Month: November 2020

Down Goes Brown ponders whether the Wings can buck the odds this upcoming season

This morning, The Athletic’s Sean McIndoe, a.k.a. “Down Goes Brown,” reviews the ten “worst teams” from fellow Athletic scribe Dom Luszczyszyn’s 2020-2021 season preview, with McIndoe attempting to discern whether these “bad teams” might be able to escape their respectively-prescripted fates…

And let’s just say that he’s not optimistic about the Red Wings’ chances of finishing somewhere other than last place:

So here’s what needs to happen. First, the goaltending has to be fantastic, and that might not actually be all that far-fetched. Thomas Greiss was a real nice signing, and he’s had two seasons of .925 or better in the last five years. So pencil him in for something like that, and the Wings are already a much better team.

Next, we need to improve an offense that ranked dead last. Maybe this is the year Dylan Larkin breaks through to the 80 or even 90-point tier. Tyler Bertuzzi and Anthony Mantha have shown flashes, and would need to do it over a full season. A comeback year from Bobby Ryan would help. Filip Zadina arrives with a bang. Maybe Lucas Raymond too? Marc Staal rediscovers his game, Troy Stecher takes a step, and let’s even say Moritz Seider arrives ahead of schedule. Hell, while we’re at it, let’s also have it all somehow come together for Robby Fabbri.

If every single one of those things happens, the Wings are up to … what, maybe 85 points?

Yeah, that’s about the best I can do. To get the rest of the way to the playoffs, you need a few crazy things to happen. Maybe Steve Yzerman swings an unexpected deal, or finally pulls the trigger on Jeff Blashill and replaces him with the next Scotty Bowman. I could go on, but at some point it feels like we’re patronizing Wings fans. They know what they’re up against. The odds are overwhelming.

But it’s not completely impossible, because this is still the NHL, and if an expansion team can do it, well, maybe a team like Detroit could too. Do you believe in miracles?

Continued (paywall); now I’m biased, but my answer to DGB’s commentary is, “Yes, it does feel like we Wings fans are being patronized.” I’m not expecting the 2020-2021 Red Wings to make the playoffs, but I am hoping that the team will be much more competitive, regardless of whether that “less bad”-ness adds up to enough wins to earn the privilege of postseason play.

Prospect round-up: Hronek drops the gloves in Czech Extraliga; Rasmussen still inconsistent in Graz

Of prospect-related note:

In the Czech Extraliga, Filip Zadina had 6 shots and finished at +1 in 15:02 played as Ocelari Trinec won 6-3 over Ceske Budejovice;

Filip Hronek got in a fight, taking 10 + 2 + 2 minutes in penalties, but he still managed to play 22:09, finishing at -1 in HK Mountfield lost 4-0 to HC Energie Karlovy Vary. Jan Bednar didn’t play as a back-up for Karlovy Vary.

You can watch Hronek’s fight here (he won) on Hokej.cz;

In the Swedish Allsvenskan, William Wallinder finished at -2 in 10:37 played as MODO Hockey got spanked 7-0 by Vita Hasten;

And in the ICE Hockey League, Michael Rasmussen registered an assist but finished at -2 with a 10-minute misconduct taken over the course of the Graz99ers’ 4-3 shootout win over the Kolner Haie.

Hockeysverige.se’s Bodin interviews Albin Grewe

Hockeysverige.se’s Uffe Bodin wrote an article about Red Wings prospect and Djurgardens IF forward Albin Grewe, and the article is accompanied by a video interview with Grewe. What follows is a rough translation of Bodin’s article:

“He’s an animal force that can make a difference”

He would [rather] not even play for Djurgarden this season. But Albin Grewe has not only remained in Sweden, but he has also made an impression in the SHL. Against Skelleftea came his first goal of the season–and a different tribute from coach Robert Ohlsson.

“I think he is an animal force that can make a difference,” says Djurgården’s coach after the overtime victory with 3-2.

Continue reading Hockeysverige.se’s Bodin interviews Albin Grewe

Belated prospect round-up: Berggren, Grewe score in SHL showdown; Frolunda shut out

From Monday’s SHL action: Jonatan Berggren had an assist and 3 shots, finishing even in 18:19 played as Skelleftea AIK lost 3-2 to Djurgarden in overtime. Albin Grewe scored a goal on 2 shots and finished even in 9:07 of ice time for Djurgarden:

And Lucas Raymond had 3 shots, finishing at -1 in 12:22 played, and Theodor Niederbach finished even in 3:35 played as the Frolunda Indians lost 4-0 to Leksand.

SHL.se profiles Jonatan Berggren

The SHL’s website posted a profile of Red Wings prospect Jonatan Berggren, and it’s in English:

Born in Uppsala and having spent his entire life in Enköping, representing Enköpings SK, Jonatan Berggren moved to Skellefteå at the age of 15. Normally, players tend to move for hockeygymnasium (literally translated to hockey high school) at the age of 16 but there’s a story to his early move. With young Mr. Berggren playing between one and five years above his age, this resulted in a spot of trouble. Where would he play?

“It was almost a sealed deal that I was going to Västerås to play there but I got a call from Fredrik Öberg, U18 coach in Skellefteå at the time. He asked me if I wanted to come up and check things out for the hockey high school in the following year.”

Berggren and his older brother went and after a day in Skellefteå, it was all set. And not only that: Berggren didn’t want to wait. He wanted to move right away, moving to finish elementary school, by completing ninth grade, in Skellefteå.

“Everything felt perfect. We called Öberg, asking him if I could move right away and he put it all together. Me playing here today is all thanks to him. I got his number as well, 48. So that’s a perfect, nice little story, I think.” he says with a fond voice, adding that homesickness has got the best of him from time to time. But looking back, and looking forward to what might come, he doesn’t regret anything. Having been drafted by the Detroit Red Wings, he knows he is on the right path.

“Of course! Playing in the NHL is something I’ve been thinking about, and dreaming of since I started playing. And now I’m closer to realising that dream than ever. It’s all about that final push. And if I think about all the work I’ve put in to be able to try to make that push…It has all been worth it.”

Continued;

Update: The Free Press’s Helene St. James also took note of the interview:

The Wings drafted Berggren (5-foot-11, 183 pounds) 33rd overall in 2018, seeing the winger as a nice package of speed and skill, especially adapt at making plays. He spent most of the 2017-18 season in the J20 Superelit (Sweden’s top junior league) but appeared in 10 games at the SHL level. He played in only 16 games in 2018-19 because of a lower-back injury. Last season he was sidelined by shoulder surgery, though he was able to play for Sweden at the World Junior Championship, helping them capture the bronze medal.

Berggren’s 19 points rank third in the SHL.

“I’m trying to get to the net more,” he said. “But I had a good start to the season and I’ve been able to build off of that. To me, last season was important. I got a receipt that I could play at this level and do my things.”

With the NHL still trying to sort out the logistics of staging a season as COVID-19 ravages North America(the starting target date remains Jan. 1), Berggren is in a good spot starring in the SHL. He could be looking at coming over for the 2021-22 season.

ESPN’s Wyshynski ranks Red Wings at the bottom of the NHL’s ‘contender tiers’

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski filed a list of “contender tiers” for each and every one of the NHL’s 31 teams on ESPN+ today, and he ranks the Red Wings and Ottawa Senators at the bottom of the barrel:

The basement: Detroit Red Wings
Ottawa Senators

The Red Wings made some smart moves this offseason to stabilize the team, including an upgrade in goal with Thomas Greiss, adding to a young group that could include No. 4 overall pick Lucas Raymond. The Senators added Matt Murray in goal and Evgenii Dadonov to a mix of young talent that includes No. 3 overall pick Tim Stuetzle.

Most importantly, both teams have a slew of picks in the first three rounds of the 2021 draft, because they’re still building back to contender status. Another season near the basement of the league isn’t just a prediction, it’s a prescription.

Continued

Kulfan profiles Wings draft pick Alex Cotton

The Red Wings picked an “overager” in 19-year-old Alex Cotton during the 2020 draft, and the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a profile of the Lethbridge Hurricanes defenseman:

The term “late bloomer” gets thrown out often in sports, and particularly in hockey. It can be a player simply growing into his body, or maturing physically, a little later than his peers. It could also be his confidence growing later than others, or possibly getting an opportunity to show what he can do, when he didn’t get that chance before.

With Cotton, it seemed all those things came together for him while playing with Lethbridge in the Western Hockey League.

Cotton went from scoring 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 54 games with Lethbridge in 2018-19, to accumulating 67 points (20 goals, 47 assists) in 63 games last season. Those 67 points led all WHL defensemen in scoring, and after the season Cotton was named to the WHL Second All-Star Team.

Talk about a breakthrough season.

“When they gave me that opportunity, I wasn’t going to allow anyone to take it from me,” said Cotton, of getting more ice time and special team roles with Lethbridge last season. “I just went out and played the way I knew I can.”

Continued

Rogle the latest SHL team to cancel/postpone games due to coronavirus issues

According to Rogle BK’s website, Moritz Seider’s team has delayed a “derby” game scheduled to take place on Tuesday of this week due to multiple positive coronavirus tests.

The team was scheduled to battle the Malmo Redhawks in a close-city-vs-close-city “derby” battle…and speaking of Joe Veleno’s Redhawks, they won’t play on Thursday as HV71 has positive coronavirus tests as well.