The Detroit Red Wings prospects’ coaching staff chose to eschew the “rest over rust” theory on Sunday, putting their teams through a spirited 45-minute practice ahead of Monday’s 2022 Prospect Tournament finale vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs (11 AM EDT on the Red Wings’ social media channels).
Toronto plays today vs. Columbus at 2 PM, so the Wings will likely hope to pounce upon one of the few teams who’ve chosen to play 4 games over the course of 5 days and nights.
The Wings need a bounce-back game very badly after dropping to 1-and-1 via a 5-4 loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday night, so the Wings have little wiggle room, and can’t take things for granted here.
I guess the “big question” to be answered on Monday is whether three prospect tournament games (instead of four) are a representative sample of, “Where the prospects are at,” or just a moment in time that needs to continually be reevaluated over the course of training camp and the exhibition season.
I lean toward the latter explanation, because the “round robin” format affords all five teams a measure of breathing room, but Monday’s game is going to be very important for players like Riley Piercey, Jeremie Biakabutuka and the rest of the try-outs.
This is the best opportunity for a majority of the team to make good first impressions upon Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon, too, and he’s going to employ the majority of the higher-end prospects participating in this tournament.
Still, there is something to be said for both prospects and try-outs not “falling off the face of the earth” when the NHL’ers arrive and NHL skill, pace and discipline enter the equation.
This is all one big step in the process of development–I know that many of you have gained a particular hate for that word, but it’s the accurate noun to use here–and once it’s over, we can make assessments as to, “Where the prospects are at” in terms of playing among their peers…
But on Thursday, a new chapter begins, and “Don’t Get Run Over” becomes, “Now you’ve got to stand out among the big boys,” and some players do, while others “fall off the face of the earth.”
Anyway, on Sunday morning, the Red Wings’ prospects engaged in a full practice as they skated for the fourth consecutive day, and they honestly looked a little mentally fatigued at times, though their enthusiasm and fit-and-finish was pretty darn good overall.
Coach Ben Simon, Griffins assistant coaches Matt MacDonald, Mike Knuble and video coach Erich Junge put the players through a forty-five minute practice, preceded by a set of drills in which the three goaltenders (Cossa, Bednar and Oke) worked with Griffins goalie coach Brian Mahoney-Wilson on puck-handling drills.
The players definitely engaged in full-speed drills, mostly involving fast changes in puck possession and reversing from offense to defense (or vice versa) in short order. Coach Simon emphasized pace and playing up the middle of the ice as opposed to skating along the side boards, and the players seem to be getting the message ahead of Monday’s 11 AM-starting game vs. Toronto.
The prospects looked relatively crisp, composed, and, for the most part, enthusiastic despite being given a full practice on their “off day” between games, and nobody appeared to suffer any injuries severe enough to hold them out of Sunday’s practice, either, which is essential as health is so very crucial at this time of year.
The players wrapped up their structured practice time with a little 3-on-3 hockey, with the nets placed near the half boards on one side of the ice, and Simon Edvinsson scored the game-winning goal.
After that long chunk of text, here are my assessments of the players participating in Sunday’s practice, continuing to build upon Saturday’s post-game takes:
Forwards:
#56 Pasquale Zito: When I see the disparate parts of Zito’s game lack cohesion, I really get the feeling that the pandemic-cancelled OHL season set the 19-year-old Niagara IceDogs forward back in his development. Zito, a 6’1,” 176-pound center with a stocky frame, is very physical, he’s got a real edge to him, and he skates well for his size, but the offense he’s produced with Windsor this past season (42 points in 49 games played) hasn’t been evident as of yet. He’s got a good shot, he’s got solid passing skills, and he’s a real net-crasher, but Zito seems to need one more step, another five or ten pounds of muscle, and a little more “pop” in his game.
Ideally, he has a very good season with Niagara and carves out some of that developmental time that he lost during the 2020-2021 season.
#58 Riley Piercey*: As you might expect, the free agent try-out who scored four goals on Friday and followed that up with a fight on Saturday has looked a little…Inconsistent in terms of the application of his talents. At 6’3″ and 212 pounds, Piercey’s large and physical. He skates well, when he uses it, he’s got one hell of a shot, he passes good enough to get by and he’s got a nose for the net, as well as a willingness to get down and dirty in the corners and along the half-boards in a way that just doesn’t show up at practice. Again, the 20-year-old could very well be a power forward in the making, but the Flint Firebirds winger is fighting a very similar level of inconsistency to Zito, again, in no small part due to a lost year of development.
#61 Jake Uberti*: The 20-year-old Uberti hasn’t been able to practice or play thus far, and I’m hoping that we’ll at least see the 6’2,” 200-pound Mississauga Steelheads center at some point during training camp.
#62 Drew Worrad**: 25 years of age and AHL-bound as he’s been signed to a Grand Rapids Griffins contract, the 6,’ 178-pound graduate of Western Michigan has just been the kind of mature leader that you hope for on a team that needs players from its relatively thin forward corps to step up. Worrad had a mediocre game on Saturday, but he’s a sharp skater with a good toolbox’s worth of skills in terms of his passing, shooting and faceoff abilities, he checks well, and his experience translates well on a very young team.
#72 Trenton Bliss**: Bliss is in a similar situation as a 24-year-old graduate of Michigan Tech, and he’s also got a Grand Rapids Griffins contract, so there’s little doubt where the 6’1,” 195-pound winger is going to end up playing for this upcoming season. He scored a goal in Saturday night’s loss to Dallas, and he’s got a very short window to impress while playing against mostly younger peers before main camp begins. I liked his form during the summer development camp, and his overall grasp of his game has looked quite solid.
#74 Cross Hanas: Turning pro at 20 years of age, Hanas had a fantastic game on Saturday night, scoring a goal on five shots, and the 6,’ 174-pound winger had me worried about his size (or the lack thereof), but the puck-distributing forward has bought the Red Wings’ other forwards time and space in the offensive zone. That’s hard to do coming out of the WHL, and when you see someone his age display the poise he has, as well as the excellent passing, fine shooting and superb skating skills which he possesses, you start hoping that there’s a real diamond in the rough here.
#78 Amadeus Lombardi: Plain old somewhat rough at all of 18 years of age and 5’10” and 165 pounds, “the motor” on Lombardi is utterly fantastic. He’s not going to develop into the Red Wings’ next first-line center, but the speedy, tenacious little Flint Firebirds forward has been able to help key the Red Wings’ offensive attack while skating for the most part with his foil in 6’8,” 249-pound Elmer Soderblom. Lombardi just takes absolutely no shit from his opponents, and his lack of size and weight just don’t seem to be an issue for him, at least among his peers.
#79 Kirill Tyutyayev**: I saw something creep into Tyutyayev’s game on Sunday that concerned me: a Filip Zadina-like level of frustration every time he shanked a shot wide of the net, or into the goaltender’s pads. The 5’10,” 170-pound Tyutyaeyv is ridiculously talented in terms of his abilities to deke and dangle with the puck on his stick, he’s got a sneaky accurate shot, he sees the ice well for pinpoint passing, and his wide, low skating stride helps him overcome his relative lack of heft. Coming off a season in which he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, the 22-year-old needs to give himself the ability to succeed by being a little less hard on himself when not everything goes to plan. He can’t be wasting energy slamming his stick into the boards or appearing visibly frustrated with himself should he not score a highlight reel goal.
At this point, Tyutyayev remains a work in progress, which is why the sublimely-talented forward is signed to an AHL contract. He’s going to have to earn an NHL one, and that will take patience and poise.
#83 Marcus Limpar-Lantz*: Limpar-Lantz had a very good first game, and the 20-year-old Orebro Hockey graduate, coming over to the OHL’s Erie Otters for his “overage” season, has fallen off from there. Steadily strong at 6′ and 190 pounds, the right-shooting center and free agent invite definitely has high-end abilities, and he skates very well, but his sometimes-promising shifts are often followed up by indecisive ones, and he’s going to have to get some self-confidence in a hurry.
#84 Julien Anctil*: Anctil has been just okay over the course of the prospect tournament. The 6’2,” 177-pound center from the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix has solid-enough skills and a fair amount of confidence, but he’s just so physically under-powered that he loses those one-on-one battles for the puck. The free agent invite has been able to hold onto this fourth-line center’s spot, but only just.
#85 Elmer Soderblom: Soderblom doesn’t quite look NHL ready as of September 18th, but he’s close. The 6’8,” 249-pound winger could use another first step, and he needs to be more selfish and simple in terms of driving the front of the net, but the 21-year-old graduate of Frolunda HC’s program has shown a remarkable amount of promise as a gigantic but not physical presence along the boards, behind the net, and in front of opposing goaltenders. He lugs the puck up ice well, too, and his passing and shooting abilities are excellent. He just needs to fill out a little bit and gain more experience playing North American hockey.
#86 Ivan Ivan*: The 20-year-old Ivan needs a little more time to marinate. At 5’11” and 171 pounds, per the Red Wings, he’s slight, and he just tends to defer to his teammates or try to make the big-ice regrouping play on the small North American rink despite his status as a member of the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. There’s a significant amount of talent in a small package here, but Ivan needs to be more determined to finish his own chances, and that’s why the free agent invite is likely headed back to the QMJHL for his “overage” season.
#87 Jacob Mathieu*: Mathieu, an 18-year-old free agent invite from the Rimouski Oceanic, is all of 5’10” and 168 pounds, so when he struggled a bit on the Wings’ fourth line on Friday night, he was replaced by Pasquale Zito. Mathieu has good wheels and he can hold his own, but he’s just under-developed.
#94 Mitchell Martin*: The third member of the “Don’t Get Run Over” line, Martin, at 6’3 “and 174 pounds, has been solid enough as a fourth-line winger. He’s 19, and posted a solid-enough 40 points in 64 games for Kitchener last season, but he’s looked in waters a little above his head during the prospect tournament. That could still change.
Defensemen:
#3 Simon Edvinsson: Utterly and immensely talented, the 6’6,” 207-pound defenseman is still all of 19 years of age, and I’ve found that the biggest hurdle to Simon Edvinsson making it as a pro is stirring his interest in actually playing defense. As an offensive defenseman, he’s got a sublime set of passing and playmaking skills, he lugs the puck up ice elegantly with that “float like a butterfly” stride, he’s got a tremendously accurate wrist shot and slapper, and because he sees plays before they happen–sometimes, anyway–he can do everything himself at times, from carrying the puck up ice to attempting to tuck it in the opponent’s net, all before getting back on defense to stifle an opponent’s chance with a good stick check or hit.
Still, he can be a little flighty on defense, and willing to rely too much on his talent and instincts over utilizing his body and his physical gifts to minimize opponents’ chances. He still needs to bear down a bit and learn to appreciate “nothing plays” from time to time instead of wanting to author the next big thing every time he hops over the boards.
#20 Albert Johansson: Less talented than Edvinsson, but more mature at 21, the 6,’ 176-pound defenseman is definitely adjusting to North American ice after several seasons with Farjestads BK, but he’s got a fantastic stick in terms of both its use as a defensive implement and as an offensive catalyst, he’s willing to commit to hits that can lay out opponents from time to time (as we saw on Saturday night), he’s a sharp, smart skater who plays an efficient game, and he’s got enough offensive abilities in him to make him an intriguing middle-of-the-lineup prospect.
#44 Donovan Sebrango: At the other end of the offensive spectrum, the 20-year-old Sebrango is a smart, steady and spare defenseman who, like so many of his teammates, uses his stick and body to defend while being physical without being nasty (unless he feels like turning up the physical factor). He’s a “meat and potatoes” player who offers the Red Wings 96 games of AHL experience already, and he’s going to make the NHL as some sort of middle-to-bottom-pair, shut-down defenseman with an edge.
#49 Seth Barton: Barton is in a unique situation as a 23-year-old slated to play on the loaded Grand Rapids Griffins’ blueline. Big and tough at 6’3″ and 196 pounds, Barton is efficient, physical and skates very well, but he’s competing for ice time against slightly more-skilled defenders, and he’s going to have to continue to make a name for himself this season.
#51 Eemil Viro: Viro, like Johansson, is a graduate of a professional team in TPS Turku of the Finnish Liiga, and the 21-year-old only stands at 6′ and 176 wiry pounds, but his tremendous stick-checking and utilization of his stick to make smart, crisp passes, to take sneaky little wrist shots and to steer his opponents away from the puck using leverage and skating are all assets which he should be able to tap into as he adjusts to North American ice and the North American professional grind.
I think that’s the thing that worries me about bringing a bunch of European players over at the same time, regardless of their nationality: when you’re on a bus going to Rockford, Illinois at 2 in the morning in January, in order to play your 3rd game in 4 nights, are you still willing to sacrifice and be a team player, or do you want to go home to where there’s an easier schedule, easier travel, and comparable, if not better pay?
Viro strikes me as the kind of player who will stick it out.
#63 Jeremie Biakabutuka*: The Wings have gotten a long look at the free agent invite from the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders, and the 6’4,” 203-pound Biakabutuka has continued to look good as the prospect tournament continues. Still a work in progress at 20 years of age, he needs to work on being more deliberate, if not selfish at times, with the puck, and he’s got to continue working on developing his very good skating, shooting and passing skills. Likely headed back to the QMJHL at some point during training camp, I get the feeling that he’s going to be playing for a contract with somebody next year at this time, presuming that he isn’t drafted as a late-round pick by a team like Detroit.
#77 Oscar Plandowski: Plandowski, whose mother is a professional skating coach, has been perhaps the Wings’ most “naturally gifted” skater this side of Edvinsson. At 19, the Charlottetown Islanders defenseman is still trying to place the disparate parts of his game together in the kind of “toolbox” which is necessary with which to perform at a professional level, and he’s got the skill set to excite and sometimes tantalize, but the 6,’ 190-pound defenseman has to put his game together on a more consistent basis.
#95 Tnias Mathurin: Mathurin hasn’t been able to play, presumably due to an injury. Only 18, the Red Wings selected him in the latter half of the 2022 NHL Draft as a big (6’3,” 200-pound) defenseman whose stay-at-home abilities may hint at a more impressive skill set. We have to see the North Bay Battalion defenseman play, however, to assess him.
Goaltenders:
#31 Andrew Oke*: Both myself and a number of hockey scribes have tried to figure out whether Andrew Oke is worth a Red Wings contract, whether he’s going to go back to Saginaw and be drafted next spring, presuming he has a much more solid season in the OHL, or whether the slightly floppy 6’2,” 198-pound goaltender has been more “flash in the pan” than solid substance. At 19 years of age, Oke is one of those goaltenders who still needs work in the technical aspects of his game, and he’s gotten better and better working with the Red Wings’ goaltending coaches, but there’s still a sort of “Victor Brattstrom-like, out-of-control” aspect to his game when he’s on his knees or butt and is reaching for the puck. Prospect tournament stats haven’t been kind to him, but that’s because he’s played in two half-games.
#33 Sebastian Cossa: The assembled media at today’s practice had a really good conversation with Cossa, who seems way more mature and poised at 19 years of age than he did as a much cockier, trash-talking 18-year-old. He’s apparently spent the summer in Detroit, working out with the Red Wings’ players when he wasn’t taking part in the World Junior Championship, and the 6’6,” 215-pound goaltender has learned and earned some patience as he transitions from a goaltender reliant upon only his size and athleticism to stop pucks to a more mature, measured butterfly goaltender.
There’s a ton of talent in the massive goalie, and he’s betting upon himself by wearing red-and-white pads and a cat-eye cage despite not really knowing where he’s going to play this upcoming season. In other words, he’s calmed down somewhat…But the self-assuredness which helped the Red Wings draft him is still there.
#60 Jan Bednar: When I say that the 19-year-old Bednar is inconsistent, I mean it. The morning after stopping 18 of 18 shots over the course of half-a-game played, Bednar was absolutely lit up in practice on Sunday, and the young man was not happy about it at all. Bednar has all the abilities and talent necessary to blossom into an NHL goaltender at some point in the future, but the 6’4,” 196-pound Acadie-Bathurst Titan goaltender with the remarkably poised butterfly game is also remarkably unable to keep himself going on a straight-and-narrow, stop-the-puck-most-of-the-time track.
Bednar can be brilliant and infuriating over the course of a couple of minutes, and as good as his last season in the QMJHL was, it was the first and only season in which he displayed consistent numbers. He’s got a lot of Tyutyayev-like impossibly high expectations of himself, and frustration when he doesn’t meet them, so things tend to snowball at times, and that’s going to have to change for Bednar to truly shake the demons from his game.
*=Free agent invite, **=Grand Rapids Griffins contract
The Red Wings will, as previously stated, attempt to close out their prospect tournament “round robin” portion with a win tomorrow against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The game starts at 11 AM EDT, and will be streamed on the Red Wings’ social media channels.
In the interim, I’m going to take a short nap and then prepare for a very early morning on Monday. Toronto is leading Columbus 2-1 in the second period as I type this, and you can follow the box score here on PointStreak.
Anyway, as I said last night, the fundraising has hit a bit of a roadblock, and needs a kick-start badly. If you can lend a hand, no matter how small, I’ve got a thousand-dollar hotel bill to meet by the end of the week, and that’s going to be very difficult.
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).
