Author: George Malik

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen filed a notebook article which wraps up coverage of the Red Wings’ 2023 Summer Development Camp, and he focuses on the performance of one Amadeus Lombardi:

Center prospect Amadeus Lombardi makes more than his fair share of memorable plays. But it was Lombardi’s pregame preparation for the Detroit Red Wings 3 V 3 tournament that caught the attention of Dan Cleary, the team’s director of player development.

“Amadeus is drinking Red Bull before the first game at 8:30,” Cleary said. “He’s competitive, he likes to do well. You could see as the games went along, he got his legs, got more confidence. He’s super-pumped up for a good summer of training.”

Lombardi left the Red Wings’ Development Camp with some bragging rights after his Team Osaer won the 3-on-3 event. Lombardi and Co. downed Team Bain 2-1 on an overtime goal by free agent invitee Liam McLinskey of Holy Cross. He had both goals for the champion in the final. Detroit first-round pick Nate Danielson played for Team Bain. He’s a smooth competitor. He always seems to be where the puck pops out.

…

Lombardi was noticeable every time he was on the ice. He is likely to play for Grand Rapids in the upcoming season.

“Amadeus is a sponge out there, he’s a rink rat, he loves to play, he’s constantly asking questions,” Cleary said. ” Really excited for Amadeus. He’s got great speed, good talent, he’s got hands, but he’s driven, he’s very competitive.”

Continued

The Red Wings are still rumored to be in the running for one Alex DeBrincat’s services, presuming that the team can work out both a trade with the Ottawa Senators and a contract with DeBrincat’s representation.

MLive’s Ansar Khan isn’t quite so certain that Detroit can or will afford what DeBrincat’s likely asking for in terms of monetary compensation:

DeBrincat, 25, is a restricted free agent who is believed to be seeking a seven- or eight-year contract worth close to $9 million a season. The Red Wings might be hesitant to sign him for longer than five or six years in the $7.5 million range.

In any event, DeBrincat long ago declared he wouldn’t re-sign with the Senators, so a trade is inevitable.

Reports indicate the New York Islanders are the other primary suitor for the Farmington Hills native. The Islanders have less than $1 million in cap space, according to capfriendly.com, so they would have to shed a lot of salary.

The Red Wings currently have roughly $10 million in cap space and that might increase if they waive Filip Zadina Thursday for the purposes of terminating his contract, as reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Zadina, who cleared waivers on Tuesday, has two years remaining on his contract at a $1.85 million cap hit ($4.5 million in actual salary). According to Friedman, he would accept the termination in order to become an unrestricted free agent.

Continued

The Detroit News’s John Niyo attended the final day of the Red Wings’ 2023 Summer Development Camp today, and he penned a column discussing the man who drafted the vast majority of the Wings’ development camp participants:

Kris Draper didn’t quite know what to think when Steve Yzerman phoned a few weeks ago and scheduled a meeting with him in his office.

“I was never a big fan of being called down to the office,” Draper joked. “I saw the principal way too much in elementary school. So, I wasn’t sure how the trip was going to go.”

But all went well, he can report now, and the Red Wings made it official Wednesday, when they announced a promotion for Draper, the former “Grind Line” centerpiece of the franchise’s last Stanley Cup championship era. After serving as Detroit’s director of amateur scouting for the past four years, Draper, 52, is now adding an assistant general manager title as well, joining Shawn Horcoff, who oversees the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, in working alongside Yzerman on all hockey operations.

“I guess he appreciates what we’re doing right now, and that means a lot to me,” said Draper, who was a part of four Cup-winning teams in Detroit before retiring as a player after a 20-year NHL career, in 2011. “You know, for 30 years I’ve been part of this organization. It’s something that I take a ton of pride in. The Detroit Red Wings are one of the most important things in my life. And I want to be a big part of us getting back into the playoffs, and then from there, being Cup contenders and Cup champions again.”

He’s hardly alone with that feeling, he knows. And it’s that institutional knowledge the Red Wings are banking on these days. Yzerman, the iconic “Captain,” might be at the top of the organizational chart, but he has a long list of ex-teammates helping him make this latest championship push in various roles: Draper, Nicklas Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall, Dan Cleary, Kirk Maltby, Jiri Fischer, Jesse Wallin.

“We played in arguably the greatest era of the Detroit Red Wings organization, and we want to bring that back,” said Draper, whose 1,137 games played in a Red Wings uniform rank fifth-most in team history. “And we all understand how hard it’s going to be. But, we’re all in this together.”

Continued

The Athletic’s Max Bultman offers a set of six observations regarding the entirety of the Red Wings’ 2023 Summer Development Camp, focusing on the performances made during this morning’s 3-on-3 tournament, and they include the following:

Speaking of mid-round success stories, Carter Mazur seems to take steps forward every time I see him. A 2021 third-round pick, Mazur has done nothing but trend up since he was drafted, and he looked a cut above the rest of the field, to me, for much of this week.

His skating, already a positive attribute, seems to have taken another step, and he just looks like a pro out there — flying around the ice, using his very good defensive stick to create turnovers, and displaying an impressive shot (though he was limited to a couple crossbars at the three-on-three tournament). And, while the scrimmages were low-contact, his competitiveness is clear any time he’s on the ice.

At this stage, with where the Red Wings roster sits, I’d be surprised if any true rookie forward were to make Detroit’s opening-night lineup. But if pressed for a pick to make that kind of push, my answer would be Mazur. He just has so many valuable elements to his game, and the arrow just continues to point up.

“I love Maze,” Cleary said. “I thought he looked strong out there as well. He’s a guy that you want on your team. He’s driven, competitive, strong. … His frame just needs to fill out a little bit. When it does, I think he’s going to be an impactful player.”

Adding that mass is of course a top priority, and part of the reason the safe money is on him starting in Grand Rapids. But there’s a ton to like, and it’s coming together pretty fast.

Continued (paywall)

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Red Wings are going to place Filip Zadina on unconditional waivers tomorrow, for the purpose of voiding his contract, and the Free Press’s Helene St. James explains why this is a shocking development:

Zadina, the No. 6 pick in 2018, has 28 goals and 40 assists in 190 career games. The 23-year-old has been unable to show he belongs in the lineup, and has been a healthy scratch at times. A couple weeks ago he asked for a “fresh start,” and when the Wings found no trading partners, they made him available on waivers.

General manager Steve Yzerman addressed the Zadina situation Monday. “Am I thrilled? Am I happy to put him on waivers? No. I signed him to a three-year contract a year ago because I believed he was going to grow. And when he signed that contract, my expectation was that he wanted to grow with us.”

Zadina’s contract runs through 2024-25 and has $4.56 million left in salary. Putting a player on waivers for the purpose of terminating the contract is different than buying out a player: There would be no penalty to the Wings – and no payday from the Wings for Zadina.

Friedman wrote that “the belief is Zadina is prepared to walk away from the money and not contest the move.”

Kris Draper was reintroduced to the media today as the Detroit Red Wings’ assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting, and he discussed his new, dual role with Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen:

Draper, 52, will still run the Red Wings’ drafting operation, but will be adding other responsibilities.

“I want the opportunity to sit on meetings like last week with free agency.” Draper said. “Obviously the negotiations of contracts. Entry-level deals, I’d love to sit in on those and learn how to do those. Probably more of that stuff. But I know my main role is exactly what it’s been since Steve has come here and obviously running the draft. Just adding opportunities to really learn the business side of it, the contracts, sitting in when Stevie’s talking to agents. Stuff like that is something that I’m really looking forward to do.”

Draper’s goal today isn’t different than it was when he was a player: he wants to help the Red Wings win another Stanley Cup. He is just going about it differently.

“I take a lot of pride in my job right now as director of amateur scouting and to be added to assistant general manager by Stevie means a lot. I guess he appreciates what we’re doing right now and that means a lot to me,” Yzerman said. “…The Detroit Red Wings are one of the most important things in my life. It’s been like that for years. I want to be a big part of us getting back into the playoffs and then from there being Cup contenders, to being Cup champions.”

Continued

Enjoy:

Per the Iowa Wild, former Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon has landed on his feet:

Iowa Wild General Manager Mike Murray today announced that the American Hockey League (AHL) club has hired Ben Simon and Patrick Dwyer as assistant coaches. 

“We are very excited to add Ben and Patrick to our staff, said Brett McLean, Head Coach of the Iowa Wild. “Both coaches bring sharp hockey minds to our team. Their extensive playing and coaching experience, which includes winning Calder Cups, will help our prospects immensely.” 

Simon, 45, spent the previous eight seasons with the Grand Rapids Griffins. He served as an assistant coach for Grand Rapids from 2015-18 and won a Calder Cup in 2017 before being promoted to head coach for the 2018-19 season. Simon also served as the assistant coach of the Toronto Marlies (2014-15), head coach of the Cincinnati Cyclones (2013-14), and assistant coach of the Rockford IceHogs (2011-13).  

During his playing career, Simon skated in 81 NHL games and totaled four points (3-1=4) with the Atlanta Thrashers and Columbus Blue Jackets. The Shaker Heights, Ohio native also added 188 points (78-110=188) in 481 AHL games with the Chicago Wolves, Milwaukee Admirals, Syracuse Crunch, Grand Rapids Griffins, and Toronto Marlies. Simon won a Calder Cup with the Chicago Wolves in 2002 and a Turner Cup in the IHL with the Orlando Solar Bears in 2001. Prior to his professional career, Simon played four seasons of college hockey at the University of Notre Dame, where he totaled 130 points (44-86=130) through 144 games and served as captain during his senior season. 

“It is a promising time in both Minnesota and Iowa, and I am excited about this new opportunity,” Simon said. “I am looking forward to joining the staff and working with Brett as he starts his head coaching career.” 

MLive’s Ansar Khan filed a notebook article in which he discusses Red Wings prospect Amadeus Lombardi’s attempt to develop a “shooter’s mentality” as he prepares to turn pro with the Grand Rapids Griffins this fall:

Lombardi had a breakout season with the Flint Firebirds, third in the OHL with 102 points, sixth with 45 goals. The offensive skills are why the Red Wings him in the fourth round in 2022 (113th overall).

“I had great teammates, great linemates and it all kind of clicked together,” Lombardi said. “I’m a fast-paced player, more of a playmaker than a shooter, but this year I really tried to (hunker) down and shoot more, be more deceptive. I think that helped, especially having a few weeks last summer (training) with the Red Wings. That just gave me a lot of confidence going into the season to try to have a good year.”

He worked extensively on his shooting last summer.

“I shot a lot of pucks, did a lot of skating, did a lot of drills off the ice to help that,” Lombardi said. “Even if it didn’t make me 10 times stronger, it put the confidence in my mind. Going into the season I was more eager to shoot the puck. It made me more of a threat as a passer, too, because people don’t have to just take away the pass, they can take away the shot. That’s when my passing can thrive a little bit more.”

Lombardi got a brief taste of pro hockey at the end of last season, playing two games with the Griffins (one assist).

“After the season ended, I was a little down, but once I got there, I realized what a cool place this would be to play possibly next year,” Lombardi said. “What I took from them is how prepared they are; even with two games left everyone is preparing very well. I definitely have to get a lot stronger at that level, especially for face-offs and the corners, so it’ll be an adjustment, but I’m excited to try to make that.”

Continued

Bridge Michigan’s Bill Shea posted a lengthy article in which he discusses the potential outcomes surrounding Diamond Sports’ bankruptcy. Diamond is the parent company of the Bally Sports networks, and as you probably already know, the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Pistons and Detroit Red Wings all have broadcast deals with Bally Sports Detroit:

One potential solution to the distribution uncertainty is unfolding out West: The owner of the NBA’s Utah Jazz intends to air next season’s games on a local broadcast station and on a to-be-rolled-out streaming app, which the team says will reach more fans. Jazz games had aired on AT&T SportsNet, one of a small handful of RSNs owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which is exiting the RSN business and isn’t challenging the switchover.

A similar plan in Arizona has been blocked for now. Metro Detroit wholesale mortgage billionaire Mat Ishbia, who bought the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury basketball teams earlier this year, proposed walking away from Bally Sports Arizona in favor of a local broadcast TV and streaming plan. But his plan is halted for now by a federal judge after Diamond filed suit.

Depending on how the Diamond bankruptcy plays out, a hybrid system of free local TV and paid streaming could be in store for fans of Michigan’s three major league teams.

Commercial television broadcasters in Michigan have taken note of the proposed RSN solutions in other markets, Friedman said.

“The next model is going to be splintered. That’s going to be very different around the state. I’m hearing that the teams and owners of broadcast TV stations are considering how over-the-air (traditional) TV could be a part of a new sports model,” Friedman said.

Bally Sports Detroit, on cable and via streaming, likely will be part of the delivery model for years to come, but additional options may emerge. And baseball has the option of putting home games, if necessary, on the league’s subscription MLB.TV that’s currently used for fans to watch out-of-market games.

Continued (at length)