Author: George Malik

I can’t embed this one, but I will as soon as the video is up on FloHockey’s YouTube page…

Anyway, FloHockey’s Chris Peters is one of the best draft experts and prospect gurus around, and this morning, he spends 5 minutes of video time (on today’s episode of Hockey Sense) discussing the Red Wings’ 2023 NHL Draft picks, and whether the Wings’ braintrust passed up on some “home run” players to land probable NHL’ers instead of possible superstars.

It’s an interesting discussion of more than just Nate Danielson and Axel Sandin Pellikka, and I guess the best thing I can say regarding the Red Wings’ 2nd through 7th round picks is this:

I have been covering the Red Wings’ draft for as long as I’ve been on hockey message boards or forums, and whether it was Ken Holland’s regime with Joe McDonnell as chief scout, or the Steve Yzerman Red Wings with Kris Draper as the man in charge of the draft…

The Wings always have their list, and they stick with the players on their list. It doesn’t matter whether even the wisest experts think that Detroit’s shooting for the moon or drafting for depth in the lineup–Detroit will stick with its list, and its list often does NOT include the top names of the draft.

Update: Here’s the video:

Detroit Hockey Now’s Tim Robinson profiles Red Wings prospect defenseman Tnias Mathurin this morning. The big (6’3,” 201-pound) defenseman from the OHL’s North Bay Battalion was beset by a shoulder injury that cost him all but 1 regular season game last year, but Duff reports that Mathurin is finally healthy and ready to make an impact:

“I think we could have a great team,” he said. “I’d like to play a role in leading the younger guys and leading the defense and the team to the (OHL) championship. I also want to have a healthy year. I want to get into the flow of the lineup and not be in and out of the lineup. I want to have a huge impact on the season this year.”

[North Bay GM Adam] Dennis, who played in the AHL and in Europe before settling in North Bay, says Mathurin had an impact on his team last season.

“I’d say about 90 percent of players wouldn’t have played last year,” he said. “But (Mathurin) was determined, and they way he stepped in was just impressive, including all the work he put in behind the scenes.”

Dennis lauds Mathurin’s maturity on and off the ice.

“He’s got  great hockey sense,” Dennis said. “He’s miserable to play against and has a really long reach and a long skating stride so he can close really quickly. He doesn’t take a lot of penalties, but he doesn’t back down from anybody.”

Continued; Mathurin doesn’t project to be a puck-mover, but he’s still growing into a big body, and he’s simple and steady.

The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted an article profiling Red Wings free agent acquisition Daniel Sprong this morning. The speedy left winger from Amsterdam stands at 6′ and 194 pounds, and the 26-year-old inked a 1-year, $2 million contract with Detroit on July 1st.

As such, Sprong believes that he will thrive on a deeper, stronger Red Wings team:

“If you look at our team last year in Seattle, we had four lines that can play,” Sprong said in early July. “The way I played last year on the power play and scoring five-on-five, I think that’s something I excelled at, and the defensive side as well, and I am excited to bring that to Detroit.”

Sprong, 26, posted 46 points in 66 games in 2022-23; over hist previous seasons, with Seattle and the Washington Capitals, his goal output was in the mid-teens. Of the 22 players who scored either 20 or 21 goals last season, Sprong was the only one to average less than 12 minutes per game. Even so, the Kraken did not give Sprong a qualifying offer, and now he is eyeing an opportunity with the Wings.

“I think it will be a good fit for both sides,” Sprong said. “I thought it would be a good fit to be there and help with the scoring and grow with the guys there and be part of the organization. Detroit was only 12 points out of the playoffs, so you’re talking about maybe a six-or-seven game swing. You’re not far out.”

Continued; Sprong may very well find himself on a line with Jonatan Berggren, Michael Rasmussen, or J.T. Compher, so he’s going to have some talent feeding the young sniper passes.

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton took a “deep dive” into an examination of what Jonatan Berggren’s role on the rebuilt and renovated Red Wings’ roster will look like this upcoming season:

After a busy off-season, it will be more difficult just to crack the Red Wings line-up for Berggren than it was a year ago, much less move up it.  To be absolutely clear, this doesn’t mean I expect Berggren to start the season in the press box as a healthy scratch or with the Griffins in the AHL—just that his competition has only increased relative to his rookie year.

The off-season’s marquee acquisition—Alex DeBrincat—will almost certainly slot into a top line role.  As I discussed last weekend, that leaves the Red Wings with a decision to make regarding who will play beside DeBrincat and Larkin: a third scoring threat like Lucas Raymond or a forechecker/battle winner like Michael Rasmussen.

If the Wings don’t opt for an all-offense approach there, that would drop Raymond (or, if Derek Lalonde and company decide for a change of pace, DeBrincat) to the second line.  At that point, the same question—should the line be filled out with another scoring winger or a more rugged and workmanlike one—pushes down to the second line as well.

I point this out to note that Berggren probably isn’t looking at a top six role in the immediate future, and he will have to continue to ply his craft in a depth role to start his second season in the NHL.

Still, Detroit’s improved depth should only make life easier for an offensively minded player in the Red Wings’ bottom six this season as compared to last.  With no disrespect intended to Czarnik, the Red Wings’ new bottom six options (namely Daniel Sprong, Klim Kostin, and Christian Fischer) should provide a significant upgrade.  As such, Berggren could reasonably be in line for a nice boost to his point total, even without much of an uptick in role and ice time.  

Continued; as Sam says, Berggren will obviously be hard-pressed to crack the “top six” initially, but he should be able to maximize his ice time thanks to an improved supporting cast, and there’s no doubt that he’s still a big part of the Red Wings’ future.

Okay, here we go:

New jersey numbers just dropped.

Let's ride. 🚗😏 pic.twitter.com/GcMceAGMo4

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 20, 2023

So that’s Justin Holl, #3;

Jared McIsaac, #15;

Klim Kostin, #24;

Carter Mazur, #32;

Alex Lyon, #34;

Christian Fischer, #36;

J.T. Compher, #37;

Tim Gettinger, #39;

Shayne Gostisbehere, #41;

Nolan Stevens, #42;

James Reimer, #47;

Jonatan Berggren, #48;

Brogan Rafferty, #52;

Wyatt Newpower, #62

Simon Edvinsson, #77;

Daniel Sprong, #88;

Alex DeBrincat, #93.

Whose number are you going to rock?! pic.twitter.com/xuUc4eysFR

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 20, 2023

Red Wings prospect Dmitry Buchelnikov spoke to KHL.ru about a month ago for a feature that has both text and a YouTube interview, and Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff took note of Buchelnikov’s remarks regarding his father, Vladimir, who’s the goaltending coach for SKA-1946, the VHL team where Buchelnikov played for 9 games this past season:

Vladimir Buchelnikov was a professional netminder in the Russian second and third divisions for over a decade. He saw most of his playing days stopping pucks for Sputnik Nizhny Tagil.

While his father suited up in goalie gear, Dmitri is focusing his hockey ability on undressing goaltenders. It was his combination of puck skills and finishing touch that was leading the Red Wings to make Buchelnikov the 52nd overall selection of the 2022 NHL entry draft.

Still, that doesn’t mean his dad isn’t serving as an inspiration as the younger Buchelnikov is chasing the elusive dream of playing in the NHL.

“I saw how dad trains hard, plays,” Buchelnikov told KHL.ru. “I watched and rejoiced. Probably, it was a foregone conclusion before my birth.”

He credits his extended family for the tremendous support they’ve been offering him throughout his hockey journey.

“My dad helped me from a coach’s point of view, and my mom found the right words and supported me emotionally,” Buchelnikov said. “My grandparents would come to other cities to cheer me on. I also have a sister who is 10 years older, and we communicate very well. The support of my whole family is valuable.”

Continued; I’d sure appreciate it if any of you Russian-speakers could help us Red Wings fans by watching the video!

AWood40 on YouTube has posted an hour and fourteen minutes of Red Wings-Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final highlights, and it’s quite the package:

The Red Wings picked defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka 17th overall in this past July’s 2023 NHL Draft, and today, MLive’s Ansar Khan has filed a profile of the promising young offensive defenseman:

“It was important to find the right-shot D and the right kind of right-shot D,” Kris Draper, Red Wings assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting, said. “We really like his hockey sense. We really like his poise with the puck. He was 17 years old, he played in the World Juniors. By the end of the tournament, he was running the power play. That was the thing you kept coming back to. He’s really smart, knows how to manage a game. He knows how to manage the puck; he has deception with it. He really moves well on the offensive blueline as well.”

Sandin Pellikka sounds similar to Filip Hronek, the player the Red Wings traded to Vancouver to acquire the pick used to select Sandin Pellikka.

Defense was Hronek’s shortcoming. Sandin Pellikka must improve in that area, too. He’ll return for his second season with Skelleftea AIK in Sweden’s top men’s league.

“That’s something I’m working on with my defensive coach in the SHL, Pierre Jonsson,” Sandin Pellikka said. “He always helps me with that and wants me to get stronger. He takes me aside after pretty much every practice and makes me do one-on-one drills. Just basically makes me beat down a forward so I can get stronger.”

Continued; Sandin Pellikka needs to get bigger, stronger, and sounder defensively, but he’s a smart and driven young man who will be playing with an excellent team this upcoming season.

9-and-a-half minutes’ worth of “a day in the life” of Red Wings defenseman Jake Walman:

Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon filed a mid-summer set of power rankings, discussing every team’s offseason additions (or the lack thereof), and here’s where he ranks the Red Wings:

22. Detroit Red Wings Getting Alex DeBrincat at a discount is a clear coup for Detroit, which will be banking on 35 to 40 goals for the local guy. J.T. Compher was a nice add, too. There’s no question the Wings are moving in the right direction, it’s just a question of at what speed they’re doing it.

Continued; I do agree that the Wings’ collective and individual performance levels for the upcoming season are in question, but that’s where we’re at.