Impressions from the Red vs. White game at the Red Wings’ training camp ’18

Team Red won the Red vs. White game 4-2, rallying from a 2-goal, Darren Helm-engineered deficit on goals by Evgeny Svechnikov, Christoffer Ehn, Andreas Athanasiou and Filip Zadina.

The game was fast-paced, about as physical a scrimmage as I’ve seen and intense as players jockeyed for roster positions and playing time, so the two 25-minute periods (which included 3-on-3 play for the final 5 minutes of each period, and penalty shots awarded for rule infractions) flew by, and afterward, Helm, Svechnikov, Zadina and coach Jeff Blashill, who watched his assistant coaches man the benches, spoke with the media.

In terms of player assessments for the day, on a team-by-team and line-by-line basis:

Team Red:

Forwards:

Filip Zadina #11–Andreas Athanasiou #72–Thomas Vanek #26

Filip Zadina #11: Filip had a mostly successful game playing on the wing with the two most talented players he’s probably ever skated with, and Zadina scored a patented one-timer goal to wrap up the game. Afterward, he sounded the most confident I’ve heard him sound since the start of the prospect tournament, and given the 6,’ 196-pound winger’s strong overall game, it was easy to understand why Zadina felt so good about himself.

Zadina is most definitely an elite scorer with moves for miles, but even with excellent skating and edge-work and superb conditioning, his learning curve at the NHL level would be steep, and I’m still expecting Zadina to start the year in the AHL instead of playing on the third or fourth line in Detroit. He’ll have to unseat someone to earn a spot in the top six.

Andreas Athanasiou #72: For one day, anyway, Athanasiou backed up his talk with action. The 24-year-old center played a tremendous game, dominating possession and control of the puck at times and utilizing his speed to generate time, space and scoring opportunities for his teammates. The 6’2,” 188-pound Athanasiou proved to be a little better in the bump-and-grind battles for the puck as well. Whether he can remain a consistent player will be determined over the course of time.

Thomas Vanek #26: Thomas Vanek may have lost a quarter to half a step over the season he spent away from the Red Wings, but it plain old doesn’t matter. Vanek, a spry 6’2″ and 214-pounds of 34-year-old forward, makes tremendous plays and needs very little room to make seeing-eye passes or fire water bottle-popping shots into the net. He’s not fantastic defensively, but Vanek gives you what you expect from an offensive dynamo.

Evgeny Svechnikov #37–Joe Veleno #90–Michael Rasmussen #27

Evgeny Svechnikov #37: Svechnikov and Michael Rasmussen are probably the forwards most likely to make the team out training camp because they can excel even as 3rd or 4th-line players. Svechnikov, a bit heavier and a bit bigger than before at 212 pounds and 6’3,” scored a goal and looked much, much more comfortable in his skin than he did a year ago at this time. Evgeny is still working on that viciously harsh self-critic, but the “middle six” forward does a nice job of ragging the puck down low, he skates well, and whether he’s going to be a 10-goal-scoring support player or a 15+-goal-scoring star is hard to peg down at this time, but he’s doing better and feeling a lot better about himself.

Joe Veleno #90: If the Wings didn’t have such a roster crunch at forward, there would be an outside chance that the 18-year-old might make the team out of training camp. The 6’1,” 191-pound Drummondville Voltigeurs center registered an assist today, he looked eminently comfortable skating up and down the ice against and battling for the puck with NHL players, and the Wings’ resident “bonus first round pick” continues to look more and more like a top-six center instead of a top-nine one.

Michael Rasmussen #27: Rasmussen had another excellent game, playing very strongly in terms of bump-and-grind stuff as well as puck possession, and Rasmussen’s improved skating really shone through on a day that a lot of Wings players looked good on their skates. Rasmussen is a plain old power forward in the making (at 6’6″ and 221 pounds), and I believe that he has an excellent chance of making the Wings’ roster.

Luke Witkowski #28–Luke Glendening #41–Chris Terry #15

Luke Witkowski #28: But what happens with the 6’2,” 210-pound Witkowski? I’m at a loss as to whether the Red Wings should keep the 28-year-old pugilist on the team at the expense of a Svechnikov or a Rasmussen. Witkowski definitely brings an element to the roster that it does not have without him, but Witkowski is a 13th forward/swing-man defenseman, and if it comes down to Witkowski vs. the kids…I go with the kids.

Luke Glendening #41: Glendening had an up-and-down day, and that’s not much to worry about given that the 5’11,” 192-pound checking-line center does his most effective checking when he’s pissing somebody off, something he cannot do easily during a scrimmage.

Chris Terry #15: The Grand Rapids Griffins-bound 5’10,” 197-pound forward is a scoring machine at the AHL level, and the Red Wings will hope that, at the AHL level, they’ve found someone to spell the youngsters and replace the kind of production that Eric Tangradi and Ben Street delivered.

David Pope #58–Christoffer Ehn #70–Axel Holmstrom #49

David Pope #58: Pope and his linemates are headed to Grand Rapids, but the 6’3,” 198-pound Pope and his compatriots are fighting for roles and ice time on the Griffins’ roster. Pope has an impeccable pedigree as an NCAA-playing forward, but he hasn’t displayed much goal-scoring form as of yet as a professional. He’s going to need to pick things up in a hurry given that he’s a 24-year-old rookie.

Christoffer Ehn #70: Ehn looked very comfortable checking the snot out of opponents and occasionally generating offense because he’s such a tremendous skater. Not overly large despite a listed 6’2,” 193-pound frame, Pope is at his best when he’s using his speed to take away players’ time and space.

Axel Holmstrom #49: Axel had a good game, and Axel has continued to impress in training camp, displaying the extra half-step he needs to succeed in terms of skating at a professional level. Axel is sort of Grand Rapids’ version of Evgeny Svechnikov, a 6’1,” 219-pound forward who may turn out to be a top-six forward and may turn out to be a 3rd-line grinder.

Defensemen:

Libor Sulak #47–Joe Hicketts #2

Libor Sulak #47: I like a lot of what I’m seeing from the 6’2,” 207-pound graduate of the Finnish Liiga, but the rangy, wide-legged-skating Sulak looks more and more like he needs a little AHL finishing school as time progresses. He’s not quite able to handle the pace of NHL play despite being a fantastic skater and puck-lugger, and adjusting to the smaller rink is part of the problem for him…But there’s a ton of talent there and a supremely successful puck-carrying defenseman in Sulak.

Joe Hicketts #2: If the Wings were purely to pick a #6/7 defenseman to very specifically be a 6/7 guy, they might pick the 5’8,” 180-pound Hicketts. A step faster than he was a year ago at this time, Hicketts is physical, demonstrative and works his ass off to try and out-skill and mostly out-grind his opponents. As he becomes a better and better skater, his chances of becoming an NHL’er increase because the plucky Hicketts is more than just a predatory hitter.

Dennis Cholowski #21–Filip Hronek #24

Dennis Cholowski #21: In my book, Cholowski and Hronek are the ones fighting for a spot on the defense right now. Cholowski, a little bigger at 6’1″ and 195 pounds and a bit less daring in terms of his tendency to use his outlet pass-making abilities and stick do the daring darts into traffic for him, Cholowski is a 3-edge-skater (forward, backward and laterally) who sees the ice superbly and makes great outlet passes because of his vision. He’s got great passing skills, a good, hard shot, and he can handle physical play, though he occasionally gets walked around…

Filip Hronek #24: While Hronek, 6′ and 170 pounds, is all flash and dash in the literal sense, lugging the puck up into play and sending shorter passes toward teammates in the rush alongside him. Hronek is a gambling defenseman whose cockiness allows him to make some really tremendous plays, but he can be vulnerable physically, and sometimes his mad dashes into the rush cause scoring chances against. Who do you pick, the cerebral defender or the daring dasher? It’s hard to say right now.

Dylan McIlrath #4–Jake Chelios #84

Dylan McIlrath #4 is one of those players you desperately wish had another skating step, because the 6’5,” 236-pound defenseman would provide the Wings with a desperately-needed element of viciousness on the blueline. Instead, he’s an AHL heavyweight who mostly patrols via intimidation.

Jake Chelios #84: The Grand Rapids Griffins-bound defenseman plays safe, steady and spare hockey in all the positive senses of the term, choosing to make the smart play over the flashy one 9 times out of 10. The 6’2,” 185-pound 27-year-old will thrive in the AHL.

Goaltenders:

#35 Jimmy Howard: Jimmy Howard had an up-and-down day, stopping 15 of 17 shots and mostly looking solid out there. Howard gave up a couple of squeakers, but he was mostly steady and square to the shooter, working a little harder to get in position before the puck hits him. He’s not getting any faster, but he’s getting smarter.

#31 Harri Sateri: Sateri may be the Filip Hronek of the Red Wings’ goaltending core. Dashing and daring, arms and legs flailing at times, the 6,’ 207-pound 29-year-old Finn makes high-risk saves look routine simply because he makes them so very regularly. Sateri stopped 15 shots in his second-half’s worth of play, and he didn’t look comfortable doing it per se, but Sateri doesn’t necessarily look comfortable doing the job–he just does it very well.

Team White:

Forwards

Tyler Bertuzzi #59–Dylan Larkin #71–Anthony Mantha #39

Tyler Bertuzzi #59: Bertuzzi looks particularly comfortable in his 6’1,” 190-pound frame, working very hard to not only drive the opposition nuts, but also to attempt to use his skating to generate offensive chances and go to the front of the net to agitate and screen goaltenders. He provides a perfect foil to Anthony Mantha on the big line.

Dylan Larkin #71: At 22 years of age, the 6’1,” 198-pound Larkin is bigger, stronger and faster than he has ever been before, and Larkin had an OK game by his standards, which means that he played very well, but didn’t get results. Speedy at nearly 200 pounds and gritty without being dirty, Larkin is driven to out-compete his opponents and transition to offense in a hurry, where he can pass excellently and fire rockets at the net.

Anthony Mantha #39: Looks a little more engaged in the play on a shift-to-shift basis, which is all you can really hope for from a budding 25+-goal-scorer. Massive at 6’5″ and 225 pounds, Mantha still gets down the ice with ease, and his shot is elite, as is his passing skill when he gives it a chance. He needs to stay engaged on a regular basis to become a star player.

Gustav Nyquist #14–Frans Nielsen #51–Darren Helm #43

Gustav Nyquist #14: Nyquist isn’t going to get any bigger, stronger or faster, but the 5’11,” 184-pound Swede looks a little pluckier this season, a little more willing to lean into puck battles and do the hard work necessary to come out with the puck on his stick. Nyquist’s shot is excellent and as he’s a bit of a water bug on skates, he skates efficiently.

Frans Nielsen #51: Isn’t slowing down at 34 years of age. NHL-average at 6’1″ and 188 pounds, Nielsen looked very good roaring up and down the ice to give Nyquist and Helm time and space, and he can make the plays necessary to create offense without sacrificing an ounce of defensive responsibility.

Darren Helm #43: A little more comfortable on the wing, Helm serves a sort of Tyler Bertuzzi-like role on this line as the forechecking winger who uses his speed and his 6,’ 196-pound frame to stir up pucks for his more skilled teammates to take to the net, all while displaying his own ability to score from time to time. Helm’s speed has not diminished at 31 and he still works his tail off.

Jussi Jokinen #20–Dominic Turgeon #23–Givani Smith #48

Jussi Jokinen #20: In camp on a pro try-out, the 35-year-old Finnish sniper is at least an intriguing story as someone who flew to Detroit knowing that he didn’t have a great chance of making the team, but the 6,’ 192-pound veteran made the trek north from Fort Lauderdale anyway, and he certainly possesses the hands to score 20 goals, still. Can the rest of him keep up?

Dominic Turgeon #23: Turgeon is a dark horse to make the Wings’ roster because he’s plain old designed to excel in a 3rd or 4th line center’s role. The 6’2,” 200-pound forward, all of 22, has displayed excellent penalty-killing and shut-down center-playing form with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, and a promotion is in short order, but is there space when the Wings want to keep Svechnikov and Rasmussen around?

Givani Smith #48: Smith is ready to start his pro career with the Grand Rapids Griffins, where the 6’2,” 206-pound winger will grind upon his opponents and plain old drive them nuts with his work ethic and checks, hacks, whacks and hits. Smith is only so useful in intra-squad scrimmages.

Zach Gallant #64–Wade Megan #22–Matt Puempel #54

Zach Gallant #64: Looked sharp in the scrimmage, and the Red Wings seem to have found a way to open up the 6’2,” 198-pound forward’s offensive tap by liberating him from the defensive responsibilities of playing center. He’ll need a huge year in Peterborough to earn a contract, however.

Wade Megan #22: Megan was brought in from the AHL to score, and the 6’1,” 194-pound 28-year-old should do just that with the Grand Rapids Griffins. He may also prove to be a solid center in a pinch, should the Wings need one.

Matt Puempel #54: Puempel has scored 20 goals in the AHL on numerous occasions, so the Red Wings will want to see whether he can take the next step and score closer to 30 as the 6’1,” 205-pound forward nears 28 years of age.

Defensemen:

Niklas Kronwall #55–Vili Saarijarvi #29

Niklas Kronwall #55: Looked fairly good out there despite shaking off the rust and arthritis at 37 years of age. Kronwall, 6′ and 194 pounds of will and determination, meshed well with Vili Saarijarvi’s speed and pluck, and while Kronwall couldn’t line up his teammates, he was effective out there.

Vili Saarijarvi #29: Will begin the season in Grand Rapids, looking to establish himself as an AHL regular. The 5’10,” 182-pound mini-mite has worked very hard to get bigger, stronger, faster and plain old better at 21 years of age, and now is the time for the right-shooting defenseman to stop looking like he’s almost out of time and space and to start making his opponents look rushed.

Danny DeKeyser #65–Nick Jensen #3

Danny DeKeyser #65: DeKeyser, big and lanky at 6’3″ and 192 pounds, looked to be shaking off the rust as he worked alongside Nick Jensen this afternoon. DeKeyser is never going to be stronger than his opponents, but he looks to have worked on getting faster, and the Wings need that.

Nick Jensen #3: Doesn’t have to worry about getting faster as Jensen is already a superb skater, and the 6,’ 194-pound veteran-in-the-making at 28 can be better than he was during the scrimmage. Jensen had an OK scrimmage, but he needs to be as consistent as possible while skating as well as possible to out-duel opponents, and there were times that he, too, shook off the rust on Sunday.

Jonathan Ericsson #52–Trevor Daley #83

Jonathan Ericsson #52: You take the good, you take the bad, you take the hip and then you’ve got Big E. Massive at 6’5″ and 220 pounds but just not very physical, talented offensively but not talented enough to assuage for his mistakes, Ericsson is still a very solid middle-pair defender who may see top-pair duty with Trevor Daley this season because the Wings don’t really have a #1 defenseman. As such, Ericsson and Daley will platoon both trying to shut down the opposition and helming the Wings’ offensive breakout.

Trevor Daley #83: Daley looks just as fast as ever at 35, and the 5’11,” 195-pound Daley did a good job of keeping up with the plucky youngsters trying to mess up his lawn on Sunday. Daley didn’t do as much offensively, but it was a scrimmage and only one game out of many this upcoming season.

Goaltenders:

Jonathan Bernier #45: Bernier, wearing one of two masks that bear a lion’s face (a red one and a white one), played controlled butterfly goaltending of the classical technique, stopping 9 of 12 shots and looking pretty good when he did get beaten because the shots he faced were of tremendous quality. Bernier is more than a meat-and-potatoes back-up, and the 6,’ 184-pound veteran wants to make sure the world knows that he can push Jimmy Howard.

Patrik Rybar #34: The yin to Harri Sateri’s yang, Rybar, 6’3″ and 190 pounds of Slovak graduate of the Czech Extraliga, plays a tremendously reserved and controlled butterfly style, stopping shots by booting or blockering pucks into lower-risk areas, snagging others with his catch glove, selectively employing his stick and generally standing still or nearly still in order to stop pucks whose track he has already anticipated. He’s smooth, silky, calm and collected, but still learning about the pace of play and width of the North American 85-foot-wide rink.

For the record: 22 players practiced this morning, including Mike Green, who was held out of the Red vs. White game due to precautionary reasons. If you really, really, really want me to tell you about the Kirwans and Kotyks of the lineup, I will write a short entry about the “non-red-white-game players'” practice.

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