FYI for Toledo-area fans:
Needed now more than ever. ?
Donate at our annual Blood Drive this Monday, January 11 at the Huntington Center.
Enter code ‘TOLEDOWALLEYE’ to sign up: https://t.co/do77uTQ9Zx pic.twitter.com/8MuwlH32Kx— Toledo Walleye (@ToledoWalleye) January 8, 2021
The Detroit Red Wings’ second scrimmage is being held this evening at 7 PM EST at the BELFOR Training Center in Little Caesars Arena, and the Red Wings will stream the event:
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The boys are getting ready for tonight’s Red & White scrimmage. You can catch all the action on https://t.co/jLX5LxapNh starting at 6:30PM. #LGRW @Huntington_Bank x #DRWTC pic.twitter.com/AzdlpChueb— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 8, 2021
The Athletic’s Corey Pronman posted a list of his top NHL prospects and players under 23 years of age, and four Red Wings made his list. You’ll have to read the article to understand his ratings system, however:
24. Lucas Raymond, RW, Detroit
March 28, 2002 | 5-foot-10 | 170 pounds
Previous ranking: No. 17
Skating: Average
Puck Skills: Elite
Hockey Sense: Above-average
Compete: Above-average…
27. Moritz Seider, D, Detroit
April 6, 2001 | 6-foot-4 | 207 pounds
Previous ranking: No. 38
Skating: Average
Puck Skills: Below-average
Hockey Sense: Average
Compete: Above-average…
58. Filip Hronek, D, Detroit
Nov. 2, 1997 | six-foot | 170 pounds
Previous ranking: No. 61
Skating: Average
Puck Skills: Below-average
Hockey Sense: Average
Compete: Above-average…
66. Filip Zadina, RW, Detroit
Nov. 27, 1999 | six-foot | 196 pounds
Previous ranking: No. 71
Skating: Average
Puck Skills: High-end
Hockey Sense: Average
Compete: Average
Shot: Above-average
Continued (paywall)
The Detroit Red Wings will hold a pair of scrimmages on Friday and Sunday evening at Little Caesars Arena, and the scrimmages will effectively serve as exhibition games in an exhibition-less lead-up to the 2020-2021 regular season.
The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan spoke with coach Jeff Blashill and Jon Merrill regarding the importance of these internal competitions:
The Wings’ have their second scheduled scrimmage Friday, this one at the practice rink, and Blashill is hoping for his players to take another step toward the regular season opener on Jan. 14.
“The intensity has to be high,” said Blashill, who felt the intensity was lacking somewhat Tuesday. “We want to lose the bad summer habits and create good, winning habits. Make it as real hockey as we can.”
Blashill said there will be specific work on specialty teams, with lineups set to fill those possible power plays and penalty kills.
Players recognize the importance of putting together a consistent, high-level effort scrimmage, with no exhibition games this season.
“There’s always a next level to raise the intensity in order to prepare for NHL games,” defenseman Jon Merrill said. “You can’t emulate the battle level in practice. We do our best in practice and give everything we have, but we have to ramp it up and get ready for Carolina (for the season opener).”
The Red Wings’ power play stank on ice last season, but the Free Press’s Helene St. James asked Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill about the team’s belief that this year’s special teams units–and the power play in particular–will improve thanks to an influx of new personnel and a re-dedication to “finishing” their job of scoring key goals:
Even with the Red Wings often putting their best players on one power play unit last season, their conversion rate, 14.9%, ranked 29th out of 31 teams.
Now a new season beckons — the opener is Jan. 14 against the Carolina Hurricanes —and with an influx of new players — thanks to general manager Steve Yzerman — the Wings look like they can field two functional power play units.
“Our power play hasn’t been good enough nor has any player been productive enough on the power play,” coach Jeff Blashill said Thursday. “I want to create two units and I hope they’re super competitive and I hope they both play great.”
While five-on-five play was the focus of the first scrimmage, special teams are on the menu for Friday’s and Sunday’s scrimmages. One unit features Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha on the flanks, Tyler Bertuzzi in the bumper role, Bobby Ryan in front of the net and Danny DeKeyser on the point. The other has Filip Zadina and Sam Gagner on the flanks, Robby Fabbri in front of the net and Filip Hronek and Jon Merrill on the points.
Both units have at least one player (Ryan, Gagner, Hronek) who shoots right, a balance that should allow for multiple looks, once it’s set up.
According to MLive’s Ansar Khan, the Red Wings are feeling good about the fact that Robby Fabbri seems set to start the 2020-2021 season as Detroit’s second-line center:
He is happy to return to his natural position, where he played before being moved to wing when he broke into the NHL with St. Louis.
“I really enjoy it,” Fabbri said. “It was nice to get some games in last year before the pause. I feel comfortable there and I feel effective.”
Fabbri, who turns 25 on Jan. 22, proved to be a good acquisition in a trade with the Blues a month into 2019-20. After two seasons plagued by knee injuries, Fabbri collected 14 goals and 31 points in 51 games, the final few played at center.
Coach Jeff Blashill liked what he saw and kept him there in training camp, even discussing the move with general manager Steve Yzerman.
“He really gives us a chance to have a No. 2 center, a guy that can play in the top six at the center position, and I think he’s excited about it,” Blashill said. “If he plays really well at center, he’ll stay at center. If he doesn’t, then we’ll try to make him a great winger. But right now, our focus is helping him get super-comfortable at center before the year starts and then going out and playing.”
The Athletic’s Max Bultman filed a Thursday afternoon notebook in which he discusses several topics, including the fact that, thus far, anyway, none of the Red Wings’ younger players are forcing the hand of the coaching or management staff:
The odds of a young player forcing Detroit’s hand: You probably could have deduced this from the rest of the article, but even though camp still has a week left, the young players with potential to challenge for roster spots haven’t yet broken through.
Dennis Cholowski and Gustav Lindstrom still haven’t forced their way onto one of the top three pairs, and with Alex Biega in the fold and the AHL now confirmed to be returning, Grand Rapids seems the likeliest destination for both players starting out. Bromé, meanwhile, got the call into the top-13 forwards over Givani Smith. Evgeny Svechnikov is “unfit to practice” (a standardized designation for injured or ill players) after leaving the ice with an apparent upper-body injury during Tuesday’s scrimmage.
Michael Rasmussen, meanwhile, has had moments, but he hasn’t kicked the door down, either. Rasmussen worked on his skating in the offseason, and Blashill observed Thursday that, when he’s fresh, his skating is “much better,” even if he slips out of his crouch too early at times when tired. That’s improvement, but it alone does not appear likely to put him over the hump before next week’s opener.
“I just think with Ras it’s learning how to think a step ahead, to think quicker in those situations,” Blashill said. “We’ve played some little small-area games where you’ve gotta know what you’re doing with the puck before you get it, and that’s just going to be a continued learning process for him.”
Continued (paywall)
WXYZ Channel 7 and Fox 2 Detroit both filed video reports on Red Wings training camp on Thursday evening, with WXYZ’s Brad Galli discussing Jon Merrill’s decision to sign with the Red Wings…
And Fox 2’s Woody Woodriffe filed a 1:30 report regarding the Red Wings’ training camp hitting its stride on Thursday afternoon:
Of prospect-related note:
In the SHL, Elmer Soderblom and Lucas Raymond returned to the Frolunda Indians’ lineup, but Frolunda dropped a 3-0 decision to Lulea Hockey.
Soderblom finished even in 7:09 of time, slotted in the roster’s 13th forward’s spot; Raymond finished at -1 with 1 shot in 14:46 played;
Joe Veleno scored a goal on two shots, finishing at +1 in 16:42 played as the Malmo Redhawks won 4-1 over Orebro Hockey:
Joe Veleno scores his 9th goal of the season, and 5th the last 8 games. pic.twitter.com/l3kJqQUleJ
— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) January 7, 2021
Jonatan Berggren finished even with 1 shot in 16:21 played as Skelleftea AIK lost 2-0 to the Vaxjo Lakers;
Albin Grewe didn’t play in Djurgardens IF’s 4-3 loss to IK Oskarshamn;
Albert Johansson finished at +2 with 1 shot in 11:42 played as Farjestads BK won 5-4 in overtime over Rogle BK. Moritz Seider scored a goal and had 3 assists, finishing at +3 with 2 shots in 22:32 played for Rogle:
Continue reading Prospect round-up: Seider 1+3, Veleno scores on a busy SHL ThursdayThe Detroit Red Wings have posted their first episode of their inside-the-team web series, “The Winged Wheel,” for the 2020-2021 season, covering the offseason and free agency:
