Author: George Malik

The Big Rapids Pioneer’s John Raffel reports that both Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde and coach alumnus Jeff Blashill took part in a golf outing to raise funds for the Big Rapids Cardinals‘ hockey program:

Derek Lalonde, the current Red Wings coach and his predecessor Jeff Blashill, now an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning, played at the event. Lalonde and Blashill are both former FSU assistant coaches under Bob Daniels, who also played at the event along with Tim Blashill, Cardinal hockey coach and Jeff Blashill’s brother.

Tim Blashill is also the assistant athletics director for facilities and event operations at Ferris State.

“We have had it this corresponding weekend for the past few years,” Tim Blashill said. “I think they’re now planning on July 6, 2024). It is our biggest fundraiser for sure…something that keeps our program financially stable.

“We have tremendous support from our parents, local businesses, and local community. Jeff has played in it over the years. Lalonde has played in the past, but this was the first time in quite a few years, so we’re happy it worked out for him to come. This was the first year I played with my brother, and both his sons (Teddy 17 and Owen 12) so that was nice.”

Continued

NHL.com is examining each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams this month, discussing the “Roster Reset[s]” as the free agency period has died down. Tonight, Nicholas J. Cotsonika discusses the Red Wings, who’ve turned over a full third of their roster through free agency and trades:

What they still need: High-end talent. The Red Wings added some by acquiring DeBrincat, and they bolstered their depth this offseason. General manager Steve Yzerman said they are likely finished making major moves for now. But they have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for seven straight seasons and face stiff competition in the Atlantic Division. To contend for the Cup again someday, they need difference-makers to emerge from the draft or their system, or they’ll need to make more moves to get them.

They said it: “I think this team’s a good fit for me, and obviously, hopefully, we can get back in the playoffs. Obviously, that’s everyone’s goal, and hopefully, it’s sooner than later, and we’ve just got to keep growing as a team and I think just put in the work to get back there.” — forward Alex DeBrincat

Fantasy focus: DeBrincat going to Detroit boosts his individual fantasy value and the Red Wings’ stacking outlook as a team. The trade gives the Red Wings three players in NHL.com’s top 75 overall fantasy rankings, with DeBrincat joining defenseman Moritz Seider and center Dylan Larkin. DeBrincat should be considered a top 40 player in the NHL among those 25 years old and younger for fantasy keeper and dynasty leagues after signing a four-year contract with Detroit after the trade. Over the past three seasons combined, DeBrincat ranks 12th in the NHL in goals (100) and could give Larkin another gear to reach after the center had an NHL career high with 79 points (32 goals, 47 assists) in 80 games last season. — Pete Jensen

Continued; if I may be honest, I still believe that the Red Wings may add another goal-scoring free agent forward and/or depth defenseman.

At this time of the season, you build for 16 forwards, 10 defensemen and 3 goalies deep at the NHL level, and the Wings are still a forward or two and defenseman short.

The Woodward Sports Network’s Jeremy Stover suggests that Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman made a very good trade in acquiring Alex DeBrincat from the Ottawa Senators for Dominik Kubalik, Donovan Sebrango, a 2024 1st round pick and a conditional 2024 4th round pick, but what impresses Stover the most is the contract extension to which Yzerman inked DeBrincat after the trade was made:

The 25-year old forward is not a superstar, but he’s certainly classified as a star player. If this was the NBA, DeBrincat would be a max contract player.

In the NHL, those players almost always sign contracts for seven or eight years. The max amount allowed in the league. This off-season alone, we saw David Pastrnak, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Timo Meier, and Jesper Bratt all sign eight-year deals with their respective teams.

All four of those players are in their prime age range and are star players like DeBrincat. There is a great argument Pastrnak is a superstar but I digress.

The main point here is Yzerman was able to get their guy to commit to half the amount of term as these other high-caliber players. That’s almost unheard of these days.

Alex Killorn is a 33-year-old forward who is past his prime. He never has been nor will he ever be as good as DeBrincat. Anaheim just signed him to a four-year contract a couple weeks ago.

You got a guy who’s eight years younger in the prime of his career at the same term. That’s absolute wizardry from Yzerman.

Continued

Per the Toledo Walleye:

Newsy on the hire of Walleye head coach Pat Mikesch. 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/XzVgahxP8v

— Toledo Walleye (@ToledoWalleye) July 13, 2023

Red Wings defenseman and Kitchener, Ontario native Ben Chiarot will be taking part in a charity street hockey tournament in Waterloo, Ontario on August 12th. The Observer-Extra’s Bill Atwood relays the details thereof:

Back for its second year, the Scotland’s Yard Road Hockey Classic will raise money for Waterloo Wellington’s first positron emission tomography (PET) computed tomography (CT) scanner. Without this equipment, many cancer patients have to travel elsewhere, such as Hamilton or Mississauga, to receive scans, said Ashley Howat, chief giving officer at the Grand River Hospital Foundation.

“It just gets expensive for families. A lot of the times when you’re doing that, especially with a child who’s going through that treatment, one parent, at least, is putting a job on hold in order to make sure that they can make all appointments, that treatments are being received and they’re caring for their sick child,” Howat said.

To date, the foundation has raised $2.5 million of the $7 million price tag for the scanner. Named for Scottie, the daughter of local couple Brian Santos and Joy Stewart, who was diagnosed with cancer at just three months old, Scotland’s Yard aims to raise $50 million for the foundation over a 10-year period. Scottie, who will turn 4 soon, is now considered a cancer survivor, Howat said.

Led in part by foundation board member Jacqueline and Ben Chariot – a Detroit Red Wings defenseman – the August 12 tournament will see around 10 current and former NHL players participate. Professional women’s players Loren Gabel and 2014 Olympic gold medalist Laura Fortino will also be in attendance.

“Part of the fact that they get to play with the kids is what really makes it for them, and that’s what all of them said last year: it was the kids that made it and they had fun. So, most of them from last year have come back and now we have more, including a women’s gold medal winner, because for all of the teams that have females on them they’re playing with their idols,” Howat said.

The tournament will go from 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Registration for teams of six players plus a goalie is $600, and $50 for each additional player. Each team is guaranteed to play at least three games. The top youth fundraising will win an autograph session and a professional photo shoot with the NHL and women’s players. The top adult fundraising team will receive four tickets to a Red Wings home game.

Red Wings 2023 draft pick (47th overall) and US NTDP alumnus Brady Cleveland, an incoming freshman at the University of Wisconsin, spoke with his local TV station, Wausaw, Wisconsin’s WSAW-TV NewsChannel 7 for their “Hilight Zone” Podcast. Here’s his 11-minute interview with Noah Manderfeld:

The Red Deer Advocate’s Ian Gustafson spoke with two of Red Wings 9th overall pick Nate Danielson’s youth hockey coaches regarding the talent and hard work involved in Danielson’s ascent to a top-10 pick in last month’s 2023 NHL Draft:

Danielson first started getting noticed when he suited up for the U15 AAA Red Deer Rebels.

Head coach of the Rebels Justin Jarmolicz said he was happy to see Danielson selected so high in the draft.

“To be in the top 10 in the draft is unreal,” he said. “To have a legend like Steve Yzerman call his name it was pretty fun to watch. Honestly, he’s just grown in leaps and bounds. He’s gotten so much bigger and stronger. His game hasn’t changed a whole bunch since Bantam… He’s always been so good at playing and understanding the game. He’s taking off and it’s pretty awesome to see.”

Danielson played for the U15 Rebels from 2017-2019 and really took a massive step statistically in his second year at the Bantam level. He potted 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points in 29 games during the 2018-19 season as a 14-year-old.

“He always talks about being a really good 200-foot centreman that likes to meet the challenge of playing other team’s top players and he was like that when he was with us too,” Jarmolicz said. “He’s a really responsible player that has a lot of offensive gifts and vision. You’re starting to see that even when he was a first-year U15 player. Just the stuff he could create by making plays, not many other guys see especially at that age.”

Even with the talent on display as a youngster, Jarmolicz explained he never could have imagined Danielson as a top 10 NHL draft pick.

“That’s definitely a feather in his cap for the hard work he’s put in to get himself there and we’re all super proud of him,” he said.

Continued

This afternoon, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff discusses the reasons why the Red Wings’ free agent signings and offseason trade acquisitions chose to come to Detroit:

The team may have fallen on hard times in recent years, but the legacy that the Red Wings wove through most of the 1990s and though the first decade of the 2000s still carries gravitas with today’s players.

“I think there’s a lot that attracted me to being a Red Wing,” forward J.T. Compher said. “First off, playing in Michigan (for the Wolverines) and growing up in Chicago, both things helped me see the great legacy and tradition the Red Wings have. I have a lot of respect for the organization.

“I had some really good talks with Steve and the coaching staff on what they’re trying to build, how they’re trying to build it. In terms of this year and the future, it sounds like a great place to play hockey.”

It was that latter aspect the also ending up drawing defenseman Justin Holl to Detroit.

“One of the things that was appealing to me was what the roster looks like,” Holl said. “I know in terms of playing against them last year there’s a lot of good pieces and there’s a lot of promise in this group. I think we have a chance to do something special.”

Continued

This afternoon, Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen profiles Red Wings prospect (and Soo Greyhounds defenseman) Kevin Gibson, who was drafted 42nd overall by the team last month in Nashville:

At a time when the Red Wings are committed to getting bigger, stronger and harder to play against, drafting Gibson made too much sense [to pass him up].

“Big right-shot D man,” said Kris Draper who is an assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting. “He’s got good size. A puck-moving D. He’s got good hockey sense. Skates well, has a bit of an edge to his game.”

His shot from the point has plenty of sizzle.

The Red Wings liked the entire package, enough to view him as a second-round pick. The NHL’s Central Scouting had him ranked 31st among North American skaters. Craig Button slotted him 63rd. Red Line Report had him pegged at 73rd.

Gibson suffered a lower body injury that kept him out of lineup for several weeks, but he returned in time to make Canada’s U18 team for the World Championships.

“We were able to see him play obviously against some pretty high competition and in some pretty good situations,” Draper said.

Continued

Per DetroitRedWings.com’s Daniella Bruce:

Good morning fam!! Don’t forget to tune into @971theticketxyt tonight at 7pm for a special off-season edition of Inside Hockeytown. @KenKalDRW & I will be talking about everything @DetroitRedWings !! PLUS we’ll have a special guest joining us👀. Tune in!! #LGRW

— Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) July 13, 2023