Author: George Malik

Per the OHL:

The Ontario Hockey League today announced an updated timeline on its Return to Play plan for the 2020-21 season as it continues to work with government and health agencies to finalize outstanding matters that help ensure the health and safety of all members of the OHL community.

“Although we are eager to get back on the ice, the safety and well-being of our players, staff, officials, tremendous fans and communities remains paramount,” said OHL Commissioner David Branch. “We remain committed to providing our players with a safe, first-class development experience as they pursue their professional and academic goals, and we look forward to the planned opening of our Regular Season on Thursday, February 4.”

Under the new timelines, OHL Training Camps are scheduled to commence on Saturday, January 23 in preparation for the 2020-21 Regular Season that will feature a 40-game schedule running from Thursday, February 4 through Saturday, May 8. Teams will play primarily against opponents in their geographic region in an effort to reduce travel in consideration of the health and safety of all players and staff. Details concerning the structure of team alignment will be made available upon release of the 2020-21 OHL Regular Season schedule.

A total of eight teams will qualify for the 2021 OHL Playoffs in pursuit of the J. Ross Robertson Cup that get underway on Tuesday, May 11. The OHL Playoffs will consist of three rounds, the first being a best-of-five opening round, followed by two best-of-seven formats to crown a League champion by no later than Monday, June 14. The 2021 Memorial Cup presented by Kia is scheduled to begin Thursday, June 17 in either Oshawa or Sault Ste. Marie.

Via The Athletic’s Seth Rorabaugh, Hockey Canada released its World Junior Selection Camp roster, and Red Wings 2020 draft pick Donovan Sebrango has made the cut:

Congrats to #RedWings 3rd round draft pick, Donovan Sebrango, on his invitation to the 2021 @HockeyCanada World Juniors selection camp! pic.twitter.com/GcRuSBAqTx— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 29, 2020

Today the SHL had to postpone several games due to coronavirus issues. The Thursday-and-Saturday home-and-home series between Rogle BK (Moritz Seider’s team) and Lulea Hockey has been postponed due to positive COVID-19 cases on Lulea…

And two more games were postponed, including Saturday’s game between the Frolunda Indians and Leksands IF, because of positive COVID-19 cases on Leksand.

The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a column this morning which discusses Tyler Bertuzzi’s takes on the Red Wings’ offseason moves, his status as “playing for his next contract” on a one-year deal and his and the rest of the Red Wings’ uncertainty as to when the NHL might start its 2020-2021 season:

“Whether I sign five, four, six years, every year you need to perform and you need to work hard and contribute,” Bertuzzi said. “So even if signed a six-year deal, I’ll play every game like I’m on a one-year deal. I need to prove every year that I’m a good player and I want to contribute to this team.”

When he’ll get to contribute is uncertain, since the pandemic has pushed the start of the 2020-21 season at least into January. The AHL announced this week it is targeting a Feb. 5 start date.

The Wings favor allowing the seven teams that weren’t part of the playoff bubble to meet earlier than the 24 playoff teams that got to play in August. The Wings have not played since March 10.

“We’re all on board with that, get back in it with the coaching staff,” Bertuzzi said. “I think that’s going to be a crucial two weeks for us to dig deep and get things done.”

The Athletic’s Max Bultman profiles Red Wings prospect William Wallinder this morning:

It was around Christmas last season that William Wallinder began regularly practicing with men. At the time, he was 17 years old — big and fast, but with so much to learn.

Pär Styf, one of the assistant coaches for MODO in the Allsvenskan, had known Wallinder for a while already by then. Styf’s son, Hugo, is the same age, so he’s seen Wallinder’s game since he was young. But Styf noticed something from Wallinder’s early practices with the men’s team, at a level well above what he was accustomed.

“He did stuff that the other (defensemen) didn’t dare to do,” Styf said. “Because for him, it was all natural. He didn’t have to think, he just read the situation.”

Continued (paywall)

Per Hockeysverige.se’s Alexander Ellhar, four Swedish players (including Red Wings prospect Elmer Soderblom) will be unable to take part in the Swedish World Junior Evaluation Camp from November 2nd to November 7th.

As a result, Wings prospects Albin Grewe and Theodor Niederbach have been named as among the injury replacements.

Spelarbyte i Juniorkronorna inför Finnkampen i Malmö: Utgår gör: Daniel Ljungman, Linköpings HC, Arvid Costmar, Linköpings HC, Elmer Söderblom, Frölunda HC, Jesper Wallstedt, Luleå HF. Forts…

— Tre Kronor (@Trekronorse) October 29, 2020

Ersätter gör: Albin Grewe, Djurgårdens IF, Theodor Niederbach, Frölunda HC, Isac Andersson, Mora IK, Calle Clang, Kristianstads IK #juniorkronorna

— Tre Kronor (@Trekronorse) October 29, 2020

The Associated Press’s Stephen Whyno spoke with AHL president Scott Howson and NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly regarding the AHL’s decision to delay the start of their 2020-2021 season until February 5th:

“This gives us the best chance to have a significant season with fans in the building and we’ll just see what happens here in the next two months,” Howson said by phone after the AHL’s Board of Governors voted to approve the Feb. 5 start date. “We’re going to be flexible and we’re going to do everything we can to play.”

The AHL is the top minor league affiliate for the NHL, which is targeting a Jan. 1 start for the season. A typical AHL season usually starts after the NHL gets underway.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said he doesn’t expect the AHL announcement to affect the NHL’s planning. Daly said the AHL has kept the NHL informed during its decision-making process and that general managers were briefed last week on the developments.

“The NHL, they’re at sometime in January,” Howson said. “We aren’t tied directly to what the NHL does, but we want to be somewhat in sync, so Feb. 5 seemed like a good place even if there’s going to be a little longer cap than usual between the two leagues starting.”

No North American sport is more dependent on attendance than hockey, and the attempt to get some fans into buildings is a big reason for the February start. Howson pointed out that a vast majority of jurisdictions with AHL teams would not have allowed any fans as recently as a month ago, and there are hopes that changes by the middle of the winter.

“We’re moving in the right direction in some of our markets,” Howson said. “Hopefully that trend continues.”

Continued

Long-time Edmonton Oiler Sam Gagner, who’s now a member of the Red Wings’ organization, penned a column for “The Players’ Tribune” in which he paid tribute to Edmonton Oilers and Edmonton Eskimos locker room attendant Joey Moss, who passed away at 57 due to Alzheimer’s disease:

Joey Moss was the greatest person I have ever met. 

And while I’m not sure if what I’m about to write will do his legacy justice, I feel as though I have to try. 

After all, trying was exactly what Joey was about. Ask anyone who has been around that dressing room in Edmonton, or heard him sing the Canadian or U.S. national anthems, or seen him dance to “La Bamba.” He was as passionate as they come. I have countless stories and so many fond memories of our time together and honestly, I could go on forever. But I will do my best to paint a picture of the man Joey was, and also of the impact he had on those around him.

When I first got to Edmonton, you could see it right away — the special bond that Joey had with the players and the other trainers, and how much they enjoyed his company. We had a young group and decided early on that we were going to include Joey in just about everything we did away from the rink. Andrew Cogliano, Tom Gilbert and myself were roommates and had an extra bedroom, so whenever we could we would invite Joey over for dinner, and then he would sleep over at our place. We would go bowling, watch wrestling (more on that later), listen to his James Bond Soundtrack CD driving around Edmonton, and have so much fun.

Continued; Gagner, Ryan Smyth and Jason Smith reminisced about Moss on a conference call with the Oilers’ press today, too:

Pro Hockey Talk’s Adam Gretz posted an article discussing the Red Wings’ possible options for improvement over the course of the 2020-2021 season and thereafter, emphasizing that the Red Wings’ cap space during the next offseason will be key as to the direction of the Wings’ rebuild:

The outlook

The Red Wings are looking at another season in the NHL’s basement. The biggest key for this season is that the short-term free agents work out individually to give them additional trade chips and they see progress from young players (Filip Zadina, Filip Hronek, any other rookies on the team).

They have one of the league’s best general managers, more salary cap flexibility than any team in the league, collected a bounty of draft picks over the past couple of years, have even more coming this year, and have three recent top-six picks (plus what almost certainly be another one in the 2021 draft) to hopefully build around.

They are still a long way from contention, but with the GM and resources (draft picks, prospects, salary cap space) at their disposal they are finally in a position to start building.

Continued

This press release is interesting given the Red Wings’ status as affiliated with a local Detroit casino:

Detroit Red Wings Renew and Expand BetMGM Strategic Partnership

Multi-year agreement to feature on-ice logo, in-venue signage, fan promotions and sponsored presence on Red Wings’ digital channels

DETROIT (October 28, 2020) – The Detroit Red Wings announced today they have renewed and expanded their strategic partnership with BetMGM, a market-leading sports betting and gaming platform joint venture between MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and GVC Holdings (LSE: GVC). 

“We’re thrilled to expand our relationship with BetMGM,” said Peter Kent, Detroit Red Wings Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships. “We’ll continue to work together to provide innovative and engaging experiences for the fans of Hockeytown.” 

As part of the multi-year deal, BetMGM will continue to have an on-ice logo at Little Caesars Arena, along with in-venue signage, fan promotions and a sponsored presence on the Red Wings’ digital platforms. The District Detroit mobile app will also feature the BetMGM Stats Module, providing Red Wings fans access to betting odds and statistics next season.