Month: August 2021

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen compares Moritz Seider to Nicklas Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall, Vladimir Konstantinov, Reed Larson and Willie Huber in an article discussing the ages and levels of experience with which fabled Red Wings rookie defenders took to the ice at the NHL level:

The buzz surrounding defenseman Moritz Seider’s upcoming first season with the Red Wings may be the greatest fan response to a drafted defenseman the team has ever known.

The Red Wings haven’t truly had a top prospect defenseman since social media raised the ante on hype. Fans were not as excited, and definitely not as knowledgeable, about Nicklas Lidstrom when he showed up in Detroit as a rookie in 1991-92. Niklas Kronwall’s fan response came after fans saw him play some games.

Seider will be 20 years and six months old when the NHL season opens. He posted seven goals and 28 points last season in the Swedish League. He also played confidently against NHLers at the World Championships. But it’s still challenging to predict what his production will be. Could he score 10 goals? How about 40 points? Will he lead the Red Wings in hits? Is he ready for the power play?

As a basis for comparison, here is a look at the rookie output for some of Detroit’s top defensemen:

Continued

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a lengthy article discussing the questions facing the Red Wings heading into training camp, and question #1 is the biggest issue:

►Health of Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, Robby Fabbri and Danny DeKeyser: Larkin (neck), Bertuzzi (back surgery) and Fabbri (concussion) all missed the end of last season. Without them, the lack of offense was magnified.

The Wings need those three forwards to be healthy, and it’ll be interesting to see if all will be ready once camp begins. 

Fabbri said recently he is fully healthy, and has been skating. Larkin and Bertuzzi, said Blashill, are skating and on schedule. But Blashill wouldn’t commit to saying both will be ready to practice at the start of camp.

DeKeyser is on this list for a different reason. He missed playing time early last season returning from back surgery. As the season progressed, DeKeyser appeared to gain strength and mobility, and looked closer to his usual self.

With several months off to rest and rehab, a healthier DeKeyser makes the Wings’ lineup stronger.

Continued (paywall)

DetroitRedWings.com’s Matthew Falkenberry penned an article discussing Vladislav Namestnikov’s role on the team during both the 2020-2021 season and going forward into the 21-22 campaign:

Namestnikov’s ability to move around the lineup, as both a winger and a center, was a bonus for the Red Wings as injuries to different players throughout the season forced Detroit’s coaching staff to make adjustments on the fly.

“I grew up playing center my whole career. As I got into the league, I was a centerman and I kind of moved to the wing,” Namestnikov said. “But as I’ve said before, I’m more than happy to play in any position the coach sees me in, and I’ll try my best in any situation.”

The forward finished the season tied for fourth on the team in goals (eight), assists (nine) and he played in 53 of 56 games, which was second-most among Red Wings forwards.

As one of the few forwards on the roster older than 28 years of age — Sam Gagner (32) is the only forward older than Namestnikov — his experience will be valued for a team moving forward in its rebuild with an emphasis on young players growing into their skillset.

“There’s different ways to contribute in a game,” Namestnikov said in March. “Defense is a very important part of the game, and if (the puck) is not going in, you can focus more on the ‘D’ side. That’s how I’ve went about it over my career.”

Continued

Via Sunaya Sapurji on Twitter:

The Windsor Spitfires have introduced Marc Savard as their new Head Coach.

Jerrod Smith is Associate Coach and adds Director of Player Personnel to duties.

Andy Delmore also added as Asst. Coach to @SpitsHockey #OHL pic.twitter.com/X0IV0GL0MD— Manny Paiva (@paivatheway) August 24, 2021

Delmore had been an assistant coach under Dan Watson in Toledo.

Update: From the Toledo Walleye on Twitter:

? BREAKING: Andy Delmore has been named assistant coach for @SpitsHockey. ?

With @dellylama5, the Walleye went 178-74-23 in the regular season and 29-21 in the playoffs, and had the best power play unit in the ECHL in 2017-18 (25.1%).

Thank you for everything, Delly. ? pic.twitter.com/A039Pvx45P— Toledo Walleye (@ToledoWalleye) August 24, 2021

“Toledo is a great minor league sports city with an incredible fanbase. Working with Joe, Neil, Dan, our players, and everyone in the organization was something I looked forward to everyday.

I thank them for this opportunity and I wish Toledo nothing but the best.” –@dellylama5 https://t.co/EilDNcWaED— Toledo Walleye (@ToledoWalleye) August 24, 2021

DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner speaks with Danny DeKeyser on this morning’s “Red and White Authority” podcast:

?️ #RedWings defenseman, Danny DeKeyser discusses his road back from back surgery, the Red Wings offseason moves, and his expectations for this season. ?️

Listen/subscribe:
Apple → https://t.co/d5QBtwScsa
SoundCloud → https://t.co/NrqZK918qw pic.twitter.com/ySZCAbiyxQ— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 24, 2021

MLive’s Ansar Khan profiles Red Wings 2021 draft pick Liam Dower Nilsson this morning, discussing the 134th overall pick’s self-confidence:

“I see myself as a steal, yes,” Dower Nilsson said. “Because I knew I have that in me and I know that I’m going to make the NHL in four or five years, three years maybe. I know it someday. I think the most important skill you got to have is to be motivated and be patient and be aware of what it takes to get there. I think I got those things.”

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman called Dower Nilsson (6-0, 172) a “high character, good, solid, two-way, responsible centerman.”

Director of amateur scouting Kris Draper said Andersson, the Red Wings’ longtime European scout, was “pounding the table” for Dower Nilsson. He served as captain for Sweden at this year’s Under-18 World Championships in Dallas, where Detroit’s brass did more vetting.

“As we were interviewing a lot of Swedish prospects, we always (ask), ‘Of the prospects on your team and at the U-18, who would you want to take to the NHL to be a teammate?’ ” Draper said. “The majority of the players on that team said Liam Dower Nilsson. That stuck out to us. He has good hockey sense, a lot of character, a lot of compete and just seems like another player who loves the game. With that and Hakan (being) a big fan of his, spent the last couple years watching him, it just made sense.”

Continued

Per La Regione in Switzerland, former Red Wings forward Valtteri Filppula has signed with HC Geneve-Servette of the Swiss National League.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen engaged in an intriguing exercise on Monday afternoon, pondering “best case scenario” and “worst case scenario” outcomes for five of the Detroit Red Wings’ key performers. Here are two of his assessments:

Moritz Seider

Best-case scenario: Wins the Calder Trophy because he plays most of the season as Detroit top-pairing defenseman. He registers 38 points on 10 goals and 28 assists.

Worst-case scenario: You can see that he’s going to be a dominant defenseman, but he goes through some rough patches by trying to do too much. But he still finished with 25 points and he’s a finalist for the Calder Trophy.

Lucas Raymond

Best -case scenario: Dazzling in training camp, wins a roster  scores 15 goals and adds 20 assists playing on Detroit’s second and third lines.

Worst-case scenario: Gets sent down to the Grand Rapids and has some difficulty acclimating to the North American game.  He’s not ready.

Continued, with discussions of Nick Leddy, Dylan Larkin and Jakub Vrana’s potential performances…

Sudbury Sports’ Randy Pascal spoke with 2021 Red Wings draft pick Red Savage regarding Savage’s professional hopes as he prepares to embark upon his first NCAA season with Miami of Ohio:

Red Savage would dearly love to follow in his father’s footsteps and play in the National Hockey League. The way that he sees it, however, the recent 4th round pick of the Detroit Red Wings would slot into a much different role than the one that Brian Savage fulfilled while netting 192 goals in 674 career NHL games.

Even as scouts assembled for one last look at Savage and his class, this past March at the IIHF U18 World Championships in Texas, the 18 year-old 5’11” centreman recognized the key to his game differed notably from that of the long-time member of the Montreal Canadiens (1993-2002).

“The role that I had was to go against the top line and play those big minutes, take a lot of the defensive zone draws, just try and use my abilities as much as possible,” said Red, currently prepping for the start of his freshman season with the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks.

“I think that I played that role pretty much as I wanted to. I obviously wished that I could have been a little bit more offensive and maybe put up a couple more points, but given the role that I played, I think I played it pretty well.”

Continued; Savage definitely projects as a heart-and-soul center of the third line variety, but there very well may be more offense in his game than the Under-18’s suggested.

Global News’s Greg Davis reports that newly-acquired Red Wings center Mitchell Stepehens is to have his delayed “Day With the Cup” on Wednesday in Peterborough, Ontario:

Peterborough native Mitchell Stephens will be bringing hockey’s holy grail home this week for a celebration.

The 24-year-old will bring the Stanley Cup to the city on Wednesday, Aug. 25, the City of Peterborough announced Monday.

It’s the second-straight championship for the forward who was part of back-to-back championships with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Their most recent title came in July after the club beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in the best-of-seven championship.

Stephens was traded to the Detroit Red Wings on July 30 in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NHL entry draft. He had signed a two-year extension with the Lightning in October 2020.

Continued