Month: September 2021

Of prospect-related note:

In the Finnish Liiga, Eemil Viro finished at -1 with 1 shot in 20:13 played during TPS Turku’s 3-2 loss to Ilves;

Otto Kivenmaki finished even with 1 shot in 13:20 played in the Lahti Pelicans’ 6-3 loss to IFK Helskini;

In the SHL, Albert Johansson finished at -1 with 2 shots on goal in 15:56 played as Farjestads BK won 4-3 in a shootout over the Vaxjo Lakers. Jesper Eliasson served as Farjestads‘ back-up goaltender;

Simon Edvinsson had an assist, a shot on goal and finished at +1 in 20:24 played as Frolunda HC lost 4-2 to Brynas.

#SHL
Frölunda 4-2 loss:
– Edvinsson 0+1, +1, 1 SOG, 20:24 ice time
– Niederbach 0+0, +/- 0, 2 SOG, 8:36 ice time
– Söderblom 0+0, -1, 1 SOG, 7:54 ice time
– Dower Nilsson was the extra forward, no ice time
#LGRW pic.twitter.com/u7REeGBLKK

— Red Wings Prospects (@DRWProspects) September 11, 2021

Frölunda loses their SHL opener by a score of 4-2, but a strong first game by Simon Edvinsson with 20:24 played, 1 assist and +1.
Niederbach – 08:36, 0 points, +0
Söderblom – 07:54, 0 points, -1
Dower Nilsson did not get any shifts #LGRW pic.twitter.com/AY7sxS0Ite

— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) September 11, 2021

Also for Frolunda: Elmer Soderblom had a shot but finished at -1 in 7:54 played; Theodor Niederbach finished even with 2 shots in 8:36 played; and Liam Dower Nilsson didn’t hit the ice as he dressed as the 13th forward;

And William Wallinder did not play in Rogle BK’s 3-2 win over Orebro Hockey.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted an article in which Red Wings goaltending prospect Carter Gylander, who plays for Colgate, compares goaltending to golfing:

“I think you have to have a lot of mental toughness for lots of sports, and especially with the position of goalie,” Gylander explained. “One bad goal, or a slow start to a game, you’ve got to be able to shake that off and just worry about the next save, the next shot. So being able to have a short memory is pretty important.

“That ties in with golf as well. If you’re having a couple of stretches of holes where you bogeyed or triple-bogeyed, then you’ve got to kind of recuperate and get back at it.”

Gylander is also of the opinion that there are comparisons in the relationship involving a goaltending tandem that are similar to the golfer-caddie dynamic on the links.

“It’s nice to have a goalie partner as well,” Gylander said. “It’s kind of like a caddie. He’s on the bench and he’s giving you words of encouragement.

“If you get a little bit heated, or whatever the case might be, having those conversations in TV timeouts to keep your head straight really helps to settle you down.” 

Continued

Dobber Hockey’s Ian Gooding discusses fantasy hockey players who are “on the bubble” for keeper leagues this upcoming season, and Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi is on his list:

Tyler Bertuzzi: Bertuzzi might have been on the verge of a breakout last season with five goals and seven points in his first nine games. Yet we’ll never know if that would have happened, as a back injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. His point production has gradually increased over the past three seasons, from 0.50 PTS/GP in 2017-18 to 0.64 PTS/GP to 0.68 PTS/GP to 0.78 PTS/GP in his injury-shortened 2020-21 season.

One reason that I like Bertuzzi is that he should remain a fixture on the top line with Dylan Larkin. Not just because Larkin helps him, but also the other way around. Larkin had seven points in the nine games that Bertuzzi was in the lineup, but he struggled to just 16 points in 35 games afterward. Bertuzzi has been a regular Larkin linemate for three seasons, so don’t expect that to change.

On average, Bertuzzi has been drafted at around pick 150 in Yahoo leagues. However, I feel strongly that he should be drafted in more than 10 percent of leagues. Don’t let the fact that he plays for Detroit deter you from drafting him. I realize he’s also a player that has been covered by other writers, but I have him here because he’s also a bubble keeper that I personally like to the point where I’ve kept him on my roster.

Continued; I call Bertuzzi “the straw that stirs the drink” for the Red Wings’ forwards for good reason. He’s perhaps the best forechecking forward that the Red Wings have had in a long time; his competitive level of play yields winning puck battles in one-on-one and out-manned situations, and we all know that he goes to the front of the net and stays there when the Wings have possession of the puck.

All of those attributes add up to a player who may not necessarily drive puck possession, but someone who still makes those around him better.

MLive’s Ansar Khan filed a mailbag article this morning, and, among his questions and answers are the following notes:

Q: Seems like most of the roster spots are decided even before camp. Is there someone who might surprise in camp and steal a job from a veteran, other than maybe (Joe) Veleno? I’m thinking either (Lucas) Raymond or (Jonatan) Berggren. What are their chances? – C.J.

A: On defense, their top eight is set (Danny DeKeyser, Filip Hronek, Nick Leddy, Gustav Lindstrom, Jordan Oesterle, Moritz Seider, Marc Staal and Troy Stecher), so their goaltending (Thomas Greiss and Alex Nedeljkovic).

There could be an opportunity at forward for a waiver-exempt player to step up and grab a job with an impressive camp and preseason.

Veleno might be in the best position based on his experience, which includes a five-game stint in Detroit at the end of the season. But Mitchell Stephens might have the best chance to emerge from the preseason as the fourth-line center.

Berggren, selected only three spots after Veleno in 2018, is someone to keep an eye on. He had a breakout season in Sweden’s top men’s league (12 goals, 33 assists in 49 games for Skelleftea). His speed and offensive ability could provide a spark if there is an opening at wing on one of the top three lines.

Berggren, 21, is two years older than Raymond and further along in his development. Raymond missed a significant chunk of the season with Frolunda due to elbow surgery and likely will need development time in Grand Rapids, as will Berggren in all likelihood.

Continued

Ottawa Senators Wunderkind Tim Stuetzle spoke with the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch regarding his summer spent training in his hometown of Mannheim, Germany; Stuetzle is a pal of Red Wings prospect Moritz Seider, who moved to Mannheim as a teenager to play in the Adler Mannheim’s system. So, per Garrioch, we receive a glimpse into the Summer of Seider:

Stuetzle skated with Detroit Red Wings prospect Mortiz Seider, who was selected No. 6 overall in 2019 and played 49 games with the club’s AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids last season, along with winger Marc Michaelis, who was signed as a unrestricted free agent and suited up for 15 games with the Vancouver Canucks in 2020-21.

They were on the ice most days with a skills coach and a goaltender working on their games to get ready for camp. The last month or so that group has gotten bigger to include some injured players from Mannheim along with players from the German national team that were preparing for their season as well.

He said he has always been the kind of player who didn’t like taking much time away from the ice.

“I started skating really early, having fun and playing three-against-three,” Stuetzle said. “We had a group of about eight guys on the ice and sometimes a little bit less. Mannheim had to focus on (its) season and their training camp because the season started for them (Friday) and I’m just watching the game right now. I’m here in Ottawa to skate with the guys and today was my first day on the ice and we had a lot of fun.”

Continued; it’s good to know that Seider and Stuetzle were busy working on their skills and skating with professionals.

My understanding is that Seider is a lot like Dylan Larkin in that he’s a bit of a “rink rat” who’s hard to get off the ice or away from the rink for extended periods of time.

The Red Wings’ latest episode of “Summer Wings” is here, and they visit Dearborn Heights, MI native Jordan Oesterle:

Good evening. There’s some great news and some not-so-great news regarding fundraising:

The great news is that we hit the $1,000 mark on Thursday night, which is the unofficial, “Okay, you have enough money for the first week’s worth of hotel bill” marker. I’m incredibly grateful for your support in reaching this milestone…

But then I had to spend about $250 for necessary items for the trip (i.e. everything from a twelve-pack of socks to a ethernet cable [as the interviews will be held by Zoom calls] during training camp to groceries), and I’m afraid that we’re back to the $735 mark in terms of Paypal $.

So, with my Venmo $ (235) saved for paying for the trip up, trip down, and gas while I’m there (oy, still $3.18 a gallon), I need to ask that we continue the fundraising drive.

Again, we’re looking to pay what will end up being a $2,000 hotel bill, as well as paying for expenses and groceries, though we’ve made huge dents in both bills. So we continue:

If you’re willing to lend a hand, 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.

Of prospect-related note from Friday, September 10th:

In the Finnish Liiga, Otto Kivenmaki did not play in Assat Pori’s 4-1 win over Sport;

And in the Swedish J20 league, Liam Dower Nilsson scored a goal and added an assist in the Frolunda Indians’ 5-4 OT win over the Vaxjo Lakers. Dower Nilsson finished at +1 with 3 shots on goal and an 11-and-9 faceoff record.

The Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe explains the reasons why the Toledo Walleye signed Josh Dickinson and Chris Martinet today:

Last season, Dickinson split the year between Utah and Indy, totaling 11 points (2 G, 9 A) in 22 games. The native of Halton Hills, Ont., also appeared in seven games for Colorado in the AHL and produced a pair of assists with six penalty minutes.

Walleye coach Dan Watson said Dickinson is going to be a fun player to watch.

“He is extremely talented and loaded with skill,” Watson said. “He will be counted on to play in all situations and big moments in the game. He is hungry to continue his development to help Toledo win, but also to reach the next level.”

Martenet, 24, played in 38 games for Indy last season and had two goals, six assists, and 66 penalty minutes. The former fourth-round pick by the Dallas Stars in the 2015 NHL draft, Martenet was a mainstay for two seasons in Brampton from 2018-20. For the Beast in 2018-19, he posted a career-best in goals (5) and assists (11). The St. Louis, Mo. native is a career plus-17 in the ECHL.

“Chris brings size, strength, and experience to our back end,” Watson said. “He is a smart defenseman who wants to get better and continue to develop his game. We expect Chris to bring a steady presence on and off the ice with his professionalism.”

Continued

From the Toledo Walleye:

(Toledo, OH) – Defenseman Chris Martenet has agreed to terms with the Toledo Walleye for the 2021-2022 season.

Martenet was part of the Indy Fuel in the 2020-21 season, skating in 38 games with two goals, six assists and 66 penalty minutes. The former fourth round pick by Dallas in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft was a mainstay for two seasons in Brampton from 2018-2020. For the Beast in 2018-19, he posted a career-best in goals (5) and assists (11). The St. Louis, MO native is a career plus-17 in the ECHL.

The 6’7”, 216-pound defenseman spent three years in the OHL from 2014-17 between London and Ottawa. In total, Martenet skated in 186 contests with 15 goals, 29 assists, and 194 penalty minutes, including OHL and Memorial Cup Championships in the 2015-16 campaign with London.