Month: July 2025

Red Wings to take part in ‘Canadian Thanksgiving’ doubleheader

Of Red Wings Twitter-related note:

Update: Also of note:

Bultman discusses the youth movement in his mailbag 2.0

The Athletic’s Max Bultman filed a mailbag feature a couple of days ago, and, this morning, Bultman offers a second mailbag story:

After the Red Wings sent Marco Kasper to Grand Rapids to start the season last year, in favor of keeping back-of-the-roster veterans, is there any hope for prospects who have not made their Red Wings debut yet to make the opening-day roster without injuries in front of them? — Peter N.

Kasper was outstanding last preseason and, in my view, deserved a spot on the opening-night roster. That he didn’t start there does seem to indicate how hard it will be for any young player to win a spot outright.

I do think Kasper’s case is also instructive in another, more encouraging way: He still played 77 games last season. Opening night holds some special symbolic meaning, but Kasper only ended up missing five games total. He still made a full-season impact for the Red Wings. It’s a good reminder that the October roster is just a snapshot of a moment in time, and isn’t an end-all, be-all.

Beyond that, the Red Wings’ hole at top-line left wing right now does at least open the door to a youngster in a way that hasn’t always been the case. Remember that Lucas Raymond was once ticketed to start his age-19 season in Grand Rapids, if not for the fact that Jakub Vrana got hurt, creating room high in the lineup.

Now, I don’t know if Nate Danielson, Carter Mazur, Amadeus Lombardi or Michael Brandsegg-Nygård is going to have as dazzling a camp as Raymond did. That’s a high bar. However, if one does, the fact that there’s an upper-lineup spot seemingly available is an interesting factor. Detroit has tended to prefer its young players earn a prominent role in order to make the big club, and there might actually be one up for grabs this year.

Today, I wouldn’t predict any of them to make the cut opening night, but it wouldn’t surprise me if one or more of Danielson, Mazur or maybe even Lombardi play a significant number of games in Detroit next year.

Continued (paywall); the Red Wings are running pretty lean in terms of their AHL depth right now, but it would not surprise me if they stack the Grand Rapids Griffins with some AHL veterans who may supplant the Wings’ youngsters on the depth chart.

The bottom line for most young players is pretty simple: they have to take a veteran’s job in order to make an organization’s NHL roster on a full-time basis.

There are definitely times when a rookie or young player will slot into the lineup due to an injury suffered during training camp or the exhibition season, but a situation like Kasper’s isn’t particularly common. Players like Danielson, Mazur, Lombardi or Brandsegg-Nygard will have uphill battles in terms of winning roster spots this upcoming season.

Eduards Tralmaks may head back to Czechia if the doesn’t make the NHL

The Red Wings signed 28-year-old forward Eduards Tralmaks to bolster their depth chart after the 6’4,” 209-pound Latvian posted 51 points in 48 games with Kladno of the Czech Extraliga. According to Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff, Tralmaks may not end up playing in Grand Rapids if he fails to make the Red Wings’ roster:

Czech club Energie Karlovy Vary confirmed on their website that they have agreed to terms on a multi-year contract with Tralmaks. His pact with Energia will only kick in if and when Tralmaks opts to exit Detroit.

“We wish Eduards the best of luck in his work overseas,” club executive Daniel Tobolka said on the team’s website. “We believe that he will do well and that he will fully enjoy the chance he has won. At the same time, however, it is true that once he decides to return to Europe, Energie will be ready for him.”

Tralmaks was all set to join Karlovy Vary when the Red Wings swooped in to get his name on a contract.

“This year we have already agreed on an engagement with Energie,” Karlovy Vary sports director Jiri Kalous said. “However, his departure overseas unfortunately means that his work with our club must be postponed. We will remain in regular contact with Eddie. We will continue to monitor his performances, and we wish him good luck and success on this mission.”

Tralmaks signed a one-year deal with the Red Wings. The center/left-winger will earn $775,000 in the NHL and $225,000 if he ends up in the minor leagues.

As Duff explains, Tralmaks played his youth hockey in Boston, he attended the University of Maine, and he played in parts of three seasons for the Boston Bruins’ AHL affiliate in Providence before heading back to Czechia for two seasons with Jaromir Jagr’s Rytíři Kladno.

The Red Wings had hoped to start the 2025-2026 season with the big man playing in the AHL, but this “fall-back plan” complicates the situation.

Tweet of note: Carter Bear’s contract details via PuckPedia

The Detroit Red Wings signed Carter Bear to a 3-year, entry-level contract on Thursday, and PuckPedia has the details of said contract:

Bear can no longer play in NCAA hockey as he’s considered a professional athlete as soon as he inks a pro contract, but, as PuckPedia’s Tweet notes, the contract’s ability to “slide” affords Detroit a significant amount of leeway in terms of his development at the WHL and (in all likelihood) AHL levels of hockey…

So he received a $97,500 signing bonus and a nice $500,000 performance bonus, which boosts him up to an NHL-max $975,000 entry-level contract.

Trey Augustine named to NHL.com’s top 10 young goaltenders list

The Detroit Red Wings’ young players fared fairly well over the course of NHL.com’s three lists of their top 10 players under 25, as separated into forwards, defensemen and goaltenders.

Lucas Raymond was omitted from their top 10 forwards list, but both Simon Edvinsson and Moritz Seider cracked the top 10 defensemen’s list

Today, Red Wings goaltending prospect Trey Augustine makes Kevin Woodley’s list of the top 10 goaltending prospects under 25, though Sebastian Cossa‘s been omitted:

6. Trey Augustine, Detroit Red Wings

The only other goalie on this list yet to play in the NHL, Augustine wasn’t far behind [Jacob] Fowler despite the fact he is going back to Michigan State University for a third season in the fall. Praised for his mature approach almost as much as his skills and strong technical game, the 20-year-old already has won two gold medals and one bronze with the United States at the IIHF World Junior Championship, including gold as the starter last season.

Cossa may have fallen off NHL.com’s hype train, but he’s still an extremely highly-regarded prospect, and the 22-year-old Cossa and Augustine give the Red Wings significant and high-quality depth in the crease.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard’s willing to put in the work necessary to make the NHL

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan profiles Red Wings prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard this afternoon:

A tremendous training camp might change things, but a stint in Grand Rapids seems likely. Especially with specific areas to Brandsegg-Nygard’s game that need progressing.

“My dream and my goal is to make the team (the Wings) and we’ll see what happens,” Brandsegg-Nygard said. “But I’m happy with GR too. I’ll do my best to make the team one day. I’m young, so I got to develop everything. But a few things I focus more on is my speed — to have a lot of speed, have quick turns. That’s what I’m focusing on this summer.”

The way [Red Wings assistant director of player development Dan] Cleary sees it, Brandsegg-Nygard is capable of passing the AHL test and succeeding in the NHL.

“I expect him to come in — and of course there’s going to be some growing pains — but we’ve got great coaches (in Grand Rapids), and I’ll be down there quite a bit with him,” Cleary said. “He’s got a game that is built for this North American style.”

Brandsegg-Nygard displayed some maturity when asked about his overall experience at the recent development camp. Most young players talked about the thrill of meeting past Red Wings greats who served as coaches at the camp, or simply being awed by Little Caesars Arena and the creature comforts. But Brandsegg-Nygard enjoyed another aspect of the camp.

“It’s always fun to meet the people that work here,” said Brandsegg-Nygard of the men and women behind the scenes. “A lot of the staff are just really fun to talk to, so I have a lot of fun.”

Continued

Press release: Red Wings sign Carter Bear to 3-year entry-level contract

Updated 2x at 4:21 PM: From the Detroit Red Wings:

RED WINGS SIGN CARTER BEAR TO THREE-YEAR, ENTRY-LEVEL CONTRACT

  â€Ś Forward Was Selected 13th Overall by Detroit at 2025 NHL Entry Draft …

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today signed forward Carter Bear to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Bear, 18, was selected by the Red Wings in the first round (13th overall) of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, held at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on June 27-28. The 6-foot, 179-pound forward also participated at Detroit’s Development Camp from June 30-July 3 at the BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena. Bear played the 2024-25 season with the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips and ranked among the team leaders with 40 goals (1st), 42 assists (4th), 82 points (1st), a plus-33 rating (7th), 77 penalty minutes (2nd), 14 power play goals (1st), 27 power play points (T1st), two shorthanded goals (T2nd), nine game-winning goals (1st) and 185 shots (4th) in 56 games. He also earned a place on the WHL’s Western Conference Second All-Star Team. Bear spent the entire 2023-24 campaign with the Silvertips, recording 57 points (25-32-57), a plus-23 rating and 26 penalty minutes in 67 regular-season games, in addition to four assists in nine postseason contests. In total, Bear has compiled 141 points (66-75-141), a plus-53 rating and 103 penalty minutes in 142 WHL games with the Silvertips since 2022-23.

A native of Winnipeg, Man., Bear played the majority of the 2022-23 season with the Winnipeg Thrashers in the Manitoba U18 Hockey League, capturing Most Valuable Player honors and a spot on the league’s First All-Star Team after recording 59 points (32-27-59) and 24 penalty minutes in 31 regular-season games, along with two points (1-1-2) in three postseason matchups. Bear also spent the 2021-22 season with the Thrashers’ under-18 squad, notching 42 points (25-17-42) and 34 penalty minutes in 39 regular-season games, in addition to two points (1-1-2) in three playoff games. Bear skated with Team Manitoba at the 2021-22 WHL Cup, finishing with one assist in five appearances.

Update: A few quotes of note from Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff…

Continue reading Press release: Red Wings sign Carter Bear to 3-year entry-level contract

Tweet of note: NHL.com estimates the Red Wings’ opening-night lineup

NHL.com’s Dave Hogg discussed the Red Wings’ unfinished lineup last night, and this afternoon, NHL.com attempts to discern Detroit’s 2025-2026 roster for the home opener, assuming that the team doesn’t make any more roster alterations:

Tweet of note: A hip cat’s schedule

The Red Wings posted a short film that’s a sort of “Film Noir” introduction to the team’s 2025-2026 regular season schedule: