Red Wings prospect tournament, Day 3: Morning skate report

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects will take on the St. Louis Blues’ prospects tonight at 7 PM EDT (to be streamed on the Red Wings’ YouTube channel), and ahead of a 2-games-in-2-nights schedule, Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon chose to take an efficient, energy saving route this morning:

Today’s morning skate lasted all of 20 minutes, from 10:01 AM until 10:31 AM, pre-practice and post-practice stretching included. The players engaged in a brief but spirited set of drills, emphasizing efficient puck movement through the neutral zone, retrieving dump-ins and breaking out with the puck.

There were also some situational power play-vs-penalty-killing drills, maximizing the brief window with which Simon and fellow Griffins coaches Mike Knuble, Todd Krygier and Matt MacDonald had to reinforce fundamentals of play. Everything was done crisply and sharply, with a heavy emphasis on game-level pace.

In terms of the goaltenders, Sebastian Cossa had his own net to work in this morning, indicating that he will start tonight’s game, and that means Jan Bednar will likely start vs. Columbus on Sunday (6 PM ET start).

Cossa didn’t stay out on the ice for very long, but his counterparts, Bednar and Victor Brattstrom, were on the ice for over an hour, starting around 9:54 and not ending their work with Brian Mahoney-Wilson and the Wings’ other goaltending coach until 11:15 AM. Hayden Verbeek and Wyatt Newpower were given the thankless task of having to “play shooter” as Bednar and Brattstrom worked on what seemed like endless variations of stick-handling and then pull-off-the-goalpost drills, working on minute adjustments to their stances and respective positioning.

As a goaltender, it was fascinating to watch Bednar and Brattstrom soak up their goaltending coaches’ advice, and all was not lost for Verbeek or Newpower, either, as the likely Grand Rapids Griffins forward and defenseman (respectively) were diligent and dutiful in their studies.

It also bears noting that Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill appeared in his usual gray-colored Red Wings sweater, venturing up to the owners’ box to chat hockey with some guests while watching the morning skate. Blashill will likely be in town for the weekend given the Wings’ back-to-back slate.

Given that there were few line rushes, it was difficult to determine whether there would be lineup changes tonight. That being said, it appeared that the Wings were going to employ the same lines they utilized during their 5-4 win over Dallas on Thursday, power play and penalty-killing units included; it’s possible that there will be some tweaks on the third and fourth lines, but, for the most part, roster continuity seems to be in store for what is still a fully healthy team (for now).

In terms of player observations, it was a brief skate, so I’ll be as succinct as possible given that I got to see most of the players for all of 15 minutes:

Forwards:

#23 Lucas Raymond: Everything leading up to the tournament involved chatter that Raymond was more passer than scorer, that Raymond would be a playmaker for the most part, and that the 5’10,” 183-pound forward would have to develop a little more physically before he could adapt to the small ice, especially as he was coming off elbow surgery. Over the first game and three practices, Raymond has looked like a polished “finisher” instead, a real sniper who can defeat goaltenders with an array of shots in his arsenal. Raymond has also displayed surprising maturity in terms of dealing with the bump-and-grind of North American hockey, though I believe that he’s going to need a little finishing in GR.

#46 Chase Pearson: Pearson is simply ready. Ready to make the Wings? Maybe not out of training camp, but, at 24, the 6’2,” 200-pound center looks like a stalwart checking-line center in the making, with confidence, charisma and leadership skills to spare, and good enough skating, passing and shooting skills to serve as a “power center” in a pinch. He also goes to the front of the net and stays there on power plays, which increases his versatility. His bread-and-butter will be checking, but Pearson is far from one-dimensional.

#51 Hayden Verbeek**: Verbeek has earned more points for his work ethic during practice than his work ethic during games. The 5’10,” 183-pound center is a smaller version of Pearson, if you will, with an extra step in his skating and a very good work ethic, but I’m not sure where he fits in long-term as the Wings have an abundance of checking forwards in the system, and Verbeek went from NHL contract to AHL contract this past summer to remain in the organization.

#52 Jonatan Berggren: Berggren’s really impressed me in a lot of ways, but, like Raymond, he seems AHL-bound unless he can steal a top-six spot during training camp and the exhibition season, because there’s just no reason to have Berggren or Raymond languishing on the 4th line or sitting in the press box as an extra forward. Berggren seems optimistically listed at 5’11” and 183 pounds, but the 21-year-old possesses no fear of bigger, stronger players after spending two-and-a-half seasons with Skelleftea AIK of the SHL. A dangler, a deker, and an innate playmaker, Berggren is going to be a fantastic set-up man for the Wings down the line, regardless of whether he suits up as a center or a winger.

#56 Pasquale Zito: Again, it’s hard to not emphasize that Zito hasn’t played a competitive game, save Thursday’s tilt, in over a year thanks to the pandemic shutting the OHL down. It also bears mentioning that the 2021 draft pick, standing at 6′ and 174 pounds, hasn’t reclaimed his instigating, chirping game yet. What we see of Zito here at the prospect tournament is a little less important than what he brings to the Windsor Spitfires as he gets his legs back under him.

#58 Cameron Butler*: Of all the free agent try-outs, the 19-year-old Butler, standing at 6’4″ and 203 pounds, has impressed me the most (albeit over the course of limited viewings). Butler plain old uses his size to get an advantage over both smaller players and players his size, and he skates pretty well, he’s got a bomb shot and he can pass decently enough. He’s a forechecking winger who, like Zito, played in no competitive games last year, but he’ll probably head back to the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs and hope to be drafted next spring.

#61 Davis Codd*: I’ve been informed by astute Wings fans that “Davis” Codd really is named T-Bone, and that the 5’10,” 180-pound Saginaw Spirit winger really is as plucky as advertised. From what I’ve seen, the undersized and slightly under-powered 18-year-old does a fine job of bouncing off of checks, both when he’s checking people and when opponents are trying to check him, and that’s no small feat…But checking is about all I’ve seen him do thus far.

#62 Cooper Walker*: Another OHL forward, the 6,’ 165-pound Walker is likely to slide in and out of the Red Wings’ lineup as Detroit’s Grand Rapids-based staff look to give as many players “looks” as possible. Walker is a serviceable, if undersized center, but he hasn’t stood out, good or bad.

#64 Luke Toporowski*: Another small forward, the 5’10,” 178-pound Toporowski has been solid but unspectacular as a 4th-line winger who skates well and checks well for his size. His offensive instincts are evident, as illustrated by his point-per-game stats over the past three WHL seasons, but he hasn’t hit his stride here in Traverse City yet.

#74 Cross Hanas: Hanas remains my “Dark Horse” value-added prospect. The 19-year-old WHL’er had an up-and-down season bouncing between the USHL and WHL last year, but the 6’1,” 164-pound winger has very strong skating skills, he’s a sniper, good passer, and his defensive instincts make him a two-way asset. His compete level is very high as well, and that’s a good sign for a player who will head back to the WHL and try to turn heads.

#78 Patrick Curry**: I don’t know whether Curry will be able to take part in a prospect tournament game, but it’s evident that the Grand Rapids Griffins-contracted forward is well-regarded by his peers and by his coaches. The 25-year-old graduate of Boston Collge is built like a fire hydrant at 6′ and 185 pounds, and he spends a ton of practice time either talking to the coaches to clarify drills, or trying to take younger players (like Kirill Tyutyayev) under his wing. He leads, leads, leads, and that’s what the defensive forward is going to do, regardless of whether it’s in Grand Rapids or Toledo.

#79 Kirill Tyutyayev**: After his two-goal performance on Friday vs. a Dallas Stars team that hadn’t seen him play, I’m very curious to see what the supremely gifted winger has to offer vs. a big and heavy Blues team. Many of you have informed me that Tyutyayev is more faithfully listed at 5’10” and 170 pounds by Belarusian sources, which seems more likely than the Wings-listed 5’9″ and 147 pounds. Tyutyayev is a sublime scorer who knows how to deke and dangle with the best of them, his skating skills are excellent and he finishes well. But is he a one-trick pony? We’ll find out over the course of the prospect tournament and main camp.

#90 Joe Veleno: Veleno and Pearson are essentially the 1A and 1B captains of the team this season, and while Veleno may not beat out Mitchell Stephens for the Wings’ fourth-line center’s job, the 6’1,” 201-pound center looks ready to reestablish himself as more of a two-way presence and an offensive contributor in Grand Rapids. The 21-year-old has physically bulked up, but, just as importantly, his confidence is high going into main camp, and he’s going to continue to lead the prospects as the Wings’ first-line center of choice for the next two games.

Defensemen:

#3 Jared McIsaac: Again, McIsaac has all the tools to be a Brad Stuart 2.0, i.e. a Swiss Army Knife mid-pair defenseman who you can utilize in all situations, but, after two shoulder surgeries, he’s still reestablishing his comfort zone. A steady 6’1″ and 195 pounds, McIsaac gets bullied by no one, he passes well and sees the ice superbly, he’s got a heavy shot, he skates well in all three directions, he gaps up well and he checks hard. He’s just got to play some games where he doesn’t get injured and build upon that momentum. He’s 21, so it’s time for McIsaac to really establish himself as a professional hockey player.

#44 Donovan Sebrango: Sebrango remains a little rough around the edges. The 19-year-old will probably play in Grand Rapids this upcoming season, and the 6’1,” 190-pound defenseman definitely displays a flourish and flair for the dramatic, but he has yet to really “light up” any opponents physically, and he projects to be more stay-at-home defender than offensive superstar. We’ll see where his second pro campaign, and first full season at the AHL level, takes him.

#47 Wyatt Newpower: Newpower, like Curry, earns oodles of praise for his dedication. He and Hayden Verbeek pulled the short straw when they were told that they were going to be goalie-warmer-uppers, and he didn’t complain one bit. The 6’3,” 194-pound defenseman is an older prospect at 23 years of age, but the Wings saw enough in the balanced right-shot, right-side-playing defenseman to ink him as a free agent after a strong year with the Cleveland Monsters, and he’s just been rock solid out there. Nothing fancy, nothing fantastical, just really, really solid.

#77 Oscar Plandowski: Plandowski has played a very raw but promising game for the Wings thus far, displaying impeccable skating skills (especially on his edges, and working laterally and backwards), and the 6’0,” 190-pound defenseman is sort of a jumble of high-end skill and inexperience right now. The Charlottetown Islanders defenseman could be another Alex Cotton down the line, but right now, he needs to pull the disparate parts of his game together in a strong toolbox.

#83 Mason Ward*: Mason Ward is my Mystery Prospect thus far. Son of defenseman Lance Ward, the 19-year-old is absolutely massive at 6’5″ and 195 pounds, he’s one of those coveted right-shooting defensemen who possesses some serviceable offensive and defensive skills, and yet he’s a bit of a puzzle as to what I would describe as his definitive strengths and weaknesses because he hasn’t played in a game for the Wings yet.

#84 Alex Cotton: My hope is that Alex Cotton and Cross Hanas both continue to develop at the WHL level. Cotton, a 6’2,” 190-pound defenseman, will be going into his overage season as a 20-year-old, but he’s averaged a point per game as a defenseman, and that’s damn good. His head is up all the time, he’s strong enough for his lanky size, and he skates well, but he hasn’t replicated his prolific scoring potential here at the tournament. Yet.

#86 Adam Brubacher*: I really like this free agent invite. Brubacher won’t win any awards for his offense, but the 6’5,” 205-pound 25-year-old is an incredibly reliable stay-at-home defenseman with some snarl to him, and, despite his size, his skating is not a detriment. He’s just a meat-and-potatoes kind of player, and he’s going to be a professional hockey player somewhere on an AHL or ECHL roster.

Goalies:

#33 Sebastian Cossa: Tonight is the 6’6,” 203-pound goaltender’s Big Test, and we’ll see whether the 18-year-old with the limited but dominant WHL resume can deliver…

But, win or lose, what I want to see out of Cossa is consistency of performance, a better stance in terms of his blocker hand, his butterfly, and his ability to eliminate the crossbar as an easy scoring chance over his glove when he’s on his knees. Cossa has put in a significant amount of technical work with the Wings’ goaltending coaches over the past three days, and now is the time for him to apply the lessons learned and play a steady, even-handed game.

Whether he wins or loses matters, but what he does with the lessons he’s learned over the long haul of training camp and the exhibition season matter almost as much as delivering a “W,” if not more.

#34 Victor Brattstrom: I certainly can’t say enough about the 24-year-old goaltender’s work ethic. Brattstrom was the first goalie on the ice, and the netminder in the mismatched gear (he’s got Bauer everything, but wears a Vaughn trapper) was the last goalie off the ice, forty minutes after a twenty-minute morning skate ended.

Brattstrom played fairly well on Thursday, but exhibited some holes in his game, so he worked, worked and worked on them some more with the Wings’ goaltending coaches, and no detail was too small for the 6’5,” 198-pound graduate of both the SHL and the Finnish Liiga to pore over. He’s an affable guy, he’s a rock-solid goalie technically, and he’s an extremely hard worker. He’ll battle Calvin Pickard for the starter’s spot in GR and the first call-up in the goaltending rotation, and I’m not about to bet against him.

#60 Jan Bednar: Bednar is my other Mystery Prospect because I’ve never seen the 6’4,” 194-pound Acadie-Bathurst Titan goaltender play, and because all I’ve heard about him is how wildly inconsistent he is in terms of making spectacular stops look routine, and routine saves look nightmarishly difficult. From what I’ve seen at the prospect tournament, mostly in the form of Bednar working with the Wings’ goaltending coaches, he’s been far more polished in terms of his positioning, concentration and ability to stop pucks than I expected, and his patience and work ethic have been strong.

He’ll get a chance to apply the lessons he’s learned over the course of the past few days on Sunday, and, hopefully, his save percentage will be over .900.

*= free agent invite; **= Grand Rapids Griffins contract

In the fundraising department, I’m still about $400 short of my hotel bill, and my cell phone is dying an ugly death [Sprint makes me pay the sales tax and activation fee for a new phone, so I’m struggling with my ancient Samsung Galaxy 7, whose screen is peeling off the phone itself].

So, if you’re willing to lend a hand in exchange for this prospect tournament and main training camp coverage, you can use Paypal at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport, Venmo at https://venmo.com/george-malik-2, Giftly by using my email, rtxg@yahoo.com, at https://www.giftly.com, and yes, you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check.

As always, thank you for your readership and your time.