The Detroit Red Wings’ 2026 Summer Development Camp begins today at Little Caesars Arena. After the Red Wings released the roster for said event on Sunday evening.
As such, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff examines the 8 free agent invites who will attend the 4-day event:
Arguably, the most curious of the bunch is 23-year-old Russian forward Yegor Vinogradov. The 6-foot-3, 202-pound left shot put up 23-31-54 totals this past season for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL. He has one year remaining on his KHL contract.
Forward Salvatore Viviano, 18, was the second-leading scorer for the USHL Waterloo Black Hawks with 16-24-40 numbers. The GM of the Black Hawks is former Red Wings scout Kevin Gibson. Right-winger Michael Dec, 19, split last season between the Owen Sound Attack and Erie Otters of the OHL. He scored 28 goals among his 68 points.
Defenseman Yaroslav Busygin, 23, is a five-season veteran of the KHL. He put up 9-15-24 totals with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg last season. The player development head for that club is Red Wings Hall of Famer Pavel Datsyuk. Cade Christenson posted 5-2-7 totals as a sophomore defenseman at Penn State. He’s transferring to Providence for his junior season.
Three free-agent goalies have also been invited. Swedish goalie Albin Boija posted a .899 save percentage and a 2.59 GAA with the NCAA Maine Black Bears. That was the school that produced former Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard and forward Gustav Nyquist.
From West Bloomfield, Michigan, Will Keane had a 3.22 GAA and a .897 save percentage in 17 games for the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks. Semyon Konopsky, 20, had a .930 save percentage and a 2.28 GAA with Yaroslavl Loko-76.
Continued; I’m a bit curious as to the cause of the burst of Russian-born players who were both drafted this past weekend in Buffalo, as well as those who are attending NHL summer development camps. It’s surprising that the country has “opened up” to the wider world despite the war in Ukraine.
