Month: November 2020

A ‘local’ profile of Wings prospect Chase Bradley, the pride of Oakville, Missouri

Two-time Stanley Cup champion Pat Maroon comes from the St. Louis suburb of Oakville, Missouri, and there’s another player from Oakville who’s trying to make his pro hockey dreams come true in the Red Wings’ final pick of the 2020 NHL draft, one Chase Bradley.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas posted a profile of Bradley, a life-long Blues fan, and he found that Bradley’s well aware of his ties to Maroon–and vice-versa:

The Red Wings worked a trade with Bradley’s hometown squad — the Blues — moving into the round and taking him at No. 203. As you might expect, Bradley’s phone immediately was flooded with congratulatory messages, including one from another Oakville hockey player of some renown: Pat Maroon.

“He texted me after the draft and just congratulated me,” Bradley said of the player who won a Stanley Cup with the Blues last season and with Tampa Bay this year. “He said he’d be watching.”

Bradley said he’s never skated with Maroon, who at age 32 is 14 years older. And never even met him. But the Oakville hockey community is tight-knit, and this was glorious news.

“It’s one big circle from South County,” former Oakville High coach Tyler Sollberger said. “We’ve produced good athletes, good hockey players in the region, and proud to have a couple come out from Oakville. Patrick winning his second Stanley Cup in a row. So it’s been very rewarding to see both of their careers progress.”

Continued

Roughly translated: Joe Veleno talks Swedish hockey in French, with RDS.ca

RDS.ca posted a 6-minute video interview with Red Wings prospect Joe Veleno, who discusses his experiences in Sweden with Rogle BK…In French.

I’d get more out of it if it was Swedish, honestly, and I only speak English and some German, but can I can at least offer you a rough translation of the text part of the interview:

Whatever happens with the resumption of the National Hockey League’s season, it’s certain that Quebecois forward Joe Veleno will end his season in Sweden.

On loan from the Detroit Red Wings to the Malmo Redhawks, Veleno was happy to find a league whose caliber resembles that of the AHL.

“I just wanted to play hockey a bit anywhere,” he told RDS Hockey 360. My last game was eight or nine months ago. Going to Malmo was an easy decision.”

Therefore, he signed for the season with Malmo.

“I discussed it with Detroit, and they also believed that it was a good decision because there are too many question marks about the return of the NHL [season]. The Red Wings wanted me to play a lot. I was just tired of training; I wanted to play in games.”

The 20-year-old of Kirkland [Quebec] has played in seven games so far. He’s posted a goal and two assists.

In addition to jet lag in his early days, Veleno had to adapt to another reality of European hockey in the larger rinks.

“Shifts of 45 seconds to a minute are much more difficult. I realized that you have to give your all during appearances of 35 seconds maximum.”

Veleno is a first-round pick, 30th overall by the Red Wings in 2081. He has yet to have the opportunity to play in the NHL. In the AHL, with the Grand Rapids Griffins, he scored 11 goals and 12 assists in 54 games during his first proffessional season.

Jonathan Bernier becomes the ‘poster boy’ for TRUE Goalie by Lefevre goalie gear

From Instagram:

And Twitter:

Roughly translated: Albin Grewe will remain in Sweden until/whether the OHL season starts, if not longer

HockeyNews.se’s Mattias Ek spoke with Djurgardens IF sports director (i.e. GM) Joakim Erikson regarding two Swedish NHL prospects who are scheduled to return to North America.

Eriksson tells Ek that he wants to keep both players–including Grewe, who has signed with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit–in Sweden for as long as possible.

What follows is roughly translated from Swedish:

Djurgarden hopes for extended NHL loans: “What’re hoping for”

STOCKHOLM. With the uncertainty surrounding the start of the NHL season, Djurgarden hopes to keep Los Angeles Kings-loaned defenseman Tobias Bjornfot for the time being.

Forward Albin Grewe may stay with the SHL team longer than Bjornfot.

Continue reading Roughly translated: Albin Grewe will remain in Sweden until/whether the OHL season starts, if not longer

Kulfan profiles Cross Hanas

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a profile of Red Wings 2020 draft pick Cross Hanas, whose hockey background is unique:

Meet Cross Hanas, the last of the Red Wings’ three second-round draft choices last month. Hanas, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound offensively skilled left wing, is from that hockey hotbed of … Dallas.

Say what?

Yes, Dallas. In the football-mad state of Texas. Home of the Cowboys and Friday Night Lights.  But it’s also home to a rapidly growing hockey culture, too, that is beginning to impact the NHL.

Hanas was quick to point out last month after being selected by the Wings that this growing hockey base has seen players such as Seth Jones (Columbus), Blake Coleman (Tampa) and Tyler Myers (Vancouver) emerge. And now, Cross Hanas.

“Dallas-area hockey is actually growing and there’s a lot of real passion for the game,” Hanas said. “For me, I have some Canadian roots and have a lot of people who played hockey in my family, so it was always in my blood. But here in Dallas, we have a lot of great coaches and it’s awesome.”

Continued

Red Wings announce that Jared McIsaac has had shoulder surgery

Not great news from the Wings:

JARED McISAAC UNDERGOES SUCCESSFUL SHOULDER SURGERY

DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jared McIsaac underwent successful surgery last week on his left shoulder. The procedure was performed by Dr. Kyle Anderson at UnaSource Surgery Center in Troy, Mich. McIsaac’s expected recovery time is five to six months. McIsaac previously underwent a similar procedure on his right shoulder prior to the 2019-20 season.

McIsaac, 20, began his professional hockey career last month after he was loaned to HPK in Finland’s SM-Liiga in September. A former second-round pick (36th overall) of Detroit in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, McIsaac wrapped up his major-junior career in 2019-20, splitting time with the Halifax Mooseheads and Moncton Wildcats in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and totaling 19 points (4-15-19) in 28 games. The Truro, Nova Scotia, native also captured a gold medal with Canada at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship, contributing four points (1-3-4) in seven games.

Bultman discusses Jonatan Berggren’s superb start with Skelleftea AIK

The Athletic’s Max Bultman profiles Red Wings prospect Jonatan Berggren this morning, discussing the small but mighty forward’s excellent start with Skelleftea AIK of the SHL:

Berggren, a 2018 second-round pick who is just 20, ranks third in SHL scoring. His 16 points in 13 games are already more than he had through 40 games in his two previous, injury-shortened pro seasons combined. And perhaps most importantly, that production is coming in conjunction with a key improvement to his game, one that has the potential to help the supremely talented young winger become the kind of breakthrough prospect the Red Wings need in their rebuild.

“He is even faster, so he beats the opponents even better, but he’s also taken a big step in going into (the) front of the net, driving the net, and going to those areas,” said Skellefteå general manager Erik Forssell. “Like last year, maybe he was a little bit too much on the outside, (a) perimeter player.”

For all the positives Berggren’s impressive point total reflects, his growth in that aspect of his game may well be the most important. His skating has never been in question. His puck skills and hockey sense have had him making highlight-reel plays for a while now. But the ability to bring those traits closer to the net is what could vault Berggren into the next tier of Red Wings prospects, beyond the land of raw upside.

“Some of the things that he’s got (are) very rare,” Forssell said. “And those offensive skills, they’re very rare. If he can continue to improve — I mean, those are maybe the most valuable assets you can have as a player. So I can’t really see a ceiling for him. But still, if you want to be a producing top player in the NHL, that’s not easy.”

Continued (paywall)

Khan speaks with Shawn Horcoff regarding the Wings’ Swedish prospect armada

MLive’s Ansar Khan spoke with Red Wings director of player development Shawn Horcoff regarding the fact that so many Red Wings prospects are skating in Sweden this season:

While hockey is on hiatus in North America, more than a dozen Red Wings prospects are playing and developing in Sweden. A few are on loan, others are with their regular clubs.

Shawn Horcoff, Red Wings’ director of player development, and the rest of the front office is keeping tabs on the young players via computer and phone, due to the international travel ban.

“The nice thing is we’re able to see all their games on-line,” Horcoff said. “It’s not the same as watching these kids live. We enjoy not only watching them but meeting with them, spending some time with them, going on the ice with them, taking them for dinner, lunch, building a relationship, especially the new guys drafted, so that’s been a little bit difficult.

“The nice thing is we have Nik Kronwall (assistant to general manager Steve Yzerman) in Sweden and it’s a huge benefit to have Nik on the ground and taking care of these guys. We’re finding ways to be creative, staying on top of these guys and making sure they get what they need in order to develop in areas we see fit.”

Continued

Prospect round-up: More injuries and 1+1 from Niederbach

Of prospect-related note today:

In the Swedish Allsvenskan, William Wallinder missed MODO Hockey’s 4-3 loss to BIK Karlskoga due to an injury;

Both Gustav Lindstrom and Filip Larsson missed Almtuna IS’s 4-0 loss to Timra IK due to injuries;

Gustav Berglund finished at +1 in 13:03 of ice time as Vasteras IK won 3-2 in OT over Vasby IK;

In the Swedish J20 league, Theodor Niederbach registered a goal and an assist in the Frolunda Indians’ 6-3 win over Orebro Hockey. Red Wings Prospects and AntonJ85 on Twitter posted Niederbach’s goal:

No Deutschland Cup for Moritz Seider due to Swedish coronavirus restrictions

This news comes from long-time IIHF.com writer and Alliance of European Hockey Clubs Director Szymon Szemberg:

Eishockeynews.de is reporting that Red Wings prospect Moritz Seider is going to remain in Sweden with Rogle BK during the Deutschland Cup due to coronavirus concerns.

Germany’s national team coach, Toni Soderholm, also tested positive for the coronavirus, so the German national team will be shorthanded during the Deutschland Cup.

This week is a week off for the SHL due to the various camps and cups taking place–the Deutschland Cup, the Karjala Cup (Jonatan Berggren and Filip Hronek are taking part in that one), the Swedish and Finnish World Junior Championship selection camps (see: Lucas Raymond, Albert Johansson, Gustav Berglund, Albin Grewe and Theodor Niederbach taking part for Sweden), et. al., so Seider will get a chance to catch his breath and settle down in Angelholm a bit.