Here is the Red Wings’ prospect tournament roster, along with some of my tournament expectations for each player:
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): At this point, Zadina would be wise to show that his scoring prowess in the QMJHL will not require much of a transition period, as WDIV’s David Bartkowiak Jr. suggested. Zadina has superstar potential, but it may take time for him to adjust to tighter confines and heavier checking at the NHL level (at 6′ and 196 pounds, he should be able to hack it), and now is as good a time as any to make those transitions while continuing to score.
21 Dennis Cholowski D Portland (WHL) 2016 1st round (20th overall): Dennis needs to show the Wings that he’s physically and mentally matured as a defenseman. At 20 years of age, and standing at 6’1″ and 200 pounds, Cholowski is probably ticketed to play for the Grand Rapids Griffins as Filip Hronek appears to be “more ready,” but Cholowski could upset the call-up order if he has a strong tournament and training camp. It’s going to be imperative that Cholowski and teammate Vili Saarijarvi are the leaders on defense, in both offensive and defensive situations (i.e. on the power play and penalty-kill).
27 Michael Rasmussen C Tri-City (WHL) 2017 1st round (9th overall): Big Michael Rasmussen needs to establish himself as a player who’s ready to step into the role that the Red Wings want to give him–a net-front-crashing 6’6″ power winger who can step right into the team’s NHL lineup. The Red Wings believe that he’s ready, Rasmussen believes that he’s ready, and after two wrist surgeries, Rasmussen should be able to display the goal-scoring form that eluded him in last year’s prospect tournament. Ideally, Rasmussen gets the “captain’s ‘A'” and steps up to lead the prospects to a strong finish.
29 Vili Saarijarvi D Grand Rapids (AHL) 2015 3rd round (73rd overall): The still-slight Saarijarvi had a very rough transition to the pro ranks, spending most of his time on the Grand Rapids Griffins’ practice team, and with the Griffins’ defense jam-packed this year, the smallish (5’10,” 170-pound) Saarijarvi needs to have a strong tournament and training camp to prove that he deserves a spot in the AHL and not the ECHL. Saarijarvi’s development will be well-served regardless of where he plays, but you want to play for the Griffins over the Walleye if you have a choice, and playing strongly at the prospect tournament could tip the scales.
34 Patrik Rybar G Hradec Kralove (Czech) Signed by Red Wings, 5/21/18: I’m stunned that the Wings were able to sneak the 24-year-old Rybar onto their team given his pro experience in the Czech Republic, and the 6’2″ Slovak goaltender ought to look polished and poised as he back-stops the Wings’ prospects, but the reality of the situation is that the de-facto starter may struggle with North American rink angles (NHL rinks are 85 feet wide instead of 100 feet wide in Europe), so I would not be surprised if Kaden Fulcher steps in…
36 Kaden Fulcher G Hamilton (OHL) Signed by Red Wings, 10/3/17: And the poster boy for what a try-out can accomplish with strong play–earning a contract–needs to have a strong showing in the games he plays as Fulcher prepares to turn pro with either the Griffins or, more likely, the Walleye. Fulcher’s going to have to accept taking a back-seat to Rybar with grace, and if necessary, he’ll need to step in and play well, maximizing a lanky 6’4″ frame.
46 Lane Zablocki RW Victoria (WHL) 2017 3rd round (79th overall): Much is on the line for the 19-year-old forward who bounced around from the Red Deer Rebels to the Lethbridge Hurricanes and then Victoria Royals this past season. The 6′ winger finds himself among a large group of checking wingers in the organization’s prospect pool, and the physical Zablocki needs to find a way to stand out, most likely by playing particularly gritty hockey.
48 Givani Smith RW Kitchener (OHL) 2016 2nd round (46th overall): As Givani turns pro, the big winger is going to need to establish himself as a feisty competitor with the same kind of speed and puck-handling abilities that he displayed on Rasmussen and Zadina’s wing during the summer development camp. For Smith, the grit is there, but it needs to be consistently applied while displaying complementary offensive winger’s skills and the kind of chutzpah necessary to drive the other team nuts.
49 Axel Holmstrom C Grand Rapids (AHL) 2014 7th round (196th overall): This is a particularly big year for the 22-year-old center, who, like Zablocki, finds himself among a crowd of gritty, reliable defensive players. Holmstrom had an OK rookie season, but looked like a player who’d battled multiple knee injuries in Sweden, and this year, he’s got to establish himself as a Dominic Turgeon-style shut-down center–if not a shut-down center with some offensive chops.
50 Reilly Webb D Saginaw (OHL) 2017 6th round (164th overall): Webb is a physical beast at a lanky 6’3″ and 192 pounds, but Webb hasn’t established himself as a big, physical and reliable defender yet, at least not on a consistent basis. The Saginaw Spirit defender will have to show physical improvement and mental fortitude to work his way up the depth chart.
53 Jordan Topping LW Tri-City (WHL) Signed by Griffins, 7/20/18: The Grand Rapids Griffins-bound Topping stands at 6’1″ and 198 pounds, and he didn’t participate in the summer development camp, so Michael Rasmussen’s former teammate will have to get up to speed quickly while playing elite-level hockey in TC.
58 David Pope LW Omaha (NCHC) 2013 4th round (109th overall): At 23 going on 24, Pope has a short period of time in which to develop from a college hockey scorer to someone who can reliably score goals at the AHL level, and the 6’3,” 200-pound winger can set the table for a strong season–and a high spot in the call-up pecking order–by playing well at the prospect tournament.
62 Trevor Hamilton D Penn State (B10) Signed by Griffins, 3/28/18: Another Griffins-bound forward, the 23-year-old Grosse Pointe native will turn pro after 2 seasons at Penn State, and the 6,’ 187-pound winger will be expected to lead and play steadily as a mature player.
63 Jared McIsaac D Halifax (QMJHL) 2018 2nd round (36th overall): I’m very interested to see what the Wings have in McIsaac. The Halifax Mooseheads defenseman looked big and rangy despite a 6’1,” 195-pound frame, and he displayed complementary defenseman’s skills at the summer development camp, but I’ve heard talk of McIsaac as a top-pair defender, and I expect to see that level of skill shine through.
64 Zach Gallant C Peterborough (OHL) 2017 3rd round (83rd overall): Another in the long line of checking forwards, the Peterborough Petes forward needs to have a very strong tournament as a shut-down center, hopefully with some piss and vinegar in him, to impress the Wings’ brass in his last year before turning pro. At 6’2″ and 188 pounds, Gallant needs to show that he can keep up physically, too.
67 Brady Gilmour C Saginaw (OHL) 2017 7th round (193rd overall): The same is true perhaps doubly so for the 5’10” Gilmour, who will probably play on Gallant’s wing. Brady is an energetic and difficult-to-intimidate mighty mite with speed to spare, and he’s going to have to play rock-solid hockey to differentiate himself from the rest of the lineup.
68 Justin Fazio G Sarnia (OHL) Free Agent Invitee: Fazio will have to do what most try-out goaltenders do–he’ll have to work his ass off in practice, and most likely sit out each and every one of the Wings’ four games, providing leadership as a mature player while looking to impress the other scouts in attendance as the Sarnia Sting graduate tries to turn pro.
70 Christoffer Ehn C Frolunda (SHL) 2013 4th round (109th overall): Ehn, like Holmstrom and Pope, has a lot to prove in a limited amount of time. The 6’2,” 180-pound Frolunda Indians forward is heading over to North America at 22 years of age, and he’s going to have to look the part of a poised prospect after developing in one of hockey’s great organizations.
73 Marcus Crawford D Saginaw (OHL) Signed by Griffins, 4/3/18: Another Griffins prospect, Crawford is realistically battling for a spot on the Toledo Walleye’s blueline, but the 5’11,” 190-pound defenseman needs to show that he’s ready for the pro game.
74 Cole Fraser D Peterborough (OHL) 2017 5th round (131st overall): Cole Fraser had a so-so summer development camp, struggling to lay his physical frame upon other players in a little-to-no contact environment, so the 6’2,” 195-pound defenseman can stand out in Traverse City by playing the downright mean game that he has displayed in Major Junior. The right-shooting defenseman must bear down to earn a contract with the Wings in the spring.
76 Nicolas Guay C Drummondville (QMJHL) Free Agent Invitee: Guay is something of a mystery to me, a 5’11,” 174-pound teammate of Joe Veleno who didn’t stand out during the summer development camp. He may be in and out of the lineup, but when he’s in, he posted 55 points in 68 QMJHL games this past season, and that type of scoring prowess would earn him some significant interest.
81 Trevor Yates C Cornell (ECAC) Signed by Griffins, 3/28/18: Yates is the final member of the Griffins-or-Walleye-bound players, and the four-year graduate of Cornell posted 26 points in 33 games, so the 6’2,” 201-pound forward should step in and play poised. We’ll see.
89 Pavel Gogolev RW Peterborough (OHL) Free Agent Invitee: Another try-out, Gogolev wasn’t drafted despite a 47-points-in-66-games season with the Peterborough Petes, and at 6’1″ and 175 pounds, he’s got a slight frame. He’s going to be in and out of the lineup, most likely, so he’ll need to impress when he’s in there.
90 Joe Veleno C Drummondville (QMJHL) 2018 1st round (30th overall): Is Veleno a top-six forward or a bottom-six forward? The 6’1,” 195-pound “bonus first-round pick” could very well be a strong second-line center with superb offensive chops, or he could be a rock-steady third-line center. Veleno’s development with Drummondville will determine his role as much as anything, but stepping up in TC would help the Wings and Veleno figure out where he belongs.
92 Maxim Golod LW Erie (OHL) Free Agent Invitee: Golod, like Gogolev, may be in and out of the lineup as the 5’11,” 164-pound forward looks to have that big shift or make that big play that turns some heads.
94 Alec Regula D London (OHL) 2018 3rd round (67th overall): Regula played with Oilers draft pick Evan Bouchard in London last season, and it remains to be seen whether the “local kid” (Regula is from West Bloomfield) is more than somebody who can play alongside a top-four defenseman. The lanky 6’3,” 201-pound right-shooting defenseman is speedy, he passes well and he makes decisions quickly, like Cholowski and Saarijarvi, but is he ready to help those two lead the blueline at 18 years of age? That would be a good sign of things to come.
I’m on station here in Traverse City, getting ready for the tournament, and if you’d like to support the cause, https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport and https://patreon.com/themalikreport are both great ways to help me raise the $800 I still need to break even on this trip. Thanks for reading!
