Month: August 2025

Former Wings goaltending coach Alex Westlund hired by University of Connecticut

According to “The UConn Blog’s” Daniel Connolly, former Red Wings goaltending coach Alex Westlund has landed a new job:

UConn men’s hockey filled the vacancy on its coaching staff, announcing Alex Westlund as its new assistant on Monday. He’ll replace Vince Stalletti as the goaltending coach and will also focus on recruiting.

“We’re excited to add Alex to our program,” UConn head coach Mike Cavanaugh said in a release. “He’s an experienced coach who brings valuable knowledge from the NHL, AHL, and Team USA. His enthusiasm for the game will be contagious, and we look forward to having him on our team.”

Westlund arrives in Storrs with an impressive resume, having served as the goalie coach for the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings over the last three seasons following a five-year stint with the AHL’s Hershey Bears. He was also in charge of Team USA’s goaltending at the 2024 IIHF Championship.

Continued

Video: the NHL Network’s discussion of Dylan Larkin as its 15th-best center (again)

Last week, Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was named the NHL’s 15th-best center by the NHL Network, and Mike Rupp and Dan Boyle discussed Larkin’s pluses in a Twitter video released by the NHL Network. The NHL posted a video link to their 6-minute segment on Larkin and centers #15-11 as well, and today, they’ve posted the video in YouTube format.

Larkin earns the first 2 minutes and 40 seconds of Rupp and Boyle’s time:

EA Sports lists Moritz Seider among its top 10 right-handed defenders in ‘NHL 26’…sort of…

Via Daily Faceoff’s Scott Maxwell, EA Sports revealed its list of their top 10 right-handed defensemen in the NHL 26 video game in terms of their overall skill rankings, and Moritz Seider cracked the list…But he’s tied with a host of defenders who have an 88-out-of-100 skill set:

I’m not a big gamer, so I’m guessing that 88 out of 100 is very good, but not “elite.” So it is, I guess. It seems like the gaming world feels the same about Seider’s skill set that the media does–i.e. they underrate it.

Griffins coach Dan Watson, assistant coach Brian Lashoff praise Shai Buium’s potential

The Hockey News’s Jake Tye spoke with Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson and assistant coach Brian Lashoff recently, and Watson and Lashoff told Tye that they are big believers in the potential of defenseman Shai Buium (pronounced “BOO-yum”), who completed his rookie AHL season this past spring:

“I thought he had a great first year, the expectation was for him to go and train and have a really good summer, I talk to him the other day and he’s been doing that,” Watson said “So I’d love to see where he’s at at the start of the year, just a puck-mover, he sees the ice extremely well, could run on power play, so looking to see the stride that he’s made.”

Buium’s listed at 6’3″ and 220 pounds on EliteProspects, but he’s got long and lean arms, legs and a torso, so he could realistically put on another 5-10 pounds of muscle and not lose mobility.

Buium made his professional debut during the 2024–25 season with the Griffins, where he impressed by scoring a pair of goals and dishing 23 assists for 25 points over 67 games. Before turning pro, he was a standout defenseman at the University of Denver, recording 14 goals and 61 assists for 75 points with a +61 rating in 120 games. His collegiate career was littered with success as he was apart of two National Championship wins with the Pioneers in 2022 and 2024.

Longtime Red Wings and Griffins defenseman Brian Lashoff has spent the last two seasons behind the bench as an assistant coach, mainly operating as the coach for the defense, and has mentioned Buium as an exciting prospect to watch. Lashoff explained that Buium has taken big strides in his game saying “he definitely started to steadily progress throughout the season, he learned a ton playing pro for the first time, and he got better and better.” 

Lashoff expanded on the topic by mentioning that he would regularly trust the young Buium with “big minutes” last season and that he has the potential to earn a spot with the Red Wings or a bigger role with the Griffins next season. He finished by explaining that he, like Dan, has heard very positive feedback about how Buium’s summer has been going and he’s looking forward to coming back in September and seeing the work he’s put in. 

Continued; I’m not necessarily sold on Buium being Edvinsson 2.0, but I do know that he’s among the best of the crop of young defensemen that will be playing for the Griffins this upcoming season. He’s one to watch for sure.

Khan discusses the Red Wings’ opening-night forward lines

MLive’s Ansar Khan examines the Red Wings’ depth chart this afternoon, surmising what the team’s forward lines might look like at the start of the 2025-2026 regular season.

We all know that the top lines will include a Dylan Larkin-Lucas Raymond duo and the Alex DeBrincat-Marco Kasper-Patrick Kane trio, so here are Khan’s third and fourth lines:

Third line: Michael Rasmussen-Andrew Copp-James van Riemsdyk

Copp and Rasmussen, with their size and forechecking ability, are a natural fit together at even strength and on the penalty kill. The team missed Copp following his season-ending shoulder injury on Feb. 22. It might have affected Rasmussen, whose performance declined (from 33 points in 2023-24 to 21 and from plus-8 to minus-12). The veteran van Riemsdyk’s net-front presence might land him on the top line, but he can play up and down the lineup and provide secondary scoring.

Fourth line: Elmer Soderblom-J.T. Compher-Mason Appleton

The 6-8 Soderblom wasn’t out of place when used on the top line, so that’s an option. He missed 10 of the final 14 games with a nagging injury. Compher had a disappointing season with 11 goals and 32 points after producing 19 goals and 48 points his first season in Detroit. He’s out of place as a fourth-line center, but where else is he going to play? The Red Wings invested a good sum in Appleton (two years, $2.9 million average annual value), who is coming off a 10-goal, 22-point season, and he’s another player who’s not a natural fourth-liner.

Continued (paywall); Khan believes that Carter Mazur, Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard are all in the mix for call-ups, but he doesn’t see them making the opening-night roster.

Getting by is getting by

As stated last week, we made enough money to cover the cost of the WordPress served and the program that allows me to interface with the blog, Jetpack, but only just…

So I’m trying to raise funds to pay the bills and keep the lights on at home as well.

Fundraising is not your or my favorite thing to do, but this is how it’s done when you don’t have commercials or sponsors cluttering the blog, and I do hope that you’ll considering donating to the cause.

Right now, anything and everything will help, because we’re trying to make $200 stretch out between now and the 12th of next month, when I get paid by the State of Michigan for being Aunt Annie’s caregiver, and stretching $200 for 2-and-a-half weeks ain’t easy.

Here are the details as to how you can help:

Continue reading Getting by is getting by

Tweets of note via Red Wings Prospects: Dmitri Buchelnikov scores 2 more preseason goals on CSKA Moscow’s top line

Red Wings Prospects on Twitter reports that Wings prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov played on CSKA Moscow’s top line as they took part in a final preseason tournament before the early-September start of the KHL’s regular season…

And as you might expect, Buchelnikov scored two preseason goals:

TSN’s Yost ranks the Red Wings’ center corps as thin, but Dylan Larkin’s scoring is elite

TSN’s Travis Yost posted his set of rankings for the NHL’s 32 teams’ center corps, and he lists the Red Wings in the 4th of 5 tiers…But at least he gives Dylan Larkin a compliment in doing so:

Detroit Red Wings (T4) – Dylan Larkin has put together one heck of a streak amidst the Red Wings’ rebuild, with four straight 30+ goal seasons and 126 goals total. That puts him in a class with the likes of Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk (130), Utah’s Clayton Keller (128), and New Jersey’s Jack Hughes (123).

Continued; as we know in Detroit, Dylan Larkin is extremely underrated.

4 Red Wings prospects make Daily Faceoff’s Ellis’ top NHL affiliated-skater prospect list

Last week, EliteProspects listed their top 100 NHL-affiliated skater prospects and top 20 NHL-affiliated goaltender prospects; this morning, Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis presents his own list of his top 75 NHL-affiliated skaters, and four Red Wings prospects make the cut:

18. Axel Sandin-Pellikka, RHD, 20 (Detroit Red Wings)

2024-25 Rank: 37th (+19)

Sandin-Pellikka was one of the best players at the 2025 World Juniors despite not winning a medal. Back in Sweden, Sandin-Pellikka scored the most goals and points by an SHL junior skater this past season, registering 12 markers and 29 points. His defensive game is solid, too, as you’d hope from a defenseman. Sandin-Pellikka is physically better than we’ve seen from him in recent years and is much more engaged in clearing out the crease to keep traffic away from his goaltender. I think ASP could step into the NHL this season if the Red Wings needed him to, but there’s no rush. He’s a future top-four defender, and a bit of time honing his skills on the smaller ice in the AHL wouldn’t hurt. It won’t be long until he’s plying his trade at Little Caesars Arena, though.

43. Carter Bear, LW, 18 (Detroit Red Wings)

2024-25 Rank: New

A season-ending injury before the playoffs was a big bummer. But he was one of the CHL’s most dangerous forwards this year, registering 40 goals, 82 points and 77 penalty minutes in just 56 games. He’s a difficult player to play against, and his athleticism is top-notch. The injury clearly didn’t scare off the Red Wings, who likely see him as a top-six forward who isn’t afraid to play with a physical edge. I loved this pick by Detroit – a team that needed someone capable of getting pucks on net in the system. Bear is at least another 2-3 years away from NHL duty but I think he’ll be a solid winger.

61. Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, RW, 19 (Detroit Red Wings)

2024-25 Rank: 42nd (-20)

Brandsegg-Nygård played his first year in the top Swedish league, registering a modest 11 points in 42 games. He also made his AHL debut and was one of Norway’s best players at the World Championship. It was a busy season for the young forward, and while his offensive numbers weren’t anything special, he does so much away from the puck. Brandsegg-Nygård competes as hard as anyone, winning battles against much bigger competition on a regular basis. He was a wicked shot release, although we didn’t get to see it too often this year. I also love how committed he is to being the best two-way threat on every shift, too. MBN might not be a play-driver, but he’s going to be one heck of a support guy.

63. Nate Danielson, C, 20 (Detroit Red Wings)

2024-25 Rank: 56th (-7)

Danielson’s game was never going to be about pure skill or offensive domination. Instead, it was about how rounded he was and how he uses his strength and hockey sense to win battles. He had a solid 39 points in 71 AHL games as a pro rookie, and he has impressed in the past two pre-seasons, too. I could see him maxing out as a 40-point NHLer, but he’ll be exceptionally useful in a two-way role. I hope we’ll see him get some NHL action this season, but I don’t expect him to see full-time duty for at least another year as he continues to play with more confidence with the puck.

Continued; it’s a little disappointing to read Brandsegg-Nygard as a “support guy,” but it appears to be the rule and not the exception to underrate the Red Wings’ top prospects.

James van Riemsdyk will fill multiple roles…for now

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff discusses the value of Red Wings free agent signing James van Riemsdyk this morning, noting that the versatile 36-year-old can play “up and down” the lineup as necessary:

The Red Wings were unable to land the top-six forward they were hoping to get this summer. It wouldn’t be surprising to see JVR taking some shifts on the top line alongside Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond.

At the same time, seeing him working alongside Marco Kasper and perhaps Patrick Kane in a second-line role could prove effective. He’d also fit in a third-line role. At 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, van Riemsdyk brings some size to Detroit’s lineup.

At 36, he isn’t going to be the imposing power forward that van Riemsdyk was in his prime.

“I think as you get older in your career, you have kind of your calling cards as a player,” van Riemsdyk said. “And I think, too, you have to find ways to be a bit more versatile and add value in different ways to a team, being able to contribute in different ways. I think I’ve definitely been able to add some different things to my game that can make me be able to play in different spots all over the lineup.”

Continued; Van Riemsdyk is sort of a consolation prize for a team that hasn’t been able to address its need for a top-six scoring winger due to the lack of free agent targets and the high value of the few tradable assets available…

But even at 36, Duff’s right–JvR can provide a versatile presence who can play spot duty on the first line down to a checking role on the fourth line without so much as a blink–or a complaint.

Van Riemsdyk is not the ideal power forward that the Wings were seeking, but he’ll do for now.