Month: September 2019

Among the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan’s notebook’s notes, a few quips stand out, including this one from Tyler Bertuzzi:

Many analysts are predicting another long season, and another spring without the playoffs for the Red Wings. Tyler Bertuzzi is using that as fuel to prove those people wrong.

The Wings have missed the playoffs three consecutive seasons, but Bertuzzi said this team expects more.

“Everyone has us not making the playoffs again, and just the same path we’ve been on the last few years,” Bertuzzi said. “We want to change that. Just kind of our ending last year, we were playing real well at the end of the season. We got a couple of new guys, and just more experience from guys, and we have our older guys leading the way.”

Update: Also from Dylan Larkin and Steve Yzerman, via DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji:

“This is year two of three where we’re pegged to be a bottom five team in the NHL,” Larkin said. “To me that stings a little bit. We believe in our group. For me, I want our team to come out of this camp healthy. Last year was a tough start. We can’t start like that this year. For us to come out of this camp healthy as a full team and hit the ground running, hopefully we can turn a lot of heads and shock people.”

As for Yzerman, he is thinking big picture when it comes to assessing the team.

“If you’re not competitive you’re not going to play in the NHL. That’s the reality,” Yzerman said. “You have to be competitive on the ice, off the ice. That’s the inner drive that they have. You have to do that to play in the league. For the team, our ultimate goal is to win a Stanley Cup at some point. We want to show improvement in our record. Every year you’re trying to improve.

“But as we sit here in September, we’ll watch the team in October and throughout the entire season, I’m looking at that as we got players that are going to be 20 years old, 19 years old, we got guys that are 35. 36, all at different stages. Are they helping us? Are they making us a better team? Ultimately, part of being a good player is being real competitive.”

The Detroit Red Wings opened training camp at Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City today, splitting their 67-man roster into three “teams” which practiced for the better part of six hours today.

For most of the media, the biggest moment of the day was the 18 minutes we spent with Steve Yzerman, but even the subsequent interviews with Tyler Bertuzzi, Dylan Larkin, Valtteri Filppula and coach Jeff Blashill weren’t as exciting as the simple fact that hockey fans and hockey scribes alike could finally watch the Red Wings’ players skate and the Red Wings’ coaches coach.

Today’s practices were particularly up-tempo by training camp standards, and when coach Blashill didn’t like the pace thereof, he made each of the first two teams do some laps from one side of the rink to the other to ensure that his message was sent.

That message? Haul ass and execute while hauling said asses.

Continue reading Impressions from the first day of the Red Wings’ training camp ’19

Of multimedia note from the first day of the Red Wings’ 2019 training camp:

1. WXYZ’s Brad Galli posted a video of Steve Yzerman’s press conference, in full:

2. He also posted a clip of Dylan Larkin’s lengthy presser…

3. As well as Tyler Bertuzzi’s media availability:

Continue reading Multimedia round-up from Friday’s training camp sessions

As the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan notes, Steve Yzerman spent a significant portion of his press conference reflecting upon the performances of the Wings’ prospects during their prospect-tournament-winning campaign:

“We need more (prospects), but I’m encouraged – there’s a good group of young players that have potential,” Yzerman said Friday as he met with the media at camp, after the day’s workouts had been completed. “We’re going to try to add to that group. But with that group, we’re trying to create an environment that allows them to go from prospects to good NHL players, and that’s a big step.”

It was only four games, but the Wings fielded one of the younger teams in the Prospects Tournament and Yzerman was encouraged by the competitiveness of his team.

Defenseman Moritz Seider, and forwards Joe Veleno, Filip Zadina, Givani Smith, Chase Pearson, Ryan Kuffner and Taro Hirose were among some of the recent draft picks or undrafted college free agents who were impressive, according to Yzerman.

“You like to win – it’s better to win than to lose,” Yzerman said. “Most importantly, the kids competed real hard. They learned from it. Some of those kids are only 18 years old and playing against some 23- and 24-year-olds. They had good week’s and it’s preparing them for next week and a good buildup for them moving forward. It looks like we have a good group of prospects here and we’re hoping they continue to improve and eventually become NHLers.”

Continued

Update: Also, from MLive’s Ansar Khan:

Continue reading Kulfan: prospects impressed Yzerman

Dylan Larkin spoke to the media prior to Steve Yzerman’s remarks on Friday afternoon, and MLive’s Ansar Khan noted that Larkin is not discouraged because the Wings did not name him their captain:

“In our locker room I can assure you that leadership is not a problem,” Larkin said. “I’m extremely happy for Luke [Glendening]. It’s well deserved. But you could look at 10 guys that could wear ‘A’s’ on our team and could wear ‘C’s.’

“They (coaches and management) know what they’re doing. I’m not disappointed at all. A new manager where we’re all looking to impress him and take a step in the right direction for our organization.”

Larkin and Yzerman spoke a couple of weeks ago.

“It wasn’t negative at all. It was encouraging,” Larkin said. “We talked a lot about how to be a pro even more, to look at the guys who have led on our team before, what I can do to be an all-around leader. For me it’s exciting to have conversations like that where it’s someone who’s been through it and someone that’s done it very well. Having conversations like that is invaluable to my career and something that I’m excited and grateful for.”

He doesn’t view it as a slight and doesn’t need any more incentive.

“I want to win. I want to play well. I want to represent the city, my teammates and the fans and my family as well as I can,” Larkin said. “I’m a driven person. I want to be great. I want this team to be great. I want to have a great season. I’m motivated to take this team to where we need to be.”

Continued

As noted earlier this afternoon, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman gave an 18-minute press conference today, and he was pressed most consistently regarding the comments made by Dylan Larkin a little earlier in the day, and why the team chose to go without a captain, at least for the present moment.

The Free Press’s Helene St. James took note of both gentlemen’s comments:

“Look at the guys that have led on our team before and what I can do to be an all-around leader,” Larkin said. “For me it’s exciting to have conversations like that where someone who has been through it and someone who has done it very well. It’s invaluable to my career. It’s something I’m excited and grateful for.”

Larkin said he isn’t disappointed the decision has been delayed, and that he’s focused on impressing Yzerman.

Yzerman wants to get to know Larkin and all of the players better before a captain is named. There is no better choice than Larkin, who is only 22 and who in four seasons has emerged as the face of the rebuild. Larkin occasionally wore the ‘A’ last season, his first wearing a letter on his sweater, splitting time as alternate captain with Frans Nielsen. This year, Larkin will wear a permanent letter. Nielsen will rotate with newly minted alternate Luke Glendening, and Justin Abdelkader is the other alternate. 

Yzerman wants to see every player assert himself.

“I’m looking for them all to step forward as leaders on the ice and off the ice and set the tone the way we’re going to play and the way we’re going to conduct ourselves,” Yzerman said. “I want to get to know all these guys — a few of the veteran guys I know somewhat from when I left the organization, but it’s an opportunity to take the time to get to know everyone and when we eventually do name a captain, I intend that person to be the captain for a long time.”

Continued; if and when the Red Wings do name a captain, Yzerman’s not concerned about the timing thereof.

FYI:

#DRWTC Schedule Update for Sat., 9/14:

Team Howe will now hit the ice at 9:30am at @CentreICEArena. Team Lindsay will take the ice at 12:40pm. https://t.co/yKE4d0s0Ge— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 13, 2019

The Athletic’s Max Bultman wrote an article which published just after I left to head to training camp, and I haven’t been able to post it until now. In the “worth your time” department, Bultman assesses the Red Wings’ roster as it applies to training camp and the exhibition season, classifying players by their likelihood of making the Red Wings’ roster:

Forwards

Locks: Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Andreas Athanasiou, Tyler Bertuzzi, Frans Nielsen, Valtteri Filppula, Luke Glendening, Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader

Write Bertuzzi-Larkin-Mantha in ink as the top line, and then the rest of the puzzle will come together over the next couple weeks. It’ll be interesting to see how having a new general manager motivates some of the longtime veterans, but most of them have rather large contracts and/or were named alternate captains, so their roster spots, at minimum, feel safe.

Continued

DetroitRedWings.com’s Josh Berenter spoke with Kendall Hanley, who took part in the Red Wings’ prospect tournament as a referee working with the ECHL officials:

Similar to the way she approaches officiating, Hanley did her research on the NHL Prospect Tournament. She said she was honored to have the opportunity to be a pioneer as the first-ever female official at the most prestigious preseason tournament in the NHL.

“It’s an unbelievable opportunity. Doors are opening in for women in the NHL,” said Hanley, who officiated four games in Traverse City, including the Red Wings vs. St. Louis Blues matchup this past Saturday. “The NHL is doing everything they can to have the best officials at their events, and if those officials are women, then they’re going to bring them in.

“I think in time, they’ll find the right person to continue down this path, and this is an amazing first step. I’m very fortunate to be part of the first four. Other women and girls can get excited about officiating and know they’ll be supported and know there are opportunities to advance.”

The inclusion of women in hockey is part of the NHL’s growing Hockey is for Everyone initiative. The initiative uses the game of hockey and the NHL’s global influence to drive positive social change and foster more inclusive communities.

Continued

DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner, Red Wings play-by-play announcer Ken Kal, Carley Johnston and Daniela Bruce took in an hour’s worth of practice at training camp, and the Wings archived the broadcast on YouTube: