Author: George Malik

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff argues that Red Wings forward Patrick Kane should have been included on Team USA’s Four Nations Face-Off roster:

Throughout his career, Kane, 36, has answered the USA Hockey call. He’s played for his country in U17, U18 and U20 tournaments. Kane also suited up in three IIHF World Championships, two Olympic Games and a World Cup of Hockey. During the 2018 world tourney, Kane was accumulating 8-12-20 totals in just 10 games. Overall, he’s pulled on the USA jersey 59 times.

Every young American player looks up to him as the benchmark for US NHLers.

“He was basically our idol growing up,” Detroit forward Christian Fischer said.

Kane’s 1,315 points lead all active American players. It’s nearly double that of Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson (709), the second player on the list.

It’s fair to say that Kane’s 2024-25 NHL season was not off to a stellar start. However, of late, he’s resembling the Kane of old. He’s averaging a point a game over the past 21 games.

…

“It would be an honor to represent your country, especially in those big tournaments like the 4 Nations and Olympics where you’re playing best on best,” Kane said.

Continued; for better or worse, Team USA tends to emphasize youth over veterans, and they made several difficult decisions in terms of veteran players who may have deserved to play in the Four Nations Face-Off for the sake of giving young players chances to play.

We don’t have to like it, but that’s how it goes.

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin’s team had a very successful night on Thursday, with Team USA winning 6-1 over Finland, but Larkin had to embrace a lesser role.

Larkin finished even in 11:14 played, including 1:29 of PK time, finishing with a missed shot and 3 hits.

This is pretty much the highlight clip of Larkin’s game:

Update: Sportsnet’s Emily Sadler offers a middling grade for Larkin:

Dylan Larkin: 7/10
It’s hard to stand out when you’re playing on the fourth line of a star-studded club, but Larkin’s role on this squad is well-defined, and he played it accordingly. Larkin, who played just 11:14 Thursday night, was held off the scoresheet but still made an impact with some solid PK play and a trio of hits in what was a physical game. 

NHL.com’s Tracey Myers surveyed the Swedish locker room regarding Saturday’s battle between Sweden and Finland at the Four Nations Face-Off, and Lucas Raymond weighed in:

Beyond the players each country looks up to, Sweden and Finland kids play each other in hockey constantly. [coach Sam] Hallam said by the time Swedish hockey players turn 20, they’ve probably played the top Finnish players 20-25 times.

“I mean, the Finns are always bringing really good teams. They have really good players and it’s no different this tournament,” Sweden forward Lucas Raymond said. “When you’re that close to another country, (and) you play each other as much as you do growing up in the tournaments, it tends to build up to that rivalry. It’s good. It brings out the best in you and they’re fun games.”

Continued

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Per Michigan State University:

East Lansing, Mich. — Michigan State sophomore netminder Trey Augustine (South Lyon, Mich.) has been announced as one of 10 semifinalists for two major national awards on Thursday, Feb. 13.  Augustine is among the semifinalists for the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) James E. Sullivan Award, which annually honors the top amateur athlete in the United States, as well as the Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top netminder in college hockey.    

The AAU Sullivan Award honors the most outstanding collegiate, Olympic or similar level athlete in the United States. It has been presented annually by the AAU since 1930 as a salute to founder and past president of the Amateur Athletic Union, and pioneer in amateur sports, James E. Sullivan. Based on the qualities of leadership, character, sportsmanship, and the ideals of amateurism, the AAU Sullivan Award goes far beyond athletic accomplishments and honors those who have shown strong moral character.

Daily Faceoff’s Scott Maxwell examines teams which have replaced their head coaches over the course of the 2024-2025 season thus far, and here’s what he has to say about the Red Wings:

Detroit Red Wings (Out: Derek Lalonde; In: Todd McLellan)

Record: 13-17-4 (28th) | 15-5-1 (3rd)
5v5 GF%: 45.08% (26th) | 46.18% (24th)
5v5 xGF%: 44.39% (30th) | 47.72% (24th)
5v5 PDO: 1.005 (12th) | 0.984 (25th)

There’s always talk about the bump in a team’s performance after a coaching change, but that hasn’t been the case in our first three examples. All three teams saw minimal improvement in their records under their new head coaches in, and while they maybe got a few wins off the hop, we’ve since seen them cool down. The Detroit Red Wings are a significantly different example.

While the Red Wings’ issues are also due to the construction of their roster, Derek Lalonde wasn’t getting anything out of the team, and that’s been proven even more since Todd McLellan took over. Not only have the Red Wings seen slight improvements under the hood (which, like [Jim] Montgomery’s Blues, still aren’t amazing numbers, but it feels like the most he can extract from the roster), the change has given new life to Detroit’s season, and their 15-5-1 record since McLellan was hired has put them in a playoff spot up this point.

That said, McLellan is the most recent hire, so we could see the Red Wings cool off and eventually have a record similar to the other three coaches. At the same time, McLellan already has only one win behind Montgomery with the Blues and four behind Sacco with the Bruins, and that comes with significantly fewer losses (McLellan has only six while the other two have 18 each). There are still plenty of issues with this Wings team, but it does feel like they at least have a coach who can get the most out of their roster when they get there.

Continued; ah yes, digs on the Red Wings (fair or unfair) and Daily Faceoff. It’s a marriage of sorts.

Per the Grand Rapids Griffins:

GRIFFINS & SLED WINGS GAME RETURNS MONDAY

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins and Grand Rapids Sled Wings will play their 18th annual sled hockey game presented by Meijer this Monday, Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. at Griff’s IceHouse at Belknap Park (30 Coldbrook St. NE).

The doors will open at 5 p.m. Prior to the game, fans can try out a sled on the ice for a minimum $1 donation (5-5:45 p.m.) and get autographs from their favorite Griffins players (5:10-5:40 p.m.). The 6 p.m. game will consist of two 20-minute periods with a running clock and brief intermission.

The opposing sled hockey teams will feature a mix of players from both the Griffins and the Junior Sled Wings, while a few local media personalities will also join the fun by taking shifts on the ice.

Tickets can be purchased at the door for $5 per person or $20 per family. Children two and younger are free, and donations are welcome.

The Junior Sled Wings, a talented team of children and young adults with physical disabilities, are sponsored by the Griffins Youth Foundation and Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation. They became the first junior-level sled hockey team in Michigan upon their founding in 2001 and have gained a national reputation by winning various prestigious tournaments and developing six players for U.S. National Teams. The Sled Wings won their second national championship in 2022 and have finished as national runners-up four times, while goaltender Taggart VanderMolen has been a member of the U.S. National Sled Hockey program since 2018, when he became the youngest netminder ever to be named to the team at the age of 15.

The New York Rangers sit only 3 points behind the Detroit Red Wings in the Eastern Conference standings, but the Hockey News’s Adam Proteau suggests that the Red Wings are better-prepared to make the playoffs this season:

If only one of these two teams could make the post-season, the Red Wings look more ready to do that this season.

For one thing, Detroit will likely add talent by the league’s March 7 trade deadline. The Wings have about $8.29 million in salary cap space, and GM Steve Yzerman is under tremendous pressure to get his team back into the playoffs. This is not to say Rangers GM Chris Drury doesn’t have serious pressure on him to avoid missing the playoffs, but Yzerman needs his team to jump the hurdle and avoid getting stuck in the mushy middle.

There’s still a lot of solid talent on the Rangers’ roster, such as Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, Igor Shesterkin and newly acquired J.T. Miller. But there’s a reason they’re three points out of a playoff spot instead of battling for the conference lead. Simply put, they’re too inconsistent to rise through the Eastern ranks and claim a playoff spot.

Since Nov. 21, the Rangers haven’t won more than two games in a row. In that same span, the Rangers have had a five-game losing streak, a four-game losing skid and two three-game losing streaks, the most recent occurring from Jan. 26 to Feb. 1. This team has been a regular disappointment, and nothing we’ve seen of late is changing our mind about the Rangers.

The Red Wings, on the other hand, have been on an impressive tear since they changed coaches on Dec. 26. Put aside their first loss under new bench boss Todd McLellan, and the Red Wings have had two seven-game winning streaks. That’s why the Wings are now in a wild-card spot and why we’re confident Detroit will outlast the rest of the field and squeeze into the playoffs.

The Rangers must know they’re not getting into the top three of the Metropolitan Division. They’re 10 points back of the New Jersey Devils for third place in the Metro and 12 points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for second place. 

Continued; right now, the Red Wings have at least half-a-dozen rivals as they attempt to wrest a Wild Card spot from the rest of the pack.

The Hockey News’s Caleb Kerney posted an article in which he discusses four prospects who the Red Wings must either sign or relinquish the rights to starting on June 1st, when European prospects’ rights expire, and ending on August 15th, when NCAA prospects’ rights expire. Of Kyle Aucoin, Sam Stange, Red Savage and Liam Dower Nilsson, the latter set of prospects are the ones I’ve been thinking about:

Red Savage

Red (Redmond) Savage was another 2020 fourth-round draft pick. Unfortunately, his season was cut short. 

At the end of January, the University of Michigan head coach announced that Savage would miss the remainder of the season. This was a big blow to the team, as he served as its captain. In 20 games this year, he recorded 11 points.

Liam Dower Nilsson

Liam Dower Nilsson could be a big steal for the Red Wings. The 2021 draft pick is currently playing for IF Bjorkloven of the HockeyAllsvenskan.

He has 37 points in 44 games. This is his third season playing in the HockeyAllsvenskan league, and each year, his point production has improved, from 15 to 27 and now 37.

Savage has displayed significant progress over the course of his collegiate career at Miami of Ohio and Michigan State, and he’s one of those stalwart “bottom-six” forwards that you want on your team, because he relishes winning every puck battle;

Dower Nilsson has played quite well in the Allsvenskan, and he’s bulked up to 6′ and 190 pounds, but it’s hard to say whether the Red Wings plan on making him part of the team’s future.

Iltahleti’s Vesa Parviainen posted an article about Red Wings prospect Jesse Kiiskinen.

Regrettably, the article comes out of Google Translate as word salad, so here’s a summary of the article’s points about Kiiskinen, who’s posted 12 goals and 23 assists for 35 points in 36 games played with HPK Hameenlinna:

1. Kiiskinen has helped HPK rally from a last-place status under coach Mikko Manner, who raves about Kiiskinen’s “ability and craving to score goals” while playing a team-first game;
2. Kiiskinen is from the Lahti area, but he chose to leave the hometown Lahti Pelicans for HPK over the summer, and thus far, coach Manner is impressed by Kiiskien’s resilience, commitment to the team, and play at the World Junior Championship;
3. Coach Manner also praises Kiiskinen for not falling into a “sophomore slump” as the team’s veterans and management attempt to afford Kiiskinen a full season’s worth of strong production;
4. And as Kiiskinen has another year of his contract with HPK remaining, coach Manner hopes that the young center will remain in Finland, but he concedes that Kiiskinen may head over to North America to play in the AHL, which Manner believes is a tricky league to break through.