Of Red Wings-related note after Detroit’s prospects 5-1 win over the Dallas Stars at the Prospect Games on Saturday:
- DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills offered a series of quotes from coach Dan Watson regarding his charges’ performances:
Watson on Brandsegg-Nygard’s passing skills and overall game: “It’s a double threat. He can shoot it and make plays. He made a couple of nice seam plays over to (Nate) Danielson on the power play and couple of nice slip passes on breakouts to support coming through. He’s a smart player who can make those plays. He’s got a good, all-around game and isn’t afraid to use his body.”
Watson on what he hopes to see from Danielson this weekend: “With Nate, a leadership role No. 1. He’s been in this tournament before, so he’s done a really good job so far of keeping the guys in check off the ice.”
Watson on Doucet: “Tonight was a good first impression. Again, what he put in the summertime I think he’s in better shape. We know he can score and know he’s got that energy. Now it’s being consistent with it, and we saw that consistency.”
Watson on Rychlovsky: “I love his skill and his energy. One thing that probably went a little unnoticed was that compete level, playing through bodies. He’s not scared of the physicality.”
2. And the Hockey News’s Connor Eargood made a half-dozen observations, and his fifth one focuses on Rychlovsky:
Rychlovsky Flaunts Deceptive Playmaking, Competitive Drive
The Dallas defense took its eyes off Rychlovsky for less than a second midway through the first period, but that’s all the time he needed. Setting himself up in open ice to the left of Dallas’ goal, Rychlovsky received the puck and stickhandled right up to the net, lacing right through the opponents in front of him. The only thing that stopped him from scoring was a misplaced shot, but the overall effort and vision that went into the goal was downright impressive.
Rychlovksy’s playmaking stood out, but so did his competitive drive. He used his body to make life difficult for the Stars’ prospects, and he put himself right into the mix during puck battles.
“You can see he’s got that hunting mentality,” Watson said. “He wants the puck. He’s willing to go and get it back. He’s not scared of that work and that compete level.”
Much like Brandsegg-Nygard, Rychlovsky is still adjusting to smaller ice. His rebound goal on the power play was a great reward for the way he played all game, and he could be a really intriguing player this season.
