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!

Just call them believers in lost causes

According to DetroitLions.com’s Tim Twentyman and Mike O’Hara…

Hockey visit: Red Wings players Robby Fabbri, Michael Rasmussen, Jordan Oesterle and captain Dylan Larkin took in Lions practice Tuesday night in Allen Park.

Update: From the Red Wings:

Guelph Storm forward Cooper Walker invited to Red Wings’ prospect tournament

Via the Guelph Today’s Tony Saxon:

Congratulations to Chayka, Profaca and Walker on each being invited to a #NHLDevelopmentCamp! ?@DetroitRedWings @GoldenKnights @DallasStars pic.twitter.com/YAs4fnPoJx— Guelph Storm (@Storm_City) August 17, 2021

Walker is listed by Elite Prospects at 5’9″ and 157 pounds, and he’s a 2002-born player who’s 19 years of age, and did not play this past season as the OHL suspended operations.

Former Walleye forward A.J. Jenks retires

Per the Toledo Walleye on Twitter:

Here’s more from the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe:

Former longtime Toledo Walleye forward A.J. Jenks has retired.

Jenks, who played five seasons for the Walleye from 2014-19, announced his decision on Twitter.

The 31-year-old forward from Wolverine Lake, Mich., played the last two seasons for the Fort Wayne Komets. Last season, Jenks served as Fort Wayne’s captain and helped lead the Komets to the ECHL’s Kelly Cup championship.

“What a ride it has been,” Jenks wrote on Twitter. “So blessed and thankful to be able to play the game I love for 11 years. A big thank you to everyone that has helped along the way, especially teammates, coaches, trainers, and fans.”

Jenks played in 579 games at the American Hockey League and ECHL level.

Toledo Walleye re-sign Butrus Ghafari

From the Toledo Walleye:

? PLAYER ANNOUNCEMENT ?

Defenseman Butrus Ghafari returns to the Fish for the 2021-22 season.

? https://t.co/ovrjpKpFC4 pic.twitter.com/WOaP6cPPgx— Toledo Walleye (@ToledoWalleye) August 17, 2021

Here’s the Walleye’s press release:

(Toledo, OH) – Defenseman Butrus Ghafari (boo-truhs, ga-far-ee) has agreed to terms with the Toledo Walleye for the 2021-2022 season.

Ghafari, the West Bloomfield, MI native, started his pro career with the Walleye by appearing in one game prior to the end of the 2019-2020 season. He did play for Rapid City a season ago, appearing in 58 games with 10 points (1G, 9A) and 72 penalty minutes in his first full pro season.

Prior to turning professional, the 25-year-old spent four years at Michigan State University with 114 total games played. Ghafari appeared in at least 20 games in each of his four years as a Spartan and posted four goals with five assists in his college career. The defenseman also had 200 games played in the USHL before heading to Michigan State, where he was a plus 21 from 2012-2016.

Update: Here’s more from the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe:

Continue reading Toledo Walleye re-sign Butrus Ghafari

Sportico reports that NHL jerseys will have a 3″x3.5″ advertiser’s logo on their jerseys for the 2022-2023 season

It’s behind a paywall, but Sportico is reporting that NHL jerseys will include a 3″x3.5″ advertiser’s logo on their jerseys for the 2022-2023 season:

EXCLUSIVE: The @NHL is adding advertisements to its jerseys for the 2022-23 season https://t.co/5HibbGIlYJ pic.twitter.com/HHkkV5ElyT— Sportico (@Sportico) August 17, 2021

Update: Here’s a peek behind the paywall:

The National Hockey League is adding advertisements to its jerseys for the 2022-23 season, the latest major U.S. sports league to sell marketing space on player uniforms during games.

The NHL board of governors unanimously voted to approve the ad policy, according to a memo emailed this week to all 32 teams. Clubs are now free to start negotiating with potential partners, according to the memo, which was reviewed by Sportico.

The ads must fit a rectangle 3 inches by 3.5 inches, making them slightly bigger than the patches that the NBA added to its jerseys for the 2017-18 season. Representatives from the NHL didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Update: More confirmation:

Continue reading Sportico reports that NHL jerseys will have a 3″x3.5″ advertiser’s logo on their jerseys for the 2022-2023 season

Bultman discusses the ins and outs of a pro camp

The Athletic’s Max Bultman wrote a fine article regarding a professional hockey camp held by former Red Wings consultant (and current University of Michigan assistant coach) Brandon Narauto, who still works with Red Wings players through his Total Package Hockey company.

This story isn’t necessarily Wings-related any more, but it’s a very good read:

It’s just before 11:45 a.m. and skates have hit the ice at USA Hockey Arena, steel carving into the glossy, resurfaced sheet.

Outside, the August air smacks of vacation. The start of NHL training camps is still more than a month away, and the offseason carnival has largely passed, leaving hockey to temporarily fade from the public eye. The arena’s blue seats are all but empty. But on the ice, the work for next season has already begun.

The players gathered at the rink today are at widely different stages of their pro careers. Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski is among them, a star just entering his prime and fresh off signing a contract extension worth an average of more than $9.5 million a year. Rangers defenseman Zac Jones is also here — only a few months removed from an NCAA championship at UMass, with 10 late-season NHL games to his name and soon the chance to break through full time. Cooper Marody and Riley Barber, the AHL’s top two goal scorers last season with Bakersfield and Grand Rapids, respectively, are also here. So is newly minted Seattle Kraken Dennis Cholowski, Vancouver Canucks prospect  Will Lockwood, Detroit prospect Carter Gylander and more.

Even the Red Wings’ practice goalie and emergency backup, Josh Block, is out here — because EBUGs need summer reps, too.

It might be the dog days of the offseason, but this is when players — through work few will ever see — can create the proverbial step forward. The next hour and a half will be a window into how those summer leaps are actually made.

Continued (paywall); the Power Edge Pro camp was at the Red Wings’ practice facility two weeks ago, and there are various professional hockey camps that travel the U.S. and Canada throughout the summer, so this is a very good explainer as to how the “pro camps” work.

Richardson discusses the Red Wings’ offseason improvements

I watched a clip from TSN last night in which TSN 1050 Overdrive’s Bryan Hayes and Gord Miller discussed which Atlantic Division teams were “winners and losers.”

Their assertions regarding the Red Wings’ status playing in a stacked Atlantic Division were simple: Hayes said that “Detroit is going to be bad,” Miller suggested that the Senators would be better than the Wings and Sabres, and that was that.

Red Wings fans and their partisans are hoping that Steve Yzerman’s aggressive offseason moves, both via trades and free agency, will pay off in the form of tangible improvement over the Red Wings’ 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 regular season records.

Bleacher Report’s Lyle Richardson, a.k.a. Spector of Spector’s Hockey, suggests that the Red Wings are one of five teams that have “dramatically improved,” though the on-ice results are still unclear:

Continue reading Richardson discusses the Red Wings’ offseason improvements

Tweet of note: the ‘Red Patrol’ is hiring

If you’re interested…

Are you looking to create a fun atmosphere and unforgettable experiences at #RedWings games?!

If so, the @Huntington_Bank Red Patrol is for you!

Send you submission package to redpatrol@hockeytown.com‼️ pic.twitter.com/7Ejd9pEX8D— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 17, 2021

What rebuilding looks like, in a Tweet

Per CapFriendly, via Kukla’s Korner:

This is what a rebuilding team looks like; there’s a lot of roster turnover as the GM and company attempt to revise and edit the roster until they get the right “fits.”

Jakub Vrana cracks ESPN’s Wyshynski’s ‘breakout’ list

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski lists 10 players ready to “break out” for the 2021-2022 season, and one of them is Red Wings forward Jakub Vrana:

Jakub Vrana, LW, Detroit Red Wings: Vrana, 25, has crested over 20 goals twice and ended up with 19 in 50 games last season with the Washington Capitals and Red Wings. He had 11 points in 11 games after being traded to Detroit in a deal that saw Anthony Mantha sent to Washington. That was enough of an audition to earn him a three-year, $15.75 million extension as a restricted free agent.

The Red Wings are going to let Vrana cook. His time on ice jumped by nearly three minutes (17:16) when he arrived in Detroit. Best of all, he averaged 10 shots per game at 5-on-5 in that short sample, which is hopefully a harbinger of things to come: Vrana was at his best offensively in Washington when he was spraying shots on goal like a backyard sprinkler at even strength.

On a rebuilding team desperately seeking a goal-scoring boost — Detroit’s 2.23 goals per game was second fewest in the NHL last season — Vrana is going to get a chance to shine. “My role has changed a little bit. I’m looking forward to prove what I can do and show my potential,” he told reporters recently.

Continued (paywall);