Month: September 2023

THN’s Stockton weighs in regarding the Red Wings’ 10-7 loss vs. Columbus

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton breaks down “film” (Tweets) and adds context to last night’s 10-7 loss for the Red Wings’ prospects against the Columbus Blue Jackets:

After the game, head coach Dan Watson was predictably non-plussed by his team’s performance.

“Our start was fine, then the second period certainly got away from us,” Watson said.  “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.”

Of Cossa (whom Watson coached in Toledo a year ago), Watson said, “I thought he battled hard in the first period.  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.”

Cross Hanas, meanwhile, emphasized that Cossa’s disappointing effort was inextricable from the performance of the skaters in front of him.

“I went up to him in the second intermission and let him know it’s all right. Stuff like this happens,” Hanas 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.”

Continued

Coach Derek Lalonde speaks with DetroitRedWings.com’s Mills

Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde spoke with DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills regarding his expectations for the 2023-2024 season:

“We wanted to push and make a step last year,” Lalonde told DetroitRedWings.com. “We did that. Again, not where we want to be or need to be, but we just want to keep pushing this in the right direction. It starts in Traverse (City).”

As Lalonde readies for this year’s camp, which will kick off Thursday at Centre Ice Arena, the 51-year-old coach said continuity will bode well for he and the Red Wings.

“Anything new takes a little bit of time,” Lalonde said. “But we feel a lot more comfortable with where we’re gonna start this year over last year.”

Upon being hired as head coach in June 2022, Lalonde highlighted several areas he wanted Detroit to improve upon during his first campaign behind the bench. After reflecting on last season, Lalonde said the Red Wings made strides in several categories, especially team defense.

“Overall goals and chances against, our penalty-kill percentage, all improved,” Lalonde said. “That is a good sign and a step forward, but nowhere near good enough or where we want to be. Those will be similar goals going into this year, to try to take another step.”

Continued

A bit about Marco Kasper’s lack of offense

As Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff notes, Red Wings prospect Marco Kasper has played well over the course of two prospect tournament games, but the offensive part of his game appears to be missing…Thus far…

Two games into the tournament, center Marco Kasper has accounted for 25.7% of Detroit’s penalty minutes and zero percent of the club’s offensive output. Though he’s dropping the mitts, he’s yet to be displaying his silky mitts.

The Red Wings 2022 first-round draft choice hasn’t figured in any of the club’s nine goals. However, he did drop the gloves and duke it out with Corson Ceulemans of the Columbus Blue Jackets in a rare fight between NHL first-round picks.

“You see the emotion side of it, (Kasper) getting in a fight there at the end,” Watson said. “He’s a competitor, he’s hungry for it. He wants to do the right things to help the team win.”

Watson is witnessing plenty of good things from Kasper’s game so far in the tournament.

“I like the fact he does go to those hard areas, the net, the corners, and he’s physical about it,” Watson said. “He’s not scared or looking to shy away from that type of game. That’s what’s going to help propel him to a long pro career. You use the word tenacity, I use the same one. It’s right on target.”

Continued; I think that Kasper’s offense will come along as he continues to adjust to the North American-sized rink and North American pace of play.

Khan speaks with Scotty Bowman

MLive’s Ansar Khan spoke with former Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman, who’s watching the Buffalo Sabres’ Prospects Challenge this weekend:

He keeps close tabs on the Atlantic Division.

“It’s a tough division,” Bowman said. “The Panthers, Lightning, Boston and Toronto are going to get challenged now, but how much have they fallen off? Detroit, Buffalo and Ottawa are all into their rebuild, they’re getting some young players. It’s going to be a battle. Montreal isn’t there yet but they’re not patsies. It should be a pretty interesting year. Detroit should be better. I like the two forwards they added – (Alex) DeBrincat and (J.T.) Compher — he was pretty good with Colorado. DeBrincat will score goals.”

The game has changed significantly since Bowman first stepped behind an NHL bench with the expansion St. Louis Blues in 1967.

“Fast game now,” Bowman said. “Oh, my God! I watched these kids today (at the Prospects Challenge) and if you asked me to pick out a poor skater, there’s hardly any. They’re always chasing the puck. I find it even tougher to watch. Before at times you’d see a guy start taking the puck up the ice and looking around. Now there’s not much looking around. You see the puck and you usually see six guys. They’ve changed the game a lot and it’s fast. The equipment, too. The sticks are tuned right up. Skates are much different. Not as flexible but more rigid.”

Continued

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:

Continue reading 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

On Elmer Soderblom’s path toward an NHL job

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen discusses the possibility of Big Elmer Soderblom making the Red Wings’ roster out of training camp and the exhibition season, presuming that the 22-year-old does certain things correctly:

Elmer Soderblom knows that learning how to be an effective big NHL player is no small task.

“I just have to show I can be a player who makes a difference out there, a reliable guy,” Six-foot-eight Detroit Red Wings forward Elmer Soderblom said. “…I am different from everyone with the size. Have to take advantage of that.”

Soderblom is embracing his size  at the NHL Prospects Tournament at Centre Ice Arena. He looked particularly beastly in Thursday’s 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars. Soderblom scored a goal,  generated six shots on goal and used his impressive length, width and reach to claim pucks all night. The man weighs 250 pounds. He followed that up with another goal in Detroit’s 10-7 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. Former University of Michigan player Adam Fantilli had three goals and two assists, plus nine shots on goal, for Columbus

“The size and strength he has — that’s a skill. You can’t teach that skill,” Red Wings assistant general manager Kris Draper said. “The beauty of the other night was that he got angry. That was something.”

Continued

Red Wings’ prospects lost 10-7 to Columbus at the 2023 Prospect Tournament

What a strange game. The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects lost 10-7 to the Columbus Blue Jackets’ prospects on Saturday afternoon/evening at Centre ICE Arena.

Detroit blew leads of 3-0 and 4-1 en route to their disastrous outing, and Sebastian Cossa had a rough outing in the process of the Wings’ awful second period, giving up 6 goals on 21 shots.

Adam Fantilli had a hat trick for Columbus, and while Nate Danielson had 3 assists and Alexandre Doucet a goal and an assist, the biggest contribution might have been from Marco Kasper, who fought Carson Ceulemans in the third period.

The Wings will attempt to salvage their tournament with tomorrow’s game vs. Toronto at 2 PM EDT, to be streamed on the Wings’ social media channels.

Rosters for today’s Detroit-Columbus game: no Carter Mazur for Detroit

Per, well, me and the Red Wings and Blue Jackets’ PR departments, here are the rosters for today’s game between Detroit and Columbus’ prospects (3:30 PM EDT start on the Red Wings’ social media channels):

You can watch the game here. Ken Kal and Daniella Bruce will represent the Wings; Dylan Turner will represent the Blue Jackets on the broadcast.

Prospect round-up: Johansson, Sandin Pellika earn ice time in SHL losses; Kilpinen scores in J20

Of prospect-related note on Saturday:

In the SHL:Anton Johansson finished at +1 with 3 shots in 16:33 played as Leksands IF lost 5-2 to Frolunda HC;

And Axel Sandin Pellikka finished even with no shots in a very healthy 20:09 played as Skelleftea AIK dropped a 5-2 decision to Farjestads BK.

And in the Swedish J20 league, Maximilian Kilpinen scored a goal in Modo’s 3-2 overtime win over Almtuna.