Author: George Malik

Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis has posted a list of his top 25 NHL-affiliated goaltending prospects, and Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine finishes second on Ellis’ list, while Michal Postava finishes 15th:

2. Trey Augustine, 21 (Detroit Red Wings)

2025-26 Rank: 3rd (+1)

Augustine has consistently been near the top of these lists for a few years now. The 21-year-old is coming off a strong three-year run with Michigan State, and while he failed to win a national title, he did rack up a career record of 66-25-7 with nine shutouts and a .922 save percentage in 99 games. He was a proven winner at the junior level and is easily one of the most technically sound goalies around, which helped build up the hype. Augustine tends to play better when he’s busier, and he has the lightning-quick reflexes teams absolutely crave – and never seems to slow down during a game. Augustine will have the opportunity to steal starts in the AHL before pushing for the long-time starter gig in Detroit, especially with Cossa now with Utah.

…

15. Michal Postava, 24 (Detroit Red Wings)

2025-26 Rank: Unranked

It’s rare for an undrafted free agent signing from Europe to amount to much. But, man, Postava looks legit. He shared the net with Cossa last year, but after posting a 17-6-0 record with four shutouts and an incredible .937 SV%, Postava earned the net for the playoffs. He has been one of the top goalies in just about every league he has played in since junior, and he has used that to parlay himself into the Red Wings’ third-goalie role. I like his athleticism, but he’s also always square to the shooter with his 6-foot-2 frame. If Daniil Tarasov isn’t the answer as backup to John Gibson, Postava could end up getting his first taste of NHL action this coming season.

Continued

From the Grand Rapids Griffins:

GRIFFINS UNVEIL 2026-27 PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins have announced their promotional schedule for the 2026-27 season, featuring a number of giveaways and the return of many popular season-long promotions. Single-game tickets for each of the team’s 36 regular-season home games at Van Andel Arena will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at griffinshockey.com/tickets.

The Griffins will launch the home portion of their 72-game slate on Friday, Oct. 9 against the Manitoba Moose with the Home Opener presented by Huntington Bank. Promotions for the home opener include a magnet schedule giveaway, a postgame open skate and $3 beers/hot dogs.

Grand Rapids’ other giveaways this season include a Crayola kids tumbler (Oct. 18), team calendar (Oct. 23), Super Griff bobblehead (Oct. 24), military t-shirt (Nov. 6), Hot Wheels car (Nov. 29), trainer trucker hat (Dec. 19), Griffins building block set (Jan. 9), 2017 Calder Cup commemorative poster (Jan. 16), and a Wizards scarf (Feb. 27).  

Lansing’s WILX 10 posted a 1:39 report from Michigan State University’s “Pro Camp” at Munn Arena in East Lansing, and Mason Appleton makes a short appearance toward the end of the video, discussing the importance of the camp as preseason preparation:

Via Red Wings Prospects on Twitter, the OHL’s Peterborough Petes posted a 44-second clip in which Red Wings 2026 draft pick and Peterborough forward Adam Levac briefly discusses his draft experience and attending the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp:

BIG SUMMER FOR VACKER

We caught up with @DetroitRedWings prospect Adam Levac after this afternoon's scrimmage to talk about being selected in the NHL Draft, attending Detroit's development camp, and expectations heading into this season 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/EDvRjPGRTy

— Peterborough Petes (@PetesOHLhockey) August 26, 2026

From the Alpena News:

Friends Together, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing critical support, programs, and navigation services to cancer patients and their families throughout Northeast Michigan, has been selected as the official Detroit Red Wings Charity of the Game for the upcoming home matchup on October 4.

The Red Wings will host the Winnipeg Jets at Little Caesars Arena, with puck drop scheduled for 1 p.m.

As the featured Charity of the Game, Friends Together will have a dedicated promotional presence on the arena concourse during the event. Fans can visit the Friends Together table to learn more about their mission, engage with representatives, and participate in fundraising efforts.

Most importantly, community members and hockey fans can directly support the cause by purchasing tickets through an exclusive fundraising link. A significant portion of the proceeds from every ticket sold via this dedicated link will go back to Friends Together to fund free lodging, transportation, and support groups for those navigating a cancer diagnosis.

Via the Hockey News’s Karine Hains, TSN’s Bryan Hayes has discussed a hypothetical trade in which Dylan Larkin heads to the Montreal Canadiens (sans any named return), and Hayes does what radio hosts typically do–he suggests that it’s Larkin who must “come around” to such a trade because it “makes sense.”

Hayes believes Larkin would be an ideal fit with the Canadiens #OverDrive pic.twitter.com/qwgJJelcXR

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 25, 2026

Hains surmises the following…

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen continues DHN’s profiles of the Red Wings’ top prospects with a profile of 2026 2nd round pick and University of Minnesota-Duluth forward Victor Plante:

Three Reasons Why Plante Will Play in the NHL

1. Fast. Crafty. Skilled. Despite his size, he goes to the net. Can handle the puck in traffic.
2. Always noticeable in tight, important games. The Plante family loves the sport.
3. Red Line Report, a long-time NHL scouting service, listed Victor as the 2026 NHL draft’s No. 1 pest. The publication called him “163 pounds of yappy little mutt who’s always nipping at your ankles.”

What May Hold Him Back

He is undersized, although that hasn’t held him back thus far. He will have to live in the weight room for a couple of summers to make sure he can measure up to beefier opponents.

Continued; Victor’s very much so like his brother, fellow Red Wings prospect Max Plante, but Victor does stand at 5’10” and 165 pounds (per EliteProspects), so Allen’s very accurate in suggesting that Plante has to work very hard to overcome his small size.

Two days ago, I mentioned that both the server fundraiser and the property taxes fundraiser were doing quite well, and I may have spoken prematurely. It’s fantastic that we’re about $200 from our server goal, and are up to $1,200 in the property tax fundraiser…

But we are facing an August 31st deadline to hit both the $600 figure and the $1,500 figure, respectively, and I’m anxious as all hell get out as we approach the finish line.

I’m trying to keep the blog running, and I’ve got a bit left to raise so that this can continue to be the PBS/NPR-style blog (fundraisers, yes, advertisements, no), via deferring the server cost…

And Aunt Annie and I are just trying to stay in our home, so we’re asking for help paying our property taxes.

If we didn’t absolutely have to ask for help, we sure as hell wouldn’t be doing it, but life is strange that way. We don’t make enough money to do more than barely pay our monthly bills, and that’s just how it goes when you’re living life as a caregiver and their recipient.

So, here’s the GoFundMe link…

From the Detroit Red Wings:

RED WINGS RELEASE NATIONAL BROADCAST SCHEDULE FOR 2026-27 SEASON

  … NHL to Feature Detroit on National Broadcasts 17 Times in 2026-27 …

DETROIT – The National Hockey League, in conjunction with ESPN and TNT Sports, today announced the national broadcast schedule for the 2026-27 season.

The Red Wings are currently scheduled to appear on 17 national broadcasts during the 2026-27 season. Detroit’s national broadcast schedule features one game on ABC, four games on ESPN, five contests on ESPN+, Disney+, and Hulu, and seven games on TNT Sports. 

Additionally, the NHL today announced local start time changes for the 2026-27 regular season. The following Red Wings games have been adjusted:

My apologies for the pause in blog entries today. Aunt Annie has required a ton of care and that’s interrupted coverage. I’ll try to return later this evening.