Month: September 2024

Per the Hockey News’s David Dwork:

Ontario native Matt Luff, who spent the past couple seasons with the Detroit Red Wings organization, will join the Panthers at training camp on a PTO.

The 27-year-old forward has played 106 NHL games spread between the Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings.

Last season, an upper-body injury limited Luff to 26 games with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, where he contributed 10 goals and 18 points in 26 outings.

Overall, Luff has accumulated 15 goals and 12 assists at the NHL level while racking up 67 goals and 163 points in 223 AHL games.

The undrafted native of Oakville, Ontario spent three seasons playing juniors in the OHL before earning a contract with the Kings organization. 

He’s known as a finisher with a solid shot and a high motor who’s not afraid to throw his body around and be physical or get into the greasy areas to score goals.

Good luck to Luff. He’s had a rough go with injuries over the past couple of years.

JamBase.ca is hyping the Red Wings’ “Grateful Dead Night” at Little Caesars Arena this November 2nd:

The Detroit Red Wings will host “Grateful Dead Night” at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday, November 2, for fans of the legendary rock band. Ticket packages are currently on sale starting at $120, which includes a Grateful Dead-themed jersey, an exclusive pregame concert and a ticket to the game against the Buffalo Sabres.

The pregame concert on the Via Concourse at Little Caesars Arena will feature Grateful Dead tribute band Raising the Dead. The Michigan-based group has been together since 2017 and has performed at popular venues like Comerica Park, St. Andrews Hall, Cadieux Café and others across metro Detroit.

The Grateful Dead-themed hockey jersey includes a large Dancing Bear on the front, holding a hockey stick, the iconic Winged Wheel on both shoulders and Dancing Bears are also featured on the sleeves of the jersey.

To purchase tickets for Grateful Dead Night at Little Caesars Arena, fans must visit the Detroit Red Wings official Grateful Dead ticket offer page, and to purchase group tickets of 10 or more, contact Payten Mahoney at 313-471-7162 or Payten.Mahoney@OlyEnt.com. Tickets must be purchased through this link to take advantage of the accompanying jersey and pregame concert opportunity.

For more information on the Raising the Dead tribute band, visit RaisingTheDeadBand.com.

I’ve offered a scouting report of the Red Wings’ participants taking part in this weekend’s Prospect Games against Dallas, the Prince George Cougars’ website let us know about Ondrej Becher and free agent invites Borya Valis and Bauer Dumanski, and today, the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan offers 5 players that he’s going to keep his eye on over the course of this weekend’s games:

▶ Michael Brandsegg-Nygard: Many eyes will be on the Wings’ first-round draft pick throughout the weekend and into the exhibition season. The way Brandsegg-Nygard, 18, held his own at the world championships last spring, and the fact he already has a strong NHL body (6-foot-1, 198 pounds) gives him a shot, albeit a long one, to make the Wings’ opening-night roster. Scouts have consistently raved about his shot, so that’ll be something to watch. It’ll be interesting to see how Brandsegg-Nygard looks against prospects of equal caliber.

▶ Shai Buium: The 2021 second-round pick helped Denver win two NCAA championships before he turned pro last spring. Buium, 21, got into one game with the Griffins and is set to begin his pro career there in October. A big (6-foot-3, 210 pounds), mobile defenseman, it’ll be interesting how and where Buium slots into the depth chart in the next couple of years, among several other prime prospects.

▶ Carter Gylander: Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine are likely ahead of Gylander (6-foot-4, 170 pounds) in the organizational depth chart, but Gylander (2019 seventh-round pick) finished a fine career at Colgate and now begins his pro career. Gylander, 23, gets a chance to get things rolling if he plays well in these games.

Continued (paywall)

Sportsnet’s Michael Amato posted a list of 250 fantasy hockey-draft-eligible players who you can utilize to win your fantasy hockey league, and here are the Red Wings players that made his list:

48. Dylan Larkin, DET, C: The very definition of a safe and reliable pick, Larkin has been right around a point per game in his past 219 contests with good shot volume. He also has plenty of talent on his wings with Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond, to help ensure his numbers won’t dip. Larkin doesn’t offer much for hits, but it’s hard to pass up that offensive consistency.

81. Alex DeBrincat, DET, RW: Maybe DeBrincat’s ceiling isn’t super high, but he’s a steady player with good shot volume who you should be able to count on for around 70 points. Playing with the potent combination of Larkin and Lucas Raymond doesn’t hurt either. One other thing I like about DeBrincat is his durability. He’s played all 82 games in five of his seven seasons.

Continue reading Eight Red Wings players crack Sportsnet’s ‘Top 250′ fantasy hockey players’ list

Per ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski…

Some key dates for the 2024-25 NHL season: pic.twitter.com/rFwWdlggVQ

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) September 11, 2024

And PuckPedia:

Team opening rosters are due Oct 7

Holiday Roster Freeze Dec 20-27

Season pause for 4 Nations Face-Off Feb 10-21

Trade Deadline March 7

Last day of season April 17

— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) September 11, 2024

Per the ECHL:

The ECHL announced on Wednesday that referees Chazz Knoche and Rocco Stachowiak and linesmen Kyle Gaspari and Quinn Schafer, along with Director of Officiating Operations Riley Yerkovich, will work the NHL Prospect Games 2024 in Traverse City, Michigan on Sept. 14 and 15. This marks the 13th consecutive tournament that ECHL officials have worked games.

Debuting in 1988, this year’s NHL Prospect Games will feature a pair of games between the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings.

“The ECHL Officiating Team is honored to continue to work the NHL Traverse City Prospect Games,” Yerkovich said. “This event has long been a significant opportunity for our officials to showcase their skills and skate alongside tomorrow’s NHL stars. We are grateful to the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings for their continued participation and support. Thank you to the teams, organizers and staff at Centre Ice Arena for making this experience possible.”

It appears to be the time of year for prospect lists. This morning, The Score’s Kyle Cushman and Josh Wegman issue their “Top 50 NHL-affiliated prospects: 50-31.” Here are the Red Wings’ representatives:

#50 Sebastian Cossa: Cossa enjoyed a seamless transition to the AHL last season, posting a 22-9-9 record and claiming the starting gig in Grand Rapids over veteran Michael Hutchinson. With three NHL goaltenders under contract in Detroit, don’t expect Cossa to push for big-league minutes until 2025-26.

#40 Axel Sandin Pellika: Sandin Pellikka took major strides last season in Sweden’s top professional league, becoming a true offensive threat. He dominated against players his age at this year’s world juniors, where he was named the tournament’s top defenseman after leading Sweden to a silver medal with six points in seven games.

#38 Trey Augustine: As a freshman, Augustine backstopped Michigan State to its first conference title in 18 years. He went 4-0-0 as USA’s starter at the world juniors en route to a gold medal. He even played four games at the World Championship. No matter the competition, Augustine has looked the part of an elite goaltending prospect.

#31 Nate Danielson: Danielson didn’t take the offensive strides in 2023-24 that the Red Wings would’ve hoped for, but he remains a very intriguing prospect given his physical tools. The big, powerful center with soft hands and good vision still carries plenty of upside.

Continued; it’s a start.

Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino, Jason Bukala and Emily Sadler have produced a list of “The top 23 NHL prospects under 23,” and one and only one Red Wings prospect cracks their list…

Though they state that their rules of picking only players who haven’t played in a single NHL game yet have ruled out both Anaheim’s Cutter Gauthier and Detroit’s Marco Kasper.

So it’s a tough nut to crack, and Axel Sandin Pellikka cracked their list:

20. Axel Sandin Pellikka, right defense, Detroit Red Wings

19 | 5-foot-11, 185 pounds | Drafted 17th overall in 2023

Death, taxes, and teams coveting right-shot defencemen. Life has its inevitabilities. Lucky for the Red Wings, they’ve got themselves a future keeper in Sandin-Pellikka, whose elite skating makes him just as reliable under pressure as he is dangerous in transition. While his mobility is his biggest strength, speed and skill factoring in as key elements of his game — think puck-moving, power-play quarterback — he could stand to put on more muscle to withstand the heavy demands in the trenches.

Continued; Sandin Pellikka definitely needs to work on his upper-body strength so that he can battle better for the puck in corners, and continue to work on his lower-body strength so that he’s able to better handle his own battles for puck possession while skating up and down the ice…

But the 5’11,” 185-pound Sandin Pellikka is only 19, and he’s going to continue to develop physically (and otherwise).

Of Red Wings-related note this morning:

1. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman posted a list of 32 teams’ “most interesting” prospects heading into training camps:

Detroit Red Wings: Nate Danielson, 19, C

Danielson’s WHL season wasn’t amazing, but he ended on a very strong note after being traded to Portland, especially in the playoffs. He is a talented center with size, speed, skill and a strong two-way game. He’s likely going to the AHL, but on a Detroit roster that needs more talent up front and especially down the middle, I could see Danielson make his status a debate during Red Wings camp.

Danielson posted 41 points in 28 games for the Portland Winterhawks after being traded from Brandon of the WHL, and then he posted 24 playoff points in 18 games. That’s a “strong note,” indeed.

2. MLive’s Ansar Khan essentially answered a reader poll from ProHockeyRumors.com this morning, discussing which Eastern Conference teams which missed the playoff cut last season might make the cut this upcoming season:

Continue reading Three things: an ‘interesting’ Danielson, potential playoff returnees and Rychlovsky discusses his trajectory

I did my best to issue a sort of “scouting report” of the participants in this weekend’s Prospect Games between the Detroit Red Wings and Dallas Stars, but we’re all unfamiliar with some of the players taking part in the tournament.

As such, the Prince George Cougars’ website helps us out with scouting reports of each and every one of the “16 current and past Cougars to attend NHL camps,” a list which includes one Red Wings draft pick and two free agent invites:

Ondrej Becher: Selected 60th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2024 NHL Draft, Ondrej Becher, 20, enjoyed his most productive WHL season with 96 points (32-65-96) in 58 games. He was instrumental in the Cougars’ playoff run and represented Czechia at the 2024 World Junior Championship, where he earned a bronze medal. Becher could rejoin the Cougars if loaned by Detroit.

Borya Valis: Borya Valis, 20, will attend his first NHL Rookie Camp with the Detroit Red Wings. Acquired by Prince George late in the 2023 season, Valis made an immediate impact, recording 37 points (13-24-37) in 32 games and leading the team in playoff goals.

Bauer Dumanski: Defenceman Bauer Dumanski, 19, joins the Red Wings at his first NHL camp after a strong 2023-24 season, where he posted 33 points (7-26-33) in 68 games. Despite missing Detroit’s development camp due to travel issues, Dumanski has been a cornerstone of the Cougars’ blue line.

The Cougars’ website posted highlight clips of Becher and Valis as well: