Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat appeared on 97.1 the Ticket from the Ilitch Celebrity Charities Golf Classic earlier this week, and the Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker took note of DeBrincat’s remarks:
Earlier this week, DeBrincat participated in the 17th Annual Ilitch Charities Celebrity Golf Classic, and spent a few minutes chatting with hosts Jim Costa and Jon Jansen of The Costa & Jansen w/ Heather Show on 97.1 The Ticket, and was asked right off the bat how much of an adjustment period it will take thanks to the multiple new faces on the roster acquired by GM Steve Yzerman.
“Not that long, I think that a lot of the bonding that we do in Traverse City off the ice helps it progress and make it a lot easier,” he said. “It’s nice going up there to get to know the new guys, and as a new player, it’s nice to get to know the team. It’s a great time up there, and it really makes us closer.”
DeBrincat and the Red Wings have been in prime position to further solidify a spot in the Wild Card postseason race in each of the last two seasons coming into the month of March, only to suffer prolonged losing streaks that all but officially sealed their fate.
“I think there’s a lot of things that happen at that time of year, we obviously weren’t playing well, but that’s history,” DeBrincat said of Detroit’s March struggles. “We gotta figure out a way why in the last two years, we’ve had a lull in that March time frame….us as players have to find a way to power through that and not get such a setback. There are going to be setbacks during the year, but we have to find a way to minimize them and not let them last.”
Among the multiple new additions to the Red Wings roster coming into this season include goaltender John Gibson, forwards James van Riemsdyk and Mason Appleton, and defensemen Jacob Bernard-Docker, Travis Hamonic and Ian Mitchell.
Does DeBrincat believe that the team, as currently constructed, can bring playoff hockey to Little Caesars Arena for the first time?
“For sure,” he said with no hesitation. “We got a couple guys that are coming in that should really help us, and it’ll be fun to start the year and see what everyone’s made of and go from there. You can’t make the playoffs in the first month, but it will definitely help if you have a good start.”
Continued; DeBrincat also told Costa and Jansen that he’s getting ready for a difficult task in the first training camp under coach Todd McLellan:
“It will be good and it will be hard,” DeBrincat said of he’s anticipating from McLellan in Training Camp. “It will be very attention to detail oriented. In Todd’s game, details are really big, and just the work ethic – he requires you to give it your all on every shift, and tthat’s something that will be instilled on Day 1.”
