Month: September 2019

The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a “training camp primer” this morning, discussing five pertinent topics to watch as the Wings prepare to open training camp on Friday, September 13th. Among her topics:

Prospects on deck: Where is forward Evgeny Svechnikov, 22, at? The team’s first round pick from 2015 was ticketed for Grand Rapids when he hurt a knee during a 2018 preseason game, leading him to miss all of last season (at least that translates to another year of being waiver exempt). Can he harness his energy into an NHL job? Forward Michael Rasmussen, 20, a first-round pick from 2017, was manhandled by opponents the second half of his rookie season and would have been in the minors had he been eligible. He’s likely to start the season in Grand Rapids.

Forward Filip Zadina, 19, the sixth overall pick in 2018, had an OK first year of pro hockey, spent mostly with Grand Rapids (16 goals, 19 assists in 59 AHL games, three points in nine NHL games), but he lacked a center who could get him the puck. It’ll be interesting to see if he gets some shifts with Dylan Larkin, or maybe there’s a fit on a line with Frans Nielsen and Andreas Athanasiou. If Zadina shows he can score, he should start the season in Detroit. If he starts in Grand Rapids, there’s a good chance he’ll play with Joe Veleno, the 30th pick in 2018, who has the skill set to set up Zadina.

Continued: the prospect tournament is a time for optimism and assessment of where the prospects are at in terms of playing in a competitive environment close to World Junior Championship standards, but how the players continue to progress during training camp and the exhibition season tells the tale…

And in the Red Wings’ case, I think that watching Zadina, Hirose and Veleno vying for spots on the roster will be matched in my interest with seeing what Svechnikov, whose career hit a “re-set” button due to his ACL injury, and Rasmussen, whose raw potential has been blunted by a rocky rookie season, fight their own fights to remain on the Wings’ team.

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects possess a 1-0-and-1 record after defeating the St. Louis Blues 7-3 on Saturday, assuaging Friday’s 5-4 OT loss to Chicago and setting up quite the tilt on Monday, when the Wings will face the 2-and-0 Toronto Maple Leafs (at 6 PM EDT; Toronto has beaten St. Louis 6-2 Friday and then Chicago 6-3 on Saturday).

If you want to watch the game yourself, the Wings posted it on YouTube:

To some extent, the Red Wings have been as lucky as they’ve been good: their power play went 3-for-5 on Friday and 3-for-8 on Saturday, with Joe Veleno scoring 2 goals during each game, and they’ve out-shot their opponents 63-43, so it’s been Detroit’s offense that’s carried the day over the course of a 12-7 scoring binge.

On Saturday, Ryan Kuffner also continued a strong tournament with another goal-and-an-assist performance, Filip Zadina had 3 assists (giving him 4 for the tournament), and Givani Smith had a Gordie Howe Hat Trick in the form of a goal, an assist, and a fight.

The Wings are flexing their muscles in front of a packed house of fans, a jam-packed “scouts’ lounge” of amateur and pro scouts from around North America and, of course, a full “owners’ suite” lined with executives both old and new to Red Wings’ front office.

MLive’s Ansar Khan did a fine job of writing a narrative recap…

Continue reading Impressions from the Red Wings prospects’ win over the St. Louis Blues at the prospect tournament ’19

Updated with an article by Dana Wakiji at 8:48 PM: This is just fantastic stuff, per the Red Wings on Twitter:

It was great to have Tyler from @MakeAWishMI, who’s wish was to meet Steve Yzerman, at today’s game! @stjoes_health pic.twitter.com/zSKgXxk6g4— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 7, 2019

Tyler brought the luck, so we’ll see him again at Little Caesars Arena on October 12th! @stjoes_health pic.twitter.com/l0PAUXAw2t— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 7, 2019

Continue reading Red Wings nail their ‘Make a Wish’ wish on Saturday

The Score’s Sean O’Leary picked 5 players for fantasy hockey poolies to target as “sleeper” picks, and his praise for Anthony Mantha is effusive:

Mantha is coming off a career-high 25-goal season with Detroit despite being limited to 67 games, showing the high-end promise the Red Wings hoped for when they drafted him 20th overall in 2013.

The soon-to-be 25-year-old primarily spent his time flanking Dylan Larkin in 2018-19, and they put up solid results – a trend that should continue for another year as the Wings’ two core pieces keep developing as pros.

Mantha shot the puck more than ever last season, too, but still maintained his career-average shooting percentage of 12.6%, indicating he’s a candidate to produce consistently rather than a flash in the pan. He also netted seven goals in nine contests for Canada at the World Championship if you needed any more convincing that this is a player quietly trending toward becoming a premier NHL goal-scorer.

Continued

Red Wings prospect Filip Larsson’s being held out of the prospect tournament due to some soreness in his groin out of an abundance of caution. The highly-heralded prospect still hopes to compete for a spot on the Grand Rapids Griffins’ roster through his play over the course of the Wings’ main training camp and exhibition season.

He spoke with the Traverse City Record-Eagle’s Lance-Michael Correia regarding the work he’s been putting in to achieve his goals:

While he might not be focused on his own long-term prospectus, Larsson sidled up to Howard after inking his deal, trying to soak up all he could from the former NHL All-Star and Calder Trophy runner-up.

“I got to work with Jimmy a lot this summer,” Larsson explained. “I tried to watch him and see some of the details in how he plays the puck. He’s had a great career and has seen a lot of things. He’s also a really hard worker even in practice, and I tried to take some of that too. Hopefully, these things will also help me when I get an opportunity.”

Larsson’s initial opportunity to showcase his abilities against NHL-caliber competition is likely to come next week when the Red Wings open their 21st training camp in Traverse City. Salajko says the team is expected to employ seven netkeeps during the camp.

“I’ve said it many times: the jump from college to pros is the biggest leap – more so for goalies than skaters,” said [Red Wings goaltending coach Jeff] Salajko, who spent three seasons coaching the position at Ohio State University before joining the Wings’ AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids in 2013. “The game is so much faster. Let’s face it: You’re now playing against full-grown men who are faster and bigger and stronger, and you’re playing with the trapezoid (limits where a goaltender can play the puck). It’s definitely an adjustment for anyone. You don’t see many guys like Jonathan Quick or Ryan Miller, who can come right from college and play in the NHL right away. Even Jimmy had four years in the American League before he came up.”

Continued

The Detroit Red Wings posted the entire 2-and-a-half-hour broadcast of Saturday’s 7-3 win over the St. Louis Blues at the prospect tournament 2019 on YouTube. Enjoy!

The Detroit Red Wings won a wild and woolly 7-3 decision over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday afternoon, with Joe Veleno scoring a pair of goals (again), Givani Smith registering a “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” and Filip Zadina posting 3 assists.

After the game, the media gathered around Filip Zadina, who discussed his chemistry with Veleno, his slight frustration at not having scored any goals yet, and much more:

Joe Veleno then spoke with the media regarding his 2-goal, 5-shot performance, his continued excellent play, that of his linemates in Taro Hirose and Zadina, and his desire to beat the Leafs on Monday:

Gustav Lindstrom suggested that he’s still adjusting to North American ice and the North American pace of play as he spoke with the media, suggesting that there’s room for both him and his team to improve, especially at the start of games:

Finally, coach Ben Simon mostly discussed the positives regarding Veleno, Zadina, Smith and the individual players as the Wings begin to look forward ahead of tomorrow’s off day:

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects will battle the St. Louis Blues’ prospects at 3:30 PM EDT this afternoon, with both teams hoping to secure their first win at the Wings’ prospect tournament 2019.

If you wish to watch the game, you have two options. The Red Wings will be streaming their broadcast on YouTube…

And Fox Sports GO will be airing the game at this web address.

You can follow along statistically on PointStreak, too. Enjoy the game!

As noted this morning, Red Wings prospect netminder Filip Larsson won’t be participating in the Red Wings’ prospect tournament for precautionary reasons after feeling soreness in his groin. Larsson spoke with DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji regarding his situation:

“I had groin issues last year,” Larsson said after the team’s optional morning skate at Centre Ice Arena. “I went pretty hard this summer. The last three weeks for almost two hours a day. It got a little bit sore. So because of what happened last year, I’m taking it easy so nothing happens again. But as you can see out there, I can go 100 percent so it’s nothing big. We’re just taking it easy.”

Larsson worked extensively with goaltending coach Jeff Salajko Saturday morning and has been on the ice every day.

Of course, most players prefer games to practice but Larsson is keeping the big picture in mind.

“Yeah, it’s unlucky,” Larsson said. “I’ve been over here for a month now, training with all the guys. It’s sucks to miss it. I came here to prepare for this tournament, so it sucks not being here. I’d rather be 100 percent when the season starts. I think I’ll be practicing with the team in a few days. It feels good.”

Wakiji continues…

The Detroit Red Wings will face a heavy road this afternoon, hoping to rebound from a 5-4 OT loss to Chicago against a St. Louis Blues team that was embarrassed 7-2 by Toronto last night. Today’s game takes place at 3:30 PM, and will air on Fox Sports GO and the Red Wings’ YouTube channel.

Three forwards, three defensemen and three goaltenders took part in today’s optional practice at Centre ICE Arena, though goalie coaches Jeff Salajko and Brian Mahoney-Wilson, skill development coach Brandon Narauto and Grand Rapids Griffins assistant coaches Matt McDonald and Todd Krygier oversaw their charges.

It’s highly likely that Chad Yetman, Thomas Casey, Troy Loggins, Gustav Berglund and Alec McCrea will be today’s scratches; Jared McIsaac is a ways away due to a shoulder injury; in goal, Kaden Fulcher will start, Anthony Popovich will back him up, and Filip Larsson’s being held out of the tournament due to lingering groin soreness.

I still owe you some assessments, so, bearing in mind that we’re talking about an optional morning skate, here’s what I saw:

Continue reading Impressions from the morning skate ahead of the Red Wings-Blues game at the prospect tournament ’19