Month: July 2019

I spotted this video on Facebook via my email alerts, and the Red Wings just re-posted it on Twitter:

???@Dylanlarkin39‘s family with some PRICELESS stories! pic.twitter.com/BfAfRue6kb— NHL (@NHL) July 8, 2019

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a 3-part development camp notebook on Monday afternoon, discussing prospects Antti Tuomisto, Chase Pearson and Elmer Soderblom. Here’s what Chase Pearson, whose father, Scott, played as an enforcer, had to say about his game:

The Wings were eager to select Tuomisto with the first of their second-round picks (35th overall).

“I’ve liked this kid all year, for sure,” said Tyler Wright, the Wings’ director of amateur scouting. “We talk at length, and you watch the playoffs and see the size of these guys with St. Louis and Boston, it doesn’t mean they’re big and just big.

“I wouldn’t be here without him,” Pearson said at the Wings’ development camp. “The countless hours before and after school, I’d practice all that extra time with him and he didn’t have do that. But to have him out there, he knows what it takes to get to the next level and he’s been through it all.”

Pearson, 21, said his father advised him to stay in school for several years and resist jumping to the pros too early.

“Take your time,” said Pearson, of his dad’s thinking. “Guys rush in sometimes and kind of get sifted out of the development pipeline. Me, having those extra years, was real good for my development.”

Pearson had 78 points (37 goals, 41 assists) in 107 games at Maine, serving as the team’s captain both his sophomore and junior seasons.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound center will play in Grand Rapids this season, projected to be a shut-down type of forward.

“For me, if I’m going to make the NHL, it’s going to be as a shutdown, defensive forward with some offensive upside,” Pearson said. “I just have to compete and make sure I’m not taking any crap out there on the ice. If I win my battles in front of the net, that’s going to be my MO at the next level.”

“This is a guy that’s 6-4, plays with a real bite to his game, but he’s a good player. He’s got good sense, he can find the middle of the ice.

“We really liked him. That’s what we stepped up and took him. He was a guy that we targeted for a while at 35 and he happened to be there. We were ecstatic to leave with him.”

Kulfan continues

Michigan Hockey posted a slightly-after-the-fact video which includes highlights from last Friday’s 3-on-3 tournamenet at the Red Wings’ summer development camp:

Great work by Michael Caples!

The Detroit News’s Louis Aguilar posted several pictures showing the latest stages of Joe Louis Arena’s demolition…

Scenes from #Detroit #JoeLouisArena demo. Week 4, Monday, July 8, 2019. pic.twitter.com/AusAa6v4lq— Louis Aguilar (@LouisAguilar_DN) July 8, 2019

As well as a video of the Detroit River-side stairs being demolished:

Scenes from #Detroit #JoeLouisArena demo. Week 4, Monday, July 8, 2019. The stairs on the riverfront side are going away. pic.twitter.com/biFnC1JYba— Louis Aguilar (@LouisAguilar_DN) July 8, 2019

The Hockey News’s Steven Ellis discusses five players who need to rebound from difficult 2018-19 campaigns, and he mentions one Red Wings player on his list:

Mike Green, D, 33 (Detroit – $5.38 million)
Once the gold standard of offensive defensemen, Green has struggled to stay healthy and has played only one 82-game season, that back in 2007-08. He is still capable of putting up solid numbers, though. His 0.6 points-per-game average last season was his best since 2014-15 and would have seen him score 50 points had skated in all 82 games. Detroit desperately needs his help on defense, with the team looking weak on the right side without him. Green will have his modified no-trade clause kick in on Feb. 1 and he could be a prime trade deadline candidate, but he can’t afford another long stint on the injured reserve if he wants to have significant bargaining power next summer.

Via Kukla’s Korner on Twitter, the NHLPA is posting videos in which the late Ted Lindsay discusses the lessons he learned and values he upheld throughout his hockey career, as posted on NHLPA.com and the NHLPA’s YouTube channel:

Ted Lindsay, the Hockey Hall of Famer who played a pivotal role in forming the original Players’ Association in 1957, left behind a legacy on and off the ice after his passing March 4, 2019.

Mr. Lindsay set an example to follow, and in honour of the impact he had on all players, the NHLPA is sharing his stories, as told by Ted himself.

Each of the stories in this seven-part series is emblematic of the qualities that Ted represented and what made him so highly regarded among his peers, and anyone who had the privilege and pleasure of meeting him. 

The latest installment–a minute-and-a-half vignette-focuses on Lindsay’s discussion as to how he began plaing hockey:

And there are three more videos available in the yet-unfinished 7-part series:

Continue reading Via KK: The NHLPA is sharing seven ‘Ted Takes’

In the FYI department:

The Grand Rapids Griffins are posting “2018-19 (seasons) in review” for their key contributors, and today, they focus on Givani Smith…

4 – In his first taste of postseason action, Smith appeared in four Calder Cup Playoff games. He was suspended by the AHL for Game 4 of the Central Division Semifinals. Smith picked up an assist in his debut during Game 1 at Chicago.

5 – Smith scored five of his 13 points in the month of March.

6 – All six of Smith’s goals came against Central Division opponents (two vs. Iowa and one each vs. Chicago, Rockford, Milwaukee and Texas). Grand Rapids was 3-1-2-0 when Smith scored a goal.

86 – His 86 PIM placed second on the team (Dylan McIlrath, 98) and ranked eighth among AHL rookies. Smith received a season-high 17 PIM during a 4-0 home win against Milwaukee on March 9.

But at this point in the summer, the Griffins’ Roster and Alumni Tracker is absolutely indispensable if you want to know how the 2019-2020 Griffins’ roster is taking shape.

Continue reading Two things: A bit about Givani Smith’s 18-19 season and the Griffins’ ‘Roster and Alumni Tracker’

Ilta-Sanomat’s Tommi Koivunen wrote an article regarding Valtteri Filppula’s return to the Red Wings (Filppula happened to take part in an annual tennis tournament featuring NHL players and alumni over the weekend), and here’s a very rough translation thereof (Finnish is…complicated):

Valtteri Filppula didn’t dare to stop at traffic lights–now he returns to the notorious NHL city

NHL veteran Valtteri Filppula returns to the familiar surroundings of the Detroit Red Wings.

Detroit has a reputation as one of the most dangerous cities in the United States.

Continue reading Roughly Translated: Valtteri Filppula speaks with Ilta-Sanomat

The Free Press’s Helene St. James projects the Red Wings’ 2019-2020 season-opening lineup this morning, discussing her picks for the Wings’ roster, the prospects who may make the team, and those who will start the year in Grand Rapids:

Line 1: Dylan Larkin centering Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi

This line was put together with eight games to go last season and yielded 15 points from Mantha, 13 from Bertuzzi and 11 from Larkin. Larkin brings out the best in Mantha, as Mantha is all but forced to showcase his powerful stride because of how good a skater Larkin is. Bertuzzi is a combination pest and scorer. It’s easy to see how much they enjoy playing with one another.  

Line 2: Frans Nielsen centering Andreas Athanasiou and Taro Hirose

Nielsen plays a 200-foot game and he and Athanasiou have clicked in the past. Hirose has some of that Thomas Vanek-level hockey IQ, and he and Athanasiou could be dangerous offensively while Nielsen brings defensive responsibility. I could see Filip Zadina being a fit down the road with Nielsen and Athanasiou. 

St. James continues, and the Free Press posted a 23-image photo gallery of St. James’ picks.

MLive’s Ansar Khan posted a profile of Red Wings prospect/roster player Taro Hirose this morning, discussing Hirose’s rookie campaign and his expectations for the upcoming season:

The Calgary native, who at 23 was one of the older prospects at development camp last month, will spend most of the off-season in metro Detroit, training and working on his game and, as he put it, “show them I can play at that level.”

Hirose, dubbed “Taco” by teammates, is trying to be shiftier on the ice.

“Being a smaller guy, that’s something I have to do, have that quickness,” Hirose said. “Definitely something I work on and watch video on and try to improve my overall game.”

He tries to pick up nuances from watching players like Patrick Kane and Johnny Gaudreau.

“Those elusive guys who make plays with the puck on their stick and always want the puck on their stick … those guys are hard to stop and that’s sort of who I want to be,” Hirose said.

“I’ve always been a guy who needs to work on my first couple steps for that separation. Simply being a smaller guy, I’m not going to go in the corner against (Zdeno) Chara and outmuscle him, Just got to be quick and explosive and sort of think my way out of situations.”

Continued