From the Red Wings, a little belatedly:

2018 prospect tournament to stream on DetroitRedWings.com & Fox Sports

Catch top Red Wings prospects in tournament play from Sept. 7-11

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings announced today that all games of the 2018 NHL Prospect Tournament, which will run from Friday, Sept. 7 to Tuesday, Sept. 11 at Centre Ice Arena in Traverse City, Mich., can be streamed through DetroitRedWings.com and FOX Sports Go.

FYI, per the ECHL:

ECHL officials to officiate at NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City

September 6, 2018

Updated 3x with Justin Abdelkader, Filip Hronek and Niklas Kronwall’s comments @ 2:20 PM: Here’s Niklas Kronwall speaking with the media for 3:25, per the Red Wings, talking about Henrik Zetterberg’s fate, as well as his own:

Kronwall on Zetterberg and the beginning of informal skates here at Little Caesars Arena. #RedWings pic.twitter.com/aAIswa5fLO

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 6, 2018

Update: Here’s Justin Abdelkader…

Continue reading Wings video: Kronwall, Abdelkader, Hronek, Svechnikov speak with the media

EA Sports revealed its “NHL 19 Legends” trailer today, and Terry Sawchuk, Ted Lindsay and Mark Howe are among the Wings’ “legendary” representatives:

Play as 4x Stanley Cup and Vezina Trophy winner, Terry Sawchuk with all new #NHL19Legends. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/hGdnTeSvVK

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 6, 2018

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).

Continue reading Some Wings prospect tournament player expectations

WDIV’s David Bartkowiak Jr. wonders aloud whether Filip Zadina’s Quebec League success won’t immediately translate to high NHL productivity, suggesting that Zadina may turn out to be Anthony Mantha 2.0–a player worth waiting for, but requiring some developmental time:

The Red Wings, as a club, are known for having prospects “marinate,” if you will, in the minor leagues before slotting them into the NHL lineup. Case in point is Anthony Mantha, who led the Red Wings with 24 goals this past season, his second full season with the NHL team.

Mantha’s road to NHL-level production is about four or five years in the making. Remember, it was Mantha, the 20th overall pick in the 2013 draft, who scored 57 goals and another 63 assists in his final year in the QMJHL. That was after two full seasons with the QMJHL’s Val d’Or Foreurs. He scored 51 points in his first season, 89 points in his second and then finished with that monster 120-point season. He was destined for NHL success.

And he’s found it, but it took two full seasons in the AHL and growing pains in the NHL before Mantha could be considered a real threat to opponents. He had to find a way to use his big 6-foot-5 frame and learn what tracking down the NHL’s fastest players is like. The jump from juniors to the pros isn’t exactly a walk in the park.

Of course, Zadina is not Mantha, and it’s not necessarily fair to compare any players, especially two players with such different backgrounds. But one thing the Red Wings might be looking for is whether Zadina can show consistent growth at another level. He only played one season in Canada juniors, so there’s no way to really measure his growth at that level.

Bartkowiak Jr. continues, and Zadina’s spot in the lineup (or the lack thereof) will be determined over the course of the next couple of weeks…

The Red Wings have been holding informal practices at Little Caesars Arena for some time now, but the media was let in for the first official “captain’s practice” today, as noted by the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan:

Here we go…another season of #RedWings hockey set to begin pic.twitter.com/FfcyeMIkTw

— Ted Kulfan (@tkulfan) September 6, 2018

The Red Wings then said, “Hello from LCA”:

? pic.twitter.com/qLvuQCYL5f

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 6, 2018

More to come, obviously.

Update #1:

Continue reading Tweets from practice: “Captain’s practices” officially begin at LCA

Grand Rapids Griffins forward Dominik Shine fired a “first pitch” right through the strike zone at the West Michigan Whitecaps’ Grand Rapids Griffins-themed evening–while shooting the ball with a hockey stick:

 

The Athletic’s Corey Pronman has penned a list of prospects that he will be watching intently from each and every one of the NHL’s 31 teams, and Joe Veleno earns his nod as the Wings’ prospect-to-watch:

Detroit: Joseph Veleno, C

Michael Rasmussen, Filip Zadina, and Filip Hronek are the Wings’ top prospects with realistic chances of making the opening day roster. The reason I’m mentioning Veleno is due to the fact he slid on draft day over concerns about his offensive potential, with many scouts I’ve talked to labeling him a third-line center at best. I think there’s a little more there, though. He’s shown it to be in flashes, and he’ll have a chip on his shoulder after what’s transpired in the summer. I’ll be curious to see if he can light the lamp a few times in the preseason.

Continued

MLive’s Ansar Khan posted a list of 10 prospects who bear watching during the Red Wings’ prospect tournament, and aside from the star players, I’m curious to find out whether this prospect can round into form after battling multiple knee injuries…