The Red Wings made their recalls of six European players official on Saturday, recalling Mathias Brome, Michael Rasmussen, Filip Zadina, Filip Hronek and Gustav Lindstrom from their European-playing teams. As mentioned last weekend at this time, Filip Larsson’s loan to Almtuna IS of the Swedish Allsvenskan has also ended:
UPDATE: The Detroit #RedWings today recalled forwards Mathias Brome, Michael Rasmussen and Filip Zadina and defensemen Filip Hronek and Gustav Lindstrom from their respective European Club loans. pic.twitter.com/bZiXl4gHgj
Four of the Red Wings’ five Team Sweden players took part in their first World Junior Championship round robin game in Edmonton Saturday afternoon, and the Wings’ Swedes made an impact en route to a 7-1 win over the Czech Republic.
Theodor Niederbach did not center the Raymond-Holtz line, but he scored the Swedes’ 4-1 goal, off assists from Phillip Broberg and Wings prospect Elmer Soderblom…
Niederbach finished with a goal and a 9-and-6 faceoff record, finishing at +1 with 2 shots in 14:31 played as Soderblom’s even-strength center;
Raymond finished with an assist, even with 3 shots in 16:38 played alongside Albin Sundsvik and Alexander Holtz;
Albert Johansson finished with an assist and a penalty, a +1 and 2 shots in 15:33 played;
And Gustav Berglund did not dress for the game.
TSN posted a full highlight clip on YouTube:
On Sunday, Eemil Viro’s Finns will battle Switzerland at 2 PM EST, and Jan Bednar’s Czechs will try to rebound vs. Russia at 9:30 PM EST. Both games will air on TSN in Canada and the NHL Network in the U.S.
It’s never too early, nor too late, to celebrate the milestone that was Red Wings forward Sergei Fedorov scoring all five Red Wings goals, including the overtime winner, on December 26, 1996 vs. Washington:
? Patience. The Red Wings were truly horrible last season and likely won’t be much better in 2020-21. However, with Steve Yzerman overseeing the front office and some promising prospects coming down the pipe, Detroit’s rebuild is now on track. It just might be a while before the team starts to yield results at the highest level.
Continued; I wish and hope that the Red Wings don’t finish last again (lottery odds be damned), but if they do, I hope that the 2020-2021 season isn’t quite as miserable as the 2019-20 season was, for all of our sakes.
The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a three-topic notebook article late Friday night, discussing the Red Wings’ European-playing prospects’ “leg up” on their training camp competition, the effects of divisional realignment upon the Red Wings and their fans, and the high probability that Dylan Larkin will be named the Wings’ captain sooner than later:
Yzerman confirmed the organization still plans on naming a captain this season, with most analysts expecting that’ll be Dylan Larkin.
An alternate captain the last two seasons, Larkin would be the Wings’ first captain since Henrik Zetterberg in 2018.
Yzerman, who was a Wings’ captain for 22 seasons, noted the increased responsibility in that role.
“I just think you take a lot more things into consideration that you may not normally,” Yzerman said. “Whether it’s a call by an official, or a situation off the ice with a teammate, just anything to do with the team, as a captain you get a little bit more sense of responsibility regarding every situation.”
Viro, a 6-0, 165-pound defenseman who was one of three 2020 second-round draft picks, had two shots and 27 shifts in 19:31 of ice time.
Aku Raty, Henri Nikkanen, and Topi Niemela each had a goal and an assist for the Finns, who are seeking their sixth world junior gold medal of all time. They last triumphed in Vancouver (2019) on Kaapo Kakko’s late 3-2 winner versus the Americans.
Germany, which was missing nine players because of the coronavius, had only 14 skaters – nine forwards and five defensemen. Three players can return to the tournament Sunday and another five Tuesday, barring more positive tests.
Viro finished at +1 with 2 shots in 19:31 played for Finland.
On Saturday, Sweden will play against the Czech Republic at 2 PM EST (on TSN and the NHL Network).
Moritz Seider, RHD, Rögle BK (Detroit Red Wings): A human wrecking ball. There is no better way of describing Seider’s recent performance. He has been throwing around his opponents like he was playing with kids. Even though he is only 19 and plays against much older competition, his physicality is just on another level. However, he has been dominant in almost every other possible way, not just wrestling with other players.
His defense is stunning. He plays with great poise, reads the game well, and just as much contributes offensively, which is an underrated part of his excellent overall game. He has recorded two goals and 12 points in 17 outings with roughly over 20 minutes of ice time per game. He has been so much fun to watch lately.
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Joe Veleno, C/RW, Malmö Redhawks (Detroit Red Wings): Veleno has found a new place on the roster. Coaches have put him on the right wing next to Fredrik Händemark (SJS) on the first line. This role suits him well, as he is on a three-game point streak as we speak. The 20-year-old forward has put up six goals and 11 points in 21 games so far. He has been very dangerous offensively, creating a lot of high-quality scoring chances around the net.
Veleno has been a threat on the power play too, where he moves all-around the offensive zone, uses his quick hands, agile and dynamic skating, and good one-timer to make a lot of noise. He seems to be getting more and more comfortable as the season progresses.
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Jonatan Berggren, LW, Skellefteå AIK (Detroit Red Wings): Berggren is having a lot of fun this season. He still has the most assists (19) and points (24) on his team and is second in assists and fourth in points overall. Despite being penalized for three games in late November for a crosscheck to the head, he got back on track in December. Although he has not been as dominant as he was at the beginning of the season, he has collected four points (all assists) in five outings after the suspension. He is still driving plays, creating tons of chances, and being an exceptional player at this level.
The World Juniors offers an opportunity to get an eyeful of players eligible for the 2021 draft. While the changes made by Yzerman should make the Wings more competitive this season, they still project to finish near the bottom of the standings and, in turn, be in the draft lottery again. Wings assistant general manager Ryan Martin is at the event.
Michigan forward Matthew Beniers (USA) is one of the higher-end prospects at the tournament. Michigan did not, however, release defenseman Owen Power to Hockey Canada. (Because of travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada, Power would have had to quarantine in Canada for two weeks before the start of Canada’s camp.) Forward Aatu Räty, was left off Finland’s roster, and Sweden left behind forward William Eklund after he tested positive for COVD-19 and cut defenseman Simon Edvinsson.
Closer to home, the rebuild looks like it will get a boost from recent draft picks as soon as the autumn. Defenseman Moritz Seider (sixth, 2019) has 12 points in 19 games for Rögle in the Swedish Hockey League; it’sthe 19-year-old’s third season in a men’s league. Forward Jonatan Berggren (33rd, 2018) has 24 points in 23 games with Skellefteå. Raymond has 12 points in 22 games with Frölunda. All project to make the Wings’ future better and brighter.
“The unknown on the taxi squad is how many games they’re actually going to play,” Yzerman said. “I think common sense tells you they’re going to have to play. Guys are going to get injured. You hope nobody contracts the virus and can’t play, but at certain points guys get called up and instead of being called up from Grand Rapids they’re going to get called up from the taxi squad.
“For a first-year pro or second-year pro, should they sit on the taxi squad and never play or are they (better off) in the American League, if they’re playing?” Yzerman said. “If the American League doesn’t play, then we have to come up with another plan for them.
“My own thought is I really want the young kids playing every night on a team. Practice is great for a little bit, but all guys want to play games. For anyone on that taxi squad, after a while it’s going to be a bit like Groundhog Day for them. We have to figure out if you can move guys from the American League to the taxi squad. In general, I thought it was a very good idea to institute that.”
Theodor Niederbach, center: Niederbach was the Wings’ second-round pick in October, viewed as a potential steal given he missed last season because of knee surgery.
Niederbach has been outstanding playing at the junior level this season, with 35 points in 19 games, and showing the talent of a first-rounder.
With Sweden’s lineup decimated, there’s a good chance Niederbach could play on the first line with fellow Wings’ draft pick Lucas Raymond.
Lucas Raymond, right wing: Raymond was the Wings’ first-round pick in October, the fourth pick overall, and has dazzled while playing in Sweden, with 12 points (five goals) in 22 games on Frolunda’s men’s team.
Raymond should be a dominant player in this tournament while playing against players his own age. Raymond has also had the tendency to play his best in the biggest moments, and he’ll have the opportunity here.
But Team Sweden has been ravaged with COVID-19 and the lineup has been altered. Raymond will be looked on to produce.
