Month: July 2023

Impressions from the third (skill development) day of the Red Wings’ 2023 Summer Development Camp

The Red Wings’ prospects engaged in their third and final day of skill development at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center today.

Working with skating coaches Brodie and Tracy Tutton, and then skills coach Dwayne Blais, the players built upon their progress made during the first and second days of the skill development part of camp.

Tomorrow, the 2023 Summer Development Camp wraps up with a set of 3-on-3 games, starting at 8:30 AM EDT (to be streamed on DetroitRedWings.com). It will be particularly interesting to see some of the prospects engage in physical play for the first time over the course of their five-day adventure here in Detroit…

But, for the most part, I’m going to be honest: I hope that nobody gets seriously injured or suffers a bruised ego. Development camp is about playing through bumps and bruises, to be certain, but nobody wants to sustain a major injury in a camp where evaluation, not competition, is the name of the game.

Continue reading Impressions from the third (skill development) day of the Red Wings’ 2023 Summer Development Camp

Bally Sports Detroit’s Trevor Thompson interviews Axel Sandin Pellikka

From tonight’s Detroit Tigers broadcast comes an interview with Red Wings 2023 draft pick Axel Sandin Pellikka:

Kulfan on Amadeus Lombardi

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a notebook article regarding one Amadeus Lombardi, the 5’11,” 171-pound dynamo who hopes to turn pro with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins this upcoming season:

“I was also [small] growing up, kind of late bloomer and I’m still kind of growing into my body,” said Lombardi, who is participating in the Wings’ development camp this week. “It’ll obviously take time. It kind of helped me growing up, being so small, because I had to deal with it at such a young age, and I dealt it with my whole life. It’s always going to come up, but there’s a lot of small players who’ve played. I’ll try to make it work if I can.”

What Lombardi does lack in size, he’s made up for in playmaking and pure offensive ability.

Lombardi took a major step forward this season, posting a career-high 45 goals and 57 assists for 102 points (in 67 games) with Flint in the Ontario Hockey League.

That gained him a late-season reassignment to minor-league affiliate Grand Rapids, where Lombardi had one assist in two games in his pro debut.

“As soon as I got there, I realized what a cool place it would be to play, obviously,” Lombardi said. “The games, what I took from them was how prepared they are, even with two games left (in the season). Everyone was preparing real well and you’re eating well. I have to get stronger at that level, and it’ll be an adjustment, but I’m excited to make that.”

Continued

On the ‘polarizing’ Nate Danielson

EP Rinkside’s J.D. Burke and Cam Robinson offered a set of 2023 NHL Draft “Odds and Ends” this afternoon, and they noted that Red Wings 9th overall pick Nate Danielson remains a somewhat “polarizing” prospect:

Going into last week, it seemed that Nate Danielson was the most extreme example of the divergence between public and team side scouts in this year’s draft – the team side in the pro camp and most in the public sharing a less enthusiastic appraisal of his game.

When the Detroit Red Wings stepped up to the podium to take him with the ninth overall pick, it seemed to confirm that. Now, we’re not so certain.

“It was a little surprising to see him go at nine, but one of my scouts had him in that range,” one executive said. “He was a little polarizing, but there were people that were high on him.”

As we continued to talk with people for this piece, their opinion of that pick seemed to align with that – that Danielson was divisive rather than universally revered.

“No, I wasn’t surprised to see him go at nine. He’s terrific,” one scout said.

On the opposite end of the spectrum: “We just don’t understand why some clubs value safe, middle-of-the-lineup players that early,” another scout told EP Rinkside. “You can find those players in trades, free agency, and the (waiver) wire. If you trust your pro scouts, they can get you those players. The job is to find difference makers early in the draft”

Danielson is going to be a fascinating prospect to track in the coming years. The Red Wings had to swing on upside in that spot, because it’s not likely that they’ll be in that range again in the coming years, and they still need a game-breaking talent in their NHL lineup. Clearly, they see him as that guy.

Continued (paywall); after three viewings, I’m not worried about Danielson, but it’s early yet for the 18-year-old.

A profile of Carter Mazur, grade-A pest

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton posted a fine profile of Red Wings prospect and turning-pro Grand Rapids Griffin Carter Mazur:

Since getting back home to Michigan [from the World Championship], Mazur has “been weight training five days a week, so that’s another part of it and then right after that you eat, you go on the ice. So it’s been a good setup and look forward to continuing over the summer.”

It’s an arrangement that suits the natural rink rat perfectly. Asked to describe himself as a player, Mazur says “I’m more of a hard worker I would say, and when I stick to that, then my skill comes out. I feel like if I can have an ‘A’ game, but my ‘B’ game is good. I wanna have a good ‘B’ game as well. But I feel like when I’m on my ‘A’ game, that’s when most of the skill is happening, but as long as I’m a hard worker, I think everything takes care of itself.”

“I would say I like pissing people off,” he says, offering further explanation. He notes that he picked up the idea of “A” and “B” games from Dan Cleary, Detroit’s Assistant Director of Player Development who also played ten seasons for the Wings. “That’s a big part of my game, so I feel like when that’s going on, and I’m getting under people’s skin that’s what I consider a ‘B’ game and then ‘A’ I would consider I’m doing all that as well as skill plays, good passing, scoring goals.”

“I love chirping,” Mazur continues, with an unrepentant grin. “I like getting under people’s skin. Don’t care who you are. It’s something I enjoy doing and it makes hockey fun.”

Continued

Tweet of note: Caputo offers a different take on the Red Wings’ free agent haul

Per 97.1 the Ticket’s Pat Caputo:

Filip Zadina clears waivers per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff

Red Wings forward Filip Zadina has cleared waivers, and he will remain a member of the Red Wings’ organization:

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirms:

As does TSN’s Chris Johnston:

Update: Per TSN…

Continue reading Filip Zadina clears waivers per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff