Month: October 2021

Of prospect-related note in Major Junior hockey:

In the QMJHL, Jan Bednar stopped 23 of 25 shots as his Acadie-Bathurst Titan won 4-2 over Moncton;

Oscar Plandowski had an assist, finishing at +1 in the Charlottetown Islanders’ 4-2 win over Saint John;

In the OHL, Pasquale Zito had two assists, finished at +2 and went 6-for-14 on faceoffs as the Windsor Spitfires lost 5-4 to Oshawa;

In the WHL, Sebastian Cossa stopped 35 of 36 shots in the Edmonton Oil Kings’ 4-1 win over Red Deer;

Alex Cotton’s Lethbridge Hurricanes won 9-3 over Calgary;

Cross Hanas posted an assist, finishing at +1 with 8 shots as the Portland Winterhawks lost 5-4 in a shootout to Tri-City;

And in the BCHL, Kienan Draper scored a goal, finishing even with 2 penalties taken in the Chilliwack Chiefs’ 6-3 win over Coquitlam.

Red Wings prospect Filip Larsson pitched a 24-save shutout for HV71 of the Swedish Allsvenskan today, and he spoke with Aftonbladet’s Simon Norberg after the game regarding a number of topics, from beating AIK to his status as having gone back to Sweden after a rough couple of years in North America.

Here’s a rough translation of the relevant part of their conversation:

How did it come to be HV71 [as your team]?

“Now I wanted to come to a team that believes in me, gives me security. Now I know I’ll be in one place. It’s been back and forth a lot. I have had to work hard with the goaltending coach and have been a part of the team from the start, which I haven’t been in for two years. It feels really good. I have played good games in the preseason. I’m glad it turned out the way it did.”

What kind of dialogue do you have with Detroit?

“No dialogue at all.”

[What’s the situation with] your contract with the team?

“It’s the last year, so we’ll see. My focus is on here, and I just want to do as well as I can in the HV jersey.”

Despite the fact that he’s only played seven games for the Red Wings’ farm team during his [three-year] contract period, as well as another seven starts in the ECHL, Filip Larsson can add up a total of approximately 2.5 million Swedish Kronor [$285,330] in a signing bonus from the team by the time the agreement expires.

Larsson is right on the border line in terms of his status as a Red Wings prospect. If the Wings don’t re-sign him, the 23-year-old will become a free agent, and probably stay in Sweden, where he can make more than he would in the AHL or ECHL. If he does well enough with HV71 this year, he can “become relevant” again.

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan updates the respective injury statuses of Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi and Jonatan Berggren in his Friday notebook:

Blashill said forwards Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi have been cleared to play, and will likely be in the lineup soon. Exactly when remains to be seen. There is a chance both could play Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“We’d like to get those guys in a game here soon,” Blashill said.

Larkin suffered a neck injury late last season, while Bertuzzi is coming off back surgery. Both have been brought along gradually in training camp.

Forward Jonatan Berggren, who was injured during the prospects tournament, has begun practicing. He worked with the Grand Rapids Griffins’ group Friday. Blashill is hopeful Berggren will play at least one game this exhibition season.

“He’s moving toward being able to take contact,” Blashill said. “He said he’s feeling good so we’re hoping that he can move into the full practice. Then we’ll potentially try to get him into a game or two.”

Continued, with discussion of Nick Leddy’s role on the team, Vladislav Namestnikov’s desire to bounce back from a disappointing campaign, and the Wings’ practice lines

Maybe we can all agree that what happened to Jalen Smereck, a Detroit native, in the Ukrainian league, sucks. WXYZ’s Brad Galli and Jeanna Trotmann have more on the situation, including a conversation with Smereck:

As some of you on Twitter, Facebook, and of course the comments have noted, the Red Wings’ intrepid media corps, who are also called by the “Deep Diggers” by the brilliant Bill Houlihan of Abel to Yzerman, have more or less greased the wheels for this story to happen, and The Athletic’s Eric Duhatschek believes there’s a logical fit for Bobby Ryan to return to the Red Wings for a second season, too:

The news that Jakub Vrana would require shoulder surgery and miss up to four months after getting injured in practice was devastating news for a Red Wings team that was counting on him for first-line production this year. But Vrana’s absence will almost certainly enhance the chances that Bobby Ryan will stick with the team, after joining them on a professional tryout. Ryan’s popularity in the dressing room makes him a logical signing at this stage.

Continued (paywall), with really good observations regarding the necessary evil that is preseason player evaluation against uneven competition…

MLive’s Ansar Khan filed a three-subject notebook article this afternoon, and in his article, he discusses new Red Wings defenseman Nick Leddy’s status as something of a mentor to his defensive partner, one Moritz Seider:

“My biggest message to Nick is just be who you are, be a great pro,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “I think talking is fine, but what really helps us is when you have great models, great examples that young guys follow.

“Seids has a lot of qualities of being a great pro in terms of his preparedness, his approach. He wants to be a great player. So, I don’t think he needs a ton of mentorship, but it’s certainly good to have a little balance of that.”

The pair made their preseason debut Thursday in a 6-2 victory over Buffalo, each logging more than 21 minutes in all situations while furthering their chemistry.

“We all know how special a player he is,” Leddy said. “He’s got size, he’s got a ton of skill, good skater, really good at making that first play. For me and him, it’s just talking out plays, communicating on and off the ice and really creating that chemistry together so we know what each other is going to do in certain spots throughout the ice and the game.

“I remember when I first got to Chicago looking up to Duncan Keith and all the stuff he’s taught me over the years. It was an older team when I got to Chicago, looking up to all those guys and learning from them was huge for me.”

Continued, with Larkin/Bertuzzi talk and practice lines…

Khan also reports that Saturday’s game is a Bally Sports Detroit Plus game, not a regular BSD game.

This isn’t surprising stuff, per Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff, not just because of his vaccination status, but also due to the fact that the Wings gauged interest in Bertuzzi before:

It would be incorrect to suggest that Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman was shopping forward Tyler Bertuzzi. However, a rival NHL GM did confirm that Yzerman is calling teams. The Detroit GM isn’t offering them Bertuzzi. He’s just subtly gauging what interest there might be from them in acquiring Bertuzzi.

Bertuzzi is the only Detroit Red Wings player who has opted not to get the COVID-19 vaccination. That means he’ll be missing from the club’s lineup for all nine of their games in Canada, since he won’t be able to cross the border.

[Darren] McCarty, who slammed NBA draft pick Jalen Green earlier this year when he was critical of Detroit, is also taking Bertuzzi to task for being a bad teammate.

Continued, with this:

Of prospect-related note in Europe today:

In the Finnish Liiga, Otto Kivenmaki finished even with 2 shots in 15:49 as the Lahti Pelicans won 3-0 of Lukko Rauma;

And in the Swedish Allsvenskan, Filip Larsson pitched a 24-save shutout in HV71 Jonkoping’s 2-0 win over AIK Stockholm.

In an article discussing Calder Trophy odds for NHL players, The Score’s Todd Cordell offers this take on Lucas Raymond’s opportunity to make the Wings’ roster this year:

Lucas Raymond (+2500)

The Detroit Red Wings are heading for yet another long season. They’re a bad hockey team and play in an unforgiving division, featuring the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and Panthers, among others.

Add in the fact one of their best players, Jakub Vrana, is already out long term with an injury, and the outlook for the Red Wings is even bleaker.

There’s always a bright spot, though, and Raymond is destined to be that for Detroit. Last season he averaged more than .50 points per game in the SHL, which is very impressive for an 18-year-old playing in a professional league.

The ultra-talented winger should step into Detroit’s lineup immediately and see plenty of ice. Developing youngsters like Raymond is priority No. 1 for the Red Wings. There’s even more opportunity to go around with Vrana out of the picture. If you want to take a stab on a wild card, so to speak, Raymond is the guy.

I don’t know if Raymond is going to step into the lineup right out of training camp, but when he’s ready, he’ll be ready to shine.

Defensemen Nick Leddy and Marc Staal spoke with the media today, as did coach Jeff Blashill, and the Red Wings’ YouTube channel has already posted 2 of the 3 total videos incoming:

Update: Here’s coach Blashill: