Month: September 2026

The Grand Rapids Griffins posted a 6:40 YouTube clip containing interviews with Griffins forward Kienan Draper, defenseman Justice Christensen and coach Dan Watson, taken after the last day of the Red Wings’ 2026 prospect tournament:

The Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker spoke with Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson regarding Danielson’s aspirations of making Detroit’s roster out of training camp and the exhibition season:

Danielson, who appeared in 28 NHL games last season, recorded two goals and five assists before being returned to the AHL. However, he suffered a stress fracture in mid-February that sidelined him for the remainder of the Griffins’ season. This time around, Danielson has his sights set on earning a spot on the Red Wings’ roster out of Training Camp. 

“For sure,” he said of his goal to make the Red Wings’ roster. “I mean, I want to come into Camp and definitely earn a spot. I mean, ultimately my goal is to be an impact player in the League this year and be someone who contributes. That’s kind of my goal for the year.”

Danielson got his first taste of NHL action with the Red Wings last season, and while he viewed the experience positively overall, he believes he can improve his ability to capitalize on scoring opportunities.

“I feel like there’s a lot of different things you can work on,” he said. “I think finishing is definitely something I kind of need to bear down on. I felt like last year, I lacked that at times.” 

Griffins head coach Dan Watson, who coached Detroit during the Prospects Tournament, believes Danielson is almost overly focused on his defensive responsibilities to the point where it hinders his offensive abilities. 

“His vision, the way he thinks the game, he’s very responsible, maybe sometimes too responsible,” Watson said of Danielson’s attributes. “And that sometimes can hurt you, but I just think his willingness to go to the net, his willingness to create some more offense around the net; that’s what he was asked to do last year, and he started to do that with us before he got injured. So, hopefully he’s been able to rehab himself, to feel stronger, get stronger, and have the ability to do that.”

Continued

MLive’s Ansar Khan asks some of the many “roster questions” facing the Detroit Red Wings heading into training camp tomorrow morning at Little Caesars Arena:

Who will fill the top two lines?

It could be as simple as keeping intact the top line for most of last season – Larkin centering Lucas Raymond and Emmitt Finnie – and having Viktor Arvidsson replace Patrick Kane, who signed with the Blackhawks, on the second line with Andrew Copp and DeBrincat. Or maybe Marco Kasper can earn the second-line center spot or a top-six wing position.

Which player has the most to prove?

Kasper needs to be the player he was the second half of his rookie season in 2024-25 (17 goals, 30 points in 42 games) instead of the one who struggled his second year (nine goals, 19 points in 81 games). Effort isn’t the issue – he skates hard and goes to the high-contact areas around the net and in the corners. It’s about executing and finishing.

Who will emerge on the third defense pairing?

The top two pairs are set with Moritz Seider-Edvinsson and Ben Chiarot-Justin Faulk. Albert Johansson has a secure hold as the left D on the third pairing. Jacob Bernard-Docker, signed to a two-year extension on March 25, has the inside track on the right side. Veteran Jacob Bryson, signed in the offseason, and prospect William Wallinder, who’s no longer waiver-exempt, will be competing for the spot. Former first-round pick Axel Sandin-Pellikka, after playing 68 games as a rookie, likely needs development time with the Grand Rapids Griffins to improve defensively.

Khan continues at length (paywall)

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills spoke with Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson and Red Wings prospect Carter Bear as the Red Wings’ 2026 prospect tournament concluded on Tuesday afternoon:

Watson pointed out that the players took part in a learning experience, while Bear emphasized getting a head start on training camp:

“It’s hard because you feed them so much information,” Watson said. “You want to play with some structure. You can’t just let them go out there and run around. At times it’ll look like that, which it will for all teams, but it’s more about the details, the habits they play with, see how much information guys can handle. And I thought our guys, for the most part, looking back at the last two games of video, did a good job. Were there things to clean up? Absolutely. There’s going to be mistakes. That’s what this game is all about. So, for them it’s about moving forward.”

Forward Carter Bear was one of many who pointed to the intensity over the past few days as a driving force behind prospects working hard to show what they’re capable of.

“It’s good to finally go play hockey,” Bear said. “It’s been a little while. Obviously, it’s highly competitive out there. We all want to prove something. Everyone is here for a reason, so we’re trying to set a point for it. Everyone wants to battle hard and earn respect around here.”

There’s been a lot for the youngsters to unpack, but there’s even more to prove in the days ahead.

“Everyone that gets invited here has a chance,” Bear said. “I want to prove something on my side too. So, for me, I just want to keep my head down and work my ass off. That’s all we really can do as well as playing within the systems and all that.”

Watson told Mills that the abbreviated training camp and exhibition season means that prospects have a shorter period of time with which to make an impact:

“Everyone has got to show up,” Watson said. “You don’t have a day to kind of be casual and not show up. You have got to make sure you’re on top of your game right from day one of Training Camp … And then you have a short period of time to show yourself against NHL hockey players. So, for anybody that’s looking to make the team, they better be ready to go and have that intensity from the first meeting on.”

Continued

Of note from the Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker…

Interim Red Wings GM Shawn Horcoff will address the media at 3 pm. #LGRW #RedWings

— Michael Whitaker (@mwhitaker_89) September 16, 2026

And the Hockey Writers’ Tony Wolak:

Expecting a Simon Edvinsson contract to be announced in the near future. @FlyingOctoPod #LGRW

— Tony Wolak (@TonyWolak) September 16, 2026

The Detroit Red Wings have released their 2026 training camp roster and schedule, and disgruntled forward Dylan Larkin will attend camp. Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen wonders what might happen over the course of said camp:

Is Larkin Staying or Going?

That’s still to be determined. All we know for sure is that he will be at training camp, he is no longer the team’s captain and he plans to discuss his future with Horcoff.

He has five more seasons remaining on his contract paying him $8.7 million per season. Larkin would be suspended without pay if wasn’t at training camp.

What we don’t know is whether Larkin is open-minded about staying with the Red Wings under a non-Steve Yzerman regime. The deterioration of their relationship undoubtedly played a role in Larkin’s trade request.

What Are Detroit’s Trade Options for Larkin?

Larkin, owning a no-trade clause, informed Detroit he would only accept a trade to Florida, Vegas or Minnesota. Only the Wild, needing a scoring center, are actively pursuing Larkin.

The snag in negotiations when Yzerman was in charge was his insistence on a proven offensive player in return. He wasn’t looking to move Larkin for draft picks or prospects.

Does Horcoff feel the same way? We don’t know yet, but it is logical to believe that he feels urgency to put an end to the team’s decade-long playoff drought. You don’t take steps to do that by adding more draft picks and prospects.

Continued

From the Detroit Red Wings:

RED WINGS RELEASE 2026 TRAINING CAMP ROSTER AND SCHEDULE

  … Forty-Nine Players Hit the Ice Beginning on Sept. 17 at BELFOR Training Center …

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today released their training camp roster and schedule, comprised of 49 players who will hit the ice beginning on Thursday, Sept. 17 at the BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena.

The Red Wings will bring 28 forwards, 16 defensemen and five goaltenders to Detroit to participate in daily on-ice practices and scrimmages. The Red Wings open their four-game preseason slate with road games against the Columbus Blue Jackets (Monday, Sept. 21 at 7:00 p.m.) and Pittsburgh Penguins (Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 7:00 p.m.), followed by home games against the Buffalo Sabres (Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7:00 p.m.) and Blue Jackets (Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7:00 p.m.)

Detroit Red Wings 2026-27 Training Camp Roster

Continued

Matt Shepard of “X’s and BrO’s” spoke with Red Wings beat writer Max Bultman of The Athletic this morning, discussing the Dylan Larkin situation and the Red Wings’ decision to name Shawn Horcoff its interim GM:

Shep and @m_bultman of @TheAthletic had plenty to talk about with the #RedWings this morning from the offseason, new hire of Shawn Horcoff as general manager and this clip on Dylan Larkin below.

Listen to the full interview here: https://t.co/YMthF0gRia pic.twitter.com/MAjbBqq8Ka

— X's & BrO's (@XBMornings) September 16, 2026

The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn and Scott Wheeler discuss the “contention cycles” of all 32 NHL teams this morning, suggesting that while the Red Wings‘ present is very middling, Detroit could have a very bright future thanks to its deep pool of prospects. The article heavily draws upon their prospect tier and player tier articles in assessing where the teams are at and where they could be in terms of their respective levels of talent:

Detroit Red Wings

Present Outlook (Rating: 5.4 [out of 10])

The Red Wings are an interesting place given the current malaise around the franchise, right next to the Sabres where the vibes couldn’t be better. What their placement says is that the team’s core is good enough to be playoff-worthy, especially with the leap Moritz Seider took last season. The potential growth of Lucas Raymond and Simon Edvinsson can cement that further. It’s everything else that’s become an issue, a testament to Detroit’s poor draft record during the Yzerman era. Is this the year they start seeing results?

Future Outlook (Rating: 8.2)

The Red Wings have studs in Seider, Raymond and Edvinsson and significant quantity in Prospect Tiers with nine players (!). They’re missing a true superstar up front, though and that’s the difference between a good score here and one that looks like San Jose’s or Anaheim’s.

Path to contention

The challenge with the Red Wings’ mix is that if one of those Tier 4/5 players doesn’t get to Tier 3, you end up with a playoff baseline and not a true contention window. And both I and the league aren’t sure which of those players we’d bet on to exceed their projection. If all of them hit but none of them are home runs, you have to count on a St. Louis Blues miracle where you’re a capital-T Team and everything comes together in some kind of perfect storm.

Continued (paywall)

The Free Press’s Shawn Windsor attempts to separate the intense criticism the Red Wings are facing from the background noise surrounding the team’s front office uncertainty and its captain wanting out.

Windsor suggests that Shawn Horcoff is a fairly good hire, and that the Wings need to step up to catch up with the Detroit Tigers in terms of prospect development…

And Windsor understands that fans are frustrated with the state of the team, too:

None of this looks good. At all. The Wings’ ownership has bobbed in the wind like a balloon character bouncing cluelessly down Woodward Ave in the Thanksgiving parade. That may be fun in November, but not so much in April, when the season already has flamed out.  

So call it a clown show if you must. Or an embarrassment, a laughingstock, the long, slow demise of an iconic franchise. Go ahead, let the air out after all those years of watching the team go nowhere, and then watching the search to replace the Hall of Fame player – who was supposed to bring back a June parade down Woodward – flail until the eve of training camp. 

Dysfunctional? How else should anyone see it? 

But then that doesn’t matter, at least it shouldn’t

It’s all just white noise. All that matters is that Ilitch – accidentally or not – finds the right person to get this franchise back to its storied place. Maybe it’s Horcoff, going from interim to full-time. Maybe it’s someone else.  

Whoever it is, the noise fades a little when the team makes the playoffs. Do that and this search and this offseason and this entire unfortunate slide disappears in a hurry. 

Winning is like that. It’s time for it to start once more.  

Continued (paywall)