The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects closed out the 2023 Prospect Tournament with an unpleasant 6-5 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday afternoon, and the Wings’ 0-and-3 record at their own prospect tournament, combined with Sebastian Cossa’s struggles in goal, has the fan base pretty freaked out right now.
More than a few of you seem to believe that 1) Cossa’s career is over before he even made the jump to the AHL, and that the Red Wings are clearly 2) Struggling from a dearth of prospects under the collapsing Yzerplan.
Now I’m not about to make excuses for the prospect tournament team here–they weren’t good enough in terms of their play over the course of three games in four nights.
They blew leads in every single game–the 4-2 loss to Dallas on Thursday, the 10-7 loss to Columbus on Friday, and today’s 6-5 loss–Detroit had a middling power play, the worst penalty-kill in the tournament, and they couldn’t score to rally from their self-inflicted wounds in terms of bad goals against and bad penalties taken at the wrong times.
But the problem here is that we’re talking about attempting to gel a team of mostly turning-North-American-pro prospects, a handful of hold-overs, and 10 free agents over the course of 3 games in 4 nights. Under the guidance of a Grand Rapids Griffins coaching staff that hadn’t worked together before, at all.
The fact that the Wings lost Carter Mazur after the first game didn’t help. He’s a driver of play and the kind of plucky instigator you need when you’re looking for a spark.
The fact that they lost Nate Danielson for today’s game due to a minor injury that had to be managed didn’t help, either, given that he was their leading scorer going into the game.
And the fact that Sebastian Cossa regressed from a goaltender who won 26 regular season games and 5 playoff games in the ECHL this past season to a goaltender who didn’t look ready to “Make the Jump” to the AHL sure as hell didn’t help.
When things go sideways in short tournaments, they go sideways in a hurry, and it can be incredibly hard to “right the ship.” I’ve seen more than a couple of teams in the prospect tournament go 0-and-3 and seem to flail at every opportunity despite possessing a very solid base of NHL-directed talent–just never the Red Wings before.
Yes, results matter, and you don’t want to be the home team that surrenders 3 losses and 20 goals against on home ice. But as much as the prospect tournaments matter, they are the lead-up to training camp for a group of players looking to impress their own team’s management, developmental arm and scouts, and when they don’t impress much, if at all…
There’s still training camp to be had, and the exhibition season to be played.
And in the cases of the Red Wings’ prospects, the Red Wings’ player development staff is ready to help them “right the ship” on and off the ice, with Shawn Horcoff and Dan Cleary ready to lend a hand, the Grand Rapids Griffins and Toledo Walleye’s coaching staff always ready to help place players in environments to succeed on the ice, and, in the case of the goaltenders, Griffins goalie coach Roope Koistinen, Wings developmental goalie coach Phil Osaer and Wings goalie coach Alex Westlund all available to help.
Player development is a difficult task. You’re asking a player’s mental, physical and on-ice skill sets to develop and intersect at the same time, and that doesn’t always happen. But Detroit gives its prospects every opportunity to be presented with the tools they need to successfully develop into professional athletes, and, ultimately, it’s up to the players to excel over time.
One lost weekend will not doom them forever. It stings–most definitely, it casts some doubt upon the prospect pool, and in Cossa’s case, it’s a reminder of how big a project some prospects can be, but the Red Wings would not have any success whatsoever if all of their prospects did not develop.
Is it time to worry? Maybe. But is it time to panic? Hell no. It’s far, far too early in the process to write anyone off, Cossa included, for the sake of three particularly forgettable prospect tournament games.
In the “media takes” department, MLive’s Ansar Khan posted a game recap which highlighted the Wings prospects’ contributions…
[Cross] Hanas, who also had an assist, had back-to-back two-goal games.
Nic Sima, Hanas, [and Andreas] Lombardi scored for the Red Wings while Riley Sawchuk tallied three assists and Marco Kasper provided two assists.
Lombardi sapped a 2-2 tie with 1:31 remaining in the second period.
Sima opened the scoring at 9:04 of the first period with an unassisted goal off the rush. It was the second goal in as many games for the camp invitee from the Saginaw Spirit.
Hanas made it 2-0 at 6:59 of the second with a snipe from the face-off circle, after receiving a pass from behind the net by Kasper.
The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan took note of Lombardi and coach Watson’s post-game remarks…
Cross Hanas had his second consecutive two-goal game, and Amadeus Lombardi, Nic Sima and Elmer Soderblom added Wings goals.
Wings goaltender Jan Bednar stopped all 29 shots he saw. He was replaced by Sebastian Cossa, who made only 12 of 17 saves, struggling for the second straight game.
“Maybe a little bit of lack of focus at times that led to some of those goals against,” said Dan Watson, who coached the Wings’ prospects, of Cossa’s performance. “That’s part of refocusing, and I’m sure he feels pressure and that kind of stuff but with that said, he’s matured in that area and now the next step is the mental side of it. You let one (goal) in, you have to forget about it and move on and be ready to stop the next puck.”
…
Lombardi saw positives from the weekend.
“It was frustrating losing three games, we wanted to come here and win and compete,” Lombardi said. “But we are here to develop and learn and we understand that. We’re here to learn and to get better.
‘”Both games we were playing well and then a few mistakes happened and it ended up going in the back of our net. Maybe the bounces were a little unfortunate but aside from that, we’re learning new systems and learning how to play a pro style.”
As did the Free Press’s Helene St. James…
“I’m pretty disappointed with the performances in these three games,” [Lombardi] said after Sunday’s 6-5 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I think I had a couple good moments, and I had a pretty long week, but it’s no excuse and I can definitely be a lot better.
“Maybe it will light a fire under me and hopefully I’ll have a better camp than I did these last three games.”
The tournament at Centre Ice Arena pitted the likes of Lombardi, and recent first-round picks Sebastian Cossa (2021), Marco Kasper (2022) and Nate Danielson (2023) against prospects from the Leafs, Columbus Blue Jackets and Dallas Stars. The Wings at least put in a respectable, competitive performance in the 4-2 loss to the Stars, but the second game was marred by giving up six straight goals in a 10-7 loss to the Blue Jackets. Sunday, the Wings again squandered a lead, going up 2-0 and 3-2.
The outcomes of the games don’t matter as much as the performances, but the Wings flunked both weekend tests with back-to-back collapses.
“That was the message after the game,” Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson said. “It was a grind, but every team went through it. Main camp doesn’t get easier. The intensity ramps up, there’s guys trying to make the team. The details, the habits are better. The game is quicker. What we hope to happen is that they have a step ahead here, whether it’s through systems we ran that Detroit will also run, some of the drills that we did. But it doesn’t get easier.”
And DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills posted a recap as well:
“We came out hot like we did yesterday,” Lombardi said. “We were playing really well, moving pucks and doing all the right things. A couple mishaps and it goes in the back of our net. That’s the way hockey is. A little bit frustrating considering we had a similar style yesterday. We got to learn how to prevent those mistakes from happening and keep a close eye on them as best we can.”
Forward Marco Kasper and Sawchuk each picked up an assist on forward Elmer Soderblom’s game-tying goal at 2:07. However, Toronto responded with 34 seconds left in the game to set the final 6-5 score.
Red Wings goalie Jan Bednar stopped all 28 shots he faced, while Sebastian Cossa, made 12 saves in relief after replacing Bednar in the second.
While Detroit finished the tournament with an 0-3 record, Red Wings prospect coach Dan Watson said the past four days in Traverse City have been invaluable.
“To get us together as a staff is extremely important,” Watson said. “That’s going to feed and bleed into the players too. With the players, just getting them to understand that it is consistent compete and work ethic. There’s no nights or days off. I thought our guys came to work every day.”
In the multimedia department, the Free Press’s St. James posted a clip of Lombardi and Watson’s remarks…
If you’ve got two-and-a-half hours, you can watch the Red Wings’ full stream of the game here:
The Red Wings’ Twitter/X account posted the team’s first three goals…
Sim Sima!
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 17, 2023
1-0! #DRWPT pic.twitter.com/bZ5S9PP9To
Nice little Cross Hanas snipe. 🤌
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 17, 2023
2-0! #DRWPT pic.twitter.com/5ZxHhCpjPa
The feed & the finish. 🔥
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 17, 2023
Ammo makes it 3-2! #DRWPT pic.twitter.com/SIoOnJJ0IW
And the Red Wings’ website posted 18:31 worth of post-game remarks from Lombardi and coach Watson.
In terms of my player impressions, keeping in mind that this was the third and final game of the tournament, that the Red Wings first held a morning skate on Thursday, lost 4-2 to Dallas on Thursday, practiced on Friday, and lost 10-7 to Columbus on Saturday, here’s what I thought of the Wings’ participants in the game, with more information at hand–and take note of the fact that nobody wore a “letter” on their jersey today:
FORWARDS:
#85 Elmer Soderblom—#92 Marco Kasper—#28 Riley Sawchuk**
#85 Elmer Soderblom: Soderblom scored a goal and finished at -1 with 2 shots, and he had a good tournament overall, scoring 3 goals on 10 shots, finishing at -2. Given that Soderblom is 22, and that the 6’8,” 246-pound winger is a three-time prospect tournament veteran, I think it would have been concerning if he didn’t play extremely well over the course of the tournament.
Now there are still areas of his game which I feel need improvement, and “keeping it simple” is the biggest one. Soderblom is tremendously talented in terms of his puck-handling skills, he skates very well for a man of his size, and while he’s not particularly physical, he manages to get around the ice and win physical battles.
If Soderblom doesn’t make the Red Wings’ roster, he’s going to need some time in Grand Rapids to establish himself as the kind of two-way forward and offensive contributor that he can become when he keeps it simple, but he’s a useful player who can be used on the power play and penalty kill as well, and he’s…He’s got size that no one can teach.
#92 Marco Kasper: Kasper had 2 assists and 4 shots against Toronto, registering his only offense of the tournament. He also took 10 shots, finishing at -2, with 9 penalty minutes over the course of three games played.
I asked coach Dan Watson if he felt that Kasper’s offense would come along with time, and he felt that Kasper, perhaps like Soderblom, needs to play more deliberate, spare and sometimes selfish hockey in order to succeed on North American ice. I think we forget sometimes that the graduate of Rogle BK of the SHL is still only 19, and that Kasper’s 6’1,” 183-pound frame can still fill out a bit in terms of his strength.
Moreover, as I’ve been saying, I think that we also forget that Kasper is adjusting to a smaller rink where there’s less time to make plays, and he’s still got this, “Well, I can make an extra deke or dangle, and I can skate toward the net at an oblique angle, because I’m on 100-foot-wide ice” mentality, a mentality that will be hammered out of him over time.
But Kasper is immensely talented in all facets of his game, he’s a responsible two-way player who skates well and is surprisingly physical, and he’s grown up as the son of a former professional hockey player, so the tri-lingual Kasper has been exposed to a professional environment since he was a kid. Kasper will turn out fine.
I do wonder whether he’ll be better on the wing offensively, however. Like Valtteri Filppula used to do, Kasper seems to be preoccupied with his defensive responsibilities at center, and maybe playing him on the wing, at least early on, would free him up a bit.
#28 Riley Sawchuk**: Sawchuk finished with 3 assists and a +2 with 3 shots, and he ended up as the tournament’s co-leading Red Wings scorer with a goal and 5 assists for 6 points in three games.
All of that being said, the Grand Rapids Griffins-contracted forward is probably AHL or ECHL-bound, and at 24, the 5’11,” 181-pound center/wing is probably about as developed as he’ll be as a professional hockey player in the making. A graduate of St. Mary’s University of the Canadian USports circuit, Sawchuk impressed as one of the oldest players in the entire tournament, but he was brought in to lead, and lead, he did. Now he’ll turn his attention toward earning an AHL spot over the course of training camp.
#74 Cross Hanas—#64 Emmitt Finnie—#56 Matyas Melovsky*
#74 Cross Hanas: Hanas, a second-year pro who missed a significant chunk of last season with a shoulder injury which required surgery, had 2 goals and an assist for 3 points in this game, and he took 6 shots, but he finished at -3, too. The 21-year-old stands at 6’1″ and 180 pounds, and he’s an excellent passer/set-up man who happens to also possess a strong shot.
His skating is getting better over the course of time, and Hanas knows how to maximize time and space, but he’s still learning how to play with the kind of urgency necessary to establish himself as a scorer at the AHL level.
Hanas is still developing, and his prospect tournament performance was excellent, but he’s got to keep it up to turn heads on in an organization that needs offensive talent.
#64 Emmitt Finnie: Finnie finished at -2 with 1 shot on Sunday, and he finished the tournament at a-3 with 3 shots. The 6,’ 170-pound center from the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL is an 18-year-old, 2023 draft pick, and a late one at that. Long story long, he’s a 201st overall pick who is still growing into his body and growing into his game.
There were moments that he looked like someone worth taking a late-round flyer on, and there were moments where the going got tough for him. He’s a long-shot prospect who is still developing, and this past weekend, he got his first taste of best-on-best competition. It was not easy for him, but that’s okay.
#56 Matyas Melovsky*: Melovsky finished at -1 with 2 shots over the course of the tournament, and the free agent invite didn’t seem to have any of the form that posted 52 assists in 59 games with the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar. He’s 19, and the 6’1,” 190-pound winger may very well head back to the “Q” after training camp, and he may very well return to his passing ways. He just struggled with the pace of play here in Traverse City, and he got bumped around at times.
Sometimes immense one-skill talent doesn’t shine. That doesn’t mean that the talent isn’t there.
#63 Alexandre Doucet—#78 Amadeus Lombardi—#83 Nic Sima*: 6’3,” 190 and 18
63 Alexandre Doucet: Doucet had a goal and an assist over the course of the tournament, finishing at -3, and taking 8 shots. The 21-year-old graduate of the QMJHL posted 58 goals this past season, and that earned him a free agent contract with the Red Wings, but the 6,’ 187-pound winger needs some time in the AHL or ECHL (maybe both) to round out his game.
Doucet is a “finisher” in a team that needs ’em, but he’s also pretty raw in terms of his all-round game, and it will take time for him to learn how to compete on a nightly basis.
#78 Amadeus Lombardi: Lombardi scored a goal on 2 shots on Sunday, and he finished the tournament with a goal and two assists, a -2, and 2 shots taken. The 20-year-old center from the OHL’s Flint Firebirds hit 102 points this past season, so it was a little surprising that he struggled to dent the scoresheet when his team needed it the most. At 5’11” and 171 pounds, the center is no longer small, but still “undersized,” though he’s able to overcome his stature thanks to superior skating and an understanding of the leverage needed to win puck battles.
Lombardi, like Doucet, is a bit of a project prospect, but he’s a driven young man who promised to put in the hard work necessary to succeed. He still takes too many hard hits, and he still looks like he’s adjusting to the pace of play of pro hockey, but he may have a bright future, should everything fall into place.
#83 Nic Sima*: Sima had his best game of the tournament, scoring a goal on 3 shots. He posted 2 goals over the course of 3 games, and the 18-year-old free agent invite from the Saginaw Spirit is big at 6’3″ and 190 pounds, but very raw, and as such, he was passed over in this past summer’s NHL Draft.
Over the course of two games played, he did what he needed to do to turn some heads. Still draft-eligible, Sima may hear his name called next summer.
#82 Israel Mianscum*, #86 Jake Uberti* (11th and 12th forwards)
#82 Israel Mianscum*: Mianscum finished at +1 with 2 shots in 3 games played, and that was surprising for the point-per-game player from Sherbrooke of the QMJHL. The 6’1,” 198-pound center got bumped around a bit, too, and the tournament may have been a bit much for him. At 20 years of age, he’s got to go back to the “Q” and have a big season to not be looking for somewhere to play next year at this time.
#86 Jake Uberti*, left wing: Uberti is a free agent invite who’s headed to St. Mary’s University this upcoming season, and the 6’1,” 200-pound forward finished the tournament even with one shot on goal. He never really stood out, and he’s one of those players that makes me wonder whether the Wings’ free agent try-outs really hurt their depth, because nobody impressed, at least up front. At 21, though, Uberti’s still got time to develop at the Canadian USports level.
DEFENSEMEN:
#54 William Wallinder—#26 Andrew Gibson
#54 William Wallinder: Wallinder got better as the tournament went along. He finished with an assist and a -1 with 9 shots over the course of 3 games, and while the offense that people might have expected did not materialize, Wallinder’s excellent skating skills, his passing aplomb, hard shot and veteran savvy at all of 21 years of age all shined through at one point or another. There were times that he struggled with turnovers and the lack of time and space on the North American rink, but the 6’4,” 190-pound turning-North-American pro from Rogle of the SHL looked solid and smart more often than not.
Wallinder needs some finishing school in Grand Rapids, but he possesses strong all-round skills and is probably an NHL defenseman in the making.
#26 Andrew Gibson: Gibson earned a promotion to Wallinder’s pairing for the final game of the tournament, and he finished with 1 assist and a -1 with 7 shots. Only 18 years of age, the right-shooting 6’3,” 196-pound defenseman did get better as the tournament went along, looking more and more like the defender the Wings picked 41st overall this past summer from the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds.
Still at the beginning of his developmental curve, Gibson skates strongly, he can bump and grind, he passes and shoots fairly well and he’s physical. He’s still a bit physically immature, so he can get banged around, and he’s still young, so he struggled a bit with turnovers at times, but Gibson possesses the kind of savvy and physical flair that are encouraging down the road.
#95 Tnias Mathurin—#38 Antti Tuomisto
#95 Tnias Mathurin: Mathurin finished Sunday’s game at -2 with 1 shot, and he had 2 assists and a -3 overall over the course of three games. Particularly inconsistent, the 6’3,” 201-pound defenseman from the OHL’s North Bay Battalion is still young at 19, and he’s getting more and more mobile, but he still looks a bit heavy-footed, and while he was particularly strong in terms of his passing and shooting on Sunday, I think he projects to be a defensive defenseman of the 5-6 variety.
That being said, he could develop further, and he missed almost all of last season with a shoulder issue and assorted other ailments, so there’s developmental time yet to spend for him.
#38 Antti Tuomisto: For better or worse, Tuomisto’s level of play deteriorated a bit from game to game. He finished at -1 with 1 assist in Sunday’s game, and a goal and an assist, but a -4 with 4 shots in 3 games.
It was hard to determine where the 6’5,” 205-pound defenseman is headed, because Tuomisto had a fantastic first game, and the 22-year-old from TPS Turku of the Finnish Liiga is big, mobile, physical and plain old hard to play against, when he’s on, at least. When he’s still adjusting to North American ice again after a year away from the University of Denver, he’s a bit porous, and he can be turned around and skated through despite that strong stick and smart positioning.
Ideally speaking, Tuomisto develops into the hard right-shooting defenseman that the Wings need in their depth chart right now. Realistically, it’s going to take time on North American ice and at the pounding pace of the AHL schedule for Tuomisto to prove that he can hack it here.
#61 Connor Punnett*—#70 Finn Harding*, defenseman
#79 Jackson DeSouza* (7th defenseman)
#61 Connor Punnett*: Punnett didn’t get in a fight in his third game. Instead, he took a bad delay of game penalty and a bad roughing penalty, hurting his team. The 6’2,” 198-pound Barrie Colts defenseman was invited to the prospect tournament to “keep the flies off,” and he succeeded there, finishing with 20 penalty minutes over the course of only 3 games played. But the 20-year-old free agent struggled with the pace of play at times, and he just doesn’t possess a tremendous skill set, so he’s sort of a one-dimensional enforcer.
Again, I understand why the Wings brought him here to Traverse City, but there may have been better options.
#70 Finn Harding*: It’s hard to fault the 18-year-old free agent invite for an inconsistent showing. At 6’1″ and 182 pounds, the Mississauga Steelheads defenseman finished the tournament at -3 with 3 shots, and there were times that the right-shot defenseman plain old struggled with the pace of play and physicality inherent in a prospect tournament. He may have potential yet; he just didn’t display it after being passed over in the draft.
#79 Jackson DeSouza*: DeSouza, another right shot, finished the tournament with a goal and a +1 with 4 shots, over the course of only 2 games played. I really like his savvy with the puck and his smarts, as well as his level of self-confidence, but the Kelowna Rockets defenseman also looked out-matched physically at times, despite his 6’4,” 187-pound size, and the 20-year-old was somewhat inconsistent in games.
He’s a really exciting player to watch in practices–he looks like a player that shouldn’t have been passed over twice by the NHL Draft’s 32 member teams–but in games, he was uneven, sometimes really good, and sometimes a bit shaky.
GOALTENDERS:
#60 Jan Bednar: I would have given Bednar all of Sunday’s game. He was in a groove, having stopped 29 shots in 32:32 of play, and the 21-year-old needs full outings to establish confidence as he tries to turn pro with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye this upcoming season, but the coaching staff went to Cossa, and all did not end well.
Bednar, as I’ve said previously, has revamped his game considerably, and he’s a much more consistent goaltender after the work he’s put in with Detroit’s goaltending coaches. The 6’4,” 199-pound butterfly goaltender now plays a disciplined style and possesses a great glove, smart blocker, a compact butterfly and an upright stance when he’s on his knees, and he’s a good puck-handler, too.
He just has a history of really struggling to make routine saves after stopping spectacular scoring chances, and that’s going to trail him until he really establishes himself as a consistent pro under Walleye coach Pat Mikesch.
#33 Sebastian Cossa: Cossa finished the tournament with 41 saves on 54 shots over the course of two half-games and one full game played. I totally would have sat him out on Sunday, and I was downright shocked when he came out to relieve Bednar.
Look, there’s no doubt that the 6’6,” 229-pound goaltender has some holes. At 20 years of age, however, he’s established himself as a professional goaltender who went 26-16-and-1 with a 2.56 GAA and .913 save percentage in the 2022-2023 regular season with Toledo, and, playing against men in the playoffs, too, he went 5-and-2 in 7 appearances, finishing with a 2.32 GAA and a .917 save percentage.
He’s got a track record of playing well against men. He’s got a track record of playing awfully badly against his peers. Which goalie is he? I’d like to think that Cossa is definitely a project, but still a prospect, and a bright one, nonetheless.
He’s going to need to work very closely with the Wings’ and Griffins’ goaltending coaches in Alex Westlund, Phil Osaer and Roope Koistinen, and the last name there, the Griffins’ most recent coaching hire, may be the one tasked with turning around his career trajectory.
Ultimately, it’s up to a player to develop and exceed expectations, and we forget that Cossa is 20 going on 21. No, he’s not a finished project, like that Jesper Wallstedt guy, but Cossa possesses a ton of talent, and if he can harness it consistently, he’ll be a pro goalie yet.
SCRATCHES:
#29 Nate Danielson, center: After posting 5 assists over the course of 2 prospect tournament games, the Red Wings sat Nate Danielson out for the final prospect tournament due to an undisclosed injury. The 6’2,” 185-pound center from Brandon of the WHL (where he is the team captain) is only 18, but boy, is he confident in himself, and, as a two-way center, that confidence seems to pay off.
Danielson is a very strong two-way forward with great offensive instincts and strong defensive awareness, he skates well, he’s great in the faceoff circle, and he shoots right. He’s also got an underrated edge to his game, and all of that adds up to an intriguing player taken 9th overall this past summer.
#32 Carter Mazur, right wing: Out with a “lower-body injury,” the slightly nasty turning-pro-at-21-years-of-age rookie was badly missed over the course of the Wings’ final two prospect tournament games. He scored on his only shot of the tournament, finishing at -1, and while he’s only 6′ and 175 pound, the wiry winger from Jackson, Michigan is strong on his skates, he’s got an edge to his game, and he’s got goal-scorer’s instincts, sniping shots and pouncing on rebounds by sneaking into quiet areas on the ice. There’s much to like about his game, and much to hope for, presuming that he does well in Grand Rapids.
#58 Dean Loukus*, left wing: The free agent invite from the Saginaw Spirit only got a game in, and the 5’10,” 175-pound winger will have to impress at training camp, or the physical 20-year-old will be headed back to juniors this fall. Over the course of both the summer development camp and fall prospect tournament, he kept up, but did not shine like a star.
#68 Lukas Matecha*, goaltender: The Wings’ resident understudy in goal played 30:56 in relief of Sebastian Cossa on Saturday, stopping 12 of 15 shots. Still young at 18, the 6’3,” 187-pound incoming Tri-City Americans goaltender has good all-round butterfly techniques, he’s got a big torso that’s upright in the butterfly, and he’s just smart in goal. Passed over in this past summer’s draft, Matech actually watched Sunday’s game in the stands, hanging out with a couple of his friends. That was kind of cool to see.
He’s heading back to the WHL after training camp, and he’s a hard worker, so he’ll soak in the experience with the Wings’ goaltending coaches.
*=Try-out **=Grand Rapids Griffins contract
That’s it for my prospect tournament player impressions. I think that I’ve tried to be as fair as possible in my assessments. There are no real superstars in the Wings’ prospect pool right now, but there are potential stars, and really strong roster players coming, and I think that it’s incredibly important to remember that no player’s developmental path is linear.
Some of them take steps back and still end up in the NHL, and some of them only take steps forward, but never take that final step toward NHL competency.
We have to be patient and observe and react to the on-ice and off-ice data that we receive, and in my case, to report accordingly.
This was an incredibly disappointing prospect tournament, but there were still lessons to be learned on individual and collective bases, and the players who played well–and played poorly–will have to utilize the information they gathered here in Traverse City this past weekend to move forward as players and professional athletes.
In terms of fundraising, things are still frustratingly slow. 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 $90 over the course of the Traverse City trip thus far, which is much, much 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.”
