Month: January 2025

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton wonders aloud where Derek Lalonde will end up next, noting that the former Red Wings coach may have to take a step back to take a step forward:

By far the likeliest option seems to be returning to an NHL assistant role.  He was Jon Cooper’s top lieutenant in Tampa Bay during the Lightning’s run to three straight Stanley Cup Finals (winning the first two), so perhaps a return to Tampa could be his first option.  While that could very well prove successful, I suspect going back to the Lightning would make it more difficult to eventually return to a head coaching gig, as it would be difficult for him to demonstrate growth and new understanding out of a familiar environment.

If Lalonde doesn’t want another NHL head coaching job down the line, that doesn’t matter, but if he does, I imagine he would be better served finding a new current coach to learn and work under.  He has a good relationship with Blues head coach Jim Montgomery, so perhaps that could be an option.  Heading farther south in Florida to work under Paul Maurice with the Panthers could offer a different variation on the education in winning he earned under Cooper with the Bolts.

As a more off-the-board option, I’d also be intrigued by the possibility of Lalonde taking an NCAA coaching gig.  He has experience at Denver University, and I think his skillset—as a communicator, in particular—would be well suited to a collegiate role.  It wouldn’t be as lucrative as the NHL, but he would have more job security, and if he can abide the turbulent bureaucratic landscape around the NCAA, it might be more rewarding.

Continued; as Stockton says, Lalonde “worked” for the Red Wings far more often than he didn’t, and the end of his tenure with the team doesn’t mean that he can’t coach.

Aftonbladet’s Hans Abrahamsson posted an article noting that Axel Sandin Pellikka’s status as being named the best defenseman at the 2025 World Junior Championship gives the Swedish team captain status as a member of an exclusive company. What follows is roughly translated from Swedish:

The Swede earns a place with the icon

Ottawa. Axel Sandin Pellikka didn’t earn a medal at the WJC–but he will be comforted because he became part of a unique collection.

After the icon Vyacheslav Fetisov, he is the first to be named the tournament’s best defenseman two years in a row.

“I just want to make sure to keep up with all the nice guys on the team this last night [in Ottawa],” he said after the loss to the Czechs.

Last year, Axel Sandin Pellikka earned a silver medal after the final loss against the United States. In Gothenburg he was named the tournament’s best defenseman, and now it’s happened again.

After the U.S. final victory against Finland, it was revealed who won the title. And again, it was the Swedish defenseman who earned the prize.

As such, “ASP” is the first player after Russian icon Vyacheslav Fetisov to earn the award two years in a row. Fetisov first earned the award almost 50 years ago in 1977 and 1978.

After his [hat trick] start of the tournament, the Skelleftea AIK defenseman was likely to step onto the unique team early on, but he chose to pay his attention to his team [instead]:

“I don’t put any focus on it. I’m here to win a championship with the boys and not to earn any personal achievements,” he told Sportbladet.

Continue reading Roughly translated: Axel Sandin Pellikka earns an honor he shares with Slava Fetisov

The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler attempted to assess every prospect who participated in the World Junior Championship in Ottawa over the past two weeks. His gargantuan set of assessments included takes on the Red Wings’ four WJC-participating prospects:

Trey Augustine (G, Detroit Red Wings): His low glove and high glove were both targeted at times. He looked out of sorts against the Germans, which is very rare for Augustine. He dropped some routine glove saves too and gave out big rebounds when he usually swallows them. Rebound control early in the tournament was a bit of an issue as well. He settled in and played really well against Canada and in the semifinal against Czechia as well, though. His athleticism popped a couple of times. The control and stoicism came back for the games that mattered most (though the glove did show up a couple more times as a bit of an issue). I hadn’t identified it as an issue in previous viewings but I’ll keep an eye on it now.

I thought that Augustine did struggle at times, but his status as average in some games may have to do with a bit of fatigue as much as anything else. I also know that his sponsorship with True Hockey means that he’s not using his preferred Vaughn catching glove, so he’s still adjusting to the different dimensions of the True Catalyst glove with a 590 break.

It would not surprise me if he goes back to using Vaughn-made gloves and blockers and True leg pads again, because he was far more comfortable in terms of his glove and blocker saves when he was using split equipment. An endorsement deal is great and all, but comfort yielding better performance is far more important.

Max Plante (F, Detroit Red Wings): Puts pucks into areas so well for his linemates. Small area skill. One scratch against Finland and then back in against Canada but on the fourth line (after I thought he played well on the third line early in the tournament). Played well in his minutes, for me.

Plane’s never going to be a large man, but the 5’10” forward is a smart passer and play-maker on the wing, and he was evident to me as good within his role.

Jesse Kiiskinen (F, Detroit Red Wings): Always seems to be lurking around the net but can make a play up high in the zone too and has a good shot/one-timer. Six goals and there was a little bit of everything in them. Calm in big moments. A very likeable player at this level.

Fans may still lament the Gibson-for-Kiiskinen trade, but Kiiskinen is the kind of net-front-driving forward who seems to love going to the front of the net and staying there to jab at passes and rebounds. I thought that he needed some refinement in terms of his defensive game, but his ability to snipe from short distances was good to see.

And finally…

Axel Sandin Pellikka (D, Detroit Red Wings): ASP was one of the top players in the tournament and had more of an impact than he did when he won the top D award a year ago for my money, though he wasn’t as impactful in the semi or bronze medal game. He did a really nice job getting shots through, walking the line, finding open teammates cross-ice or in the slot. Defended hard. Looked to make plays and activate but chose his spots well. His shot and skill are evident when he gets open. He’s seeing the ice better and better without sacrificing his shot creation (led all D in shots). Can lose some races in straight lines, skating isn’t explosive from a standstill. One of the top D prospects in hockey.

Axel Sandin Pellikka wore a heavy captain’s “C” on his shoulder, and that was evident in his play to me. No, he wasn’t sterling silver defensively, but the battles he lost and races he was over-skated in seemed to have to do as much with nerves and the fact that he was playing 26-29 minutes a night as anything else.

There will definitely be an adjustment process for him when he comes over to North America in terms of both his straight-line speed and his physical strength, but the wait will be worth it.

Wheeler continues at extended length (paywall), and he earns big kudos from me for attempting to assess so many players at the same time. That’s incredibly difficult.

The Associated Press has posted a preview of Tuesday’s Red Wings-Senators game:

BOTTOM LINE: The Detroit Red Wings are looking to extend a four-game win streak with a victory against the Ottawa Senators.

Detroit has a 17-18-4 record overall and a 3-7-1 record in Atlantic Division play. The Red Wings have a 3-6-2 record in games their opponents serve fewer penalty minutes.

Ottawa has a 5-2-0 record in Atlantic Division games and a 19-17-2 record overall. The Senators have gone 9-4-1 in games decided by a goal.

The teams meet Tuesday for the second time this season. The Senators won 2-1 in the last matchup. Joshua Norris led the Senators with two goals.

TOP PERFORMERS: Alex DeBrincat has 17 goals and 15 assists for the Red Wings. Patrick Kane has five goals and six assists over the past 10 games.

Tim Stutzle has 12 goals and 28 assists for the Senators. Shane Pinto has scored five goals with two assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Red Wings: 6-4-0, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.6 assists, 2.5 penalties and 5.2 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.

Senators: 6-4-0, averaging 2.5 goals, 3.8 assists, 3.2 penalties and 7.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.

The Athletic’s Chris Johnston posted a mailbag feature this morning, and Johnston makes what I know some of you think is a controversial suggestion:

Who comes to mind (beyond Alex Mogilny) as someone who should be in the Hall of Fame? — Mike C.

Beyond Mogilny, who absolutely, unequivocally should already be in the Hall, the guy that stands out to me is Henrik Zetterberg. At first glance, his counting stats probably won’t wow you, but adjusted for era he was basically an 80-point player across his career who gained entry to the Triple Gold Club and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2008. Those are pretty strong credentials.

Continued; I know that some of you feel that Zetterberg is more a “Hall of Very Good” player, but I’m going to stick to my guns and suggest that he’s a Hall-of-Famer in the making. We’ll see what the next couple of years bring.

MLive’s Ansar Khan discusses the “nuts and bolts” behind the Red Wings‘ mid-season renaissance this morning:

The Detroit Red Wings’ power play has reached a higher level, and they’re no longer being outshot on a nightly basis.

Todd McLellan has tapped into the team’s offensive ability. That’s one reason the Red Wings are riding a season-long four-game winning streak and are 4-1-0 under their new coach.

“It’s not about me,” McLellan told FanDuel Sports Network following Saturday’s 4-2 win at league-leading Winnipeg. “We have jobs to do as a coaching staff and that’s to provide guidance and hold players accountable. And then we get out of the way. They play hockey. I tip my hat to the players for wanting to get better.”

The Red Wings are 8 for 16 on the power play in the past five games and suddenly rank third in the NHL (26.3 percent). They have not been outshot during that span, after being outshot in 24 of their first 34 games.

“We’re getting higher shot volume and just realizing what that creates,” Lucas Raymond told FanDuel. “Loose pucks off shots and getting the D and forwards to turn, I think that creates a lot. And to retrieve pucks and get it to the net.”

Said McLellan: “Obviously, you got to play percentages a little bit in the league and when you look at save percentage, one out of every 10 goes in, so when you’re giving up 40 (shots) a night you’re not giving yourselves a true opportunity to win.”

Continued (paywall)

Of Red Wings prospect-related note on Sunday:

In the KHL, Dmitri Buchelnikov had an assist and 3 shots on goal in 16:19 of ice time as Vityaz Moscow Region lost 5-2 to SKA St. Petersburg:

Dimitri Buchelnikov(2nd round’22)
1 Assist 3 SOG 16:19 TOI in a 5-2 Loss

SKA the far more talented team dominated most of the game. Buch had two really good scoring chances you can see below but it wasn’t his day. I thought he created quite a bit of offense. #LGRW #BuchSZN pic.twitter.com/Ln6YQwhZRv

— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) January 5, 2025

In the Swedish Allsvenskan, Liam Dower Nilsson had a goal and an assist, finishing at +2 with 3 shots in 17:16 played as IF Bjorkloven won 4-2 over Ostersunds IK. Maximilian Kilpinen finished at -2 in 13:01 played for Ostersunds;

In the Swedish J20 league, Charlie Forslund was held off the scoresheet in Mora IK’s 5-2 win over HV71;

In the QMJHL, Rudy Guimond stopped 24 of 25 shots in the Moncton Wildcats’ 5-1 win over Halifax;

In the WHL, Emmitt Finnie had 2 assists, finishing at -1 with 2 shots and an 11-for-25 faceoff record in the Kamloops Blazers’ 5-2 loss to Spokane;

In the ECHL, Jan Bednar pitched a 28-save shutout as the Toledo Walleye won 3-0 over the Kalamazoo K-Wings;

In NCAA Hockey, Brennan Ali finished at -1 with 2 shots in the Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s 3-0 loss to Penn State;

And Kienan Draper finished even with 1 shot and an 8-and-6 faceoff record as the University of Michigan Wolverines won 3-2 in overtime over Ohio State.

At the World Junior Championship in Ottawa, Ontario:

Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine stopped 21 of 24 shots, and Max Plante had an assist, finishing at +1 with 1 shot in 10:45 played as Team USA won 4-3 in overtime over Finland to capture the gold medal. Augustine didn’t dominate, but he didn’t have to be anything other than really steady.

Jesse Kiiskinen scored a goal on 3 shots in 17:10 played, finishing even, and the Finns nearly won thanks to the remarkable 40-save performance of Petteri Rimpinen.

All Trey Augustine does at the #WorldJuniors is win.

He talked with @MikeKellyNHL following @usahockey's second consecutive gold medal! pic.twitter.com/JflM52iNBV

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) January 6, 2025

Continue reading Augustine, Plante’s Americans take gold at the World Junior Championship; Sandin Pellikka’s Swedes lose bronze to Czechia in a shootout

Of Red Wings-related note this afternoon:

1. The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan focuses on three areas in which the Red Wings have improved over the course of Todd McLellan’s tenure with the team, from the crease on out…

You got the sense during the losing streak heading to the coaching change that the goaltending was teetering a bit. Both Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon were returning from injuries, and they looked rusty. They were facing a high volume of shots nightly, and the defense in front of them was leaky.

It all added up to difficult assignments in keeping the Wings close in games.

But the Wings have been a better team defensively under McLellan, they’ve reduced the shot volume dramatically, and Lyon and Talbot are back to grinding victories. Lyon’s victory on Saturday, over Winnipeg star Connor Hellebuyck (Commerce Township), was Lyon’s sixth win in his last seven decisions.

“If you look at save percentage, one (shot) out of every 10 goes in,” McLellan said. “When you’re giving up 40 (shots) a night, you’re not giving yourselves a true opportunity to win. We’ve asked the players to check a little harder, to close quicker, block more shots and play more calm when they’re in a panic mode — and they’ve done a good job.

“Alex, he’s done a real good job of managing the games. Getting us a whistle when we needed to, and slowing it down when we needed to. That’s real important, too.”

2. And Detroit Hockey Now’s Max Smith praises the Wings’ revamped defensive corps in “Two Truths and a Lie“:

Continue reading Afternoon news: Praise for the Wings’ goaltending and defensive corps

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton discusses the Red Wings’ 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets in his traditional morning-after-the-game notebook, and I completely agree with Sam regarding Moritz Seider’s play of late, especially in end-of-game situations:

I’m not sure there’s been any aspect of Detroit’s game I’ve enjoyed watching lately more than Moritz Seider‘s play in five-on-six situations.  The intensity with which he defended Alex Ovechkin to help close out McLellan’s first win with the Red Wings against the Capitals was mesmerizing.  

There’s not a moment in any game where Seider shows compunction about sacrificing his body in the name of team defense, but that dynamic is even more pronounced in end-of-game five-on-six scrambles.  Tying up sticks and asserting body position in front of the net, throwing a hit to knock the puck loose and get a clear, absorbing a hit to bleed away seconds along the way—Seider has become a weapon for Detroit to kill games.

Last night, it was Seider eliminating the threat of a loose puck just beyond the crease that won back possession for the Red Wings, eventually setting up Larkin’s empty-net goal that iced the game.   It’s a small part of Seider’s overall play, but it’s an area where games are quite literally won and lost and one where he has continued to add major value for his team.

Continued