Month: June 2019

The Greenwich Sentinel’s Paul Silverfarb spoke with Red Wings draft pick Cooper Moore about his draft experience as the Wings snagged the 6’1,” 181-pound defenseman with the 128th overall pick:

“It was an awesome feeling seeing Detroit draft me,” said Moore Tuesday night, after competing in the first day of Developmental Camp from Detroit. “I didn’t want to go into the draft with any expectations, so I sat at home and watched the draft with my family. As the draft kind of moved along, I kind of got more nervous.”

However, once Moore saw his name flash on the screen while watching the draft, those nerves quickly changed over to sheer joy and excitement.

“My dad jumped out of his seat and gave me a big hug, and then my mom and sister did as well,” Moore said. “It was a very special moment and it was a dream come true. You never really think it can happen until you start going through the process and see your name pop up in central scouting or other reports. Then you meet with the team and start to think that this could really happen to me. I could be one of those names calls. To hear your name called at the draft is such a great feeling.”

Continued

Very briefly, from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman’s final “31 Thoughts” column of the 2018-19 season:

Steve Yzerman wasn’t the only one who sees the potential in German defenceman Moritz Seider, who Detroit took sixth overall. Mark Seidel of North American Central Scouting had him fifth.

Former Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman spoke with 97.1 the Ticket’s Jamie and Stoney Show this morning, meandering his way through an 11-minute interview:

The Red Wings are streaming the second day of development camp on their YouTube page:

We’re live at the BELFOR Training Center for Day 2 of Detroit Red Wings Development Camp. #DRWDC https://t.co/gdo5IwVSiG— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 26, 2019

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects engaged in a fascinating set of drills under Swedish skills coach Daniel Broberg this morning, with a lot of hops and skips and jumping involved as the defensemen worked with Broberg and some Power Edge Pro trainers.

The media corps spoke with Team Howe’s afternoon-scheduled skaters, starting with defenseman Albert Johansson. The son of former Calgary defenseman Robert Johansson spoke about attempting to add size and strength to his 6,’ 168-pound frame, his excitement at being drafted by the Red Wings (60th overall), and his strong junior season with Farjestad BK:

Kasper Kotkansalo gave a refreshing interview. The Boston University junior defenseman readily admitted that his sophomore campaign was not up to par, neither individually or team-wise, and Kotkansalo feels that improving his skating will go a long way toward securing a spot as a stay-at-home defenseman in the NHL. The 6’2,” 196-pound defenseman also spoke about training, the work he’s putting in on his communications degree and more:

Finally, 201 5th round draft pick Cooper Moore spoke with the media, discussing his drafting by the Wings, his big 5-goal game in Connecticut High School hockey, his sense that the Wings were going to draft him based upon draft combine discussion, his hopes of getting bigger and stronger as he heads West to play for the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs before heading to NCAA hockey, and he discussed how the off-ice aspects of this week’s development camp will assist him in adding size and strength:

FYI:

Continue reading Audio from the second day of the Red Wings’ summer development camp ’19: Albert Johansson, Kasper Kotkansalo and Cooper Moore

Of Red Wings-related note this morning:

1. The Free Press’s Jamie Samuelssen weighs in on the Red Wings’ decision to draft Moritz Seider 6th overall in this past weekend’s NHL Draft:

What’s your reaction to Steve Yzerman’s first draft as Detroit Red Wings general manager?

I really believe the world would be a better place without mock drafts. I know the world would be a better place without draft grades. Sadly, the toothpaste is out of that tube and the downfall of western civilization will continue unabated.

When Steve Yzerman walked to the stage at the NHL draft and selected defenseman Moritz Seider with the sixth pick in the draft, it was a head-scratcher for most Red Wings fans. Not because they thought Seider was going to be a bust or because they covet some player instead. No, they were angry because Seider was selected higher than he “should have been” and as a result, it constituted a “reach” by Yzerman.

Was it a reach? We’re all certainly entitled to our opinions. I, speaking as someone who has never seen Seider wear a pair of skates, much less compete at high levels of hockey, will refrain from judgement. Yzerman has scouted Seider plenty and viewed him as the sixth best player in the draft and the available player that best fit the Red Wings’ needs.

Samuelssen continues…

2. DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner posted an article discussing Assat Pori forward Otto Kivenmaki’s 2018-2019 campaign, and Regner takes note of an intriguing comment made regarding the 5’8,” 154-pound forward:

Continue reading Morning news: Samuelssen on Seider; Horcoff on Kivenmaki and Veleno preparing to battle for a roster spot

The Detroit Red Wings opened their 2019 summer development camp with a split set of morning and afternoon drills for Teams Howe and Lindsay, respectively.

While prep players warmed up and worked with the Wings’ goaltenders–with goalie coaches Jeff Salajko, Brian Mahoney-Wilson and Matej Swoch overseeing the proceedings–the skaters engaged in a pair of fitness-testing benchmarks.

Approximately half the skaters got their “skating test” baselines, skating through a set of break-the-light-beam gates at 0, 5, 10 and 25 meters (not feet), and the players hustled their tails off with varying degrees of smoothness through each of the gates;

The other half of players worked a “touch test” in which the skaters skated in a “T” formation while touching sensors spread out along the “T,” helping judge both player quickness through about 15 feet worth of space and helping test the players’ reflexes.

Continue reading Impressions from the first day of the Red Wings’ summer development camp ’19

The Free Press’s Jeff Seidel reports that Dylan Larkin stole the show at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, for all the right reasons:

Red Wings center Dylan Larkin was walking down the same fairway toward his ball during the AREA 313 Celebrity Challenge, part of lead-up to the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the first PGA Tour event in Detroit. And up ahead, Kid Rock was in the middle of the fairway, smoking a cigar, wearing some white “Made in Detroit” shorts.

It was a cluster of celebrities, all heading toward the same green, and one voice stood out.

“D-Boss!” Michael Banaszewski screamed at Larkin. “D-Boss!”

Larkin stopped and looked at Michael, a 14-year-old from Grosse Pointe, who has Down syndrome and is fighting cancer.

Larkin left the celebrities and walked toward the edge of the fairway. Larkin waved for Michael to duck under the rope and walk onto the course, and it turned into a moment that could have melted an entire sheet of ice.

They talked and posed for pictures. There were high-fives and hugs, and Jimmy Howard came over and he gave Michael a signed ball. Michael loves the Red Wings. He decorated his room at Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital with Wings memorabilia, and his face lit up talking to Larkin.

If ever there was a moment that captured what sports means in Detroit, what these sports heroes mean to this city and the impact they can have, not to mention what it means to bring the PGA Tour to Detroit, it happened on that fairway. The moment Michael met Larkin.

Continued

A big hug from our biggest Red Wing fan! Thank you @RocketClassic for an amazing day and allowing myself and fans like Michael to make life long memories! https://t.co/soqaALcLiy— Dylan Larkin (@Dylanlarkin39) June 26, 2019

The Red Wings did not issue qualifying offers to Martin Frk, Dylan Sadowy, Axel Holmstrom or Libor Sulak on Tuesday, allowing the quartet to qualify for unrestricted free agency.

For players like Frk and Sadowy, success and consistency were hard to find at the NHL level, but Frk was a prolific AHL scorer, and Sadowy found a home with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye.

Fresh off a run to the ECHL’s championship round (Toledo lost to the Newfoundland Growlers), the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe and Walleye coach Dan Watson wished Sadowy well:

Sadowy, a 23-year-old from Woodbridge, Ont., played in parts of the last three seasons for the Walleye.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound forward averaged more than a point per game for Toledo this season with 46 points (23 goals and 23 assists) in 43 games. He then played in 24 playoff games and was part of the deepest postseason run in the team’s 10-year history. Sadowy had 17 points with seven goals and 10 assists as the Walleye reached the Kelly Cup finals for the first time.

Sadowy appeared in 88 regular-season games in Toledo and tallied 79 points (36 G, 43 A). He also played in 33 playoff games and had 21 points (10 G, 11 A).

Sadowy (pronounced SAD-oh-way) was selected in the third round of the 2014 NHL draft by San Jose. The Red Wings then traded for Sadowy in May, 2016, in exchange for a future third-round draft pick.

Walleye coach Dan Watson said Sadowy’s goal should be to earn a contract with an American Hockey League team.

“Hopefully he’s ready to make the next step. I hope another organization sees it and he runs with it,” Watson said. “The offense will be there. It’s just other details in his game. He has gotten much better. With his production at this level, I would love to see him become a full-time AHL player.”

Monroe continues, and while it’s disappointing that Sadowy didn’t make the NHL during his time with the Red Wings, there is no shame in becoming a successful minor league player, and I always wish the prospects who don’t make the Red Wings well in their future endeavors. They’re still people worth rooting for.

On Tuesday night, Dylan Larkin and Jimmy Howard took part in the Pro-Am which kicked off the Rocket Mortgage golf Classic at the Detroit Country Club.

Here’s what Howard had to say about the Wings’ drafting and front office changes while speaking with MLive’s Jared Purcell:

Larkin was at the Detroit Country Club on Tuesday afternoon for the AREA 313 Celebrity Challenge with teammates Jimmy Howard and Justin Abdelkader. Howard was at his lake house in Maine during the draft and said he hasn’t evaluated any of the picks the Red Wings have made yet. Still, he has confidence in the organization’s abilities despite the shock that the Seider pick created.

“Those guys, they do their homework so well,” Howard said. “They know every player in and out. Maybe for them, the family and the kid, it was of a surprise. But going into it, they obviously had him penciled pretty high and I welcome him to the organization. It’s going to be great to see.”

Howard is also excited that Steve Yzerman has returned to the organization.

“I was able to play a couple of games with Stevie my rookie year,” Howard said. “Now, to have him back here and being the boss, it’s neat and it’s great for the city. I think it’s great for our organization as a whole.”

Purcell continues, and he posted clips of various celebrity Pro-Am participants taking swings. FORE your consideration:

Continue reading Larkin, Howard literally ‘tee off,’ talk hockey at the Rocket Mortgage Classic Pro-Am