Month: September 2022

‘Twas the night before the Traverse City trip…

I’m all packed up–though I haven’t packed the car yet–and ready to head up to Traverse City to attend and cover the Red Wings’ prospect tournament and training camp.

There’s just one small problem, and that’s the fact that I’ve still got to raise approximately $600 to actually pay half of my hotel bill, whose just-short-of-$1,000 bill will come due early on Thursday morning.

The blunt and honest truth is that having to pay $350 in repairs for my Pacifica’s stupid wiring hit hard, and while fundraising has continued at a good clip, I’m ready to go, the car’s ready to go, everything’s packed and just needs to be stuffed in the trunk and backseat so that I can camp in a hotel room for two weeks…

But the money’s not quite there. So I have to do a second fundraising post in one day, and ask for help getting to the halfway mark (and yes, that’s what we’re aiming for. It’s gonna take another $1,200 to bring me home, but let’s take one thing at a time here).

If you can lend a hand in paving the road from South Lyon to Traverse City, no matter how small the donation, this is where the rubber meets the road.

So, if you’re are willing to lend an assist, 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.” Still trying to figure that out, but it’s another option if you need it.

Tweet of note: Bally Sports Detroit’s John Keating interviews Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde

FYI:

Great chance to visit with new ⁦@DetroitRedWings⁩ head coach Derek LaLonde at ⁦⁦⁦@HighlandsDet⁩ on top of #RenCen. You’ll see it in coming weeks on ⁦@BallySportsDET⁩ pic.twitter.com/ECGLRaHtjV— John Keating (@JohnKeatingBSD) September 14, 2022

A bit of praise for Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, sensational sophomores

RotoWire’s Corey Abbott posted an article which Yahoo Sports picked up, and in said article, Abbott discusses sophomore NHL’ers for fantasy hockey players to pick up. As you might imagine, Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond made his list:

Moritz Seider – D – Red Wings: Seider ran away with the Calder Trophy vote after establishing himself as Detroit’s No. 1 defender last season. He showcased his all-around ability and became a multi-category monster for fantasy managers. Seider supplied 43 assists, 50 points and 187 shots on goal through 82 games in 2021-22. He was also credited with 161 blocks and 151 hits. Seider paced all rookies with 23:02 of ice time per game and topped all first-year players with 21 power-play points. The 21-year-old blueliner will enter his second season with lofty expectations, and he should live up to them. Seider should surpass the 50-point plateau for a second straight campaign in 2022-23, and you can count on him to provide valuable contributions in several other categories as well.

…

Lucas Raymond – RW – Red Wings: Raymond finished third in scoring among Red Wings with 57 points through 82 games during his introduction to the NHL in 2021-22. He also finished third on the team with 23 goals, earning a spot on the top line alongside Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi. The bulk of his offense came prior to the All-Star break, picking up 11 goals and 35 points through the first 47 games of the season. Raymond notched 12 goals, 10 helpers and an ugly minus-30 rating thereafter. Detroit made a number of strong additions in an attempt to improve the team’s forward depth this summer. However, Raymond’s place as an integral part of the Red Wings’ offense remains intact heading into 2022-23. He could flirt with the 70-point mark.

Continued, with quite a list of superb sophomores to target….

DHN’s Allen: Moritz Seider may be the 49th-best player in the NHL Network’s rankings, but that’s only for today

On Sunday, Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider was named the 49th-best player in the NHL today by the NHL Tonight crew on the NHL Network.

Today, Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen suggests that Seider won’t spend the rest of his career hovering near 50th place:

No. 49 ranking doesn’t properly reflect the uniqueness of his ability. He is a luxury defenseman, an athlete who comes with more options than we usually see on the standard model.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Seider is big, strong and mean. He can be a punishing physical performer. If you watched him closely last season, there were multiple occasions when would-be checkers seemed to bounce off him. It’s like moving granite when you encounter him along the boards.

He can defend. Seider is still a work in progress, but the instincts are there. He’s only 21 and yet he already has a high level of respect for his defensive responsibility. You didn’t see Seider involved in too much risk-taking.

Seider’s Calder Trophy triumph speaks to his well-rounded first NHL season. Seider’s seven is a modest total, but his 43 assists for an offense that ranked near the bottom of the NHL. He has the shot, and the passing knack, necessary for significant offensive numbers. He’s not Cale Makar offensively, but boasts enough skill to be an offensive catalyst for many years.

Seider is also a natural leader. Even at his age, teammates look to him for confidence. He is already a tone setter for the Red Wings.

Because the full NHL Network hasn’t been revealed. it’s hard to say where we should place Seider on a Top 50 list. Analysis of potential is highly subjective. But we know this for sure: there are not 48 other NHL players that Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman would accept in a trade for Seider.

Continued

Tweet of note: A bit of praise for Marco Kasper from EliteProspects

This comes from IceHockeyGifs on Twitter…

Marco Kasper comes in at 28th on EP Rinkside’s prospect rankings:

“He’s an inside-driven attacker with skating, pace and handling skill. When he’s not bringing pucks to the middle, he’s tormenting the opposition with non-stop pressure and an in-your-face style.” #LGRW https://t.co/1KMWb3MVDy pic.twitter.com/wnZXcdrJSW— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) September 13, 2022

The article is stuck behind a paywall, regrettably.

Mills’ notebook: on Theodor Niederbach

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills filed a notebook article in which he discusses Theodor Niederbach’s comments which were made during the Red Wings’ summer development camp:

Theodor Niederbach aspires to be an NHL player as soon as possible. But before the Detroit Red Wings forward prospect heads to North America, Niederbach wants to prove himself in the Swedish Hockey League.

“I want to get faster and stronger,” said Niederbach, who was the Red Wings’ 51st overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. “I want to be good at the SHL level before I go over here.”

Niederbach gained valuable experience for Frolunda HC last season, earning 16 points on nine goals and seven assists in 51 games.

“You play against full-grown men,” the 20-year-old said. “It’s tough every game. The SHL is a good league, and every team is good, so it has helped me a lot.”

Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman said Niederbach has a lot of upside.

“Niederbach is a smart centerman from Sweden. Right-handed shot. Very talented, very skilled,” Yzerman said on Oct. 7, 2020. “He missed some hockey with an injury the previous year, so like most of the kids, he’s going to take some time to mature and physically evolve. We’re excited about his potential.”

Continued