In the AHL, the Grand Rapids Griffins wrapped up their regular season with a wild one, winning 6-4 over the Cleveland Monsters on Saturday night.
Filip Hronek had a great game, registering a goal and 3 assists; Colin Campbell had a hat trick, and Jared Coreau stopped 19 shots for the Griffins.
The Griffins’ website posted a game recap:
Of Red Wings-related note this evening:
1. The Athletic’s Prasanth Iyer penned his Red Wings season grades:
Anthony Mantha:Midseason Grade (B) | Final Grade (B)
Similar to Athanasiou, Mantha also struggled to end the season on a high note. Mantha scored just one goal in his final 16 games, despite playing the majority of his minutes with Zetterberg and Bertuzzi. Looking at the big picture, Mantha led the Red Wings in goals (24), had a 5v5 score-adjusted Corsi For percentage greater than 50 and was a force on the power play. It’s important to remember that he’s still just 23. The Red Wings will definitely need Mantha to be better moving forward, but it’s difficult to penalize someone that young for scoring at close to a first-line rate in just his second full NHL season.
Iyer continues (paywall)…
2. The Detroit News’s Sarah Rahal and Free Press’s Chris Nelsen penned articles regarding Murray Howe’s appearance in Canton, MI to sign copies of his book, Nine Lessons I Learned From My Father:
Murray, who has done other book signings in Michigan, Ohio and Canada, was excited to be at Waltonwood. His father- and mother-in-law, Jerry and Maureen Moore, have been residents at the community for more than a year.
“It means a great deal to us,” said Sherie Ingels, executive director at Waltonwood, said. “He was such a wonderful man, and so many people loved Gordie Howe. We weren’t expecting such a big crowd at first, but everyone was ecstatic to have Murray here. They loved hearing all his stories.”
While dating his future wife, Colleen, in 1980, Murray discovered that Jerry Moore was a huge Gordie Howe fan.
“He knew my dad better than I did,” Murray said. “We could talk for hours, and that really meant a lot to me. (Coming to Waltonwood) is a way of giving back to my father-in-law. He has always honored me and honored my father.”
Jerry Moore recalled his first encounter with Mr. Hockey.
“About a year after Murray and Colleen began dating, he said, ‘You have to meet my mom and dad,'” Moore said Saturday. “I stayed home from work that day, and as Gordie and (his wife) Colleen drove up the driveway, my heart was beating. It was like meeting Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb at one time. Gordie came in our kitchen and we sat there for an hour talking hockey. That was one of my biggest thrills ever. I followed him since the day he got to the Wings; I watched him all the time. As a person, he was so gentle. I never heard him curse or do anything bad. He was so very, very nice.”
3. And the Free Press’s Carol Cain reports that Ken Daniels is starting a foundation to honor his departed son Jamie’s memory while advocating against opioid addiction:
Paperwork for the Jamie Daniels Foundation as a 501(c)3 is underway and Daniels hopes to have the foundation ready within a few months. You can visit the site at jamiedanielsfoundation.org and pledge to make a donation in the future, while work continues.
Ken Daniels also is active on the speaking circuit and will appear May 3 at the Northeast Guidance Center’s Anti-Stigma Forum: Opiates — Wonder Drugs for the Wonder Years event held at the Salvation Army Center on Conner in Detroit.
The Free Press’s Helene St. James complements her regular-season grades with a breakdown of the Red Wings’ roster as she believes will return, leave, and/or may provide possible potential going forward:
F Andreas Athanasiou
Age: 23.
Status: Restricted free agent. He has arbitration rights this summer so there’ll be no holdout like last year. The club has the right to select a one-year or two-year deal.
F Tyler Bertuzzi
Age: 23.
Status: Restricted free agent. Does not have arbitration rights. He used 48 games this season to show he’s a top-six guy, adding grit to the lineup. Look for a two-year deal.
F David Booth
Age: 33.
Status: Unrestricted free agent. Will not be re-signed.
G Jared Coreau
Age: 26.
Status: Unrestricted free agent. May still have a future with Grand Rapids Griffins, but disappointed during his time in Detroit and does not figure as the backup to Howard.
No surprise here, per the Grand Rapids Press’s Peter J. Wallner…
Defenseman Dennis Cholowski, the top pick in the 2016 draft (20th overall), is scheduled to report to Grand Rapids by the middle of next week, Ryan Martin, the Red Wings assistant general manager, said Saturday.
Whether he plays in the first-round series against Manitoba is still to be determined. Last year, after signing and leaving St. Cloud State, Cholowski arrived in time to play in the regular-season finale and then did not play in the Calder Cup playoffs.
Cholowski’s junior team, the Portland Winterhawks, were eliminated Friday from the WHL playoffs by Everett, which, interestingly, will next face the Tri-City Americans.
Tri-City is led by Michael Rasmussen, the Red Wings’ touted top pick last year. He has 24 points in eight playoff games – two sweeps.
Ramussen will join the Griffins depending on the timing of the playoffs.
And the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan:
Defenseman Dennis Cholowski, the team’s 2016 first-round draft pick, will join the Grand Rapids Griffins this coming week after his junior team was eliminated in the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) playoffs.
Portland was eliminated Friday by Everett, the series lasted five games, ending Cholowski’s junior career.
In 12 playoff games, Cholowski had seven points (five goals, two assists).
For the regular season, split between Prince George and Portland, Chowlowski had 66 points (14 goals, 52 assists).
From the Grand Rapids Griffins:
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – After securing home-ice advantage for the Central Division Semifinals by virtue of tonight’s 6-4 win over Cleveland, the second-place Grand Rapids Griffins will commence their best-of-five series against the third-seeded Manitoba Moose next Saturday and Sunday in Winnipeg before the series shifts to Van Andel Arena to be decided in as many as three games.
The complete schedule is as follows:
2018 Calder Cup Playoffs – Central Division Semifinals – Best of Five
Game 1 Sat., April 21 GRIFFINS at Manitoba Moose 3 p.m. Game 2 Sun., April 22 GRIFFINS at Manitoba Moose 3 p.m. Game 3 Wed., April 25 Manitoba Moose at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. *Game 4 Thu., April 26 Manitoba Moose at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. *Game 5 Mon., April 30 Manitoba Moose at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. * If necessary
All times Eastern and subject to change
All games on ESPN 96.1 FM and AHLLive.com
Continue reading Griffins-Moose series begins in Winnipeg on Saturday, April 21st
Of brief Red Wings-related note this morning:
1. In the “coming attractions” category, somewhat close to literally, Fox 2 Detroit’s Woody Woodriffe spoke with Russian Five novel author Keith Gave and Russian Five film director Joshua Riehl regarding the story of the Red Wings’ most famous Russian imports.
The film was aired twice at the Freep Film Festival, and I’m assuming that it will be made more widely available soon; Gave’s novel is available on Amazon presently;
2. Red Wings play-by-play announcer Ken Daniels will appear on CBS 62 on Sunday at 10 AM to discuss his son Jamie’s battles with drug addiction on Michigan Matters. Daniels also has a book out, If These Walls Could Talk: Detroit Red Wings;
3. The Athletic’s Craig Custance spoke with Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill about the beneficial aspect of playing at the World Championships, all while Custance attempts to handicap Team USA’s roster:
“It’s positive and negative,” explained Red Wings coach and Team USA head coach Jeff Blashill. “The fact you get to coach the Worlds – one of the reasons is you’re one of the coaches not in the playoffs. The positive is it’s an unreal tournament. You get to stay in a real competitive environment for another month.”
Custance continues, picking no Wings other than the already-named Dylan Larkin for Team USA’s roster.
Of playoff-related prospect note:
In the OHL, Givani Smith finished at -1 with 3 shots as his Kitchener Rangers won 3-2 in overtime over the Sarnia Sting.
Kitchener now leads the teams’ second-round series 3 games to 2;
Jordan Sambrook finished even with 1 shot as his Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds won 4-1 over the Owen Sound Attack.
Sault Ste. Marie tied the teams’ second-round series at 2 games apiece;
And in the WHL, the Portland Winterhawks loaded up with Dennis Cholowski and other players in order to challenge for WHL title and a Memorial Cup, and instead, they’re out in the second round.
Cholowski finished at -1 with 3 shots as the Winterhawks lost 4-1 to Everett, bowing out of the second-round series in 5 games.
Cholowski had an OK WHL playoffs, finishing with 5 goals and 2 assists for 7 points in 12 games, but he also finished at -9.
His regular season was excellent, producing 14 goals and 52 assists for 66 points in 69 games played with the Prince George Cougars and the Winterhawks, and Cholowski is likely to head to Grand Rapids to join the “Black Aces” during Grand Rapids’ playoff run.
Everett advances to the WHL’s Western Conference Final, where they’ll play Michael Rasmussen’s Tri-City Americans:
Dates for Western Conference Finals announced! Join the Ams and pack the house to cheer on this talented team! #AmsNation#WHLPlayoffs Details | https://t.co/HUXbnnPYkepic.twitter.com/ulWP7B2GVN
— Tri-City Americans (@TCAmericans) April 14, 2018
In non-playoff action, in the USHL, the Filip Larsson-less Tri-City Storm lost 3-2 to Sioux City.
Tri-City will wrap up their playoff-less season on Saturday night. Losing Larsson (who is headed to the University of Denver next season) to a groin injury really hampered their playoff hopes.
The ECHL’s Toledo Walleye earned their playoff series-opening victory against the Indy Fuel the hard way, with Tyler Barnes scoring 1:33 into double overtime as Toledo emerged with a 4-3 OT win.
Christian Hilbrich also scored 2 goals, Kyle Bonis had a goal and an assist, Simon Denis had 2 assists and Pat Nagle stopped 43 of 46 Fuel shots.
The Walleye’s website posted a recap, a highlight clip and an interview with coach Dan Watson:
Continue reading Toledo Walleye win playoff opener vs. Indy in double OT
From the Grand Rapids Griffins:
GRIFFINS TO FACE MOOSE IN CENTRAL DIVISION SEMIFINALS
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins will begin their defense of the Calder Cup against the Manitoba Moose in the best-of-five Central Division Semifinals. Seeding and the series schedule are still to be determined and will be announced no later than Sunday evening.
By virtue of Chicago’s 6-4 win at Rockford and Manitoba’s 3-1 loss at Cleveland tonight, Chicago has clinched the Central Division and the Griffins have been guaranteed a second- or third-place finish.
Grand Rapids currently stands second in the division with 91 points and leads the Moose by one. Grand Rapids can secure the second seed with a victory in tomorrow’s regular season finale on home ice against Cleveland at 7 p.m. Manitoba’s campaign concludes with a visit to Chicago on Sunday at 5 p.m. EDT.
The Griffins have won the last five games against the Moose and finished with a 6-2 record in the season series.
Single-game playoff tickets for the Griffins’ first two home games during the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs are currently on sale and can be purchased at all Star Tickets locations, including The Zone, online through griffinshockey.com/tickets, by phone through Star Tickets at (800) 585-3737, or via the Griffins app for iPhone or Android.
Available for all playoff home games, Playoff 4-Packs include four or more tickets at a savings of $3 per ticket plus no service fees. To purchase a Playoff 4-Pack, visit griffinshockey.com/playoff4pack or call (616) 774-4585 ext. 2.
Fans who want to experience every Griffins game at Van Andel Arena during the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs can now purchase a Griffins Playoff SuperPass. Enjoy the same great seat at significant savings plus the convenience of the “pay-as-we-play” method of payment. To reserve your Griffins Playoff SuperPass, visit griffinshockey.com/superpass or call (616) 774-4585 ext. 2.
Groups of 10 or more can receive special pricing to playoff games and receive an unforgettable experience. To book a group outing during the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs, visit griffinshockey.com/group or call (616) 774.4585 ext. 4. Playoff suites and other premium areas are also available.
DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner filed a locker room clean-out day article this afternoon, discussing Anthony Mantha’s offseason plans:
When the Wings were cleaning out their lockers on Tuesday, Mantha was asked what he needed to work on this offseason to build on his 48-point season in which he led the Red Wings with 24 goals.
“I will be doing a little bit of power skating for sure, you can never get enough speed or edge work so that’s going to be one thing and work on some grit in the offseason,” Mantha said. “I talked with (coach Jeff Blashill) and (general manager Ken Holland) this morning, so maybe do a couple boxing lessons to maybe get that grit going for next year.
“It’s really more for the grit to find that extra, maybe to get angry a little bit more, not necessarily to fight next year, that’s not the message they want, they just want extra grit.”
This will not be the first time Mantha has stepped into the ring. Two years ago, he spent the summer in Detroit adding muscle. He also took a few boxing lessons and during his junior days, he dabbled a bit in pugilism.
According to Mantha, boxing is “actually a good workout program.”
