Category: Uncategorized

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills looks back at yesterday’s comments made by Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman during his pre-training camp press conference:

“Ultimately, the goal here is to build a team that can compete for a Stanley Cup,” Yzerman said in a Zoom call with the media on Wednesday morning. “We’re going to try to run a good program and continue to improve each season with the goal of becoming a playoff team, and a team that eventually competes for a Stanley Cup.”

In 2024-25, a 39-35-8 (86 points) record saw Detroit finish sixth in the Atlantic Division and five points back of the Montreal Canadiens for the Eastern Conference’s second Wild-Card spot. And now, as it is for all 32 NHL teams, the Red Wings are excited for a clean slate.

There’s plenty of continuity that will be evident right from the get-go this season, as 22 players who saw game action with Detroit last year are set to return.

“I think we know what to expect out of our veteran group,” Yzerman said. “These guys are well-conditioned, all professionals. I don’t expect to see any drop-off in any of them. So really, it comes from our younger guys just improving.”

Continue reading As training camp begins today, expectations are high for the players and the Toddfather

The Free Press’s Carlos Monarrez declares that the Red Wings’ GM feels no pressure to accelerate Detroit’s hockey team’s rebuild this morning, suggesting that the “Yzerplan” is a survival mechanism with which the “timid” Yzerman remains the GM for at least one more season, despite the “snail’s pace” of the team’s renaissance:

The running joke about Yzerman is that if he had any other name, he would already have been fired as Wings GM. Twice. That’s the problem with hiring legends: It’s really hard to fire them.

My prediction is that Yzerman is safe at least through the end of the 2025-26 season because, as he indicated, Ilitch agrees with his approach and is OK with the snail-like pace of the rebuild.

But there are two other factors that make Yzerman almost bulletproof this season. The first is the Wings’ season-long centennial celebration, the highlight of which will be Sergei Fedorov getting his No. 91 retired on Jan. 12 – with a pricey ticket package required for attendance.

More than anything, Ilitch is a prudent businessman. He’s not about to fire a legend and put a damper on the celebration – and a dent in his wallet.

Then there’s Todd McLellan, who begins his first full-season tenure as coach after replacing the fired Derek Lalonde on Dec. 26. McLellan infused the Wings with life and hope last season, culminating in two seven-game winning streaks.

It wasn’t enough to make the playoffs, but it was one of the few glimmers of hope the Wings have had during Yzerman’s reign.

McLellan should get a whole season to show what he can do. But he could be the key to Yzerman’s future. If McLellan gets the Wings to the playoffs, Yzerman gets a lot of breathing room. But if McLellan struggles and the Wings regress, it would be hard to justify letting Yzerman fire him and continue as GM with a fourth head coach.

Continued; I do not expect the Red Wings to fire Steve Yzerman, and I do not expect the rebuilding plan, whatever the hell you want to call it, to end until it ends, no matter how long it might take to restore the Red Wings to playoff status.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted an early-morning column which discusses Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson, who is well aware of his opportunity to “stick” with the Wings in his third training camp and exhibition season:

“Yeah, I feel a lot more comfortable around everyone this year,” Danielson said. “Compared to last year, I have a bit different mentality. Kind of going in with whatever happens, happens. And I’m happy with that.

“Just go out there and compete and show what I can do. And obviously, the goal is to make Detroit. If not, then go play in Grand Rapids and just hustle my butt off and try to respond up there.”

The same things the Red Wings liked about Danielson to make him the ninth overall selection in 2023 remain true. He’s still a 200-foot player whose game is mature beyond his age.

“It is unusual,” Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson admitted of Danielson’s defensive acumen and high hockey IQ. “You don’t see many junior players come out with that defensive mindset that he has and the reads that he has.

“I think a lot of these guys that come out of junior, they’re high end, their top scorers, as he was, and maybe they lack a little bit of that defensive structure. But obviously, he’s had good coaching along the way. He’s a smart kid.

“He makes the right reads, and he’s there for support, and he understands the game extremely well. Nate always wants to learn about the game. He loves to watch hockey, loves to watch his shifts. So, that’s just him growing.”

Continued

The only constant in this world is change, and, as Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff notes, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman admitted that the future of the team’s once-upon-a-time eight-team Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, which has been whittled down to a two-game Prospect Games series between Detroit and Dallas, is up in the air.

Between the new CBA going into effect next year, which will shorten the preseason, the Wings and Stars’ respective wishes for their prospects, and the fact that the 22 teams who participate in prospect tournaments have wanted their own slice of the pie, and most likely won’t return to Traverse City when they can hold prospect tournaments closer to home…

“The future of the camp or the tournament, whatever you want to call it, is undecided, undetermined,” Yzerman said.

The landscape of the NHL preseason will be changing next fall. As the league is going from 82 to 84 regular-season games in 2026-27, the NHL is cutting the preseason slate in half from eight to four games.

That’s going to provide a very limited opportunity for NHL prospects to display their wares against seasoned pros. And it’s creating a level of concern among hockey people that extends far beyond Detroit.

“With the league going to four preseason games next year, I’ve spoken to several GMs around the league about what their plan is,” Yzerman said. “How they’re going to handle preseason, what they’re going to do with the rookie tournaments, the rookie camps, American League preseason games. All sorts of things like that.”

I’m guessing that there will still be some sort of prospect-vs-prospect tournament, but it may remain just Detroit and Dallas. Or, as Yzerman told the media this morning, it may be just Detroit holding intra-squad scrimmages between prospects:

“So we don’t really have a plan for next year,” Yzerman admitted. “We’re gonna figure out what to do. Our options are simply to do nothing. Maybe put together, form a new group for a little tournament. Or maybe just hold more of a development camp like we do in July. So we’ll kind of figure out what makes the most sense and the best use of the players’ time.”

The Detroit Red Wings have released their 2025 training camp roster and schedule:

RED WINGS RELEASE 2025 TRAINING CAMP ROSTER AND SCHEDULE

  … Sixty-Two Players Hit the Ice From Sept. 18-20 in Traverse City …

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today released their training camp roster and schedule, comprised of 62 players who will hit the ice on Thursday, Sept. 18 at Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City, Mich., for three days of camp before heading to West Michigan for the annual Red & White Game on Sunday, Sept. 21 at Van Andel Arena, home of the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins.

The Red Wings will bring 32 forwards, 22 defensemen and eight goaltenders to Traverse City to participate in daily on-ice practices and scrimmages. Following the Red & White Game, the Red Wings will break camp to return to Detroit ahead of their eight-game preseason slate, which is highlighted by home games against the Chicago Blackhawks (Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 7:00 p.m.), Buffalo Sabres (Thursday, Sept. 25 at 7:00 p.m.), Pittsburgh Penguins (Monday, Sept. 29 at 7:00 p.m.) and Toronto Maple Leafs (Saturday, Oct. 4 at 7:00 p.m.) 

A limited number of tickets remain for select training camp events. Tickets for all events are available on https://mynorthtickets.com/organizations/centre-ice. Ticket prices are as follows:

·       Training Camp Practice (Thursday, Sept. 18): $20 general admission

·       Training Camp Practice (Friday, Sept. 19): $20 general admission

·       Training Camp Practice (Saturday, Sept. 20): $30 general admission

Additionally, a limited number of tickets for the Red & White Game are available to the general public through griffinshockey.com. Ticket prices are as follows:

·       Red & White Game (Sunday, Sept. 21): $28-$63 reserved (additional $3 per ticket on game day)

Select 2025 Training Camp merchandise will also be available for purchase in the arena store on the upper level behind the concession stand. For more information on tickets or merchandise, please call Centre ICE Arena at (231) 933-7465 or visit www.centreice.org. 

Detroit Red Wings 2025-26 Training Camp Roster

Continue reading Press release: Red Wings release training camp roster and schedule

Daily Faceoff’s Scott Maxwell has been ranking the respective salary cap situations of the NHL’s 32 teams over the last couple of weeks, and the Red Wings receive a surprisingly high ranking–though it’s a nuanced one, with some criticism interspersed inside the 8th overall spot:

8. Detroit Red Wings

Contract Rating: 23^rd
Contracts with No-Trade/No-Move Clauses: t-12^th
Dead Cap Space: 22^nd
Quality of Core: 2^nd
Cap Space to Skill Differential: 5^th

If there’s one team that sticks out like a sore thumb on this list, it’s the Red Wings. After all, they aren’t even close to being a consistent playoff contender, never mind a Cup contender. Considering all the criticism Steve Yzerman has rightfully gotten for his moves lately, it’s surprising to see Detroit up this high.

But there are two factors that are a driving force for this ranking. First, the three players that are currently locked up long term for the Red Wings are also their three best players: Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider. Also, the Wings fare well because contracts like Ben Chiarot, J.T. Compher and Andrew Copp are no longer in that range like they used to be, but that’s about as good as it gets as far as securing a core long term.

And then there’s their cap space to skill differential. The Red Wings aren’t a great team (and my model agrees, ranking them 21st right now), but they also aren’t spending like a top team either. With nearly $12 million in cap space, they have the sixth-most in the league right now, which means that hopefully when they do spend, it will improve the roster as well.

That said, Yzerman isn’t reliable for spending wisely, and it’s created the team’s biggest weakness: their contract rating. Outside of getting market value for their main core and cheap deals with some of their younger players (like Simon Edvinsson, Marco Kasper and Elmer Soderblom) and a few veterans (like Erik Gustavsson, Cam Talbot and James van Riemsdyk), the Red Wings just aren’t getting good value on their players. Mason Appleton, Chiarot, Compher, Copp, Travis Hamonic, Patrick Kane, even John Gibson are the biggest names for Detroit whose contracts don’t rate well. It just feels like they could be doing a bit better spending in that regard, and maybe that would put them in consistent playoff contention.

Continued; more aggressive trading + better pro scouting + continued prospect development = a better way. At least probably.

Of Red Wings prospect-related note:

In the MHL, Nikita Tyurin had 2 assists, finishing at +4 in 22:40 played as MHK Spartak won 7-1 over Red Machine Junior Moscow Oblast.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen discusses the extra weight and strength gained by Red Wings prospects Carter Mazur, Axel Sandin Pellikka and Nate Danielson:

[Amadeus] Lombardi said at the prospect series against the Dallas Stars that defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka (17th, 2023) “looks bigger for sure, and stronger.”

“Just giving the eye test,” Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson said of Sandin Pellikka, “it looks like he went home and had a really good summer, and he’s prepared to challenge for a spot in Detroit.”

Nate Danielson (drafted ninth, 2023), another candidate to make the Detroit roster, said he spent “a lot of time in the gym this summer.”

He’s added eight pounds of muscle to reach 198 pounds. Danielson learned last season, in his first full AHL campaign, that his body needed sculpting.

“Playing against older and stronger guys, you realize that you need that little bit extra, extra weight.,” Danielson said. “I feel great. Especially down low in the corners and just being stronger on my skates. That was the main thing. As the year goes on, tend to lose a little bit of weight. It’s nice to come into camp a little bit heavier.”

Danielson is only 20. Time is on his side when it comes to growing stronger.

“You have an opportunity to get in the gym, an opportunity to work on things that you need to,” [Red Wings assistant GM Kris] Draper said, “and just kind of let Mother Nature take over on some of these underdeveloped bodies.”

Continued

Via Red Wings Prospects on Twitter comes this important note:

Max Plante Named to NCHC Preseason All-Conference Team

More on Plante: https://t.co/zZuV8d3eF4 pic.twitter.com/7eYhlM6CBT

— UMD Men's Hockey (@UMDMensHockey) September 17, 2025

Per the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs‘ website:

One day after being named an alternate captain for the University of Minnesota Duluth men’s hockey team, Max Plante has been named to the 2025-26 National Collegiate Hockey Conference Preseason All-Conference Team.

The sophomore forward, despite playing in just 23 games last season due to injury and national junior team duty, scored nine goals and dished 19 assists for 28 points as a rookie. That 1.21 points per game average for the Hermantown, Minn. product helped make him a 2024-25 Finalist for NCHC Rookie of the Year, and cleared him a spot on the 2024-25 NCHC All-Rookie Team. Plante – who had nine games with two or more points last season – posted a 1.05 ppg average in NCHC games that led all rookies in league play. Plante also helped the U.S. win gold at the 2025 World Junior Championship in January.

Plante becomes the first Bulldog to land on the league’s preseason team since current Philadelphia Flyers forward Noah Cates earned the honor ahead of the 2021-22 season.

2025-26 NCHC Preseason All-Conference Team
F: Sam Harris, Denver, Jr. – 22 votes
F: Cullen Potter, Arizona State, So. – 19 votes
F: Max Plante, Minnesota Duluth, So. – 15 votes
D: Jake Livanavage, North Dakota, Jr. – 25 votes
D: Eric Pohlkamp, Denver, Jr. – 16 votes
G: Hampton Slukynsky, Western Michigan, So. – 21 votes

Plante and the Bulldogs will open up the 2025-26 season against the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Fairbanks, Alaska on Oct. 3-4. The Friday-Saturday series will get underway that Friday at 10:00 p.m. CDT.

The Free Press’s Helene St. James offers her take on Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman’s press conference, suggesting that fan (and media) frustration doesn’t necessarily register with the Red Wings’ program:

“The goal here is to build a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup,” Yzerman said Wednesday, Sept. 17. “We’re going to continue to try and run a good program, we’re going to continue to try and improve each season with the goal of becoming a playoff team and a team that eventually competes for a Stanley Cup.”

This week marks the start of training camps around the 32-team NHL, and the Wings are nobody’s preseason favorite to be playing next June. But what about just making the playoffs, ending a streak that’s grown to a franchise-tarnishing nine straight seasons?

“I understand the frustration or maybe the lack of, I don’t want to say patience because I think everybody’s been pretty patient, but the sense of urgency within the fan base,” Yzerman said. “I understand it. But you guys heard it when Kenny Holland was here – you want to go into a rebuild, it takes time and it takes a long time. It’s not finishing at the bottom for a couple years getting a high pick and away you go, it’s over.  Just looking around at all franchises, it’s taken along time for them to do it.”

It takes a long time isn’t exactly a marketing department’s dream slogan. Yzerman is right that his predecessor, Holland, used to say the same thing – find a general manager that says otherwise – but the Wings head into camp coming off a season that saw them, for the first time since Yzerman was named GM in April 2019, regress in the standings points-wise, finishing with 86 points, five less than in 2023-24. They were also eliminated days before the end of the season, rather than forcing it all the way to overtime in the final game of the previous season.

Last season was marked by a coaching change at Christmas, and there’s no doubt that Todd McLellan being in charge from the start of camp will be beneficial. He’ll have largely the same team in front of him when the Wings take the ice starting Thursday, Sept. 18 in Traverse City, with only a handful of new faces: Forwards James van Riemsdyk and Mason Appleton, defensemen Travis Hamonic and Jacob Bernard-Docker, and goaltender John Gibson.

“Our goal is to improve from last year,” Yzerman said. “Our younger players taking another step, the addition to John Gibson in goal – how good? Can’t really tell you at this stage,  but I expect our team to be improved.”

Continued (paywall)