Fox Sports Detroit to air post-2019 NHL Draft special tonight at 7 PM

From the Detroit Red Wings comes a note that Fox Sports Detroit will air a special tonight at 7 PM, in which the Red Wings’ 2019 draft picks will be profiled:

Tune in TONIGHT at 7:00pm on @FOXSportsDet as @KenKalDRW, @ArthurJRegner & Ken Daniels break down the newest #RedWings draft picks from this year’s #NHLDraft ‼️ pic.twitter.com/7UIgHSeAP9— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 3, 2019

Talking about Alec Regula

DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner filed a “Behind the Numbers” look at Red Wings prospect Alec Regula’s 2018-2019 season, and the profile includes an assessment of Regula’s development from Wings director of player development Shawn Horcoff:

“I think Alec started off a little bit slow, he’ll tell you that much to his credit, but I thought he played much better in the second half. It was a little bit different for most of the second half, we saw him play net-front on the power play. Listen, when you’re a kid drafted in juniors you’re trying to develop all parts of your game, both offensive and defensive. They had a pretty stacked blueline power play-wise there in London and it was nice for him to get out there and play first PP.

“With Alec, we’ll just let him start the season and see how it goes. Steve (Yzerman) does things a little bit different, ultimately, it’s going to be up to his decision (to offer a contract), but there’s no pressure to sign these guys early, that’s something that’s kind of reserved for first-round draft picks. He (Steve) kind of explained to everyone that came in (for development camp) about that (playing for a contract). Steve told them to just go out there and play their game and that stuff will take care of it with time.

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Khan profiles Gustav Lindstrom

MLive’s Ansar Khan profiles Red Wings prospect Gustav Lindstrom this morning. Lindstrom will join the Grand Rapids Griffins this season after winning an SHL championship with the Frolunda Indians this past season:

Lindstrom is a good-skating, puck-moving defenseman who likes to deliver hits – not the Niklas Kronwall-like crushing open-ice variety, but he makes his presence felt.

“That’s a big part of my game. I like to play aggressive and physical,” Lindstrom said. “When you get the chance, of course you want to hit like Kronwall, but that’s hard.”’

Lindstrom, 20, appeared in 40 games for Frolunda, which is known for player development and stresses puck possession and up-tempo play. The club won the Swedish championship. It should help him prepare for the AHL.

“It was really fun season, both for me and for the team,” Lindstrom said. “We had Joel Lundqvist as our captain (twin brother of Rangers’ goaltender Henrik). He’s won World Championships and the Swedish League four times and the European Cup three times. I learned a lot from him, the winning culture. It helped me to know what you have to do to win.

“I think I developed (well). I’ve grown as a person, too, off the ice. I think my physical game and my skating was better last year than the year before.”

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Lidstrom and Sundin to captain HHOF Legends’ Classic teams

Via Instagram, Nicklas Lidstrom and Mats Sundin will captain the teams participating in the Hockey Hall of Fame’s annual “Legends’ Classic”:

Morning news: on Taro Hirose, Keith Petruzzelli, Carter Gylander and a former Wings prospect joining the Sharks

Of Red Wings-related note this morning:

  1. During last week’s summer development camp, Red Wings forward Taro Hirose spoke with the media regarding his decision to take part in said camp, as the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan noted:

“I’m trying to be a student of the game, and watch what the best players in the world are doing,” said Hirose last week during the Wings’ development camp. “Being able to pick their brains, guys on the team, and see what they’re seeing on plays and seeing things that maybe I don’t see, I’m trying to learn all the time. That’s a big part for me.”

Hirose, 23, was one of the older players at last week’s camp, and also had the edge of already played some NHL games.

His success the final weeks of the season was somewhat of a surprise, given he’s only listed at 5-foot-10, 160-pounds, and Hirose isn’t the fastest skater around.

But Hirose has utilized his hockey smarts to the best of his ability, consistently making plays and finding the best places to be on the ice.

“He showed when he came in last season he proved he could produce,” said Shawn Horcoff, the Wings’ director of player development. “He’s been training hard this offseason and he looks good right now.”

2. The New Haven Register’s Chip Malafronte spoke with development camp participant Keith Petruzzelli about his upcoming junior season at Quinnipiac:

Continue reading Morning news: on Taro Hirose, Keith Petruzzelli, Carter Gylander and a former Wings prospect joining the Sharks

InGoal Magazine reviews UFA goalie signings, including Calvin Pickard’s signing by the Wings

InGoal Magazine’s Cat Silverman filed an impressive article discussing each and every one of the NHL’s free agency signings at the goaltending position, and Silverman has this to say about the Red Wings’ signing of Calvin Pickard:

The 2018-19 season was a disappointing one for Calvin Pickard, who Toronto had hoped to sneak through waivers and instead got scooped up to join the goaltending carousel in Philadelphia. Things didn’t work out there, and he was picked up by the Arizona Coyotes to help them with their own onslaught of goaltending injuries – and ultimately, he ended up going months at a time without sniffing NHL ice.

Pickard’s promising numbers with the Avalanche and AHL Marlies in the past, though, combine with one of the most highly-lauded locker room presences in the league. So the 27-year old Manitoban was picked up on a two-year deal by the Detroit Red Wings, who gave him a combined $1.5 million to both provide some guaranteed money for the player and a reasonable $750,000 cap hit for themselves. He’ll join the Red Wings to compete with backup Jonathan Bernier for the number two spot behind Jimmy Howard and provide some insurance in case the 35-year old Jimmy Howard suffers any kind of setbacks.

At best, Pickard has proven to be a phenomenal teammate and a positive practice goaltender, but the assumption is that the Red Wings will need to use him in some capacity during the year – so don’t expect to see him go through the kind of lengthy starting dry spells this time around.

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Luke Witkowski says goodbye to the Wings

From the Red Wings’ Twitter account:

Not many guys get to say they played for their home team in the NHL, I am very grateful for that. Thank you Red Wings fans for the support over the last two years. I brought my work boots everyday but it’s time to… https://t.co/oSMRRPRXyX— Luke Witkowski (@thehollandnativ) July 2, 2019

Six Red Wings’ prospects discuss ancient history, a.k.a. the 90’s

As a 41-year-old, it’s a little painful to watch Moritz Seider, Joe Veleno, Gustav Lindstrom, Filip Zadina, Alec Regula and Kasper Kotkansalo try to master 90’s trivia:

Also:

The hands. The finish. @jveleno91 is not messing around! ? (? @DetroitRedWings) pic.twitter.com/T1qCVeQIcq— NHL (@NHL) July 2, 2019

Jack Adams discusses his knee injury

The Red Wings’ website posted an update on Jack Adams’ injury from Jack Adams himself. Adams speaks to fans in his latest “You Don’t Know Jack” blog entry:

I was having such a good camp and having so much fun. I was confident and pleased with how my meetings and games went, and I was looking forward to getting home and starting my summer training. Then …

Human beings often abide by the “Not-Me” syndrome, meaning we often feel immune to struggle, adversity, pain and injury. Personally, this year has been full of mixed emotions, and sadly, this past weekend, I received the news that no athlete ever wants to hear.

“Jack, you’ve fully torn your ACL and your MCL, and you’ll need surgery in the near future.” Instantly, my dad and I started laughing. Another thing to deal with, seriously? I was filled with anger, tears, and thoughts you don’t want to think about for the remainder of the day and the flight home. And honestly, what was most difficult for me was seeing seeing my dad by my side, devastated.

I’m sitting outside on my deck, writing to you all, relaying a simple message: I am not a victim, nor will I approach my recovery process with that self-defeating attitude.

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