Author: George Malik

Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill meets with the media prior to the Red Wings’ golf tournament at Traverse City’s Grand Traverse Resort, and here are the Tweets as they roll in, starting with the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan:

Blashill said everyone is expected to be healthy and ready to compete for first day of practice tomorrow. Only draft pick Alec Regula (concussion) is out right now. #RedWings— Ted Kulfan (@tkulfan) September 12, 2019

Blashill said a lot of ice time is up for grabs. Talked about how Bertuzzi/Larkin/Mantha is set line, and AA set on 2nd line, but no other roles/positions are set in stone up front. Same with defense. #RedWings— Ted Kulfan (@tkulfan) September 12, 2019

#RedWings training camp teams: Team Delvecchio -Bertuzzi, de la Rose, DeKeyser, Elson, Ericsson, Erne, Hicketts, Howard, Hronek, Kaski, Kuffner,Larkin, Lashoff, Mantha, McIlrath, Nielsen, Pickard, Puempel Saarijarvi, Smith, Veleno, Zadina— Ted Kulfan (@tkulfan) September 12, 2019

Team Howe: Abdelkader, Athanasiou, Bernier, Bowey
Cholowski, Daley, Ehn, Filppula, Fulcher, Glendening
Green, Helm, Hirose, Larsson, Lindstrom, McIssac, Nemeth
Pearson, Pope, Rasmussen, Seider, Svechnikov, Terry,
Turgeon. #RedWings— Ted Kulfan (@tkulfan) September 12, 2019

Team Lindsay – Bizier, Casey, Crawford, D’Astous, Duquette
Ford, Kestner, Lalonde, Loggins, Lukosevicius, MacLeod
McCrea, Morgan, Nagle, Regula (out with concussion), Robinson, Romeo, Shine, Spezia, Yetman. #RedWings— Ted Kulfan (@tkulfan) September 12, 2019

Frans Nielsen joined the fray, and the Wings posted a video of coach Blashill’s remarks:

The Detroit News’s Gregg Krupa found out that the Red Wings have signed three QMJHL players to pro try-outs, per 92.9 FM’s Jean Deschesnes. One, Charle-Edouard D’Astous, is an AHL-contracted player. The other two are free agent invites:

DET Marc-Olivier Duquette (D)Signed by the Detroit Red Wings to a professional try-out contract.— Jean Deschesnes (@JeanDeschesnes1) September 12, 2019

DET Charle-Edouard D’Astous (D)Signed by the Detroit Red Wings to a professional try-out contrac— Jean Deschesnes (@JeanDeschesnes1) September 12, 2019

DET Mathieu Bizier (C)Signed by the Detroit Red Wings to a professional try-out contract.— Jean Deschesnes (@JeanDeschesnes1) September 12, 2019

It’s the day of the season that the Red Wings’ players are measured, photographed and engage in fitness testing at Centre ICE Arena:

Gettin’ Training Camp ready. #DRWTC | #LGRW pic.twitter.com/EOOR6QGCS6— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 12, 2019

? Fil. pic.twitter.com/ZiViyAwzPV— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 12, 2019

The Athletic’s Corey Pronnman listed his top 123 prospects for the 2019-2020 season, and Filip Zadina leads off the Red Wings’ representatives at #23 overall:

23. Filip Zadina, RW, Detroit

Nov. 27, 1999 | six-foot | 196 pounds

Drafted: Sixth-overall (2018)
Previous ranking: 6

Skating: 55
Puck Skills: 65
Physical Game: 40
Hockey sense: 60
Shot Grade: 60

Zadina had an up and down first North American pro season in the AHL with impressive stretches. He has so much talent. His hands are near elite level, and he’s an excellent playmaker. Inside the offensive zone, he’s very dangerous because he makes defenders miss, finds options through a seam and if that fails, he has his shot. He’s a shooter more than a passer even if he’s a very good passer. His shot can beat goalies from a distance consistently. His speed isn’t as dangerous as his skill, but he’s a good skater who will be able to put pressure on NHL defenders. When Zadina decides to lower his shoulder and drive, he’s very dangerous. But often I find he tries to shoot too much from the outside and not attack. Improving that aspect and his defensive play will be important for him going forward. He remains an excellent prospect and a potential top-line forward.

Pronman continues, listing Moritz Seider 30th, Joe Veleno 66th, Jonatan Berggren 80th, Oliwer Kaski 95th, Robert Mastrosimone 110th and Jared McIsaac 123rd.

The Gaylord Herald-Times’ Brandon Folsom reports that former Red Wings forward Darren McCarty is going to be raising funds for Otsego County’s amateur hockey association while entertaining a crowd:

Belle Iron Grille, located at 4029 Old 27 South in Gaylord, is hosting the “Grindtime with Darren McCarty Show” from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday.

General admission tickets cost $25 each, which includes Grindtime Comedy Tour performances at 6 p.m., a showing of the “The Russian Five” documentary produced by Keith Gave (as well as a question-and-answer session about the film with McCarty) at 7:45 p.m. and then the Grinder Reunion Concert starting at 10:30 p.m.

Part of the proceeds will go to OCHA to make youth hockey more affordable for area players. A raffle and a silent auction will also take place to raise funds for the organization.

“This is a great way to raise money for a local program, and I’m proud to kick off the hockey season,” McCarty said earlier this month. “I always believed that you can have a great time with great people. I’m stoked to put all my talents – or lack thereof – on display for the kids.

“I look forward to a great night at Belle Iron Grille!”

Continued

The Red Wings’ community tour stopped in Flint on Tuesday, visiting the Flint Fire Department and donating $5,000 to the Flint Inner City Youth Hockey program. Fox Sports Detroit chronicled the Wings’ visit to Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award winner Rico Phillips and his fellow firefighters:

Here’s a little clip of Joe Veleno speaking with the media after the Red Wings won the prospect tournament championship, via the Hockey News:

Hockeybuzz’s Bob Duff penned a column for DetroitRedWings.com in which Duff discusses Wings prospects Ryan Kuffner, Taro Hirose and Kaden Fulcher. It’s Fulcher’s comments that I find most interesting:

Last season was his first as a pro, and Fulcher saw action at three different levels — with the ECHL Toledo Walleye, at AHL Grand Rapids and finally, part of one game between the pipes for the Wings.

“(The NHL) really wasn’t something you expected in your first year at all, even the call-up to Grand Rapids,” Fulcher admitted.

All of the advice he received about what to expect at the NHL level, it may sound like cliches, but Fulcher’s here to tell you every bit of it is fact.

“I think the speed and the shot speed was definitely going be something to get used to, and I think that has been. I think being better with your hand-eye and your hands is one of the biggest things I’ve had to work on this year to kind of make sure I’m seeing those shots and reacting well to them and putting them in good places.”

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The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan has posted 10 questions regarding the storylines headed into training camp this weekend in Traverse City. Among his more pertinent topics:

4. What’s the health of the defensemen?

Trevor Daley, Jonathan Ericsson and Mike Green all missed substantial playing time last season, especially during the final months.

All three veterans on the final years of their contracts and could be dealt by the February trade deadline.

Still, seeing all three healthy, in the lineup, and contributing to a position group that is quite inexperienced behind them, will be important this month.

…

6. How does Svechnikov look?

Evgeny Svechnikov, the 2015 first-round forward, missed all last season to knee surgery.

Svechnikov has been unable to secure a full-time NHL job, and it wasn’t definite he was last September before he tore his knee.

Svechnikov will be 23 on Oct. 31. There are recently drafted forwards on their way into the Wings’ organization.

This could be a defining camp, and regular season, for Svechnikov in terms of his standing in the organization.

Continued

Via Abel to Yzerman, The Score’s John Matisz posted an article discussing Arizona Coyotes prospect Jalen Smereck, who’s a Detroit-born-and-bred player:

It’s early August, and the sun is beating down on Clark Park, a multipurpose community center just west of the bridge connecting Michigan and Ontario. Local pro Jalen Smereck moves through a scattered group of ball hockey players, striking up casual conversations.

Smereck grew up 12 miles from Clark Park. This is his community, and he sees himself in these kids. One mom asks if Smereck minds taking a photo with her shy 12-year-old son, a black hockey player who is new to the sport. She also has a question: What kind of advice does Smereck have for him?

“It was crazy because when I was with my black friends, I was a white boy, but when I was with my white friends, I was a black boy,” he replies. “So, it was kind of weird … “

Poke your head into arenas across the continent and it’s not hard to see that hockey is a predominantly white, affluent sport. In Detroit’s core, there isn’t much in the way of money, and less than 15% of Detroit residents are white (Smereck’s dad, Gary, is one of them). While the home of the Red Wings might be nicknamed Hockeytown, it’s decidedly a basketball, baseball, and football city.

This is the environment in which Smereck came of age and, as the 2019-20 hockey season begins, still grapples with. Nothing’s ever been easy, the 22-year-old Arizona Coyotes prospect said in a recent interview, but these are the cards he’s been dealt. There’s plenty of work – on and off the ice, for his community and for himself – left to be done.

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