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Returning Red Wings forward Valtteri Filppula spoke with the Finnish news agency STT regarding his decision to sign with the Red Wings. What follows is a rough translation (emphasis on rough–it’s Finnish, after all) of Filppula’s conversation:

Valtteri Filppula is happy to return to Detroit, and is planning his summer training closely

Valtteri Filppula signed a two-year contract with Detroit.

He’s played 14 successful NHL seasons already, and the solid forward will return to the Detroit Red Wings in the autumn. Ice hockey player Valtteri Filppula, 35, shines with a smile on his face.

Continue reading Roughly translated: Valtteri Filppula chats with the Finnish news agency STT

One of my best friends is in the military, and he finds that it is wiser to not speak of politics. I am in the hockey blogging business, and specifically, the Red Wings blogging business, so I find that it is better to keep my opinions of the Ilitches’ real estate dealings as they pertain to Little Caesars Arena to myself.

That being said, going down to the rink for the summer development camp, it was a bummer to still see the parcel of land adjacent to the southeast corner of the rink sit empty and surrounded by construction fencing. The parcel adjacent to Woodward and I-75 is probably one of the most developable (pretend that it’s a word with me) spots in the city, but it just sits and waits for a clearer surrounding-the-rink real estate plan to emerge. One that doesn’t involve just putting up parking lots and charging $20-40 to park for a couple of hours.

Olympia Development just missed a deadline to submit a redevelopment plan for the parcel, and the Detroit News’s Editorial board produced an editorial slamming what is–regardless of your opinion of the Ilitches–clearly a broken promise regarding the organization’s downtown development plans, or the lack thereof:

Continue reading Detroit News editorial takes Olympia Development to task

The Red Wings posted Fox Sports Detroit’s Draft Review Special on the Wings’ YouTube page. Ken Daniels, John Keating, Art Regner and Ken Kal discuss the Wings’ top pick for the most part and speak at length with Steve Yzerman regarding both the draft and his handling of the team thus far:

Via the Red Wings’ Twitter account: Fox Sports Detroit posted three videos-via-Twitter which aired on tonight’s Tigers broadcast, in which Ken Daniels discusses the Wings’ draft and the Jamie Daniels Foundation’s roast of Mickey Redmond…

Tonight on Tigers Live, Ken Daniels dropped by to break down the @DetroitRedWings 2019 NHL Draft class and share how YOU can become involved with the @JDanielsFund! Check it out here ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/5sfJ8O6xwB— FOX Sports Detroit (@FOXSportsDet) July 5, 2019

Ken Daniels discusses the Jamie Daniels Foundation’s role with the Tigers’ broadcasters as well…

Ken Daniels joined us in the booth during tonight’s game to share how the @JDanielsFund is working to shatter the stigma surrounding drug addiction. For more information on how you can help, visit https://t.co/F1M9suPXYH. @DetroitRedWings pic.twitter.com/a7yY6F9CKA— FOX Sports Detroit (@FOXSportsDet) July 6, 2019

Update: Fox Sports Detroit’s YouTube page posted the first video in, well, video form:

From Michigan Sports Now’s Joe Buczek:

Detroit Red Wing legend and Fox Sports Detroit color analyst Mickey Redmond is in Traverse City this weekend for the National Cherry Festival.

The former NHL All-Star and nine-year pro will serve as the grand marshal for Saturday’s Cherry Royale Parade.

Although Redmond is no stranger to Traverse City, having visited several times over the years for the Red Wings training camp, this is Redmond’s first time at the National Cherry Festival.

“I haven’t had much time to really get out and about,” Redmond said. “We’re going to go for a little walk about tonight. Maybe listen to a little country music. Looking forward to that. Josh Turner and the gang. It’s just fun to be amongst so many people with a good spirit going on. Everybody’s in a good mood. The attitudes are great.”

Saturday’s Cherry Royale Parade starts at 11:15 a.m.

Red Wings prospect Jonatan Berggren isn’t big at a listed 5’11” and 183 pounds, but the waterbug forward is recovering from a back injury, and he hopes to crack Skelleftea AIK’s men’s team’s lineup on a permanent basis this season. MLive’s Ansar Khan profiled Berggren today:

Berggren hasn’t had many opportunities to display his talent since being drafted. He suffered a season-ended stress fracture in his back (no surgery required) after 16 games with Skelleftea, in his first season in Sweden’s top league.

After sitting out the first day of Red Wings development camp as a precaution, he took part in drills and scrimmages the final four days and impressed with his skills.

He had skated lightly a few times before the camp. This was the first true test since his injury.

“Before my injury, the season was good, but I only play 16 games,” Berggren said. “It was tough, but I got time to spend in the gym and get stronger.

“I have some time to build up myself and I’ve never been so strong, so I think I will be ready for the next season.”

Continued

The Hockey News’s Jared Clinton wondered aloud which players might fill the vacant captancies around the NHL, and there is only one correct answer as far as the Red Wings are concerned:

It’s Dylan Larkin. It has to be. As it stands, he is the future of the franchise, and it only helps matters that he’s a local boy who grew up idolizing the Red Wings. It’s a perfect fit. And, frankly, the timing is right to name him the captain this summer.

Though he has been mentioned in connection with the captaincy in the past, even as early as his sophomore season, Larkin has proven over the past two seasons that he can be a game-changer for Detroit and shoulder the load that comes along with being the No. 1 guy for the franchise. He had some lamp-lighting difficulties in his third season in the NHL, but responded with a stellar 32-goal, 73-point season in 2018-19, a campaign that also saw him draw some consideration for the Selke Trophy. He’s the total package, and that package seems likely to be sealed with a ‘C’ at some point soon.

Continued

Of Red Wings goaltending prospect-related note this morning:

1. DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji looked back at Quinnipiac goaltender Keith Petruzzelli’s 2018-2019 season “By the Numbers,” and Red Wings goalie coach Brian Mahoney-Wilson weighs in on Petruzzelli’s development:

Quotable: “Keith in two years’ time has matured immensely, and that’s both on the ice and off the ice personality-wise, with the coaching staff, both his coaching staff at Quinnipiac and with myself and (Wings goaltending coach) Jeff Salajko, being able to interact and discuss things pertaining to goaltending and life in general. He’s come a long way in the strength department, still has a long way to go. This is a big year for Keith in the sense that it’s his net to run with at Quinnipiac as Andrew Shortridge signed with San Jose. We love his athletic ability, his ability to ad lib in plays. It’s just a matter of cleaning up his structure and skating and that has a little bit to do with strength. Once that strength kicks in and he adds muscle mass, his core strength picks up and the same thing with his leg strength, I think he’ll be a little bit more stable in the technical department and also the skating department.”

Continued…

2. And 2019 draft pick Carter Gylander spoke with “Inside the Crusaders'” Tyler Yaremchuk regarding being drafted by the Red Wings and his goals for the upcoming season, all over the course of an 11-minute podcast.

Here’s an FYI from the Windsor Star’s Mary Caton:

The Windsor International Film Festival is celebrating its status as the biggest volunteer-run film festival in Canada with a free movie screening.

WIFF, in partnership with the LiUNA! Bluesfest Windsor, will show last year’s People’s Choice Award Winner from the 2018 festival, The Russian Five, directed by Joshua Riehl.

The free screening will be on Tuesday, July 9, at the Windsor Riverfront Festival Plaza.

Gates open at 5 p.m. and the screening will begin at 7 p.m. All ages are welcome. The event will feature food and beverage vendors and will have a licensed area. Chairs and blankets are encouraged. Coolers will not be permitted. Patrons are asked to register for the free event via Eventbrite.

Red Wings summer development camp try-out Owen Robinson spoke with the Sudbury Star’s Ben Leeson regarding his experiences at last week’s development camp in Detroit. The Sudbury Wolves forward tried to “be a sponge” as he learned from the Wings’ skill development coaches:

“I went in there with the mind set of just learning everything, to just be there, be prepared and be ready to go whenever,” Robinson said. “I honestly didn’t go in there with any expectations, just wanted to go in there and work my hardest and hopefully, good things would happen, and they did.

“My off-ice training has been going really well so far, I have been skating a little bit, and I think it was just good timing. I’m in the best shape that I have ever been in. Going into camp, I was a little nervous, but I felt confident enough and once the first day was over, it was just nice.”

While he has yet to hear if he’ll be invited to rookie camp, feedback on his camp performance has been positive.

“They said, ‘You have something the game is looking for right now,’ which is my skating, and it’s something that I have to keep improving. They said I have a ton of potential, I just have to keep getting stronger, so that’s what I’m going to keep doing, just keep getting stronger, keep improving my skills and, hopefully, I can make that jump to the next level.”

Continued