Author: George Malik

Local mask painter Ray Bishop has painted new Red Wings goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic’s first Red Wings mask, per his Instagram account:

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I guess “Ned” is going to stick with the knit cap theme for the foreseeable future!

Here’s a press release of note from USA Hockey:

Fourth Annual Play With Purpose Charity Hockey Game Set for September 18
Charity game raises funds and awareness against distracted driving

PLYMOUTH, Mich. – The 4th Annual Gallagher-Kaiser “Play With Purpose” charity hockey game, presented by Hockey has Heart and StopDistractions.org, will be held on Saturday, September 18 at USA Hockey Arena. The game will be a USHL preseason tilt between Team USA and the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. 

A portion of the proceeds from this year’s contest will be used to support distracted driving awareness initiatives, led by StopDistractions.org. The game’s sponsors will help put together a memorable event that increases awareness of the dangers that come from using a cell phone behind the wheel.

With help from local government leaders and USA Hockey Arena, the annual event continues to grow, elevating support for distracted driving awareness to a national level. If this event can prevent a family from losing a loved one, or remind someone to put down their phone when behind the wheel, then it’s a success. This is a game that we all win.

“This year is extra exciting for me, personally, as my friend Dan Israel and I are co-owners of the Muskegon Lumberjacks,” said Bob Kaiser, owner and CEO of Gallagher-Kaiser. “Both Muskegon and Team USA have some of the best players in the world and we can’t wait to see these talented players come together in support of something so important. This event makes meaningful strides in raising awareness and generating the support that will help to end distracted driving.”

The Detroit Red Wings did not send a press release out to the general media members regarding the cancellation of both the annual celebrity golf tournament at the Grand Traverse Resort, as well as the team’s training camp alumni game (which usually pits the alumni against a team of police and fire officers who represent the “Guns and Hoses”)…

But the Traverse City Record-Eagle’s Andrew Rosenthal offers a strong hint as to why the events were canceled–and it has something to do with the NHL’s understandably strict coronavirus protocols:

The Detroit Red Wings cancelled their Training Camp Golf Classic and Alumni Hockey Game scheduled for next week in Traverse City, citing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and guidelines provided by the NHL.

“Recent restrictions from the NHL have mandated the cancellations to ensure the health and well-being of all participants,” a team press release said.

As of Tuesday, the NHL Prospect Tou-rnament and main Detroit Red Wings Training Camp can proceed as planned and scheduled. Online ticket orders for the Alumni Game have been refunded. Those who purchased tickets for this event and have not received a refund can call Centre Ice Arena at 231-933-7465.

The prospect tournament begins Sept. 16.

I would imagine that the players and alumni are bummed out about not being able to celebrate the return of a more “normal” NHL season with their fans and peers, but the NHL is strictly limiting access to players at present…

And, given their stringent protocols, I wouldn’t expect any players to work the autograph line at training camp, either. It’s just too risky right now in a state where our fully vaccinated rates are, percentage wise, in the “Low 50’s.”

That’s a harsh reality, and it sucks all the way around, but we are where we are.

Update: A day late, here’s the full press release from Centre ICE Arena:

The Athletic’s Max Bultman has already examined part of the answers discerned from a survey of 2,100 Red Wings fans, and today, he examines the second part of his survey. Bultman reports that fans’ expectations of Moritz Seider are…surprisingly reasonable?

Question 1: What are your expectations for RHD Moritz Seider’s rookie season?

I was admittedly a bit nervous to look at the results to this question. Seider has been excellent since the Red Wings drafted him sixth in 2019 — so good that The Athletic’s Corey Pronman recently ranked him as the No. 17 U23 player in the world (including those already in the NHL) — and the potential for him to become a minute-munching, top-pair defenseman is clear. And yet, when a prospect like that is coming into a situation like Detroit’s — where hope has been hard to come by at the NHL level lately — it’s fair to wonder whether there will be too much pressure to be a superstar immediately.

Respondents, though, had a rather reasonable outlook on what Seider’s rookie year might look like. The most popular answer, at 45 percent, was that he would make a quick difference and hold his own in the top four all year — still an optimistic prediction by any definition, but one that has merit after Seider was the SHL’s top defenseman last season at 19. Perhaps more interestingly, though: a much higher percentage of readers (38.4 percent) expect Seider to take some early lumps than the percentage that expect him to be a Calder Trophy finalist (14.2 percent) or win it outright (2.1 percent). That’s a much more measured outlook heading into the defenseman’s (presumed) first year at the NHL level.

Continued (paywall); I think that Seider will have some difficulties adjusting to the smaller rink (the international rink is 100 feet wide as opposed to the NHL’s 85-foot-wide rink), faster pace of the NHL and the fact that NHL players have probably seen highlights of Seider lighting up SHL players with heavy hits, too…But I do expect him to have a fairly good rookie season.

CKLW 800 AM’s news department reports good news this morning:

A raffle for a 2021 Harley Davidson Road Glide has raised $60,000 towards supporting mental health and addictions programs at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare.

Usually funds raised through the Bob Probert Ride go towards cardiac support, but the last year and a half has created a real challenge for a lot of people, so hospital staff and the Probert family made a change. 

Dani Probert says it just made sense to put the money there based on the past few years.

“Having the mental health and addictions program at HDGH, we see the need,” she explained. “The numbers on our end and needing the funds to help out where we can at our place but also Dave Cassidy saw it, and this was a big part of UNIFOR’s request because they’re seeing it with their people and we’re seeing it all around.”

Continued

The Red Wings’ player loss to the Seattle Kraken, one Dennis Cholowski, has signed with the team on a two-way contract, per SeattleKraken.com’s Bill Condor:

As a first-ever Kraken training camp beckons, the team signed defenseman and restricted free agent Dennis Cholowski to a one-year, two-way contract with a $900,000 average annual value at the NHL level.

Cholowski, Seattle’s expansion draft choice from Detroit, appeared in 104 games for the Red Wings since being drafted 20^th overall during the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft. He has scored 10 goals and added 17 assists.

“Dennis is a young defenseman with offensive upside that we were excited to add to our group,” said Ron Francis, Kraken GM. “We like his strong skating and puck moving ability and are looking forward to working with him.”

Cholowski split time between AHL Grand Rapids and Detroit last season, starring as the powerplay “quarterback” for the American Hockey League affiliate then getting called up to the NHL team after the trade deadline.

Continued

This is impressive stuff, produced by IceHockeyGifs on Twitter and the Winged Wheel Podcast:

If you missed this week’s episode of The Third Half on Bally Sports Detroit’s YouTube page, here’s Brooke Fletcher’s interview with new Red Wings defenseman Nick Leddy:

From the Isles to the @DetroitRedWings, Nick Leddy was acquired by the Wings via trade this offseason and will join the team soon to get ready for the upcoming NHL season. @BrookeFletcher caught up with Leddy recently to get his thoughts on joining the Winged Wheel. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/zFZvlPEFs6— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) September 7, 2021

WDIV’s David Bartkowiak Jr. has posted a list of 10 questions for Red Wings fans to answer regarding their preseason expectations of the team. Head over to Clickondetroit.com and give them a look!

The Athletic’s Corey Pronman has released a list of his top 194 players who are 22 years of age or younger, and several Red Wings made his cut:

17. Moritz Seider, RHD, Detroit

Apr. 6, 2001 | 6-foot-4 | 183 pounds

Drafted: No. 6 in 2019

Tier: Projected bubble all-star and top of lineup player

Skating: Average
Puck Skills: Below-average
Hockey Sense: Average
Compete: Above-average

Seider had as good a season as you could have hoped for, as the best defenseman in the SHL last season and at the world championships. He’s so tough to deal with for opposing forwards. He’s a 6-foot-4, highly mobile, highly physical defender who projects to match up versus top NHL players. His skating helps him transition pucks very well to go with a strong first pass. The offense might never be elite, but it will be good to go with elite defending. Seider projects as a true top-pair defenseman with a chance to be a star No. 1 in the NHL.

…

25. Lucas Raymond, LW Detroit

Mar. 28, 2002 | 5-foot-10 | 170 pounds

Drafted: No. 4 in 2020

Tier: Projected top of the lineup player

Skating: Average
Puck Skills: High-end
Hockey Sense: Above-average
Compete: Average
Shot: Above-average

Raymond is an offensive weapon. He’s an extremely skilled and creative player with the puck who can make dazzling displays of puck handling and passing, and improvise like few forwards out there. Raymond also is a dangerous mid-distance shooter, making him a projected PP1 player in the NHL. He had a good but not amazing season in the SHL for Frolunda. He has the puck talent. The question after watching him versus men the past two seasons at his frame without amazing quickness is how does that play in the NHL. He has great edges and balance but struggles to pull away from checks. It may keep him from ever becoming a star, but I still project him as a top-line forward.

…

65. Sebastian Cossa, G, Detroit

Nov. 21, 2002 | 6-foot-6 | 210 pounds

Drafted: No. 15 in 2021

Tier: Projected bubble top and middle of the lineup player or quality starting goaltender

Athleticism: Average
Hockey Sense: Average

Cossa was as good as you could have asked him to be in the WHL, dominating the league for two seasons. His athletic toolkit is very intriguing as a 6-foot-6 goalie who can move very well for that size. He covers a lot of net with his length. He has some quick twitch in his frame in how he moves around the net, and gets in and out of his butterfly. Cossa’s reads are typically great. He loses track of some pucks and can be a bit busy in the net but usually anticipates the play very well. I love his selective aggressiveness with his positioning, and how he takes away angles with his size as well as how well he uses his stick to break up a lot of plays. Cossa projects as a quality NHL starting goaltender with the potential to become an upper-echelon goalie.

Continued (paywall), with Simon Edvinsson (77th), Michael Rasmussen (122nd), Filip Zadina (123rd), Joe Veleno (143rd), Albert Johansson (149th), Jonatan Berggren (157th) and Elmer Soderblom (170th) making his list…