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Prospect round-up: Veleno scores in the Q

Of prospect-related note:

In the QMJHL, Joe Veleno scored a goal in the Drummondville Voltigeurs’ 3-1 win over the Victoriaville Tigres;

In the OHL, Brady Gilmour had an assist and went 5-for-9 on faceoffs and Reilly Webb finished at +1 in the Saginaw Spirit’s 6-2 win over Flint;

And in the WHL, Lane Zablocki was sidelined from his Kelowna Rockets’ 5-0 loss to Vancouver.

 

Niyo on Blash’s big year

The Detroit News’s John Niyo discusses the pressures that Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill faces going into the 2018-19 season, wondering whether Blashill can do enough in the final year of his contract to “stick around”:

So how good do they have to be for Blashill to stick around? How many games do they need to win? Those are loaded questions without answers as the puck drops Thursday. (Henrik Zetterberg, the captain who just retired, will do the ceremonial honors, in case we needed another reminder of the challenge ahead.) And Red Wings general manager Ken Holland, who signed a two-year contract extension in April, confirmed Wednesday that there have been no discussions yet about re-upping with Blashill.

“I want to get out of the gate and let’s get going,” Holland said.

So does Blashill, for that matter. And if you ask him about expectations, or how he’ll be fairly critiqued this season given the Red Wings’ new reality, he’ll look to pass instead of shoot.

 “To be honest with you, it doesn’t matter how I’m judged externally,” said Blashill, who owns a sub-.500 career record (104-105-37) entering his fourth season in Detroit. “I can tell you from my own perspective, I’ll judge myself on, ‘Are we getting better?’ Are individuals getting better? Is the team getting better? Did we work and compete every day? And are we on the same page?”

Niyo continues…

Fox Sports Detroit’s 30-second Wings teaser is here, includes many ‘youths’

Fox Sports Detroit has revealed its Red Wings “teaser” ad, and it’s pretty cool–and features quite a bit of the team’s youth movement:

 

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It all starts tomorrow. #LGRW #RedWings

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Wallner: Griffins’ defense will look a little green after Wings’ recalls (and the Griffins just signed Matt Finn to a PTO)

The Grand Rapids Press’s Peter J. Wallner notes that the Grand Rapids Griffins are without four potential defenders in Dennis Cholowski, Joe Hicketts, Filip Hronek and Libor Sulak, giving the Griffins some challenges as they open their season on the road this weekend:

“We knew there were going to opportunities for young defenseman on the back end, for sure, but for four guys to make the team out of camp, we weren’t expecting that by any means,” Griffins coach Ben Simon said. “But that means there’s more opportunities down here and probably even more teaching down here to begin the year.”

The Griffins don’t have to submit their roster for the opener until Thursday, but they left for Texas Wednesday with just two holdovers from last season in Dylan McIlrath and Vili Saarijarvi. Veteran Brian Lashoff skated at practice Tuesday but he’s out another two or three weeks with an injury.

Jake Chelios, a non-veteran who was with Charlotte the past three seasons, should be a nice addition defensively for the Griffins, but three others who could be in the lineup are unproven. Trevor Hamilton, Marcus Crawford and Mackenzie Stewart have six career AHL games combined, all by Stewart.

“Right now, we’re are a little thin there but, again, it’s an opportunity for guys to play a little bit and see what they can do,” Simon said.

Continued, and as such:


Finn, a 6’1,” 205-pound defenseman, split last season between the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers and the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. He’s 24 and was drafted by Toronto in 2011.

Evening news: On Larkin’s leadership, the Wings’ goalies, Twitter videos and a get-to-know-you roster

Updated 2x at 6:50 PM: Of Red Wings-related note this evening:

1. MLive’s Ansar Khan wrote an article discussing Dylan Larkin’s desire to aid in the leadership department for the Red Wings this season…

“We all know the reality of Z not coming back and the hole that he leaves,” Larkin said. “We all know we have to chip in and be better and contribute what he meant to this team and the offense he produced. And more what he did off the ice as well, just being around and his presence. I think our veteran guys are doing a great job of that.

“But for me, it comes from within. I think that pressure is always something that, since my draft year, I’ve always wanted to be better and always wanted more for myself and for our team.”

That self-accountability is one of the reasons the Red Wings made him an alternate captain.

“If you’re a person that looks inward and holds yourself accountable first, you’re going to garner tons more respect than someone who can’t accept that type of responsibility,” Blashill said. “I think he’s a guy who cares about winning first, second and last.”

Said Nielsen: “I think his basic leadership skills are on the ice, the way he brings it and the way he competes every night. A little bit like Hank did. He was a hard-working guy every day on the ice, and when your leader does that usually everyone follows. I think (Larkin) is going to be that same kind of leader.”

2. As did 97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burtchfield, who noted that Larkin is leading the Wings’ youth movement:

Continue reading Evening news: On Larkin’s leadership, the Wings’ goalies, Twitter videos and a get-to-know-you roster

Praise for Cholowski’s ascent

Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino offers a set of “power rankings” regarding 10 Canadian Hockey League prospects who are graduating to the NHL, and he mentions Wings defenseman Dennis Cholowski fairly high up on the list:

3. Dennis Cholowski, Detroit Red Wings: Another team in rebuild mode, the Wings have plenty of prospects with which to move forward. Cholowski was a bit of a surprise pick going 20th overall in 2016. He was just 5-foot-5, 125 pounds in his WHL Bantam draft year (2013), but the now-6-foot defenceman has experienced a plethora of activity in recent seasons. He was in the BCHL for the 2015-16 season, attended St. Cloud St. a year later, got signed by the Red Wings, and then played one game in the AHL to wrap up 2017. Last year he started with WHL Prince George before being dealt to Portland. Played one playoff game with Grand Rapids once Portland was eliminated and now he’s on Detroit’s opening night roster.

Continued

 

Khan: Red Wings recall Filip Hronek, Joe Hicketts and Luke Witkowski

Down they go, up they go:

Update: Wings confirm:

Krupa on Holland, Martin’s comments regarding the Wings’ roster’s younger trend

The Detroit News’s Gregg Krupa, DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji and Wings play-by-play announcer Ken Kal live-Tweeted as Ken Holland, Kris Draper and Ryan Martin spoke with the Detroit Sports Media Association’s annual luncheon today.

This evening, Krupa offers an article discussing the comments made by the trio of Wings executives:

The Red Wings will make use of their young players and some rare salary-cap space this season to move young players into the lineup, the team’s top managers said Wednesday.

“Over the course of the year, we’re going to be moving more and more younger people on to our team, and the hope is that they are going to develop and we are going to become more and more competitive,” general manager Ken Holland said at an annual lunch with Detroit Sports Media, formerly known as the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association, at Sinbad’s Restaurant & Marina.

Entering his 36th season with the Wings and 22nd as general manager, Holland has made good on his vow at the end of last season to put two or three more young prospects into the lineup.

Some injuries among defensemen have allowed him to add a few more, temporarily.

The Red Wings will could have four players, defensemen Dennis Cholowski, Libor Sulak and perhaps a third, along with the forward Michael Rasmussen, debuting in the NHL against the Blue Jackets on Thursday at Little Caesars Arena.

It would be the first time since Oct. 10, 1985, that the Wings started a season with that many players in their first career games.

Continued

 

Darren McCarty talks comedy and life lessons with GR Press’s Wallner

The Grand Rapids Press’s Peter J. Wallner interviewed Darren McCarty regarding his stand-up comedy tour of Michigan:

Darren McCarty can laugh now, and that’s exactly the point in delivering punchlines instead of punches.

What’s so funny is that given the crazy road he has traveled, the former Detroit Red Wings bad boy sees humor as the latest extension of outreach to fans and therapy for himself.

“There’s nothing you can embarrass me about that I haven’t already embarrassed myself,” he said with a chuckle.

McCarty, 46, is a legend to Detroit hockey fans for his rugged play and deft scoring skills, some incredible brawls and four Stanley Cup championships. His dark moments have also been documented – battles with alcoholism, financial missteps and marital strife.

Pretty funny stuff? Well, yeah, McCarty said.

“What I’ve had to do to survive is not what I’d recommend for a life plan,” he said. “But I’m here and can share what not to do or, for someone else, it’s like, ‘Hey, I’m here and OK. You can be, too.'”

Continued