Category: Uncategorized

NHL.com gives Dylan Larkin an ‘honorable mention’ as a near-elite center

NHL.com is going to list its top 20 players at each position over the course of 9 specials on the NHL Network, and NHL.com’s David Satriano reports that Dylan Larkin didn’t quite make the cut, instead earning an “honorable mention”:

Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings

In his fourth NHL season, Larkin led the Red Wings in goals (32), assists (41), points (73) and penalty minutes (75), and scored seven power-play goals and two shorthanded goals in 21:51 of ice time, best among Detroit forwards. The 23-year-old also won 54.5 percent of face-offs and was the first Red Wings player to score at least 30 goals since Marian Hossa (40), Johan Franzen (34), Pavel Datsyuk (32) and Henrik Zetterberg (31) in 2008-09.

“You weren’t sure if he was going to be a centerman when he first started,” [Mike] Johnson said. “You weren’t sure if he was going to be able to slow the game down to deal with all those responsibilities, but he can. He’s the go-to guy for Detroit offensively and he is OK with that. He’s a new-age player with all the speed that he can play with. All aspects of his game have grown. He should be a fixture on this list for the next several years.”

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Jared McIsaac recovering from shoulder surgery

Red Wings prospect Jared McIsaac has been participating in the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, MI as a spectator, cheering on Team Canada from the stands as he recovers from shoulder surgery.

He spoke with DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji regarding his recovery process and his progress made this past season with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads.

“It’s been going pretty good so far,” McIsaac said before the game started. “I’m just taking my time with it, not rushing anything. I’m set up real good back home with Nick Bagnall (strength and conditioning specialist). I rehabbed with him last year after the injury and then continuing now after surgery.”

McIsaac originally injured his shoulder during the prospect tournament last September in Traverse City.

“Then it got worse throughout the year,” McIsaac said. “After world juniors, it kept sliding out in playoffs, kept sliding on me. The organization and myself, they thought it was best for me to get it done. Obviously can’t argue with them.”

In spite of the injury, McIsaac took a big step forward while playing a big role with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads.

In 53 games, McIsaac had 16 goals and 46 assists. His 62 points marked a 15-point jump from the previous season. He followed that up with two goals and 14 assists in 22 playoff games.

Wakiji continues, discussing Jonatan Berggren’s difficult day playing for Sweden and Otto Kivenmaki’s progress.

Via KK: Griffins’ Wade Megan retires at 29

From NNY 360’s Cap Carey, via Kukla’s Korner:

Wade Megan, the first National Hockey League player from Canton, has retired as a player and is focusing now on running the NoCo Hockey camp for area kids at SUNY Canton.

Megan, a forward who turned 29 on July 22, played in 11 games last year with the Detroit Red Wings and picked up an assist. He also played in 48 games with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins, recording 19 goals and 18 assists.

He made his NHL debut in the 2016-17 season with the St. Louis Blues, scoring his only career NHL goal in his first game. He played in 15 NHL games over the past three years.

“It’s just one of those things where I worked incredibly hard and no one can ever take that away from me,” Megan said. “I was able to get up there and play some games in the NHL and have an incredible experience along the way and meet a lot of great people, a lot of great coaches. Some of my best friends I’ve met through the game of hockey.”

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‘Dude, I thought you were on vacation?’

So I’m still posting items despite the fact that I’m officially on vacation for the week in Grand Marais, Michigan. I feel that I should give you an explanation as to why I’m grinding out stuff when I said I’d be out for a week.

It turns out that there is internet service in the cabin my mother and I are staying in, and mom has been ill due to a urinary tract infection (yes, another one). Combine that with some inclement weather, and you’ve got a blogger who feels most comfortable puttering around on his computer while watching over his mom.

The vacation will kick into high gear over the next three days, and between packing on Friday and driving home on Saturday, I will spend more than enough time away from the computer as the week progresses.

Right now, I’m going through my usual bouts of insomnia and feel more comfortable covering stuff at half speed than I do sitting around with the laptop lid closed, so that’s why you’re seeing stuff get posted.

I appreciate the concerns for my mental and physical health, but I am doing okay, and I am taking my vacation seriously. I’m in balance and will do my best to take the time between now and the start of training camp and use it to rest and prepare for the 2019-20 season.

Detroit News profiles 2020 draft prospects eyed by the Wings’ staff

The Detroit News posted an article in which an unknown author discusses two top Swedish prospects who the Red Wings are watching at the World Junior Summer Showcase:

 A Swedish duo of high-scoring forwards at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth are on a historic path that could lead them to be selected by a lottery-bound team like the Red Wings in the 2020 NHL Draft.

Alexander Holtz and Lucas Raymond are among the top high-end prospects behind consensus No. 1 pick Alexis Lafreniere of the Rimouski Oceanic.

Holtz, 17, is a 6-1, 183-pound winger who was the youngest player to lead Sweden’s SuperElit League in goal scoring with 30 goals in 38 games with Djurgardens last year.

Raymond, 17, is a 5-10, 178-pound winger who finished fourth overall in scoring with Frolunda in the Elit and Allsveskan leagues with 63 points in 33 games.

They are trying to become the first pair of Swedes to be taken in the first three picks since Daniel Sedin (second overall) and Henrik Sedin (third overall) were selected by the Vancouver Canucks in 1999.

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Wakiji: Nicklas Lidstrom lends a hand to the Tre Kronor

From DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji on Twitter: Nicklas Lidstrom gave the Tre Kronor, a.k.a. the Swedish national team, a tour of Little Caesars Arena:

Idag fick Juniorkronorna en egen guidad tur i Little Caesars Arena. Tack till Nicklas Lidström som ordnade det till grabbarna ?? #juniorkronorna pic.twitter.com/R6MLgNtZcE— Tre Kronor (@Trekronorse) July 29, 2019

Joe Veleno, an ‘exceptional’ prospect

The Hockey News’s Ryan Kennedy penned a profile of Red Wings prospect Joe Veleno, discussing the young center’s status as an “exceptional” 15-year-old playing in the QMJHL and his mentorship of top prospect Alexis Lafreniere:

Because Veleno was granted exceptional status to join the Quebec League as a 15-year-old, he is eligible to play in the American League this season despite being only 19. That’s great for the Grand Rapids Griffins, but also for Team Canada, which will get a rare player with experience against men on its roster. So far, it’s been an interesting journey for Veleno, thanks to that exceptional status designation.

“It was a roller coaster,” he said. “It’s not easy coming into that league as a 15-year-old playing against 19- and 20-year-olds. Once I got some years under my belt, I became the older guy and things came natural. Getting that experience helped my confidence.”

Veleno went first overall to the Saint John Sea Dogs in 2015 and had a decent rookie season as an underager while playing with future NHLers such as Thomas Chabot and Mathieu Joseph. His second year was truncated by injury, but he still put up nearly a point per game. In his draft year, he was named captain of the Sea Dogs but was eventually traded to Drummondville as Saint John began a rebuild. Scouts thought he put too much pressure on himself in that last stint with Saint John and that Veleno looked more comfortable with the Voltigeurs, but he still slid to the end of the first round of the NHL draft in the summer of 2018, going 30th overall to the Red Wings, who had already taken Filip Zadina sixth overall.

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