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!

A trio of Tweets of historical note

Of historical Twitter-related note, per the Detroit News’s Gregg Krupa…

And DetroitHockey.net’s Clark Rasmussen:

Wings’ website profiles Troy Stecher

DetroitRedWings.com’s Brett McWethy filed a profile of new Red Wings defenseman Troy Stecher:

A myriad of factors were appealing and led Troy Stecher to signing a two-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings. Perhaps above all, he sees something special being built, and wants to be a part of the young core that brings winning hockey back to Detroit.

Stecher is a 26-year-old defenseman that has four years of solid experience in the NHL, including playing in all 69 games and making his postseason debut for the Vancouver Canucks last season.

There’s no doubt the Red Wings are strengthening their blue line by adding a skater of Stecher’s caliber. But they’re also gaining a player whose age and experience aligns nicely with many of the young pieces already making their mark in Hockeytown. As he told Daniella Bruce and Art Regner on The Word on Woodward on Nov. 5, Stecher is hoping to assimilate quickly to a group that is growing up together on the ice.

“It was a mutual interest between both groups (during free agency). Obviously with the organization, and myself as a player,” Stecher said on The Word on Woodward’s Downtown Hockeytown segment, presented by Labatt Blue Light. “I like the age group of their core, with (Dylan) Larkin and (Anthony) Mantha and (Tyler) Bertuzzi. They’re all kind of the same age as I am. Not overly old. I’m not young, but I have four years of experience in the league now. So, hopefully I can mesh well with the group.”

Continued

FYI: Matias Brome sits down with Orebro Hockey’s website for a video interview…in Swedish

You won’t get much out of this unless you speak Swedish, but Matias Brome spoke with Orebro Hockey’s website regarding his departure date for Detroit (which he doesn’t know, saying, “There are many who know more than me and Detroit”), his chemistry with linemate Robin Kovacs, and more over the course of a 3-minute-and-24-second video interview.

“Det är många som verkar veta mer än mig och Detroit”

Mathias Bromé berättar om samarbetet med Robin Kovács, datum för avresa till Detroit samt uppsnack inför torsdagens bortamatch mot Luleå.

▶️ https://t.co/VYkNLQqHsy pic.twitter.com/ImJhf3hDH7— Örebro Hockey (@orebrohockey) November 18, 2020

Roughly Translated: Hockeysverige.se’s Bodin reports that Moritz Seider won’t play at the World Junior Championship

According to Hockeysverige.se’s Uffe Bodin, Red Wings prospect Moritz Seider will remain with Rogle BK of the Swedish Hockey League during the time that the World Junior Championship takes place.

This isn’t great news for Seider, who would have earned oodles of ice time as the Germans’ captain at the World Junior Championship in Edmonton, but this will prevent Seider from missing almost a month’s worth of time with his SHL team, Rogle BK, and that’s probably better for his professional development. One could also suggest that this is a sign that the Wings see Seider as closer to the NHL than previously believed.

What follows is roughly translated from Swedish:

Stopped from World Junior Championship Games–Will Continue in the SHL

Moritz Seider has been successful during his short time with Rögle. And now he will have the chance to continue to do so over the Christmas and New Year holidays. Now comes the news that the Detroit Red Wings will not let him go to the WJC.

Today, Germany’s World Junior Championship team was unveiled. It includes, among others, the super prospect Tim Stützle, who was selected as the third player by the Ottawa Senators in the draft last month, as well as  Lukas Reichel, who was chosen by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round. 

One who is missing in the team, however, is the Detroit Red Wings to Rögle-loaned defenseman Moritz Seider, 19.

Seider, who was captain of the German Team during last year’s tournament, will not play at the WJC. The German Ice Hockey Association also states this in the press release where they present their team. According to the Germans, it is because the Detroit Red Wings aren’t giving the go-ahead for the defenseman-talent to participate in the tournament.

STAYS IN ÄNGELHOLM

For Rögle, this means that they can keep Moritz Seider on the team during the games before and after Christmas and New Year. So far, the youngster has posted seven points (2 goals + 5 assists) in eight SHL games. [His loan to Rögle] is valid for the rest of the SHL season.

Tim Stützle’s World Junior Championship participation depends on how he manages to heal after an arm fracture which he suffered a little over a month ago. According to German national team captain Tobias Abstreiter, there is good hope that he will be ready to play because the tournament doesn’t start until after Christmas.

“If his healing process continues as it has so far, there are good reasons to be optimistic. There are still five weeks left until the World Championship begins,” he says in the statement.

Down Goes Brown ponders whether the Wings can buck the odds this upcoming season

This morning, The Athletic’s Sean McIndoe, a.k.a. “Down Goes Brown,” reviews the ten “worst teams” from fellow Athletic scribe Dom Luszczyszyn’s 2020-2021 season preview, with McIndoe attempting to discern whether these “bad teams” might be able to escape their respectively-prescripted fates…

And let’s just say that he’s not optimistic about the Red Wings’ chances of finishing somewhere other than last place:

So here’s what needs to happen. First, the goaltending has to be fantastic, and that might not actually be all that far-fetched. Thomas Greiss was a real nice signing, and he’s had two seasons of .925 or better in the last five years. So pencil him in for something like that, and the Wings are already a much better team.

Next, we need to improve an offense that ranked dead last. Maybe this is the year Dylan Larkin breaks through to the 80 or even 90-point tier. Tyler Bertuzzi and Anthony Mantha have shown flashes, and would need to do it over a full season. A comeback year from Bobby Ryan would help. Filip Zadina arrives with a bang. Maybe Lucas Raymond too? Marc Staal rediscovers his game, Troy Stecher takes a step, and let’s even say Moritz Seider arrives ahead of schedule. Hell, while we’re at it, let’s also have it all somehow come together for Robby Fabbri.

If every single one of those things happens, the Wings are up to … what, maybe 85 points?

Yeah, that’s about the best I can do. To get the rest of the way to the playoffs, you need a few crazy things to happen. Maybe Steve Yzerman swings an unexpected deal, or finally pulls the trigger on Jeff Blashill and replaces him with the next Scotty Bowman. I could go on, but at some point it feels like we’re patronizing Wings fans. They know what they’re up against. The odds are overwhelming.

But it’s not completely impossible, because this is still the NHL, and if an expansion team can do it, well, maybe a team like Detroit could too. Do you believe in miracles?

Continued (paywall); now I’m biased, but my answer to DGB’s commentary is, “Yes, it does feel like we Wings fans are being patronized.” I’m not expecting the 2020-2021 Red Wings to make the playoffs, but I am hoping that the team will be much more competitive, regardless of whether that “less bad”-ness adds up to enough wins to earn the privilege of postseason play.

Prospect round-up: Hronek drops the gloves in Czech Extraliga; Rasmussen still inconsistent in Graz

Of prospect-related note:

In the Czech Extraliga, Filip Zadina had 6 shots and finished at +1 in 15:02 played as Ocelari Trinec won 6-3 over Ceske Budejovice;

Filip Hronek got in a fight, taking 10 + 2 + 2 minutes in penalties, but he still managed to play 22:09, finishing at -1 in HK Mountfield lost 4-0 to HC Energie Karlovy Vary. Jan Bednar didn’t play as a back-up for Karlovy Vary.

You can watch Hronek’s fight here (he won) on Hokej.cz;

In the Swedish Allsvenskan, William Wallinder finished at -2 in 10:37 played as MODO Hockey got spanked 7-0 by Vita Hasten;

And in the ICE Hockey League, Michael Rasmussen registered an assist but finished at -2 with a 10-minute misconduct taken over the course of the Graz99ers’ 4-3 shootout win over the Kolner Haie.

Hockeysverige.se’s Bodin interviews Albin Grewe

Hockeysverige.se’s Uffe Bodin wrote an article about Red Wings prospect and Djurgardens IF forward Albin Grewe, and the article is accompanied by a video interview with Grewe. What follows is a rough translation of Bodin’s article:

“He’s an animal force that can make a difference”

He would [rather] not even play for Djurgarden this season. But Albin Grewe has not only remained in Sweden, but he has also made an impression in the SHL. Against Skelleftea came his first goal of the season–and a different tribute from coach Robert Ohlsson.

“I think he is an animal force that can make a difference,” says Djurgården’s coach after the overtime victory with 3-2.

Continue reading Hockeysverige.se’s Bodin interviews Albin Grewe

Belated prospect round-up: Berggren, Grewe score in SHL showdown; Frolunda shut out

From Monday’s SHL action: Jonatan Berggren had an assist and 3 shots, finishing even in 18:19 played as Skelleftea AIK lost 3-2 to Djurgarden in overtime. Albin Grewe scored a goal on 2 shots and finished even in 9:07 of ice time for Djurgarden:

And Lucas Raymond had 3 shots, finishing at -1 in 12:22 played, and Theodor Niederbach finished even in 3:35 played as the Frolunda Indians lost 4-0 to Leksand.

SHL.se profiles Jonatan Berggren

The SHL’s website posted a profile of Red Wings prospect Jonatan Berggren, and it’s in English:

Born in Uppsala and having spent his entire life in Enköping, representing Enköpings SK, Jonatan Berggren moved to Skellefteå at the age of 15. Normally, players tend to move for hockeygymnasium (literally translated to hockey high school) at the age of 16 but there’s a story to his early move. With young Mr. Berggren playing between one and five years above his age, this resulted in a spot of trouble. Where would he play?

“It was almost a sealed deal that I was going to Västerås to play there but I got a call from Fredrik Öberg, U18 coach in Skellefteå at the time. He asked me if I wanted to come up and check things out for the hockey high school in the following year.”

Berggren and his older brother went and after a day in Skellefteå, it was all set. And not only that: Berggren didn’t want to wait. He wanted to move right away, moving to finish elementary school, by completing ninth grade, in Skellefteå.

“Everything felt perfect. We called Öberg, asking him if I could move right away and he put it all together. Me playing here today is all thanks to him. I got his number as well, 48. So that’s a perfect, nice little story, I think.” he says with a fond voice, adding that homesickness has got the best of him from time to time. But looking back, and looking forward to what might come, he doesn’t regret anything. Having been drafted by the Detroit Red Wings, he knows he is on the right path.

“Of course! Playing in the NHL is something I’ve been thinking about, and dreaming of since I started playing. And now I’m closer to realising that dream than ever. It’s all about that final push. And if I think about all the work I’ve put in to be able to try to make that push…It has all been worth it.”

Continued;

Update: The Free Press’s Helene St. James also took note of the interview:

The Wings drafted Berggren (5-foot-11, 183 pounds) 33rd overall in 2018, seeing the winger as a nice package of speed and skill, especially adapt at making plays. He spent most of the 2017-18 season in the J20 Superelit (Sweden’s top junior league) but appeared in 10 games at the SHL level. He played in only 16 games in 2018-19 because of a lower-back injury. Last season he was sidelined by shoulder surgery, though he was able to play for Sweden at the World Junior Championship, helping them capture the bronze medal.

Berggren’s 19 points rank third in the SHL.

“I’m trying to get to the net more,” he said. “But I had a good start to the season and I’ve been able to build off of that. To me, last season was important. I got a receipt that I could play at this level and do my things.”

With the NHL still trying to sort out the logistics of staging a season as COVID-19 ravages North America(the starting target date remains Jan. 1), Berggren is in a good spot starring in the SHL. He could be looking at coming over for the 2021-22 season.