Khan spotlights five prospect tournament participants

With the Red Wings’ 2023 Prospect Tournament slated to start tomorrow, MLive’s Ansar Khan discusses 5 prospects of interest this morning:

Marco Kasper: The team’s top pick in 2022 (eighth overall), Kasper is one of the few players who made their NHL debut before playing their first AHL game. He displayed defensive awareness and grit at Toronto late in the season but a knee injury suffered in that game ended his season. He would need a strong camp and preseason coupled with an injury or two to a veteran to have a chance at making the Red Wings roster. But he’s likely to get some development time in Grand Rapids.

Carter Mazur: Gritty winger with some scoring skills, this Jackson native might be on the fast track to the NHL. Chances are, he’ll still need some time in the AHL, where he produced six points (three goals, three assists) in six games to end the season. He gained more valuable experience on Team USA at the World Championship (one goal, three assists in 10 games).

Continued; I’m interested in seeing whether reality matches the hype for William Wallinder, who earned a ton of praise during his time with Rogle of the SHL.

The prospect tournament is only three games long, but it’s always a great runway with which to afford prospects a running start for training camp.

Walleye forward Mitch Lewandowski happy to join the Wings’ organization

The Clarkston News’s Matt Mackinder profiles a member of the Toledo Walleye this morning, discussing Mitch Lewandowski’s pride about joining the Red Wings’ ECHL affiliate:

After five years playing NCAA Division I hockey at Michigan State University and a taste of the pro game at the end of the 2021-22 season, Clarkston native Mitch Lewandowski is ready for his first full season in the pro ranks.

Over the summer, Lewandowski signed a contract with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, the AA affiliate of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. Lewandowski sat out the 2022-23 season with an injury after signing with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears, but says he is 100 percent for the upcoming season.

“I was looking for a spot that would be best fit for me,” said Lewandowski. “My agent Scott Bartlett mentioned Toledo would be a good spot. Had a phone call with the head coach (Pat Mikesch) shortly after and loved what I was hearing about the city and organization and signed with Toledo three days later.

“It’s going to be great being close to home, 15 minutes farther than it was driving to Michigan State. My parents, family, and friends are excited to be able to come watch games. Toledo being in the Detroit Red Wings organization makes it even that more special being a Michigan kid.”

Continued; the prestige of playing for the Red Wings and their related affiliates is definitely a draw for free agents of all kinds, including the 25-year-old Lewandowski.

Bultman’s mailbag: On Kasper’s development

The Athletic’s Max Bultman posted a mailbag feature today, discussing a number of topics, from prospect tournament lines to potential additions to the Wings’ roster, Andrew Copp’s production, and more:

What do you think of Kasper this season? Will he be a part of the NHL roster? We think so. Greetings from a Rögle fan. — Robo X.

The fact he got a game in the spring is a point in his favor. My feeling is Kasper will play NHL games this season. Is that number nine? Is it 20? Is it 40? All of that remains to be seen.

It is possible, of course, that Kasper pulls a Lucas Raymond and grabs a spot for opening night. But the Red Wings are deeper than they were in Raymond’s rookie year, and the fact Kasper plays center might make it even more complicated. Detroit could always opt to break him in on the wing — or to flex Andrew Copp, for example, outside — but getting them to consider that option for one of their top prospects is going to require him to really kick the door down this fall.

Perhaps he will do that. I spent some time around Rögle last season and was quite impressed by Kasper’s maturity and work ethic. That was amplified even further when I saw he was able to be a full participant at development camp despite sustaining a meaningful injury at the end of the season. So I have no doubt he put the maximum amount of work in this summer, and his talent speaks for itself.

But if you put me on the spot, I’d say he starts in Grand Rapids and plays himself up to Detroit sometime around late January. From there, I think he’ll make it hard to send him back down

Continued (paywall); I’m a Kasper fan as well, and we need to remember that his father, Peter, was a long-time pro in Europe. Kasper grew up under the tutelage of his dad, who’s also his agent.

Between dad’s tutelage, and hanging around KAC Klagenfurt of the Austrian league, Kasper’s been exposed to professional hockey players and the circumstances of their success and failure since he was a little kid, so it’s not surprising that Kasper has an air of cool, collected maturity about him.

Blame Canada…I mean, the Red Wings…

The Athletic’s Sean McIndoe discusses the long-forgotten “Supplemental Draft” this morning. The NHL once doled out the rights of NCAA-playing players aged 21 or older via this draft, and McIndoe blames the Red Wings for its abuse and misuse…Sort of…

As with most things in life, the problem starts with the Detroit Red Wings.

Specifically, the Red Wings were upsetting everyone in the mid-80s by actually trying to win — and worse, by spending money to do it. They’d just been purchased by pizza magnate Mike Ilitch, and he got the crazy idea in his head that he could build a better team by spending money. This did two things: Annoyed his fellow owners, who were all cheapskates, and led to every article about the situation making a joke about the pizza guy and his dough. (As one example, enjoy this archived Sports Illustrated piece from 1985 that repeatedly refers to the new guy as “Mike Hitch”.)

Spending money on standard-issue UFAs like Warren Young and Harold Snepsts was bad enough. But Ilitch went a step further in 1985, handing GM Jimmy Devellano a blank check to sign a group of college free agents. All five players were too old to be eligible for the entry draft but had caught the attention of scouts late in their college careers. The Wings signed all of them to multiyear deals paying them six figures, unheard-of sums for unproven prospects.

Continued (paywall) with a bit about the Wings’ misses and one hit (Adam Oates) in the Supplemental Draft…

And no, you could never call Mike Ilitch a hockey cheapskate.

A bit of praise for Detroit’s signing of Shayne Gostisbehere

The Athletic’s Ian Mendes discusses the best “under-the-radar” signings of this past summer, and Mendes likes the Wings’ signing of Shayne Gostisbehere:

Shayne Gostisbehere — Detroit Red Wings

Fresh off finishing a six-year contract that came with a $4.5 million cap hit, Gostisbehere took only a small pay cut in signing his $4.125 million deal with Detroit. However, this one doesn’t come with any long-term security since it’s just a one-year contract. Gostisbehere hasn’t come close to replicating the 52-assist, 65-point season he recorded in the first season of his long-term deal with the Flyers back in 2017-18. In Detroit, Gostisbehere joins an eclectic group of veteran defensemen that includes Ben Chiarot, Jeff Petry, Justin Holl and Olli Maatta. Moritz Seider will be the undisputed No. 1 defenseman for the Red Wings, but Gostisbehere should have a chance to see time on the second-unit power play.

Continued (paywall); calling the Wings’ defense eclectic is very polite and kind of Mendes.

Duff: Niederbach and Sandin Pellikka earn praise

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff reports that the Red Wings’ duo of Swedish prospects earned praise in an Aftonbladet article in which three SHL players picked their “dream teams”:

Mathias Brome of Örebro is no stranger to Detroit hockey fans. The Swedish forward spent the 2020-21 season with the Red Wings and the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. He would account for 1-1-2 totals in 26 games for Detroit.

Brome was one of those picking teams for Aftonbladet. Among the selections he was opting to go with was Detroit draftee Theodor Niederbach.

“I have tried to find the younger ones who blossom, like Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Theodor Niederbach,” Brome was explaining to Aftonbladet.

Certainly, this is the year that Niederbach will need to be blossoming in order to garner a contract with the Red Wings. The 51st overall selection of the 2020 NHL entry draft, the 21-year-old right-winger must sign a contract with Detroit next season, or the club will be relinquishing his NHL rights. Niederbach is back in the SHL with MoDo Hockey. It’s his fourth season of SHL action. He’s never collected more than nine goals or 16 points.

Continued, with an explanation as to how Sandin Pellikka’s teammate, Jonathan Pudas, picked his teammate…And yes, Niederbach has to get his butt in gear this season. He’s got the skills, but his inconsistency and skinny frame are issues which need to get resolved this year.

THN’s Stockton posts highlights of Lucas Raymond’s ’32 Thoughts’ interview

Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond spoke with Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman as part of the NHL’s European Media tour, granting a ten-minute interview…

https://youtube.com/watch?v=GKesxjuyvsk%3Fsi%3D04i_uz4v-N8_zmwl

And the Hockey News’s Sam Stockton took note of some of the more interesting parts of the interview:

When Marek asked him what goes through a player’s mind when his team brings in the likes of Alex DeBrincat, J.T. Compher, and Jeff Petry over the summer, Raymond said, “You’re excited. I feel like we’re building something really good. If you look at my first year, which is only two years ago, compared to now coming into this season, I feel like it’s a huge difference. I think every player and also the city is very excited for the season.”

At this point, Friedman jumped in, rewinding to Steve Yzerman’s end-of-season press conference.  Friedman recalled Yzerman’s admiration for the way Raymond handled the arrival of David Perron, a player whose profile and arrival represented a direct challenge to Raymond’s role and ice time.

“You can look at it from a lot of different perspectives,” said Raymond, with a maturity well beyond that which you might expect of a 21-year-old. “For me, I feel like we took a step last year in a lot of areas, and I want to develop as a player, but mostly I want our team to move in a direction that is fun. 

“It created a lot of competition in our team in a lot of different spots, which was good for us. It made everyone want to take a further step, want to play better and develop, and I think that benefits everyone. I think competition is good; I think it drives you forward. That was kind of my mindset.”

Continued

Kulfan on James Reimer’s readiness to form a tandem with Ville Husso

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted an article which looks back at the comments made by Red Wings goaltender James Reimer when he signed with the team in July:

Reimer was the No. 1 starter in San Jose the past two seasons. But he’s ready to go into this season doing whatever the Wings need, and he’s comfortable being a veteran backup.

“Your mindset is the same, no matter what the scenario is for the most part,” Reimer said. “How I’m built and probably most guys in the league are, is you’re a competitor and you want to be at the top of your game, no matter if you’re playing 10 games a year or 82. It doesn’t matter if it’s practice or morning skate, you’re bringing your best and you want to show your best.”

Reimer expects to be part of a productive tandem with Husso.

“When there’s a good relationship, that’s when you have the most success,” Reimer said. “Part of it is understanding that you’re both competitors, you both want to play, and it doesn’t matter if there’s an outright No. 1 and an outright No. 2. It’s also important to understand the main focus is the team and how to give the team the best chance to win every night.

“It’s the same thing for me coming in with Huss. We’re going to compete against each other and we’re going to enjoy life and enjoy competing against each other. As much as we’re competing for the net and we both want it, you’re coming in to play as much as I can, but it’s to help him play as best as he can, too, and to push him and enable him to play his best. The goal is for both guys to be playing their best. We’re going to compete and have fun and push each other and drive each other to be our best.”

Continued

Adam Erne signs PTO with Edmonton

Per the Hockey News’s Michael Derosa:

The Edmonton Oilers have signed winger Adam Erne to a professional tryout (PTO) contract. He is the third player the Oilers have signed to a PTO, as Sam Gagner and Brandon Sutter are also competing for contracts

Erne, 28, appeared in 61 games last season with the Detroit Red Wings, posting eight goals and 18 points. He left a bigger impact when it came to his physicality, however, recording 160 hits. 

Erne will be competing with wingers like Mattias Janmark and Dylan Holloway for a spot in the Oilers’ bottom six. Yet, when noting that the Oilers need center depth more, Erne has an uphill battle ahead of him. However, if he impresses at camp, a two-way deal is possible.

Mills: Steve Yzerman discusses prospect tournament, camp in Traverse City

Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman spoke with a private audience recently in the Ilitch Sports + Entertainment colleague gathering on Monday afternoon. DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills took note of some of Yzerman’s noteworthy remarks:

Injuries certainly hampered the Red Wings in 2022-23, so Detroit often relied on organizational depth to fill voids. And beginning Thursday, that depth will be on full display when the Red Wings’ brightest young prospects take the ice for the 2023 NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City.

Yzerman said he views the annual tournament as an opportunity to learn more about the highly touted prospects within and outside the organization.

“We’ve got kids anywhere from 18 to 24 (years old),” Yzerman said. “It’s a huge difference. The 24-year-olds are physically developed. A majority of the 18-year-olds are young and not as strong. So we just watch to see where they’re at. We get a chance to see three other organizations’ prospects as well, so we do a little bit of scouting.”

Describing the Red Wings’ upcoming schedule in Traverse City brought back special memories for Yzerman, who spent his entire 22-year NHL career with Detroit.  

“That area is awesome,” Yzerman said about Traverse City. “Players love going up. The first time we went up was the summer of ’97, after we won the Stanley Cup. You’re done at noon or 1 o’clock, then the guys go golf, fishing or whatever they want to do. They have a lot of fun.”

Continued