Keeping in mind that a look at the NHL’s Eastern Conference standings reveals that the Boston Bruins have played in 5 fewer games than the Red Wings, and are only 3 points behind Detroit, thus skewing the standings quite significantly…
Here’s your optimistic Tweet of the day, from NHL.com:
Which of these first round #StanleyCup matchups would you be most excited to see? ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/eQFGZxHHn5— NHL (@NHL) December 24, 2021
Future Considerations’ Matthew Dubreuil posted an article for the Sporting News this morning, listing 13 NHL-drafted prospects worth watching at the World Junior Championship in Edmonton this year. One Red Wings prospect makes his list:
3. Simon Edvinsson, Sweden
Team: Frolunda HC (SHL)
Position: D
2021-22 stats: 24GP | 1G | 11A | 12PTS
Drafted: Detroit Red Wings (1/6, 2021)Simon Edvinsson brings both a combination of athleticism and high compete level to this tournament. The 6-foot-5 defenseman has also improved his defensive play and should be an important contributor from Sweden’s back end.
A product of the Detroit Red Wing system, Edvinsson has spent the entirety of this season with Frolunda in the SHL and has put up 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in 24 games – good enough to be the top point producer amongst U20 defensemen. He can be the driving force that may help Sweden improve upon their fifth-place finish from last year.
“Edvinsson is a defenseman that I expect will be the next superstar from Sweden,” Sweden-based FCHockey scout Fredrik Haak said. “He has the size, the speed, but most importantly he has the hockey IQ and hockey sense to be a front player both offensively and defensively. Edvinsson will be one of the most important players in special teams for Team Sweden in the World Juniors with his hands and creativity.”
I can’t post an embed code to this link from the Edmonton Oil Kings’ website, but Sebastian Cossa, who’s currently likely to play for Team Canada as the back-up to Dylan Garand in goal, spoke with his WHL team’s website’s Andrew Peard over the course of a 6-minute-and-20-second interview.
It’s pretty good, thought it’s bit of a “turn the speakers up” interview.
The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a subscriber-only article this morning which examines the Red Wings via 10 subjects upon which St. James focuses. Among them:
His guys: Yzerman got a piece of business done this month, inking Fabbri to a three-year extension. It’s another piece in Yzerman’s transformation of the roster. When training camp began in 2019, there was a sense among the players that they weren’t “his guys,” meaning Yzerman’s. Now almost all of them are.
Of the players on the NHL payroll (including those on injured reserve), 13 forwards, seven defensemen and both goaltenders bear Yzerman’s stamp of approval. Either he has brought them in, he re-signed a player he inherited (like Filip Hronek), or, in the case of Dylan Larkin, Yzerman named him captain. That leaves forwards Filip Zadina and Joe Veleno to earn Yzerman’s endorsement. Yzerman has engineered significant change in a short amount of time while giving himself flexibility within the confines of the salary cap.
Larkin ascending: Larkin went into the extended break having recorded his first hat trick at the NHL level, giving him a team-leading 15 goals and 29 points. He spoke sweetly of thinking of his grandmothers when the third goal went in — they used to encourage him to score with $5 rewards. His contract with the Wings carries an annual average value of $6 million, so he doesn’t need nana’s money anymore, but the Wings needed Larkin to have this kind of season after he produced just 23 points in 44 games last season. Larkin is on pace to reach 30 goals for the second time in his career, and he has re-established that he’s the team’s engine. Larkin is a big believer in doing things right — remember, he was Henrik Zetterberg’s understudy — and that’s showing again.
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The trinity: Raymond leads the rookie scoring race, and Seider leads rookie defensemen in scoring. On top of that, Alex Nedeljkovic, who is still considered a rookie even though he was a finalist for the Calder last season, leads rookie goaltenders with nine victories. It’s happened just twice in NHL history that the rookie leaders in each category — points by a forward, points by a defenseman and wins by a goaltender — have all been on the same team.
In 1929-30, forward Ebbie Goodfellow (34 points in 44 games), defenseman Harvey Rockburn (five points in 36 games) and goalie Bill Beveridge (14 wins in 39 games) did it with the Detroit Cougars (who were renamed the Red Wings in 1932 when James Norris bought the franchise). In 1936-37, Syl Apps, Jimmy Fowler and Turk Broda did it with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Continued (paywall)
Hockeynews.se’s Henrik Sjoberg posted a 13-minute clip of Red Wings prospect Simon Edvinsson’s day during the Four Nations Cup in Angelholm, Sweden this past November. The video is in Swedish, but it’s entertaining:
Update: IceHockeyGifs posted a teaser in English:
Simon Edvinsson knows what’s important going into a big tournament.
Sweden enters the WJC on the 26th vs. Russia. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/IybCX3neNN— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) December 24, 2021
Bally Sports Detroit’s YouTube page posted the latest episode of Wingspan, which discusses the Red Wings’ holiday traditions:
Red Wings prospect Red Savage made a bad decision that cost himself and Team USA at the World Junior Championship’s preliminary round in Edmonton.
Savage took 5-and-a-game for this hit on Joakim Kemmell:
Joakim Kemell takes a hit to the head. #WJC2022 #2022NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/AuADR8i0JB
— Lassi Alanen (@lassialanen) December 23, 2021
As a result, Finland rallied from a 3-1 deficit on the 5-minute major penalty assessed to Savage, and Finland ultimately won 4-3 in overtime.
After the game, Team USA coach Nate Leaman spoke with the media, as noted by the Edmonton Sun’s Jim Matheson:
While Kemell, who leads the SM-Liiga in goals as a 17-year-old and could go in the first-round of the 2022 NHL draft, was taking off his gear in the dressing room, the Finns manufactured an improbable comeback from a 3-1 hole, scoring three times on the five-minute penalty for a 4-3 overtime victory.
Finnish captain Roni Hirvonen beat American backup Daniel Silverstein for the winner after Joel Maatta and Ville Ottevainen sent the edgy game to extra time with two more power-play goals.
“Tough lesson to learn but I would rather it happen now,” said USA coach Nate Leaman. “If it’s later, it could cost you the tournament. If this helps us become the most disciplined team, we can look back and say that was a healthy thing for us. Red got a little overaggressive at that moment but that’s what makes him tick.”
The Finns scored three goals on the game’s final seven shots on Silverstein, who replaced starter Drew Commesso after 40 minutes. Commesso gave up one goal to Los Angeles Kings prospect Kasper Simontaival early in the first, after the Finns had the game’s first seven before the USA fought back.
While Savage — the son of former NHL winger Brian Savage — got a game misconduct, Finnish defenceman Ruben Rafkin, who played for the Windsor Spitfires two years ago, was tossed out in the first period for kneeing Brett Berard.
…
Because Savage’s penalty was a match and the International Ice Hockey Federation frowns on hits to the head, he might get suspended. Rafkin’s was a major and less edgy.
SvenskaFans.com’s Andreas Lundskog posted a great profile of Red Wings prospect and Swedish World Junior Championship team defenseman Simon Edvinsson. Here’s a rough translation thereof:
Continue reading Roughly translated: SvenskaFans.com posts a profile of Simon EdvinssonRed Wings captain Dylan Larkin was “Mic’ed up” by the Red Wings when he warmed up against the New York Islanders on December 14th, and he happened to knock over a fan’s beer, paying for the $15 suds with a $20:
And Paul Kukla of Kukla’s Korner/Abel to Yzerman has posted a video in which Larkin explains why he did what he did to ESPN’s John Buccigross, via Jens95 on YouTube:
Update: Buccigross posted the video on Twitter:
I talked to Dylan Larkin about buying fan a beer on “The Point”… pic.twitter.com/04T7ZYEoMI— House of Bucci Mane (@Buccigross) December 24, 2021
This was not a good thing to see, per Yahoo Sports’ Oliver Neven: Red Wings prospect Red Savage was kicked out of Team USA’s 4-3 overtime loss to Finland due to a 5-minute major and game misconduct for a hit to the head of Finland’s Joakim Kemell:
Joakim Kemell takes a hit to the head. #WJC2022 #2022NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/AuADR8i0JB
— Lassi Alanen (@lassialanen) December 23, 2021
Not good. An unnecessary hit.
