Month: September 2019

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan delves into the Red Wings’ overabundance of NHL-ready forwards and defenders today, talking about “position battles,” and, regarding the depth positions on defense…

Madison Bowey can’t be sent to Grand Rapids without being available to waivers — and Bowey likely would to be plucked by some team.

Oliwer Kaski, an undrafted college free agent, Dennis Cholowski and Joe Hicketts all could lay claim with a eye-opening exhibition season.

Then, there’s June’s first-round pick, Moritz Seider.

It’s likely Seider will need some time to adjust to North American professional hockey after playing in Germany last season.

But, what if Seider completely impresses this month? Could that land Seider a spot on the Wings, and one of the veterans gets moved?

Continued

Enjoy this little Twitter video from the NHL Network, whose Mike Kelly raves around Andreas Athanasiou:

Let’s talk about @andreasa86‘s scoring chances off the rush. #NHLTonight | @DetroitRedWings | @MikeKellyNHL pic.twitter.com/uc3wpj7iqS— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) September 9, 2019

The Detroit Red Wings take on the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight at 6 PM EDT. If the Red Wings win in regulation, they will advance to the championship game.

You can watch the game on Fox Sports GO and on the Red Wings’ YouTube channel.

The Red Wings get us ready for tonight’s game via a report from Carley Johnston…

Continue reading Links for watching the Red Wings-Maple Leafs prospect tournament game

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects face the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening (6 PM on Red Wings YouTube and Fox Sports GO); if the Wings win in regulation, they can advance to the championship game for the second straight season.

As stated in the morning skate interview post, Sean Romeo will start for the Red Wings in goal, and Moritz Seider told DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner that he’d prefer to play for Detroit or Grand Rapids ahead of Adler Mannheim at this point.

After today’s practice/morning skate, Mo Seider told me he was leaning towards staying in North America to play, either in #Detroit or Grand Rapids. Final call is the #RedWings he indicated. #NHLProspectsTournament— Arthur J. Regner (@ArthurJRegner) September 9, 2019

#RedWings Seider: “It’s probably not Germany anymore. I decided for myself probably staying in the States for a couple years now. First of all, it should be about making the team 100 percent. That’s why I’m here. (1/2)— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) September 9, 2019

#RedWings Seider: ” If that’s not possible, I think Detroit has a great AHL team. Grand Rapids is just two hours away. Maybe that’s the best way, stepping on the small ice.” (2/2)— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) September 9, 2019

All 27 players took par in a morning skate where the focus was puck retrieval and outlet passing down low in the defensive zone, at the defensive blueline and through center ice. Defensemen worked with Shawn Horcoff, Mike Knuble and coach Matt McDonald on laterally “walking the line” later in practice, and the Wings’ forwards practiced 2-on-1 rushes and shot-tipping as Sean Romeo got a lot of work in ahead of a critical start this evening.

Here’s the Red Wings’ roster for tonight:

Continue reading Impressions from Monday’s morning skate at the prospect tournament ’19 + Moritz Seider stuff from Regner/Wakiji

The Detroit Red Wings play the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening (6 PM EDT on Red Wings YouTube and Fox Sports GO), and Sean Romeo is going to start for the Wings this evening. Everyone else is healthy (all 27 skaters took part in the morning skate, including some limited participation by Filip Larsson), so we’ll see what lineup decisions coach Simon makes.

The Wings held a morning skate, after which a) Moritz Seider told DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner that he’d prefer to play in North America this upcoming season, b) the room was a little crowded with The Hockey News coming in to do video interviews, and:

I spoke with Ryan Kuffner regarding his take on the tournament thus far, his role as a secondary scorer, and his belief that it’s easy to focus on the tournament and only the tournament once you’re in the moment of playing for your teammates:

Continue reading Audio from Monday’s morning skate at the Red Wings’ prospect tournament ’19: A Seider tidbit; Romeo starts; quips from Kuffner, Smith, Regula, Zadina and coach Simon

The Athletic’s Max Bultman reflects upon Joe Veleno’s four-goal performance at the prospect tournament thus far, and what Veleno’s start may mean in terms of bolstering his case to make the Red Wings’ roster:

His first goal came on an instinctive play on which he stole a puck in the slot and deked Chicago’s goalie. It was probably the purest “goal-scorer’s goal” of them all. But the next three were arguably more significant because they all involved Veleno just letting the puck rip — whether that meant a one-timer, or off one quick touch in the slot.

“It’s something I’ve worked on a lot throughout the summer — staying (in Detroit), working on my shot and getting it off quicker,” Veleno said. “I have to give a lot of credit to the coaches who have been working with me and showing me some good techniques with that. And obviously the players giving me the puck and seeing me in open areas at the right time.”

Two games in September isn’t enough to determine anything definitive about the growth of that part of his game, but an improved shot would be a boon to the 19-year-old’s chances at mounting a credible roster campaign when the Red Wings begin training camp this weekend.

Continued (paywall); as Bultman suggests, Veleno’s probably going to start the year in Grand Rapids.

The Traverse City Record-Eagle’s Jake Atnip spoke with Red Wings forward Filip Zadina regarding his off-season preparations, and Zadina suggests that he’ll be better-prepared for his sophomore pro season:

“I think I have proved to myself that I am quicker and stronger on the ice, that is what I have been working on all during the summer,” Zadina said. “I think I did a good job and I believe I am ready to go during this tournament and at camp.”

The eager young star feels just as strongly about his abilities as before and noted that he wished his first year with he organization went a little differently.

“I feel stronger right now and ready to go,” he said. “That’s what I said last year and I meant it, I was ready but it went a different way than I wanted. But it is a new season and new start for me with a new opportunity to show them that I am good enough player to be there.”

Continued

MLive’s Ansar Khan issues a 2019-2020 season outlook for Red Wings free agent signing Patrik Nemeth this morning:

Nemeth essentially replaces the retired Niklas Kronwall. He’s strictly a stay-at-home defensive defenseman who’ll block shots and be among the team leaders in penalty-killing minutes and won’t provide much offense.

A left-handed shooter, he is slotted to play on one of the top two pairings, with a more offensive-minded right-handed shooter, either Mike Green or Filip Hronek.

His role diminished a bit last season in Colorado, where he logged less ice time and was a healthy scratch for most of the second playoff round. But he figures to log around 20 minutes a game with the Red Wings.

Continued

Not hockey-related, per se, but you may enjoy it anyway:

The Detroit Red Wings are holding a community tour of various Michigan locations leading up to training camp, and the Red Wings’ prospects kicked off the tour by visiting the Cherryland Humane Society on Sunday afternoon.

The 9&10 News’s Caroline Klapp reports that the Wings came bearing a gift…

After the visit the Red Wings presented Cherryland with a check for $3,500.

One of the players told 9&10 News the guys are thrilled to be part of this.

“Maybe there’s families that want to adopt a dog but don’t know about some programs and for us to be here and do our best to promote the humane society, it’s just such a great cause,” said Red Wings prospect Ryan Kuffner.

DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner chronicled the prospects’ day at the Humane Society…

Continue reading The puppy-kitten report: Wings’ Community Tour kicks off with Traverse City Humane Society visit

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan examines 5 Red Wings who “could rebound” from difficult 2018-2019 seasons this afternoon. Since I’m in Traverse City at present, I’m picking Kulfan’s only candidate who is participating in the prospect tournament:

Filip Zadina: Last year’s first-round pick is on this list mainly because of the large upside that likely still exists for Zadina.

After not making the Wings out of camp, Zadina had 35 points (16 goals, 19 assists) in 59 games with Grand Rapids, with a minus-17 rating (he had one assist in five playoff games, with minus-3).

Zadina had three points (one goal, two assists) in nine games with the Wings, and a minus-5.

At age 19, Zadina went through a professional baptism to be sure, learning about the jump from junior hockey to the pro level.

Given his talent, and another year adjusting to the pro game, Zadina should improve his offensive numbers this season.

Kulfan continues, discussing Justin Abdelkader, Mike Green and Frans Nielsen’s situations.

As far as Zadina is concerned, he’s got all the talent necessary to evolve into a star player. It’s just a matter of becoming a dynamic player by inching away from his favorite scoring spot at the right faceoff dot, and starting to shoot the puck from all areas of the ice. Maturity takes time to mold and encourage, so the more Zadina plays, the better he should become (in theory, anyway).