Month: August 2021

Red Wings prospect and 2020 draft pick William Wallinder spoke with Rogle BK’s website’s Peter Ekholm regarding his performance over the course of two Champions Hockey League games this past week. Wallinder, a defenseman, is attempting to break into the SHL as a 19-year-old, and here’s a rough translation of his interview:

William Wallinder played defense in the two CHL games last week. Now he hopes for continued confidence as Rogle prepares for road trips to Switzerland and Germany.

In the CHL games, against Zug and Munich in Halmstad (Sweden) last week, Rogle’s new acquisition, William Wallinder, was able to seriously display his hockey skills. The 19-year-old defenseman got the chance to play next to Samuel Johannesson, and he took measures into his own hands.

“It was fun to step into the CHL for the first time. It was just fun to be there and fun that we got two wins for us. My game is just moving forward,” says Wallinder.

Wallinder played just over 9 minutes against Zug, and fired a shot on goal. His playing time increased in the game vs. Munich, playing 11:34.

“He played very well overall. He’s taken some steps [forward] these past few weeks, is more involved in the game and shows a good sense of play with the puck. There are some details in his defensive game that we need to address, but we will work on that in the future. He looks good,” says Rogle’s assistant coach, David Prtintz.

Wallinder joined Rogle from MoDo [of the Swedish Allsvenskan] before this season. MoDo plays in the Allsvenskan, so the step up to the SHL and CHL level is different than what he’s been used to before.

“I try to be careful and to play simply. I don’t try to do anything risky, but instead, make simple decisions and play tough in my own zone,” says Wallinder.

During the 2020 draft, Wallinder was selected by the Detroit Red Wings, 32nd overall. Nowadays, teams follow their NHL draft picks closely. And, together with Red Wings development manager Niklas Kronwall, Wallinder and Printz are working to develop the young defensive talent here in Sweden.

“We have constant dialogue,” says Printz about the collaboration with Kronwall. “We also have similar reviews regarding what he needs to work on. I hope we can work on that every day. He must also have the drive to do a lot of the work himself. That’s what it takes to choose to become a top player.”

“We talk a lot every day. He gives me some tips, and so on. We have good communication,” says Wallinder.

William Wallinder has felt the pulse of the CHL, and if his development continues to move forward, there will probably be more of that kind of play in the future.

“He has a chance to contribute to this team and our future. Wallinder seems to have a very positive future picture,” says Printz.

Via 97.1 the Ticket’s podcast page, Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill spoke with 97.1 the Ticket from the Ilitch Charities Foundation’s golf outing at the Oakland Hills Country Club, speaking for 15 minutes.

Blashill discussed his golfing experience at the Ally Pro Challenge this past weekend, he discussed the Red Wings’ rebuilding effort under GM Steve Yzerman, and he assessed the Wings’ offseason moves as training camp looms in 3-and-a-half weeks:

NBC Sports Edge’s Corey Abbott posted a set of 2021-2022 season previews for three Atlantic Division teams over the weekend in the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, and the Detroit Red Wings. Here’s what he says about the Wings:

Strengths: Detroit has an intriguing core of young players led by Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi and Jakub Vrana. They could form the team’s top line in 2021-22. Suter was signed following a decent rookie year with Chicago last season. He is projected to center a second line that could feature Filip Zadina, Robby Fabbri or Lucas Raymond as wingers. Filip Hronek has displayed plenty of promise on the back end and Moritz Seider is expected to land a top-four role this campaign.

Weaknesses: The Red Wings struggled offensively in 2020-21, while placing 30th overall in goals for per game played (2.23) and 30th in power-play percentage (11.4). A return to full health from Bertuzzi and Larkin as well as a full year from Vrana will probably help change that. However, the team still needs more from Zadina and Fabbri, who have both showcased flashes of potential.

Player to Watch: Vrana was a great addition and Suter could prove to be another steal for the organization after the Blackhawks decided not to give him a qualifying offer. Leddy may also be a solid addition to pair with Seider, who is loaded with potential. However, the acquisition of Nedeljkovic is the most intriguing offseason move by the Red Wings. He starred for Carolina during his rookie season and projects to be a big part of the puzzle for Detroit moving forward. Nedeljkovic will get some help from Thomas Greiss, but should see most of the starts if he continues to impress.

So Abbott’s concerns about the Red Wings includes depth of scoring and special teams play. Sounds familiar….

According to HockeyNews.se’s staff, former Swedish Ice Hockey Association general secretary Tommy Boustedt has announced that he’ll be working as an area scout for the Detroit Red Wings this upcoming season:

Sedan januari 2021 har jag fungerat som Senior Advisor åt Danmarks Ishockeyförbund. Nu kommer jag också att arbeta för Detroit Red Wings som European Pro Scout. Jag har alltså bryr blågult mot rödvitt, och lagt pensionstankarna på hyllan. pic.twitter.com/kHn5cLPmd8

— Tommy Boustedt (@TBoustedt) August 30, 2021

Roughly translated:

“Since January of 2021, I’ve worked as a Senior Advisor for the Danish Ice Hockey Federation. Now I will also work for the Detroit Red Wings as an European Pro Scout. So I’ve cared for the blue-and-yellow [Sweden] to the red-and-white, and I’ve put my thoughts of being a pensioner on the shelf.”

Boustedt, 62, has a long history of working to revamp Swedish ice hockey’s developmental model. He’s no spring chicken, obviously, but his experience will help the Wings’ braintrust.

Update: From DetroitHockey.net’s Clark Rasmussen:

The Wings actually added Boustedt as “European Pro Scout” on their website’s “staff” page on the 23rd. Also added Eric Soltys, Corey Crocker, and Greg Hawgood. Removed Bruce Haralson, Rob Rassey, and Marty Stein.— DetroitHockey.Net (@detroithockey96) August 30, 2021

No Hawgood, Haralson or Stein = the end of the KH era, officially speaking.— George Malik (@georgemalik) August 30, 2021

Update #2: Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff has more:

Continue reading HockeyNews.se: Former Swedish Ice Hockey general secretary Tommy Boustedt will work as an European scout for the Red Wings

Team Sweden struggled at the first scouting event for 2002-born prospects (i.e. players drafted this past summer) this season, the Under-20 Four Nations Cup in the Czech Republic, but the Hockey News’s Tony Ferrari gave a shout-out to Red Wings prospect Liam Dower Nilsson for his effort at the tournament:

The Swedes went winless in their three games over the event. Their roster was missing almost everyone expected to be on the world junior roster, with just a few notable names such as Liam Dower-Nilsson, Alexander Ljungkrantz, and Oliver Tärnström. The majority of the roster is filled with their ‘B team’ who were looking to put their name on the map.

Unfortunately for the Tre Kronor, the Swedes didn’t play well and their standouts were few and far between. Dower-Nilsson, a Detroit Red Wings prospect, had a decent showing with a few flashes of offensive flair as a passer.

Continued; here’s a clip of LDN doing his thing from Ferrari:

Sweden finally gets on the board with a powerplay goal late in the game. Nice pass from Liam Dower-Nilsson (#lgrw) for Lugwig Persson (#2022NHLDraft) who pots it back door. #FourNations pic.twitter.com/BTRvK9HdZn

— Tony Ferrari (@theTonyFerrari) August 26, 2021

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen found that EP Rinkside’s Russ Cohen believes that the Red Wings’ decision to trade up to draft defenseman Shai Buium was a wise move:

Draft expert Russ Cohen, a regular on NHL Network Radio, also thinks the Red Wings’ second rounder Shai Buium should be viewed as a first rounder. He was taken early in the second round (36th overall) by the Red Wings.

“Buium moved up the charts and he has late first round talent,” said Cohen, owner of the Sportsology website and a contributor to EP Rinkside. “Buium’s offense has been emerging. His passing is a strength. He has a knack for seeing plays develop. Finding those spaces is very important, especially if you have creative forwards to work with. ”

California-born defenseman Buium (6-foot-3, 210) posted 26 points in 50 games for Sioux City in the United States Hockey League last season. He will play college hockey at Denver this season.

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a profile of Red Wings prospect and 2021 draft pick Carter Mazur, a native of Jackson, MI:

Draper knew what kind of player Mazur was [from coaching Mazur at Little Caesars Hockey], and noticed what the young player was accomplishing in the USHL. But seeing it confirmed by other Wings scouts gave Draper the reaffirmation to draft Mazur.

“The interesting thing for me was watching [the USHL’s] Tri-City [Storm] and seeing the improvement from Carter from last year to this year,” Draper said. “Our area scouts, the reports they were putting in about Carter, talking about the improvement, it was great to hear. We (drafted) Carter in a spot where he deserved it. As we were talking to our scouts, it was a pick we all wanted to make.”

For Draper personally, it was gratifying to see Mazur be drafted after watching the progress the young player made.

“He grew up playing Little Caesars all the way from 10 to U-16,” Draper said. “It’s been a lot of fun. I’m proud to watch Carter develop into the player he has. Last year he went into his first year in Tri-City and it’s a big jump. At the time he was maybe 5-9, 5-10. He’s grown two or three inches and he’s put on about 20 pounds. (But) he knows he needs to still get bigger and stronger.”

Continued

Per the New Haven Register’s Michael Fornabaio, former Red Wings prospect Keith Petruzzelli has signed a pro contract with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, the farm team of the Toronto Maple Leafs:

Former Quinnipiac men’s hockey goaltender Keith Petruzzelli has signed a two-year American Hockey League contract, the Toronto Marlies announced Sunday.

Petruzzelli, 22, was the ECAC Goaltender of the Year as a senior in 2020-21, ranking seventh in Division I hockey with a 1.89 goals-against average. He was a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. He started the last 63 games of his Quinnipiac career.

The Wilbraham, Mass., native was a 2017 third-round draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings. Those NHL rights expired on Aug. 15.

Update: Here’s a bit of a scouting report from Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff:

The scouting report on Petruzzelli is that he’s a little too robotic in his movements between the posts but the biggest knock against his pro credentials is the inconsistency that’s persisted in his game thus far through his development years.

While sighting the move by the Marlies as a good gamble, an NHL scout emphasized the latter of the two words when it came to investing in Petruzzelli futures.

“When he is good, he can be really good but when it goes south, it really can be ugly,” the scout said of Petruzzelli’s game. “When he was younger, I thought he would grow out of it with maturity but it still seems to be an issue.”

Via Paul Kukla of Abel to Yzerman: Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill took part in a round of celebrity golf at the Ally Challenge in Grand Blanc, MI today, and Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff took note of some of Blashill’s remarks regarding his own team:

Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill likes what the team has done during the NHL offseason. He’s convinced that the club is trending positively.

As to how quickly the Wings will get to where fans want them to be – back in the Stanley Cup playoffs – Blashill is less certain.

“We think we’re headed in the right direction,” Blashill said. “Now what does that mean? I can’t tell how you quick can we get to where we want to be. I can’t tell you those things. But I definitely feel like we’re headed in the right direction.

The Detroit coach sees a better club set to take the ice for training camp in Traverse City. The offseason brought defensemen Nick Leddy and Jordan Oesterle, centers Pius Sutter and Mitchell Stephens and goaltender and Calder Trophy finalist Alex Nedeljkovic into the fold.

“We’ve gotten some players that are going to help us and now we’ve got to go to work,” Blashill said. “In terms of expectations, we’re going to start camp and we want to be better on Day 2 than we were on Day 1.”

Continued; here’s more from the Detroit News’s Matt Charbonneau…

Continue reading Via A2Y: Blashill talks Wings from the Ally Challenge (with some updates from the Detroit News and MLive)

As mentioned last week, new Red Wing and Tampa Bay Lightning alumnus Mitchell Stepehens had his “Day With the Cup” in Peterborough, Ontario on Wednesday, but things were toned down somewhat due to coronavirus issues.

Stephens had a boat parade with the Cup, and Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff did the digging to find some superb Tweets and a video from Stephens’ boat parade:

Stephens also spoke with the Peterborough Examiner’s Mike Davies:

Continue reading Friday night fun from Detroit Hockey Now: Duff illustrates Mitchell Stephens’ ‘Day With the Cup’