Just Released: #RedWings 2019 NHL Prospect Tournament roster, consisting of 27 recent draft picks, free agent signees and tryouts.
More → https://t.co/2GCb85yOoh pic.twitter.com/p8VzxvAdhL— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 5, 2019
Detroit’s roster is highlighted by its three most-recent first-round picks in forwards Filip Zadina (sixth overall, 2018) and Joe Veleno (30th overall, 2018) and defenseman Moritz Seider (sixth overall, 2019). #DRWPT pic.twitter.com/HpRd9kaA9f— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 5, 2019
From the Red Wings:
Red Wings release 2019 NHL Prospect Tournament roster
Recent first-rounders Seider, Zadina and Veleno set for tournament play
DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today released their 2019 NHL Prospect Tournament roster, a team consisting of 27 recent draft picks, free agent signees and tryouts who will battle against seven other NHL prospect teams for the Matthew Wuest Memorial Cup from Friday, Sept. 6 to Tuesday, Sept. 10 at Centre Ice Arena in Traverse City, Mich.
Detroit’s roster is highlighted by its three most-recent first-round picks in forwards Filip Zadina (sixth overall, 2018) and Joe Veleno (30th overall, 2018) and defenseman Moritz Seider (sixth overall, 2019). In 2018-19, Zadina finished sixth overall in points for the Grand Rapids Griffins as the second-youngest player in the American Hockey League, also tallying one goal and two assists in nine games in his first NHL stint with the Red Wings. Veleno starred in his final season of major-junior hockey, racking up 104 points (42-62-104) in 59 games with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Drummondville Voltigeurs, posting the second-best points-per-game average (1.72) in the league and finishing as a finalist for QMJHL MVP, as well as a spot on the QMJHL First All-Star Team. Seider, who is one of three 2019 Red Wings draft picks attending the NHL Prospect Tournament, was the Deutsch Eishockey Liga Rookie of the Year and helped his club capture a league championship, while representing his country at the IIHF World Junior Championship Division 1 and the IIHF World Championship, becoming the first defenseman aged 18-or-younger to record a point during the tournament since 1982.
Also highlighting Detroit’s roster are a number of collegiate players entering their first full professional seasons after starring at the NCAA level. Taro Hirose tied for the NCAA scoring lead with Michigan State and made an immediate NHL impact for Detroit, picking up seven points (1-6-7) in 10 games. Ryan Kuffner also debuted with the Red Wings after finishing his career at Princeton University as the school’s all-time leading goalscorer. Chase Pearson, a 2015 fifth-round pick of Detroit, had a taste of professional hockey after signing with the Red Wings following his junior season at Maine, where he served as a captain for back-to-back seasons.
Other roster highlights include right wing Givani Smith, a second-round pick (46th overall) in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft who joins Zadina in returning to the NHL Prospect Tournament after spending a full season in Grand Rapids; defenseman Gustav Lindstrom, who is slated to play in North America this season after capturing a championship in the Swedish Hockey League with Frolunda in 2018-19; a pair of 2019 Swedish sixth-round picks in 6-foot-7 forward Elmer Soderblom and defenseman Gustav Berglund; and Kaden Fulcher, a former free agent invitee who earned a contract with the Red Wings prior to the 2017-18 season after a strong showing at the team’s development camp and training camp and made his NHL debut in a relief appearance in Detroit’s 2018-19 regular-season finale.
Twenty-three players who skated for the Red Wings during the 2018-19 season previously participated in the tournament, while 639 total players have played in the tournament and moved on to skate in at least one NHL game during its 20-year history. Prospects from the Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs will also be competing in this year’s tournament.
Tickets are available for $10 per day and can be purchased at Centre Ice Arena or at www.centreice.org. Each ticket is good for all four games per day. Teams are divided into two divisions and will play each team within their division once during the round robin before a crossover on the final day of the tournament, with the first-place finishers in each division meeting for the championship on Tuesday, Sept. 10. For more information and a complete tournament schedule, visit www.centreice.org.
Update: The rosters for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets and Dallas Stars are available on The Left Wing Lock.
Update #2: Here’s the Free Press’s Helene St. James on the roster:
Seider, Zadina and Veleno are among the top prospects in the organization, and they’re expected to play major roles as the Wings try to regain competitiveness. While front-office personnel will evaluate the prospects’ performances during the tournament, the real auditioning for NHL jobs will happen during exhibition play later this month, when the players compete against NHLers. (The Wings’ first preseason game is Sept. 17 at Little Caesars Arena.)
Seven other players on the Wings’ prospect roster are recent draft picks, including defenseman Gustav Lindstrom (38th, 2017), forward Givani Smith (46th, 2016), defenseman Gustav Berglund (177th, 2019), forward Elmer Soderblom (159th, 2019) and goaltender Filip Larsson (167, 2016). Larsson is the top goaltending prospect in the organization. He and Lindstrom are just starting their pro careers.
Teams are divided into two divisions and will play the teams in their division in a round-robin format. The winner of each division then will play for the championship.
I am assuming Rasmussen is not playing as he played (sort of) in the NHL last year. Ras has had a weird beginning to his pro career. I think staying in the NHL sure didn’t help him (Skating, Grit, Minutes).
Maybe Junior WHL would have been a better choice, he could have more mins, smack a few Junior players around (If told to), more mins might improve skating.
I hope he goes to GR this year, another year in Detroit would be a mistake, JMO.
Prospect tournament should fun to watch, Prospects vs Prospects
I doubt that the Wings could get Rasmussen included based upon the ever-changing rules for player eligibility (they change every year at the tournament as they are negotiated and renegotiated). The Wings have too many 20+-year-old players to get away with squeezing an NHL’er in…
My hope is that Rasmussen finds a stable place to play regularly and that he finds his footing. He definitely looked lost at times during the second half of the season. Let’s see what he can do when he’s properly managed!