Impressions from the Red Wings prospects’ 10-7 loss vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets at the 2023 Prospect Tournament: better a goaltender than a goat lender

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects lost a weird one, a 10-7 decision against the Columbus Blue Jackets’ prospects at the 2023 Prospect Tournament on Saturday.

0-and-2 Detroit will have to turn things around in a hurry as the 1-and-1 Toronto Maple Leafs await tomorrow as the prospect tournament concludes with a 2 PM game between the Original Six rivals (to be streamed on the Red Wings’ social media channels).

Put bluntly, these kinds of games are hard to evaluate. Detroit blew leads of 3-0, 3-1 and 4-1 en route to a 10-7 outcome, which was richly deserved team-wide, but the fact that Sebastian Cossa gave up 6 goals on 21 shots–as the Red Wings team surrendered seven consecutive second-period goals–is probably going to be the talk of the town.

And we’ll get around to that. But we need to talk about the game as a whole, or at least the “highlights” thereof, via MLive’s Ansar Khan’s recap:

Cross Hanas scored a pair of goals for the Red Wings. Nate Danielson, the ninth pick in this year’s draft, had three assists, giving him five points (all assists) in two games.

Alexandre Doucet and Riley Sawchuk each had a goal and an assist. Elmer Soderblom, Jackson DeSouza and Nic Sima scored goals. Matthew Lombardi and Tnias Mathurin each picked up a pair of assists.

The Red Wings started strong, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first period.

Sawchuk scored off the rush, DeSouza scored on a net-front direction and Doucet converted on a sharp-angle shot.

Fantilli got the Blue Jackets on the scoreboard late in the first period before Hanas put the Red Wings up 4-1 1:30 into the second period.

Columbus then took over, scoring seven times on just 11 shots in the period.

The Detroit News’s takes the “wheels fell off the train” storyline from there, on a night where Columbus scored four power play goals, a goal on a delayed penalty, and an empty-netter:

The Columbus Blue Jackets scored seven consecutive goals in a span of 10 minutes, 58 seconds in the second period, leading to a 10-7 victory over the Wings.

Former Michigan standout Adam Fantilli had three goals (one empty net) and two assists to lead the Blue Jackets.

Cross Hanas had two goals, and Riley Sawchuk, Alexandre Doucet, Jackson DeSouza, Nic Sima and Elmer Soderblom had Wings goals, while Nate Danielson had three assists and Amadeus Lombardi and Tnias Mathurin had two assists each.

Goalie Sebastian Cossa stopped 15 of 21 shots before being replaced in the second period.

“Our start was fine, then the second period certainly got away from us,” said Dan Watson, who is coaching the Wings’ prospect team. “The emotional side of it, some undisciplined penalties, their power play certainly made us pay for those undisciplined penalties. The consistency in our compete wasn’t there tonight.”

The Free Press’s Helene St. James took note of Cossa’s struggles…

Cossa gave up six goals on 21 shots, ceding his net at 7:40 of the second period. He didn’t get much help from his teammates, but after the first couple goals went in, Cossa couldn’t recover.

“I thought he battled hard in the first period,” Watson said. “Then you could see the way some of the goals given up — it wasn’t all on him, certainly, but it’s trying to find that consistency from game to game. It was a tough one here for him.”

There is a lot riding on Cossa for the Wings, who went so far as to move up in the 2021 draft to select the 6-foot-6 Canadian at No. 15, ahead of Jesper Wallstedt, projected as the first goaltender to go in that draft. (The Minnesota Wild took Wallstedt at 20th; he already has played 38 games in the AHL and represented Sweden in the 2023 World Championship.)

Cossa, 20, gave up two goals on 16 shots in 30:08 minutes in Thursday’s game.

As did MLive’s Khan:

“I went up to him in the second intermission and let him know it’s all right. Stuff like this happens,” Cross Hanas, who scored two goals for the Red Wings, said. “There’s always going to be a game like this. We kind of didn’t do our part. We him on the penalty kill a lot. He faced a lot of shots early in the second period. It’s nothing that’s just his fault. It’s the whole team’s fault. I just told him, ‘You’re good, man. We’re sorry we put you in that situation.’ I know Coss, he’ll be good. He’ll be ready to go for the next time he’s in net.”

Griffins coach Dan Watson said he’ll talk to the staff before deciding whether to put Cossa back in Sunday against Toronto in the tournament finale (2 p.m., livestreamed on DetroitRedWings.com).

“In the regular season at times you want to get those guys right back in there so they can’t think about it, they can’t process it,” Watson said. “You just want them to go play hockey again. There’s other people that would say keep him out and let other guys get an opportunity.”

I don’t come by that “wheels fell off” metaphor lightly, as DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills noted:

“When the wheels fall off like that for a few minutes and they get all those goals, it’s tough to come back from,” Hanas said. “The coaches did a good job. We called a timeout and regrouped a little bit as much as we could on the bench. Then our next goal was to win the rest of the period, get out of the period and regroup in the locker room.

“Games like that, you have to have some small victories here and there to try to get yourself back on track and put yourself in a spot to potentially win the game.”

And here are a few more quotes, per Mills:

Watson on his takeaways from Saturday’s game

“I thought our start was fine. Then that second period certainly got away from us. The emotional side of it, some undisciplined penalties. Their power play certainly made us pay for those. Then you just try to claw back and get back into the game.”

Watson on Carter Mazur’s status

“With Carter, again, lower-body injury. He will not play tomorrow and will be further evaluated by the Red Wings docs here for the upcoming week.”

Hanas on the importance of each tournament game

“It’s real important for each person in the room to play these games and get the opportunity to be here. Obviously some guys are trying to showcase themselves to potentially get signed, while some guys potentially to make a team. If you can’t get up for these, it’s kind of hard not to. There’s a lot at stake for a lot of us.”

In the multimedia department, here are four of the Red Wings’ goals…

SAWCHUK SNIPE! pic.twitter.com/aMKHYbQWi4

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 16, 2023

De2-0uza!#DRWPT pic.twitter.com/ghL0QiRWiO

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 16, 2023

3-0. 😃

🚨: Doucet | #DRWPT pic.twitter.com/4f2PAiUo7z

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 16, 2023

CROSS HANAS! pic.twitter.com/2ThxwMNm0Q

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 16, 2023

Here’s a clip of Hanas and coach Watson speaking with the press, via the Free Press’s St. James…

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton snagged a clip of Marco Kasper’s fight with Corson Ceulemans…

Marco Kasper had been involved in extra-curriculars throughout both games, and eventually he hits his boiling point. Couple of first rounders duking it out in Traverse City: Marco Kasper vs Corson Ceulemans pic.twitter.com/IpD1S6dPfs

— Sam Stockton (@_samstockton) September 16, 2023

And here’s the full Red Wings stream of the game, if you’ve got two-and-a-half hours to kill:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7cc9mwNSD7w%3Fsi%3DekCoVYnFGjq4iMTu

You can also watch the full post-game comments made by Cross Hanas and Dan Watson here on DetroitRedWings.com. They spoke for a total of over 20 minutes!

In terms of my player impressions, keeping in mind that this was the second of the tournament, that the Red Wings first held a morning skate on Thursday, lost 4-2 to Dallas on Thursday, and practiced on Friday, here’s what I thought of the Wings’ participants in the game, with more information at hand:

FORWARDS:

#63 Alexandre Doucet—#92 Marco Kasper—#28 Riley Sawchuk** “A”

#63 Alexandre Doucet: All things considered, Doucet had a solid outing. The free agent signing and 21-year-old forward earned a promotion to the “first line,” and he scored a goal, added an assist, finished at +1 and had 2 shots. The 6,’ 187-pound forward from the QMJHL’s Val-d’Or Foreurs and Halifax Mooseheads has improved over the course of his time with the Wings in terms of his compete level and his overall consistency, and the 58-goal-scorer is still on track to turn pro with the Grand Rapids Griffins this fall as he hopes to round out his game.

There are always concerns with the QMJHL guys that they’ve had it “too easy” in a high-scoring league, but Doucet’s skating ability, willingness to grind it out to win puck battles, and overall skill set suggest that he’s going to adjust to the rigors of professional hockey.

#92 Marco Kasper: I sort of circled Kasper in my notebook and reminded myself that, despite the fact that he’s played in an NHL game, the graduate of Rogle BK of the SHL is still learning how to play North American hockey. I think that the lack of time and space to make plays and the 85-foot-wide rink are causing some problems for the sublimely-talented forward in terms of his offensive output, and the 19-year-old’s frustrations were on full display as he hacked, whacked and ultimately fought his way through a rough outing for his team. Kasper wants to be a leader out there in all categories of the game, but the 6’1,” 183-pound center is forcing things a little too much, and that’s negated some of his skating, passing and shooting skills.

That’s also caused some folks to say, “Oh, Kasper will never be a scorer at the professional level,” but I believe that his offense will come over time. And he had a rough outing at times when “the wheels fell off,” but it was not for a lack of effort. He finished even with 2 shots, and 9 penalty minutes.

#28 Riley Sawchuk** “A”: Sawchuk had a goal and an assist for 2 points, with 3 shots, and an ill-timed penalty. His promotion to Kasper’s line essentially afforded the 24-year-old forward to audition for a spot on the Grand Rapids Griffins and/or Toledo Walleye, and that’s where the 5’11,” 181-pound graduate of Mount Royal University is headed. He was brought in as an older player because he can lead through his experience and savvy, and he hasn’t excelled over the course of two games, but he’s been a positive factor, and that’s a good thing.

It’s not as if Sawchuk’s performance on Saturday changes his trajectory toward an NHL job–he’s got an AHL contract–but he steadied himself offensively in front of Griffins coach Dan Watson and Walleye coach Pat Mikesch.

#74 Cross Hanas—#29 Nate Danielson—#85 Elmer Soderblom “A”

#74 Cross Hanas: Hanas scored 2 goals on 3 shots, and finished even, and he was pretty good offensively, displaying the kind of form Hanas hopes to achieve at the AHL level. At 21 years of age, the 6’1,” 180-pound winger suffered an “injury” (it was his shoulder, and the fact that it leaked out that it was his shoulder pissed then-Griffins coach Ben Simon off to no end) which cost him all but 30 games from his rookie pro season. Hanas admitted that he was incredibly frustrated spending his time in the stands as he recovered, and it’s shown over the course of two prospect tournament games. He’s been speedy, smart, savvy with the puck on his stick in terms of his passing and playmaking abilities, and on Saturday, he shot the puck, too.

On a difficult night against superstar-in-the-making Adam Fantilli and the Blue Jackets, Hanas made his own statement in terms of being an under-the-radar professional prospect in terms of his offensive gifts and work ethic.

#29 Nate Danielson: Danielson had a particularly potent game, posting 3 assists and a +1 on 6 shots, building upon a 2-assist performance in Thursday’s game. Only 18, the Brandon What Kings’ captain is a supremely self-confident center who’s put weight and strength onto a 6’2,” 185-pound frame, and the 9th overall pick in this past summer’s entry draft has at least taken some steps to solidify his status as being worth the high draft pick in fans’ eyes.

That being said, Danielson is at the beginning of his pro journey, and 5 assists in 2 prospect tournament games does not guarantee a successful NHL career. The plucky two-way center will have to head back to Brandon, Manitoba this fall and embrace the WHL travel grind and on-ice grind once again to continue the forward momentum he’s building here in Traverse City.

#85 Elmer Soderblom “A”: Soderblom missed a fair chunk of last season with assorted, undisclosed injuries at the NHL and AHL levels, and he’s making up for lost time. Scoring a goal on two shots, and finishing even, the gigantic (6’8,” 245-pound) winger should look comfortable on both North American ice and should be somewhat dominant at 22 years of age, in his third prospect tournament, and he’s delivered.

There are still moments when he over-complicates plays, and surrenders scoring opportunities as a result, but Big Elmer has a remarkable skill set for a man of his stature and wingspan, and he’ll make strong steps toward a regular NHL job this season, regardless of where he begins the 2022-2023 season.

#82 Israel Mianscum*—#78 Amadeus Lombardi—#56 Matyas Melovsky*

#82 Israel Mianscum*: I’ve been a little disappointed in the free agent invite’s outings thus far. He finished at +1 with 1 shot, and the 20-year-old wing is strong at 6’1″ and 198 pounds, but the point-per-game player with the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix has gotten knocked off the puck and knocked around the ice fairly easily at times, surprisingly so for a stocky dude that can skate and handle the puck well. Sometimes the pace of play at this prospect tournament can catch players off-guard, as can the physicality at play, and Mianscum is no slouch, but he’s playing like a little guy at times.

Mianscum might be a bigger and stronger player than his foes in Quebec and the Maritimes, but this is another level up in terms of play, and it can make very solid Major Junior players look very inconsistent.

#78 Amadeus Lombardi: Lombardi has had some ups and downs as he adjusts to playing what is near-professional level hockey, and that should not be overly surprising. He posted 2 assists in a very solid game, finishing at -1, but coach Watson mentioned Lombardi as one of the players who’s tried to force plays to happen after his 102-point OHL campaign, instead of just shooting and passing with urgency, and while the 5’11,” 171-pound center will turn pro with a strong skill set, a low center of gravity and the ability to out-muscle much bigger opponents for the puck, he’s got to focus on simplifying his game.

Put bluntly, Lombardi is pretty darn good as far as mid-range prospects who are “undersized” go, and he’s making positive things happen–which is great–but he can do more and be more effective.

#56 Matyas Melovsky*: The nearly assist-per-game winger from Baie-Comeau of the QMJHL is a 19-year-old free agent invite who’s certainly displayed passing aplomb over the course of two games, and he took two shots in this game, so the skills are there. It’s just that the 6’1,” 190-pound Czech has gotten pushed around by bigger, stronger players. I can see his playmaking abilities in his slick little passes and smart playmaking skills when he’s on the ice, but, like Mianscum, the pace of this tournament is a bit much for him, as is the size and strength of his opponents.

Melovsky may have more to give as a player in progress, and an elite passer at that, but right now, the free agent invite has looked a little over-matched physically. That does happen.

#83 Nic Sima*—#64 Emmitt Finnie—#58 Dean Loukus*

#83 Nic Sima*: Sima scored a nice goal on two shots, and the 18-year-old free agent invite from the Saginaw Spirit is no slouch at 6’3″ and 190 pounds, but he had a rough draft year, and that’s enough for a player to get passed over in the draft. This was Sima’s first game, playing on a fourth line that took on water at times, and he had one shining moment in an uneven game.

It’s really hard to evaluate a player like Sima, who I’ve seen skate three times, after a game in which he didn’t get much ice time, but he looked okay. He kept up and had a positive impact.

#64 Emmitt Finnie: Still only 18, the 2023 201st overall draft pick and Kamloops Blazers center stands at 6′ and 170 pounds, and there have been flashes of Lombardi-like potential in a player who’s generally looked like a little guy who was worth taking a late-round flyer on due to those glimmers of hope. Finnie finished at -1, and he’s not dented a goaltender over the course of two games.

Still just at the beginning of his pro hockey journey, Finnie has been intriguing at times, and he’s been a fourth-line center who’s gotten out-worked or out-detailed at times.

#58 Dean Loukus*: A Calumet, MI native, the free agent invite from Saginaw of the OHL finished at an earned -2, but the 20-year-old winger had an OK showing in his first game at the prospect tournament level. Only 5’10” and 175 pounds, Loukus certainly has the will to overcome his size, but he experienced a bumpy introduction to near-pro level hockey.

Local boy makes okay. Loukus held his own in a game in which the third and fourth lines did not do much to distinguish themselves.

DEFENSEMEN:

#54 William Wallinder “A”—#38 Antti Tuomisto

#54 William Wallinder “A”: Wallinder had an assist and a shot on goal, and he seemed to understand that wearing the “A” on his jersey meant that he had to elevate his game. Making the jump to North America after playing parts of four seasons at the Swedish pro levels of play, the 21-year-old is big and skinny at 6’4″ and 190 pounds, but he’s strong on his skates, he’s strong on the puck, and he shoots and passes superbly, with good positioning and awareness of where he is on the ice. He and partner Antti Tuomisto have struggled at times with the lack of time and space on North American rinks, and the pace of play here in North America, but Wallinder will be fine over the course of time.

Wallinder is still one of the Wings’ brightest defensive prospects, so the hiccups he’s displayed that have led to goals against are learning experiences. Painful ones, but learning experiences for a professional player.

#38 Antti Tuomisto: Big Antti finished at -1 with 1 shot, and there have been moments where he looks downright elegant, and there have been moments where the two-year college veteran and graduate of TPS Turku of the Finnish Liiga has looked vulnerable. Massive at 6’5″ and 205 pounds and facing a shorter route to the NHL because he’s a right shot in a left-shooting Wings depth chart, the big two-way defenseman possesses the offensive skills to keep up with top-pair partners, the physicality and nastiness to excel in pro hockey, and a learning curve to master in terms of mastering the North American rink. Sometimes he and Wallinder are seamless; sometimes they are awkward and bumbling. Them’s the breaks when you pair two immensely-talented players trying to “turn pro” at the AHL level.

Overall, I’ve liked Tuomisto’s game and his snarl, but he and Wallinder are going to take time to truly excel on a consistent basis.

#95 Tnias Mathurin—#26 Andrew Gibson

#95 Tnias Mathurin: It is possible to not really like the game of a player who posted two assists in an uneven game. Only 19, the 6’3,” 201-pound defenseman still looks a bit heavy-footed to me, and that pace of play issue dogs him. He’s a fine physical, stay-at-home defenseman, and there is probably more to him than he’s displayed thus far, but he’s screamed “#6 defenseman” since the first time I saw him skate, and there’s a place for the Andreas Lilja’s of the world, but he leaves you wanting more.

Mathurin had a very solid game, and there’s potential there, but he has to continue working on skating.

#26 Andrew Gibson: Gibson looked all of 18 on Saturday night. The Soo Greyhounds stalwart had a fantastic first game, and while he posted an assist and 2 shots on Saturday, there were times that the 6’3,” 196-pound defenseman got a little sketchy in terms of his puck management, and he absorbed some heavy hits as a result. There’s potential in the 42nd overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft to be sure, but there’s a lot of learning to do as well, and he did a lot of learning on Saturday.

Gibson may yet be the next big, physical thing on the Wings’ defense. Right now, he’s got a lot to learn, and at 18, that’s okay.

#61 Connor Punnett*—#79 Jackson DeSouza*

#61 Connor Punnett*: The Barrie Colts defenseman and free agent invite was brought in to keep the flies off, and on Saturday, he engaged in his second fight in two games, battling 6’4″ Cameron Butler. No slouch at 6’2″ and 198 pounds, Punnett is a 20-year-old defenseman with a role to fill. He has been so-so in terms of being a defensive defenseman, but he’s been a star in terms of being a hired gun.

Punnett was +1 with 9 penalty minutes. Sometimes, he was an asset. Sometimes, he was a liability. It’s give and take with guys like Punnett, who usually find a pro home somewhere.

#79 Jackson DeSouza: DeSouza scored a goal and finished at +1 with 2 shots, and I thought that the 6’5,” 187-pound free agent invite from the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets hasn’t quite put it together at the WHL level. At 20, runway is starting to run out for the confident, composed offensive defenseman, so he needed to have the kind of offensive game he did on Saturday, but he needed to be better defensively, too.

DeSouza got his first game in on Saturday, and the relatively unknown defender has played particularly well offensively during the summer development camp and during the practices at the fall prospect tournament, but one game does not a career make, and he was good…But I’m not certain whether he was good enough to warrant another opportunity.

GOALTENDERS:

#33 Sebastian Cossa: As far as most fans and some pundits are concerned, Cossa’s 6 goals against on 21 shots faced Saturday night = the end of his career. Dead. Buried. Forgotten.

I’m not convinced. Sebastian Cossa is all of 20 years old, and the 6’6,” 229-pound goaltender, who has admittedly been terrible at prospect tournament games, won 26 times in 46 ECHL regular season games this past season with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, and went 5-and-2 with a 2.33 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in 7 playoff games.

Yes, Cossa is inconsistent. Yes, Cossa has a significant amount of maturing to do in terms of making the jump from the ECHL to the AHL. Yes, he has to stop more high shots against. More stick side shots. He has to be as impenetrable above his pads as he is down low.

But he’s not dead yet. He’s 20 going on 21 this November. He’s got training camp and the exhibition season ahead of him, and a lot of time working with Griffins goalie coach Roope Koistinen and Wings developmental coach Phil Osaer and Wings goalie coach Alex Westlund in this “project prospect’s” future.

Cossa has work to do. We all know it. But he is not dead and buried. He’s still got professional potential, maybe NHL potential. And giving up on him because his developmental path is not linear is foolhardy.

#68 Lukas Matecha*: At the other end of the spectrum, Matecha is coming over to North America at 18, and the free agent invite will play for the WHL’s Tri-City Americans this upcoming season. 6’3″ and 187 pounds, he’s got size and poise, and his butterfly game is strong, and he came in to relieve Cossa and stopped an okay 12 of 15 shots against. As the Wings’ “third goalie” here at the prospect tournament, getting in some game action and playing tolerably well is what he needed to do.

At the start of his developmental career here in North America, Matecha got the opportunity to turn some heads after being passed over in the draft. In front of scouts galore, he did what he needed to do.

SCRATCHES:

#32 Carter Mazur, right wing: It’s particularly unfortunate that the 21-year-old Mazur is out for the prospect tournament. The Jackson, MI native is looking to make an impact as a grinding forward with offensive instinct as well as snarl. He’s only 6′ and 175 pounds, but Mazur is strong on his skates and he’s got a mean streak. But he also knows how to score rebound and garbage goals, and sneak into quiet areas on the ice to jab pucks toward the goal. Here’s hoping that he comes back for training camp. Right now, he’s got to rehab his “lower-body injury.”

#70 Finn Harding*, defenseman: The free agent invite from Mississauga of the OHL is all of 18 years old, and he was marginally effective as a right-shot defenseman on the third pairing in his first game. Harding stands at 6’1″ and 182 pounds, and he’s still growing into his body.

#86 Jake Uberti*, left wing: Uberti has exhausted his OHL eligibility, so he’s headed to St. Mary’s College to continue playing at the Canadian University level. The 6’1,” 210-pound 21-year-old was all right during his first game, but he has yet to distinguish himself in an outstanding way.

#60 Jan Bednar, goaltender: Bednar is in Sebastian Cossa’s skates a year ago. At 21, Bednar, a disciplined butterfly goalie who used to flop all over the place to make spectacular saves, only to surrender soft goals, he’s revamped his game. Now Bednar will look to provide the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye with consistent goaltending behind John Lethemon, and the 6’4,” 199-pound goaltender will probably spend a lot of time with the same goaltending coaches who look to stabilize Cossa.

*=Try-out **=Grand Rapids Griffins contract

In terms of fundraising, things are still a bit tight. Aunt Annie and I need to earn our way back home, and we need to raise at least $600 for bills. We’ve raised approximately $80 over the course of the Traverse City trip thus far, which is way less than we need to pay our bills when we get home. I hope that I can earn your support through my work here.

If you can lend a hand with our expenses, we have an old-fashioned GoFundMe here https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-george-annie-attend-prospect-tournament, 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.”