these are Filip’s current tasks. It’s been a busy summer so far. He’s checking every box on his list one after another. Step by step, He’s going for his dream. “That’s How my father taught me. Never stop skating and always move your feet,” says Filip smilingly.

Continue reading Expertly translated: Filip Zadina speaks with iSport.cz

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji wrote an article discussing Frans Nielsen’s 2017-18 season’s “numbers”:

700 — On Nov. 5 at Edmonton, Nielsen played in his 700th career NHL game. Nielsen got the first goal in the 4-0 victory that game, finishing with two shots and 14:33 of ice time. Nielsen finished the season with 764 games.

100 — Nielsen spent the first 10 seasons of his NHL career with the New York Islanders, but celebrated his 100th game with the Red Wings on Nov. 19 against the Colorado Avalanche. Nielsen had three shots on goal in the 4-3 overtime loss and finished with 20:13 of ice time.

400 — It was a milestone kind of season for Nielsen, who registered his 400th career point on Nov. 28 against the Los Angeles Kings. The Wings lost, 4-1, but Nielsen assisted on Detroit’s only goal. Nielsen had the primary assist on Mike Green’s goal at 14:12 of the first period, which gave the Wings a short-lived 1-0 lead. Nielsen had two shots and played 16:07.

Wakiji continues…

MLive’s Ansar Khan examines the possible 2018-19 campaign of Anthony Mantha this morning:

2018-19 outlook: A prolific goal-scorer in the junior ranks, Mantha is quickly learning what it takes to score in the NHL, with 17 and 24 goals in his first two seasons. He has learned to use his big frame to protect the puck and cycle more, instead of looking to shoot off the rush. Despite the team’s poor power play (27^th in the NHL), Mantha has adjusted to a net-front role, scoring nine power-play goals after netting just one as a rookie.

Mantha occasionally drew criticism from coach Jeff Blashill for lapses in competitiveness and not moving his feet. They had what was described as a heart-to-heart talk prior to a game in New Jersey on Jan. 22 that both said was productive.

Mantha is driven to improve. He planned on doing some power skating in the off-season. He also wanted to take boxing lessons, not to fight more but to be grittier.

Quotable: “He had a good year, we need him to take a step, he’s got that potential, that ability. Once you play 100 games you get a good idea what this league is all about. He’s got a good idea what he needs to do in the summer to take his game to another level.” – general manager Ken Holland.

Key question: Can Mantha become the first Red Wing to score 30 goals in 10 years (Marian Hossa 40, Johan Franzen 34, Pavel Datsyuk 32, Henrik Zetterberg 31 in 2008-09)?

Continued

Of Red Wings-related note over the course of Friday and Saturday, on a source-by-source basis:

A. Free Press:

1. Helene St. James penned an analysis of the Red Wings’ biggest draft “boons” and “busts” since the team drafted Henrik Zetterberg;

B. Detroit News:

1. Ted Kulfan discussed Anthony Mantha’s late-season video session turned heart-to-heart conversation with coach Jeff Blashill;

2. The Detroit News’s Todd McInturf posted a photo gallery as Lane Zablocki, Vili Saarijarvi and Kirk Maltby worked the Red Wings’ youth hockey camp on Friday;

C. Hockeybuzz:

1. Bob Duff spoke with Dylan Larkin regarding both his contract negotiations with the Wings and August 26th’s “Stars and Stripes” charity hockey game in Plymouth;

D. The Athletic:

1. Craig Custance took a drive through Joe Louis Arena as the facility continues to be sold off in bits and pieces before its eventual demolishment;

E. DetroitRedWings.com:

1. In article form, DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner examined Libor Sulak’s 2017-18 season “by the numbers“;

2. Dana Wakiji spoke with Dylan Larkin when he took part in the Wings’ youth hockey camp on Wednesday;

3. Wakiji also spoke with Vili Saarijarvi regarding his hopes to rebound from an injury-plagued 2017-18 season;

4. On Twitter, the Wings posted Twitter interviews with Lane Zablocki and Saarijarvi…

“I think I got mentally stronger throughout the year and that’s a big thing for my game,” Lane Zablocki, #RedWings 2017 3rd round pick. #DRWProspects pic.twitter.com/BzR5ikMqia

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 3, 2018

“It’s good to get out there with the kids and have some fun,” @ViliSaarijarvi at #DRWYC | #forthekids #LGRW pic.twitter.com/TySr4usnyD

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 3, 2018

“Obviously I want to play with the big club. But I just want to have a strong, healthy season, play with my strengths and get better.”

More –> https://t.co/dk7uZV60Ze pic.twitter.com/7tvV43xek8

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 4, 2018

5. And the Wings posted this Dylan Larkin clip from the NHL Network:

.@Dylanlarkin39 is spearheading the Stars and Stripes Showdown. He joined #NHLTonight to talk about the @USAHockey charity game and the late Jim Johannson. pic.twitter.com/pxwRXyKPUJ

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 3, 2018

F. NHL.com:

1. NHL.com’s Dave Hogg penned a profile of Michael Rasmussen;
2. Dylan Larkin (115), Filip Zadina (163), Anthony Mantha (168), Mike Green (189) and Michael Rasmussen (249) made NHL.com’s Pete Jensen’s initial Top 250 Fantasy Player rankings;

G. The Sporting News:

1. The Red Wings rank 10th of 31 in the Sporting News’s Steve Kournianos’s “farm system rankings“;

2. Alec Gearty reports that Michael Rasmussen had a good showing at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Kamloops, British Columbia, playing strongly for Canada;

H. Vancouver Province:

1. The Province’s Steve Ewen also reports that Michael Rasmussen had a strong showing at the World Junior Summer Showcase.

 

From WOOD TV in Grand Rapids:

Red Wings forward and Muskegon native Justin Abdelkader is working with dairy farmers to ensure families in need have access to milk.

In partnership with the SpartanNash Foundation, Abdelkader, Michigan-area Dairy Farmers of America and the United Dairy Industry of Michigan contributed $26,000 Thursday to the Food Bank Council of Michigan.

The donation will go toward purchasing more than 163,000 servings of fresh milk for Michigan families, according to the SpartanNash Foundation.

Abdelkader, who will soon welcome his first child, says he’s excited to contribute to such an important cause.

“As a professional athlete and soon-to-be father, I know how important nutrition is, and we have to give our kids the opportunity to learn to play and to excel. I think being a part of a mission like this is very important,” the former Grand Rapids Griffin said.

The donation took place during SpartanNash’s annual food show at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids. SpartanNash says any food display products left after the show will be donated to local food banks and pantries.

If anybody happens to speak Czech, Filip Zadina spoke with iSport.cz’s Kvetoslav Simek recently, and the interview comes out as garbled gobbledeygook when translating it from Czech to English. If someone could lend a hand with the translation, I would be grateful.

In the interview, Zadina says that he’s learning to drive, that he understands he’ll have to earn a spot on a very competitive Red Wings roster, or he’ll have to play in Grand Rapids (his goal is to make the team and play the entire year in Detroit), and that he’s working out with Ocelari Trinec as his father works for the team.

The Toledo Walleye have signed two forwards for the 2018-19 season, starting with Bowling Green State University forward Tyler Spezia…

Walleye ink BGSU forward Tyler Spezia

(Toledo, OH) – Forward Tyler Spezia (SPEE-zhuh) from the Bowling Green Falcons has agreed to terms with the Toledo Walleye for the 2018-19 season.

Spezia joins the Walleye after a stellar career for the Falcons, appearing in 147 games while scoring 34 goals with 38 assists for 72 points and 103 penalty minutes. During his four-year career, the Clinton Township, Michigan native posted a plus 34. As a senior Assistant Captain, he scored 10 goals (tied for third most on team) with six assists and was named WCHA Player of the Week when he picked up a hat trick plus an assist at Lake Superior State on January 29.

“Tyler brings an exciting skill set to our team for the upcoming season that we will look forward to on the ice,” said Head Coach Dan Watson. “The experience he gained playing for a terrific program and coach Chris Bergeron will help him make the transition from college to professional hockey.”

The 25-year-old forward set a career-high as a junior when he collected 30 points (8G, 22A) with 53 penalty minutes and a plus 13. His 22 assists led the Falcons in the 2016-17 season. Twice Spezia was named to the WCHA All-Academic Team for his work in the classroom. Prior to joining Bowling Green, the 5’10”, 171 pound forward spent back to back years in the USHL with Dubuque then Youngstown. With the Youngstown Phantoms in 2013-14, he had 73 penalty minutes with 22 points (10G, 12A) in 58 games.

And continuing with scrappy forward Ben Storm:

Continue reading Toledo Walleye sign Tyler Spezia, Ben Storm