Author: George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner. Thank you for reading!

Ottawa Senators assistant coach Bob Jones passes away due to ALS

A year ago in early August, I attended the “All in 4 ALS” charity game in Windsor, Ontario as a media guest of the Windsor Spitfires. It was a charity game held for Ottawa Senators assistant coach Bob Jones, who had been diagnosed with ALS a in January of 2023.

The game raised over $200,000 for charity, and Wings assistant coach Bob Boughner, then-Sens coach D.J. Smith and Red Wings coaches Derek Lalonde and Jay Varady brought in members of the Senators, Red Wings (including Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat) and other players with Windsor Spitfires and Soo Greyhounds ties for what was essentially a gigantic party for Jones. From Brady Tkachuk to

I spoke with coach Lalonde after the game, but most of the players and coaches were far too busy holding the most raucous party for Jones after the game to speak, and that was OK: I understood that Mr. Jones faced a long fight, and it wasn’t my place to stick my nose in the party looking for quotes.

It turns out that Mr. Jones’ fight was a short one:

The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch and the Hockey News’s Steve Warne penned obituaries today, and…

I didn’t know Bob Jones personally, but through the game last summer, I saw how very much he was loved by his friends in hockey and in life. There were at least forty players and a cast of what seemed like dozens of coaches, family and friends who showed up at the All in 4 ALS game, and Jones was feted like a hero.

He deserved the praise. And now he’s gone, and even though I didn’t know the man, I feel like I lost a friend given the amount of love I witnessed him receive. The man know how to throw a party, too.

ALS is a mean son of a bitch. And it needs to be erased.

Eargood on the three-headed goalie monster

The Hockey News’s Connor Eargood suggests that the Red Wings’ potentially continuing their three-goaltender rotation might harm the progression of Detroit’s prospect pool.

Assuming they get defenseman Moritz Seider and forwards Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren under contract, the Red Wings are set to start their offseason with all 23 roster spots claimed by returners, free agent adds, or prospects who are now waiver eligible. Right now, defensemen Albert Johansson and Justin Holl are projected to fill the two healthy scratch spots available to skaters, and if it isn’t them then some defenseman they displace will be in those shoes. When it comes to forward, whether a rookie or an established vet, there just isn’t a roster spot to bring them on right now with Lyon, Husso and Talbot all on the NHL roster.

This presents a challenge for both the short – and long-term futures. With roster space so tight, rookies such as forwards Marco Kasper, Carter Mazur and Nate Danielson will find it exceedingly difficult to make the roster. Unless something gives in net — a trade, a waiver assignment or even LTIR — then they’re going to have to play so well that they force Detroit to move someone. That’s a far different task compared to simply making it onto the roster. It’s also one that gives Yzerman all the incentive to let those three overripen in the AHL, no matter the impact that has on their NHL timelines.

This complicated nature was entirely avoidable had Detroit gone with two goaltenders, but it felt that solid goaltending through three contributors gave it a better chance of winning games next season. Goaltending is one of the key areas Yzerman feels can dictate whether this Red Wings team can be a playoff chaser like last season, alongside some players exceeding their current expectations.

Continued; I’m just not worried about the three-goaltender situation, mostly because I don’t believe that it’s important to carry a young player on the 23-man roster unless that player can crack the 18 skaters playing on a given night.

To me, given that Ville Husso may or may not be ready to go (as Eargood notes), that Lyon was shaky down the stretch and that Talbot is a known but somewhat unknown entity behind the Red Wings’ defense, sometimes you’ve got to hedge your bets…

And as long as the Wings sort out their three-goaltender system on the ice, I want to see the Wings’ top prospects playing, wherever that might be, and not sitting, regardless of where that might be.

Brady Cleveland emphasizes the positive after a tough freshman season

Red Wings 2023 draft pick Brady Cleveland is a big (6’5,” 220 pounds), tough stay-at-home defenseman, but the Wisconsin native only managed to earn 18 games played at the University of Wisconsin this past season, so the sophomore transferred to Colorado College for the 2024-2025 season.

At the Wings’ Summer Development Camp, Cleveland discussed his status with Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen:

“Everything happens for a reason,” Cleveland said. “It’s not always going to be a smooth journey. I understood that. So I am going to take the lessons I’ve learned so far and move forward with them and try to be a better hockey player.”

Cleveland kept the Red Wings informed throughout the transfer process. Because Cleveland was a second round pick in 2023, the Red Wings have a vested interest in his playing time. They viewed him as a project player, someone who would need time to grow into his body and refine his abilities.

To his credit, Cleveland didn’t view his season at Wisconsin as a lost development season.

“I think I got a lot stronger this season,” Cleveland said. “Just conditioning on the ice. The practices are tough at Wisconsin and I think that helped me. We had a really good team at Wisconsin and just going against those guys every day made me a better player even if I wasn’t playing in every single game. I appreciate that. And off the ice,  I learned a lot about myself and how much I am willing to overcome. And learning to play the game, for the love of the game. Digging deep to find that. And I think I found that.”

Continued; sometimes you have to make hard choices in terms of your playing time, and it will be interesting to see how Cleveland fits into the Colorado College Tigers’ blueline this upcoming season. He’s got a ton of raw potential, but he desperately needs playing time to sort out his game.

Roughly translated: Mats Zuccarello has words of wisdom for Stian Stolberg and Red Wings’ Michael Brandsegg-Nygard

NRK.no posted an article which discusses Anaheim Ducks prospect Stian Solberg, who was drafted in the first round of last month’s NHL Draft alongside fellow Norwegian Michael Brandsegg-Nygard.

Solberg and Brandsegg-Nygard are best friends who idolize Mats Zuccarello of Minnesota…and Zuccarello has some words of caution for both players:

The best Norwegian NHL player in history, Mats Zuccarello, plays for the Minnesota Wild, and he’s been playing at the highest level in ice hockey for over ten years. He has kept a close eye on the two 18-year-olds, and at the same time, he’s wary of what awaits them.

“I try to tell the boys that it’s one thing to be drafted and be in that circus, and it’s another thing to get into the league after the draft. They have to show that they want to do more than just being drafted. They have to think that they’re going to play, and become a star over there,” says Zuccarello, who adds:

“I think the boys understand this, and if not, I’ll tell them. Now they’ll play for two good teams in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), where there are good training days and culture. They will benefit greatly from that.”

Zuccarello knows the Swedish Eliteserien well. He played for two seasons with the Swedish team Modo, where he was named rookie of the year during his debut season.

In the following season, he became the most valuable player in the league, before being signed by the big team New York Rangers in 2010.

Even if Brandsegg-Nygard and Solberg have been drafted, they will probably play in Sweden for the entire upcoming season. There, they will acquire more experience before possible NHL games.

Nate Danielson’s already a ‘pro’s pro’

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a Friday morning article which discusses Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson, who’s turning pro with the Grand Rapids Griffins this upcoming season. Danielson is supremely self-confident, but Kulfan reports that Danielson possesses the hockey chops to back up his confidence:

Danielson had another impactful season in the Western Hockey League. He recorded 26 points (12 goals) in 26 games in Brandon before being traded and keying Portland’s playoff push, with 41 points (29 assists) in 28 regular-season games and 24 points (17 assists) in 18 playoff games. Danielson also improved his season to season plus-minus rating from minus-12 to plus-26, a testament to his defensive improvement.

The Wings always like to see a prospect basically dominate the level he’s at before being promoted, and that’s exactly what Danielson did in junior hockey.

“Every year you just try and improve,” Danielson said. “My overall game has improved since last time I was here (in Detroit). Just overall as a person and player, I’ve improved with all the new experiences I’ve had.”

[Red Wings assistant director of player development Dan] Cleary saw that during the development camp. The many areas Danielson worked on during the regular season, they were noticeable on the ice in Detroit.

“He was great every day (in camp). He talks the talk and he walks it,” Cleary said. “He does everything right and really showed the way in his testing, preparation, professionalism, his maturity.”

Continued (paywall)

Griffins Tweet out their ‘greatest hits’ from the 2023-2024 season

The Grand Rapids Griffins are having a good time on a late-July Friday, posting “greatest hits” from their Twitter feed from 2023-2024:

Continue reading Griffins Tweet out their ‘greatest hits’ from the 2023-2024 season

So we go a fundraisin’

I’ve tried to give you a break from daily fundraising posts, but as we are 8 weeks away from the prospect tournament and training camp, 4 weeks from me needing to renew my web server services with Bluehost, and in rather desperate need of a new printer…

We’re going back to the well. I am hoping to raise at least $100 over this weekend, and go from there as there’s about $400 to raise for the server stuff, and quite a bit to raise for Traverse City.

As I said on Wednesday, this is not necessarily a for-profit blog, but as a low-income person, making a couple hundred bucks a month from daily fundraising posts would make the difference between struggling to get by and being able to at least have the spending money to deal with things like our ever-running toilet, or, you know, have fast food once a month, which we presently cannot do.

So I’m working as hard for you as I possibly can, and I am asking for your support as a result.

If you’re willing to help, here are the details: you can use PayPal at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport, you can use Venmo at https://venmo.com/george-malik-2, you can use Giftly by using my email, rtxg@yahoo.com, at https://www.giftly.com…

And you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check, or “Zelle” me via my email, rtxg@yahoo.com. I’m also on Cash App under “georgeums.”

As always, thank you for your readership and your time.

Tweet of note: The WJSS is underway

Per the Hockey News’s Connor Eargood:

My vehicle’s muffler is dragging on the ground and we have no way to fix it, so I’m credentialed for the WJSS, but I’m not going to be able to go :/

Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk among ESPN’s ‘Top 25 NHL Players of the 21st Century’

ESPN ranked the “Top 25 NHL Players of the 21st Century,” and two Red Wings made the list outright…

5. Nicklas Lidstrom, D

Key accomplishments: NHL 100 Greatest (2017), seven-time Norris winner, 2002 Conn Smythe winner, four-time Stanley Cup champ, Hockey HOF in 2015

Lidstrom’s career had several touch points. He was part of four Stanley Cup-winning teams with the Detroit Red Wings. He won the Norris Trophy for the league’s best defenseman seven times and became a model that many of today’s defensemen look to emulate.— Ryan Clark

22. Pavel Datsyuk, C

Key accomplishments: NHL 100 Greatest (2017), three-time Selke winner, four-time Lady Byng winner, two-time Stanley Cup Champ, Triple Gold Club

The Red Wings’ stalwart never won a Hart Trophy or a Ted Lindsay. But Datsyuk also never failed to amaze the players he went up against night after night: “He’s just one of those players who is special,” said Marian Hossa. “He is sick defensively. I think he’s the best in the world at stealing the puck. To watch him is fun. Sometimes when you have the puck and he steals it from you, you just have to laugh because of how easy he made it look.” — Kristen Shilton

And we’ll allow riding the coattails of this guy:

4. Patrick Kane, LW

Key accomplishments: NHL 100 Greatest (2017), 2007 Calder, 2012 Smythe, 2015 Ross, 2015 Hart, three-time Stanley Cup Champion

A nine-time NHL All-Star Game participant, Kane won three Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks. Kane’s goal-scoring exploits made him one of the game’s most dangerous players as a well as one of the NHL’s most prominent faces. In 2016, he became the first American-born player to win the Hart Memorial Trophy and ranks third all-time among U.S. players in points. — Ryan Clark

A bit more about Wings assistant GM Aaron Kahn

As noted on Wednesday, Red Wings Prospects on Twitter (and several other eagle-eyed Wings fans) spotted the news that the Red Wings have promoted Aaron Kahn to assistant GM as he continues in his role of director of hockey operations.

It turns out that this promotion was made during the 2023-2024 season, and this morning, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff discusses the ramifications of Kahn’s promotion:

Shawn Horcoff’s main duties are to run the Red Wings farm system. He serves as GM of the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins.

Kris Draper is the club’s director of amateur scouting. He oversees the club’s scouting staff and is in charge of the work done in preparation for the NHL entry draft.

In Kahn’s wheelhouse will be the business side of the Red Wings hockey operations. He’ll be working on contracts, and also with salary cap issues.

A native of Berkeley, California, Kahn was a goalie who played his youth hockey for the San Jose Jr. Sharks. A walk on at Ohio State, he played all of his college hockey with the Buckeyes club team in the ACHA. He graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Sport Industry and Business with a pre-law focus.

Continued with more background information on Kahn…