Of brief Red Wings-related note early on Monday morning:
- The Red Wings posted an afternoon Tweet on Sunday celebrating 88 (and now 87) days and counting until the home opener, confirming that Daniel Sprong will wear #88 in Detroit:
8️⃣8️⃣ days until #RedWings hockey. ⏳ pic.twitter.com/Fh1subK9mb
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 16, 2023
2. Also in the multimedia department, the Detroit News’s Bob Wojnowski, Oakland University basketball coach Greg Kampe and Fox 2’s Dan Miller briefly discuss the last week in Red Wings news at the 12-minute mark of a video chronicling their Sunday night sports conversation on Sportsworks:
3. And MLive’s Ansar Khan delves into the Grand Rapids Griffins’ depth chart after the Red Wings have re-signed both Wyatt Newpower and Jared McIsaac to 1-year contracts this past week:
The Red Wings now have eight defensemen projected to start the season with the Griffins, including 2021 No. 6 overall pick Simon Edvinsson. The group features former second-round selections McIsaac (36th in 2018), Antti Tuomisto (35th in 2019), Albert Johansson (60th in 2019), and William Wallinder (32nd in 2020), and 2020 third-round pick Eemil Viro (70th).
Free agents Newpower and Brogan Rafferty round out the group.
Tuomisto, Newpower and Rafferty are the unit’s right-shooters.
Edvinsson, 20, is the only one among the corps who has played for the Red Wings, appearing in nine games late last season. He was hoping to compete for an NHL roster spot in training camp, but the Red Wings clearly believe he needs more development time after signing veteran free agents Shayne Gostisbehere and Justin Holl to round out a top six that includes Moritz Seider, Jake Walman, Olli Maatta and Ben Chiarot.
With Brian Lashoff leaving the picture as he’s transitioning to coaching, the Griffins are going to lean on Newpower and Rafferty (and McIsaac) to help the Red Wings’ quartet of European defensemen keep up with the rugged schedule and game of the AHL.
Edvinsson’s superior skating and skills should set him apart, and Tuomisto can play a rugged game as well, but Wallinder, Johansson and Viro are going to have an a bit of an adventure as Wallinder takes part in his first North American season, and Johansson and Viro continue to acclimate to North American hockey.
Ideally, the Griffins’ blueline will be particularly talented in terms of its puck-moving abilities, and it will be tough enough to compete with the big, heavy North American pros who try to hunt down high-skilled players who take half-seconds too long to move the puck. We’ll see how the mix plays out come October.
