Impressions from the Red Wings’ 5-4 loss vs. the Dallas Stars at the 2022 prospect tournament

The Red Wings’ prospects dropped a 5-4 loss to the Dallas Stars at the 2022 Prospect Tournament on Saturday evening, and the game was something of a complicated story.

The Red Wings took 1-0, 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3 leads over Dallas, despite being out-shot 14-3 in the 1st period, 25-13 after 2 periods and 35-24 overall…But Dallas kept answering Detroit’s goals with game-tying markers, and, in the 3rd period, Dallas scored a pair of goals 3:10 apart to break a 4-4 tie and win a game in which the Red Wings’ power play went 1-for-5.

Despite a 3-point game (1 goal + 2 assists) from Kirill Tyutyayev, a goal and an assist from Elmer Soderblom, a 2-assist game from Albert Johansson and goals from Cross Hanas and Trenton Bliss–as well as a half-game, 18-save shutout from Jan Bednar…

The Wings couldn’t overcome their tendency to shoot themselves in the skates defensively, and they couldn’t or wouldn’t seem to attack the Stars as directly and purposefully as Dallas pestered and peppered Andrew Oke and his defensemen.

So the Red Wings’ prospects, who are 1-and-1 after 2 games (they won 5-2 over Columbus on Friday afternoon), will practice at 11 AM on Sunday, choosing to eschew an “off day” for team continuity’s sake, and they’ll wrap up the round robin portion of their annual prospect tournament on Monday at 11 AM as they host the Toronto Maple Leafs’ prospects (to be streamed on the Wings’ social media channels).

If you missed it, the Red Wings archived their stream of the game…

They shared “sights and sounds” from the game…

MLive’s Ansar Khan posted a game recap…

Tyutyayev scored a goal and picked up a pair of assists Saturday in the Detroit Red Wings’ prospects 5-4 loss to the Dallas Stars at Centre I.C.E. Arena in Traverse City.

Elmer Soderblom, Tyutyayev’s linemate, had a goal and an assist. Cross Hanas scored a breakaway goal and Trenton Bliss also scored for Detroit. Albert Johansson contributed two assists.

Jan Bednar started in goal and stopped all 18 shots he faced in 30 minutes before being replaced by Andrew Oke, who allowed five goals on 17 shots.

The Stars (1-1) came back to tie the game four times before taking their first lead at 10:32 of the third period on a power-play goal by Christian Kyrou, which was the difference.

…

Ann Arbor native Antonio Stranges had two goals, including the game-tying tally at 8:12 of the third period, and an assist for the Stars. He was drafted in the fourth round in 2020 (123rd overall).

As did DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills…

For the second straight NHL Prospect Tournament game, the Red Wings opened the scoring when forward Elmer Soderblom, who was Detroit’s 159th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, one-timed a cross-ice feed past Stars netminder Remi Poirier just 53 seconds into the second period.

Later in the period, Dallas forward and Plymouth, Mich., native Antonio Stranges scored off a rebound to tie the game at 1-1.

Undrafted forward Trenton Bliss put the Red Wings ahead, 2-1, with 2:36 remaining in the middle frame when he redirected 2019 second-round pick Albert Johansson‘s shot into the net, but Dallas answered and evened the score with 19 seconds left before the second intermission.

Fifty-seven seconds into the third period, 2019 seventh-round pick Kirill Tyutyayev scored to give Detroit a 3-2 advantage. The Red Wings’ lead was short lived, though, as Stars forward Oskar Back tied the game.

Cross Hanas, Detroit’s 55th overall selection in 2020, scored a breakaway goal to put the Red Wings up, 4-3, with 12:13 remaining. Then Dallas countered 25 seconds later when Stranges netted his second tally of the night to make it a 4-4 game.

Blueliner Christian Kyrou gave the Stars their first lead of the night, scoring the eventual game-winner with 8:28 left in the final frame.

And the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan took note of the post-game remarks from Amadeus Lombardi and coach Ben Simon…

Tyutayev, 22, impressed the Wings during last year’s prospects tournament, then had an impressive training camp with the veteran Wings. Tyutayev (2019, seventh-round) had a good start in Grand Rapids (three assists in nine games) before suffering an undisclosed season-ending injury.

“He worked extremely hard in Grand Rapids, we didn’t stop skating him for three or fourth months,” Simon said. “He has to take advantage of any opportunities afforded him. He has to grab a job and a spot and continue to work, which he does. That’s one of his best characteristics.”

The Wings are 1-1-0 in the tournament, and conclude the weekend with a game Monday against Toronto (11 a.m./redwings.com).

“We’ve never, obviously, played together (as a team) but we’re making it work,” Lombardi said. “We’re a really fast, skilled team.”

The line of Lombardi, Tyutayev and Soderblom was the Wings’ most effective line against Dallas.

“We didn’t know we’d be playing together until this morning and we had some good chemistry,” Lombardi said. “It’s pretty easy when you play with a guy who is 6-foot-8 (Soderblom) and can score when you put it in his wheelhouse and he puts it upstairs, and Kurls (Kirill) is a great player, real speed and smart. It’s easy playing with those two guys.”

Which you can watch here:

Among IceHockeyGifs’ highlights were the following:

Here are my impressions from the second game of the prospect tournament, on a player-by-player basis–which build upon Friday’s observations:

FORWARDS:

#74 Cross Hanas–#62 Drew Worrad** “A”–#58 Riley Piercey*

#74 Cross Hanas: Hanas finished with a goal on 5 shots and a -2, and after two games, he’s posted a goal and 2 assists for 3 points.

It’s hard to complain about Hanas’ game after watching the 6’1,” 174-pound assist machine score a goal of his own and generate not only so much offense from the right wing side, but also create so much possession time as a go-to pivot point on the power play. The 20-year-old has been something of a, “When in doubt, pass it to Cross, and he’ll square up the situation and make the best available play” outlet for the Red Wings’ other players, and his linemates, quite specifically.

As a 20-and-a-half-year-old just turning pro, you want to see Hanas, who posted a 60-assist, 86-point campaign with the Portland Winterhawks last season, look good among his peers, and it’s not just his skating and shooting that have been solid.

His poise under pressure and willingness to give and go on the power play with Soderblom, Tyutyayev, or find the right time to pump the puck back to a point man (like Simon Edvinsson) for a shot from the blueline have been particularly impressive. Right now, Hanas is a key part of the Red Wings prospects’ offensive attack, and he’s looking like a player who’s going to have a bright future.

#62 Drew Worrad** “A”: Worrad finished at -2 with no shots on Saturday, a night after posting a goal and 2 assists, but I felt that the 25-year-old didn’t slip all that much from Friday night’s form. As a Grand Rapids Griffins-contracted player wearing an alternate captain’s “A,” Worrad is expected to lead his younger charges, and he did just that on Saturday, taking faceoffs in high-pressure situations, using his 6,’ 178-pound frame to his advantage while winning battles for the puck and one-on-one tangles with his opponents in the corners, along the boards, and down low behind both his and the opposing team’s net.

He’s brought a level of maturity to the game that the Red Wings’ prospects need, and the Western Michigan University graduate has led by example. He’s not the next NHL superstar on the team, but as an AHL-bound veteran, he’s staking his claim to a spot on the Griffins’ roster.

#58 Riley Piercey*: Piercey had a middling game after his 4-goal, 5-point outburst on Friday, but he finished with a “5” on the stat sheet–as in a 5-minute major for fighting Dallas’ Gavin White 14:03 into the 2nd period. He also finished at a pretty ugly -3, but the first line was up and down, and I think there was an aspect of bad luck to being on the ice at the wrong times over the course of the game’s second half.

Piercey, a 6’3,” 212-pound free agent invite from the Flint Firebirds, didn’t make as much of an offensive dent in his second game as he did in his first, but he did skate well, he used his size and strength to bang bodies and generate some puck possession on the forecheck, and the 20-year-old didn’t fall off the radar screen by any means. He’s still got a power forward’s game available to him, but he’s got to work on applying it more consistently.

#85 Elmer Soderblom–#78 Amadeus Lombardi–#79 Kirill Tyutyayev**

#85 Elmer Soderblom: Big Elmer finished with a goal and an assist for 2 points, with a +2 and a tied-for-the-team-lead 5 shots, and after two games, he’s posted a goal and two assists for 3 points total.

The 6’8,” 249-pound 21-year-old is coming over from the SHL’s Frolunda HC, and I would argue that he’s definitely going to need time to acclimate to North American hockey in the AHL, but he’s not going to need a lot of time to work on adding a bit better first skating step, nor a bit more willingness to take the puck to the net himself instead of deferring to teammates a wee bit too often for my taste.

The bottom line for Soderblom is that, while not physical, his size is indeed a gigantic asset. His reach is amazing, his coordination and skating given his wingspan are superb, he’s got a hard shot, a really good pass, and he’ll go to the front of the net and stop and stay there. He easily wins battles in the corners and along the boards, and he may have another five or ten pounds of muscle to gain before filling out to his NHL playing weight, too.

We’re looking at an NHL player here. The question is just “when” and “how much” (as in “how much will he produce when he gets there”).

#78 Amadeus Lombardi: It’s been really bemusing to watch Soderblom play so very successfully alongside a 5’10,” 165-pound center who’s all of 19 and takes no shit nor no quarter from his opponents, but here we are. Lombardi finished with an assist and a +2 with 2 shots, and he might have more points if he took more direct routes to the net instead of still playing a game that needs maturing from OHL levels to AHL/NHL levels. Still young and raw at 19, the little booger skates superbly well, he wins faceoffs, he distributes the puck with poise and he’s got a smart, accurate shot. Moreover, his size and strength seem to be little to no issue when he engages in those one-on-one puck battles with opponents.

Somehow, his team work makes the dream work, and the Red Wings’ 2022 4th round pick already looks like a steal in the making.

#79 Kirill Tyutyayev**: This was a, “That’s more like it!” game from the sublimely-skilled, Grand Rapids Griffins-contracted 22-year-old. Earning a promotion from the third line to the second one, Tyutyayev posted a goal and 2 assists for 3 points, he earned a +3, and he had exactly 1 shot on net, but that backhander found Dallas Stars bodies and the back of the net.

Tyutyayev’s rookie AHL campaign was short-circuited by what I believe was a shoulder injury, and the 5’10,” 170-pound winger’s dekes and dangles apparently had to wait a year to be unleashed upon his opponents, unsuspecting and otherwise. Tyutyayev was brought over as a long-shot prospect because his skill level is just immense in terms of his puck-handling and skating abilities, which overcome his size and relative lack of strength (though that’s diminished considerably).

I hope what we’ve seen over the course of two games, in terms of flash, dash, and eventually substance as well as skill, are all indicative of a long-shot who might very well earn a two-way contract from the Wings in the future.

#72 Trenton Bliss**–#83 Marcus Limpar-Lantz*–#86 Ivan Ivan*

#72 Trenton Bliss**: Making his prospect tournament debut, Bliss finished with a goal and an even plus-minus rating with 2 shots on goal. The 6’1,” 195-pound graduate of Michigan Tech looked exactly like one would hope he would–as a 24-year-old forward with poise and resolve, as well as something of a scoring touch, coming off a 40-points-in-36-NCAA-games season last year at Tech. Bliss, like Worrad, is AHL-bound, but he overcame some first-period jitters and established himself as a useful contributor to a prospect team that’s very young and somewhat thin up front.

#83 Marcus Limpar-Lantz*: MLL did not have as good a second game as he did in his first, finishing even with no shots. The 20-year-old free agent try-out from Sweden’s Orebro J20 league is making the jump to North American junior hockey and the ever-contending Erie Otters, and there’s certainly enough skill in the smart center to keep up with OHL hockey, but whether there’s something more in the 6,’ 190-pound forward is still kind of hard to tell.

As I said on Friday, he wins faceoffs, he skates well, he passes and shoots well, and he looks promising in terms of his performance among the free agents, but as he’s point-free after two games, he’s got another one among his peers to make a dent in the scoresheet.

#86 Ivan Ivan*: Needs more finishing? Literally and figuratively?

The 20-year-old free agent invite looks more and more like his Red Wings-listed 5’11” and 171 pounds than his EliteProspects-listed 6′ and 190 pounds, and the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles forward shows flashes of absolutely superb skill in terms of passing, shooting and finishing, but he finished at -1 with 2 shots and a minor penalty taken because he, like so many of his Major Junior-playing try-out teammates, defers, defers, and defers some more when he should shoot and/or go to the net and/or both instead of lurking on the perimeter.

He’s also been the victim of some bad luck, but the young man with a quirky name could benefit from being more selfish.

#56 Pasquale Zito–#84 Julien Anctil*–#94 Mitchell Martin*

#56 Pasquale Zito: I’m not sure why Zito was demoted to the fourth line after skating on the second one during Friday night’s game, but Zito, who finished at -1 with 1 shot, was a little poorer for his ice time and level of linemates on the “Don’t Get Run Over” fourth line. the 19-year-old Niagara IceDogs center is certainly more than physical enough, finishing every check that his 6’1,” 176-pound frame can dish out, especially after plays have ended, but the tenacious forward’s tendency to want to finish every hit has left him out of defensive position numerous times, and taken him out of scoring chances.

Sometimes a junkyard dog needs to know when to pick his spots, and when to worry about the puck instead, and, like Ivan Ivan, Zito needs to be a little more selfish when it comes to the puck-handling part of the game.

#84 Julien Anctil*: Better? Anctil finished even with no shots, and the free agent invite from the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix looked a little less “out of his element” while using his 6’2,” 177-pound frame to more advantage in his second game against what is probably AHL-level competition. The 21-year-old certainly hasn’t displayed the kind of 68-point form he showed over the course of 67 QMJHL games last year, but he’s getting better at not getting run over, as it were, and the Red Wings prospects’ fourth line was not a liability on Saturday. All of that marks progress for a the young man who centered the line.

#94 Mitchell Martin*: Martin, another free agent invite, this time from Kitchener of the OHL, was better, too. Big at 6’3″ but lanky at 174 pounds, the 19-year-old finished even with no shots, and he’s been quiet, but at times, at least, efficiently physical and smart. Martin is definitely OHL-bound again for more marinating, but he’s been solid enough to contribute to the cause, and when you’re more or less consigned to the fourth line no matter how well or ill you perform, holding your own ain’t a bad thing.

DEFENSEMEN:

#3 Simon Edvinsson–#49 Seth Barton “A”

#3 Simon Edvinsson: Simon Edvinsson is so sublimely talented that he can probably do anything he puts his mind to on the ice, and while he had a better game on the scoresheet, finishing with an excellent secondary assist on Cross Hanas’ goal and a -1, I still fear that Edvinsson doesn’t have that much interest in the nitty-gritty parts of playing defense…

And I noted in my notebook (I am a copious note-taker, even during games) that Edvinsson knows no fear, which may or may not be a bad thing.

The 6’6,” 207-pound defenseman just glides over the ice effortlessly, he’s got fantastic, hard snap, slap and wrist shots, his passing skills are superb, he knows when to jump into the rush (perhaps with a little too much, “If you want something done right, do it yourself!” enthusiasm), he gaps up well defensively, and, when interested, he can shut down opponents with a flick of his stick or a simple steer into the corner or side boards, as well as the occasional body check.

At all of 19, he’s a year younger than Moritz Seider was when he broke into the NHL, and I think that there is no doubt that this is the second of three probably NHL-bound Swedes on the Red Wings prospects’ roster. The question is just when the Wings can get Edvinsson interested in playing actual detailed, hard-working defense, and whether or if he’s going to need time in Grand Rapids.

A year ago, a Moritz Seider with one more year’s worth of experience had a pretty good prospect tournament and ascended from there. Thus far, Simon Edvinsson has been almost as good, but less focused on the detail part of the game given that he can get away with so much because he’s so supremely skilled.

Keep an eye on him, and be kind, remember he’s a bit of a cocky edge to him that may need tamping down with some time on the bus in the AHL, and remember that he’s still going to be an elite or near-elite player at some point.

#49 Seth Barton “A”: The Red Wings’ coaches and management chose to sit Donovan Sebrango given his 94 games of AHL experience, and, as a result, 23-year-old Seth Barton took to the lineup. The 6’3,” 196-pound defenseman finished his first game of the tournament at -1 with no shots, and I was quite impressed by the second-year AHL pro.

Barton has a somewhat complicated trajectory, given that he’s a middle-pairing defenseman amongst the Edvinssons, Johanssons, Viros and Sebrangos of the Red Wings prospect defensemen, and he wasn’t exactly Mr. Stands Out From the Crowd over the course of 20 AHL and 4 ECHL games last season, but on Saturday, he was big, strong, mobile and useful as Edvinsson’s mop-up guy. I thought he displayed a bit of a physical edge, and he was very good at achieving and maintaining puck possession at the offensive blueline when the “kids” got too fancy for his liking.

#20 Albert Johansson–#77 Oscar Plandowski

#20 Albert Johansson: Johansson had more of the kind of game I was expecting from the 21-year-old from Farjestads BK of the SHL. The 6,’ 176-pound defenseman had 2 assists and finished even on the night, displaying the kind of offensive skills that he did during his SHL career. Johansson may not be Edvinsson 2.0, but Johansson and Eemil Viro offer the Red Wings a pair of superbly-talented, impeccably-poised and offensively inclined young defensemen who make up for their undersized status by being excellent skaters, possessing tremendous sticks for checking as much as passing, shooting and distributing the puck, great senses of positioning and the kind of polish and poise you would hope for from defenders who’ve played pro hockey against men for the past two years.

In Johansson’s case, the offensive ceiling is higher, as illustrated on Saturday night. He’s the kind of player who facilitates offense, and facilitates it while mitigating risk, and I really believe that Albert is going to be a useful NHL’er in the future, even if it’s in a secondary role.

#77 Oscar Plandowski: Plandowski remains a work in progress at 19, but the Charlottetown Islanders defenseman has been a steady-for-the-most-part partner for Johansson while maximizing his 6,’ 190-pound frame in terms of battling for the puck, displaying elegant skating skills, and playing a strong two-way game. Like so many of his teammates, he needs to learn that sometimes making nothing happen is as beautiful as making something happen when it comes to defense, and he’s been overpowered from time to time, but his disparate tools in terms of his passing, shooting and skating are just starting to come together, and that’s exciting in itself for a prospect in the process of developing.

#51 Eemil Viro–#63 Jeremie Biakabutuka*

#51 Eemil Viro: Viro finished even with no shots, and over the course of two games, he’s posted no points, but that’s okay. A 20-year-old graduate of TPS Turku of the Finnish Liiga, the 6′,’ 176-pound Viro is going to have a little harder time than most putting on more weight and strength because he is such a wiry little guy, but his impeccable stick-checking and stick-handling make up for a lot of his lack of out-and-out physical strength, as does his skating and those hips that seem to pivot to follow the path of the puck. Viro isn’t as offensively talented as Johansson, but he’s still got a wicked little wrister, he’s a very good passer and he’s just dependable, dependable, and dependable.

#63 Jeremie Biakabutuka*: Partially as a result of Viro’s dependability, the Red Wings have been able to get a long look at Tim Biakabutuka’s nephew, and if I’m gonna be honest…

Jeremie Biakabutuka could as well be named “Sam Jones” (Sergei Fedorov had always wondered what the expectations upon him would be like if he was named “Sam Jones”). The Wings would still be impressed with this 20-year-old try-out from the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders.

Biakabutuka isn’t a bombastic player, but he’s pretty damn solid. He skates very well for a 6’4,” 203-pound man, his right-shooting stick is smart and accurate in terms of his shooting and passing skills, he’s physical enough to throw his body around on occasion, and if he deferred a little less, and was a little more deliberate among peers who he seems to view as his betters…He could really be something.

He followed up Friday’s 2-assist, +3 night with even terms on the scoresheet, but that’s okay, because the guy that came out of nowhere because, according to coach Ben Simon, the Wings suffered some injuries on defense, and somebody failed their physical, has been damn solid.

I don’t know whether the Wings will consider signing Biakabutuka before sending him back to the QMJHL. I’m doubtful of that, in all honesty. But I think there’s a very solid chance of the Wings looking at Biakabutuka in next year’s draft, if other teams don’t get to him first.

GOALTENDERS:

#60 Jan Bednar: Bednar kept the Red Wings’ prospects in the game early, stopping 18 of 18 shots over the course of 29:49 of play, and I have a feeling that his performance relieved many Wings fans, including Bednar himself. The 19-year-old from Acadie-Bathurst of the QMJHL stands at 6’4″ and 196 pounds, and the Czech-born goalie had a very, very good QMJHL season this past year, and a very, very mediocre World Junior Championship. Consider this a bounce-back effort from the principled butterfly goaltender with the good glove, smart blocker, nice mobility and poised, patient game.

Fun fact: throughout practice and even pre-game warm-ups, Bednar has been wearing his maroon-and-gold Acadie-Bathurst Titan gear and an out-of-place, all-white practice glove. I was surprised to see it in warm-ups, thinking, “Well, the kid must really like it.” Instead, when the game began, he was wearing his red Czechia glove from the World Juniors. My only explanation as a goalie is that he must use a practice glove with a reinforced palm to avoid “stingers,” and then a very “game-ready” glove which is much more broken-in, but prone to occasionally leave a bruise if a shot hits the wrong spot on his palm.

Either that, or he’s just superstitious as all hell regarding lucky gloves, or gloves that are broken in “just right” for games.

In any case, the glove worked.

#31 Andrew Oke*: How exactly can I judge the free agent invite from the Saginaw Spirit after a total of two half-games played?

On Friday, Oke stopped 7 of 8 shots in 29:57, and the 6’2,” 198-pound goaltender looked floppy and flail-y, but solid.

On Saturday, Oke stopped 12 of 17 shots in 26:56 of ice time (he was pulled quite “early” in the later stages of the 3rd period), so, over the course of a whole game played, Oke has a 6.33 goals-against average and a .760 save percentage.

That’s not really fair to the 18-year-old. There were definitely a couple of goals he surrendered on Saturday that weren’t pretty, but there were more goals that he surrendered which were direct results of bad mistakes by the players in front of him.

Oke, who’s coming off a miserably inconsistent season played for what was a miserably inconsistent Saginaw Spirit team, definitely needs to be better in order to not simply be sent back to Saginaw for his 19-year-old draft year, but context is everything, and he does possess strong fundamentals and a good butterfly game which will improve as he continues to work with the Red Wings’ goaltending coaches.

Like so many of the free agent try-outs trying to compete for an eventual opportunity to try out for a contract from, or be drafted by the Red Wings, Oke is a work in progress, and the best thing he can get out of this tournament is learning experience.

SCRATCHES:

#61 Jake Uberti*, center: We haven’t seen hide nor hair of Uberti, a 20-year-old Mississauga Steelheads center who’s 6’2″ and 200 pounds. I wanted to see whether his split season between Niagara and Missisauga interrupted the continuity of a good player’s off year–as we’ve discussed, he’s one of those OHL players that missed a full year of hockey-playing due to the pandemic-cancelled 2020-2021 OHL season–but he hasn’t been able to practice or play.

#87 Jacob Mathieu*, center: Mathieu looked a bit overpowered as a 5’10,” 168-pound free agent invite from Rimouski of the QMJHL, and so he was replaced in the lineup by Pasquale Zito. The 18-year-old looked all right in his first game, and he’s still young enough to significantly improve over the course of the next couple of seasons.

#44 Donovan Sebrango, defense: I still think that it was weird to take a happily-functioning part out of the lineup for change’s sake, but that’s part of what happens at a prospect tournament, and the 20-year-old Sebrango has 96 games of AHL experience under his belt. Red Wings-contracted and smart, the 6’1,” 194-pound defenseman is spare, steady and strong on his two feet, reminding me of a Jack-of-All-Trades defender in the Bob Rouse mode.

#95 Tnias Mathurin, defense: Mathurin is a 2022 draft pick–like Amadeus Lombardi–and I was really looking forward to watching the 18-year-old, stay-at-home defenseman show me if there’s more to his game than his 6’3,” 200-pound frame suggests (hello, big #5/6 guy taken with the 137th overall pick). Thus far, he hasn’t practiced or played.

#33 Sebastian Cossa, goaltender: I really hope that the Sebastian Cossa we saw on Friday is more like the 19-year-old who’s turning pro, come hell, high water, or time spent in Toledo, than the shaky goaltender we watched perform at the prospect tournament a year ago. A gigantic 6’6″ and 215 pounds, the ultra-competitive Cossa has at least added some patience to his excellent all-round game, and he’s learning to let the shooter make the first move. That’s hard to do when you’re a butterfly goalie who’s more comfortable on his knees than you are standing up and attempting to do the hard mental work of anticipating the next move, but Cossa appears to have earned hard-fought patience, and given his tremendous physical skills and overall game, that’s great.

*=Free agent invite, **=Grand Rapids Griffins contract

The Red Wings will attempt to go 2-and-1 at the prospect tournament on Monday when they host the Maple Leafs at 11 AM. In the interim, they’re practicing on Sunday at 11 AM, and it’s 11:50 PM on a Saturday night, so I need to wrap this little ditty up and prepare for Sunday’s practice myself.

We’ve got a hotel full of kids playing in the annual fall soccer tournament in Traverse City, so I don’t know how much sleep I’m actually going to get tonight, but I’ll work on it.

In the interim, our fundraising goals are falling more than a little bit short, so if you can lend a hand toward paying the hotel bill and the bill bills…That’d be tremendously appreciated. I’m here till September 28th, some 11 days from now, and every day’s a work day, but I hope that I’m bringing enough to the table to be “value added.”

If you’re are willing or able to lend a fundraising 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 you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check. I’m also on Cash App under “georgeums” (an old nickname).

Thank you for your time and your readership. This is a privilege–and hard work, of course–but it’s still a damn privilege, and I’m grateful for it and grateful for you.

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George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, when MLive hired me to work their SlapShots blog, and I joined Kukla's Korner in 2011 as The Malik Report. I'm starting The Malik Report as a stand-alone site, hoping that having my readers fund the website is indeed the way to go to build a better community and create better content.

3 thoughts on “Impressions from the Red Wings’ 5-4 loss vs. the Dallas Stars at the 2022 prospect tournament”

  1. Seider did not play in last year’s prospects tournament. I think the organization knew he would make the opening night roster so there was no need to look at him in the prospects tournament.

    1. Sorry, J, I’m crunching so much information that sometimes I have a brain fart. Thanks for correcting me!

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