Category: Uncategorized

Stand-out Danielson

The Athletic’s NHL beat writers named their best players as assessed to have participated in the NHL’s rookie tournaments, including one Red Wings player from the 2-game Prospect Games slate between Detroit and Dallas:

Nate Danielson, C

Danielson is such a smart player. He’s constantly in the right spots defensively, where he has a strong defensive stick, and is an easy-to-notice puck transporter and distributor as well. The question with him often comes down to whether his production will match his visual impact, and this weekend it largely did. Danielson scored a pretty goal and had an assist in two exhibition games against the Stars, getting off to a nice start to his preseason. He also looked a bit thicker, which will serve him well as he looks to win a job on the Red Wings to begin the season. — Max Bultman

Continued (paywall); Danielson’s earned accolades from beat writers all over the place this preseason, and now it’s up to him to prove the experts right.

USA Today issues a ‘B’ grade for the Red Wings’ offseason moves

USA Today’s Mike Brehm assesses the improvements made (or the lack thereof) by the NHL’s 32 teams this morning, issuing letter grades for every team. He affords the Red Wings the benefit of the doubt:

Detroit Red Wings – B

Gibson should upgrade the Red Wings’ goaltending, an offseason priority. They dealt disappointing forward Vladimir Tarasenko and added depth up front with Mason Appleton and James van Riemsdyk. Is it enough to get to the playoffs? Probably not on its own, but a full season of midseason replacement coach Todd McLellan could help.

Continued; the Red Wings still need to add a top-six forward and a top-four defenseman, but those moves may not happen until the upcoming season’s trade deadline.

Griffins coach Dan Watson says that Shai Buium has more to learn

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff profiles Red Wings prospect Shai Buium, suggesting that the 22-year-old defenseman remains a “work in progress” per comments made by Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson:

Buium, 22, shows 68 games of AHL competition on his resume. He’s still adjusting. But the Red Wings also see plenty of progression in his journey.

“Defensively, he was better last year, so we expect just a more complete player,” Watson said of Year 2 projections for Buium. “He was in our lineup virtually and basically every single game, and then we expect that again.”

There are other expectations in mind for Buium.

“Can he take his offensive numbers to another level?” Watson asked. “You know, that’s going to be a question that we’ll have for him and see if he can do that.

“But the biggest thing is play without the puck and understanding the reads on the rush. When to pinch, when not to pinch. And we’re looking forward to working with him and hopefully continuing to develop him into an NHL defenseman.”

Continued

Praise for ‘Motown’ Seider’s fantasy hockey impact

DobberHockey’s Eli Feldman posted a column discussing 5 skaters who are “multi-category” fantasy hockey stars, and Moritz Seider leads his list:

Moritz Seider, D, Detroit Red Wings

Few young defensemen have made as immediate an impact in the NHL as Moritz Seider. Since breaking into the league in 2021-2022, the Wings have leaned on Motown Seider in every situation, and he’s responded with the poise of a seasoned vet. He logs heavy minutes against top competition, matching up with opposing stars while driving play the other way.

Seider’s offensive game is as steady as they come, having recorded between 42 and 50 points in each of his four NHL seasons thus far. What makes him truly indispensable, however, is the edge with which he plays. Mo closes gaps with authority, never shying away from contact. His 212 hits ranked fifth among defensemen last season, and his 181 blocks ranked seventh.

Anchoring the Red Wings’ backend, Seider’s stellar blend of minutes, offense, and grit is pure gold in banger leagues.

Continued; Seider’s had his ups and downs, but he’s always showed up for the team (at least in my opinion). And I like the “Motown Seider” nickname.

Amadeus Lombardi’s realistic about his grind to make the NHL

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen posted a subscriber-only article about 22-year-old center Amadeus Lombardi, who’s bigger (5’11” and 178 pounds instead of 5’10” and 160 pounds), stronger and more seasoned as he makes a push for a roster spot on the Red Wings:

This summer, he has worked on his faceoffs and his defensive game. The work on his defensive game involved watching video of top NHL defensive forwards.

“Playoff hockey, watching the right guys,” Lombardi said, explaining what he studied.

Lombardi plans to show his improved strength to the coaches with his play.

“I can handle pressure,” Lombardi said. “I’m not going to be a guy that’s running around dropping guys left and right, but if I can be able to withstand some hits, protect the puck a little better, that’s gonna be a big thing. And then the other thing is just defensively, being more responsible, playing a 200-foot game and getting trust from the coach going into my third year with the same staff, getting comfortable with them, hopefully they trust me more .”

Lombardi believes that he can produce points at the NHL level as well as the AHL level, where he posted 19 goals and 21 assists for 40 points in 44 games played for the Grand Rapids Griffins last season…

“I think the (Red Wings) know that the offense is there,” Lombardi said. “Now it’s about building the defensive side of my game, which is something I’ve been really focused on. And I think that when you get your foot in the door.”

That’s all Lombardi wants, a foot in the door. He feels he can do the rest.

“You’re most likely going to start in the bottom six,” Lombardi said. “So it’s about being able to be trusted in that bottom six, being able to be effective in the bottom six and then slowly work your way up. Obviously, I have goals, everyone has goals.”

Continued (paywall); it’s hard to root against “Ammo,” isn’t it? He’s got an incredibly realistic and mature take on where he will start in the NHL, and where he wants to end up.

Nate Danielson looks to make a heavier push for an NHL roster spot

Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson appears to be the topic of the day for the Red Wings’ media corps. MLive’s Ansar Khan is the latest to have written an article about the young center, who’s bulked up in order to make a stronger push for an NHL roster spot:

“You realize you need that little bit extra weight,” Danielson (6-1, 197) said. “I feel great. Especially down low in the corners and just being stronger on my skates. As the year goes on, you tend to lose a little bit of weight. So, it’s nice to come into camp a little bit heavier.”

Danielson is ready for his third training camp with the Red Wings starting Thursday in Traverse City. He was among the many prospects that got a head start this past weekend with a pair of games against their counterparts from the Dallas Stars.

Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson said Danielson was one of the best players on the ice in both games, playing on the top line and on both specialty teams.

“He did everything we asked him to do, and he was responsible,” Watson said. “He produced offense. He was good defensively, good on draws. I appreciate the work ethic and the leadership he provided this group.”

Danielson described his first year with the Griffins as a good learning season. He produced 12 goals and 27 assists in 71 games and scored one goal in three playoff games.

“Definitely at times it was hard,” Danielson said. “I felt like the start of the year was a challenge, just kind of figuring out what made me successful and what kind of worked for me. There’s just ups and downs throughout the year, times where you’d be playing really well, and it felt like everything was going right and then times where it wasn’t. I’m just kind of learning how to manage those better.”

Continued (paywall); consistency of performance will be key for Danielson if he is to earn a spot in the Wings’ lineup over the course of the next four weeks.

A bit of praise for Amadeus Lombardi and Shai Buium

The Hockey News’s Jake Tye offers his takes on the Red Wings’ Prospect Games performances, praising Amadeus Lombardi, Shai Buium and Nate Danielson, and adding a word of caution regarding Axel Sandin Pellikka:

The most notable name for Detroit to come out of the showcase is Lombardi after playing a key role in three of the Red Wings‘ five goals on Sunday, it was hard to miss the 22-year-old forward. After playing in 116 games in the AHL with the Griffins and posting a near point-per-game average last season with 40 points in 44 games, it was expected that Lombardi would be contending for a spot with the Red Wings at training camp. 

His performance in the showcase only reminded management that they have a player who is too good for junior competition and will likely be a top player in the AHL once again. We could see an approach with Lombardi similar to Red Wings winger Elmer Soderblom last season, who played 38 games with the Griffins as well as 26 games up with the Red Wings. 

Buium on the other hand, may have an opportunity to carve out a meaningful role. The Red Wings struggled on backend last season with a bottom 12 defense in the league. They got some help in the crease when trading for former all-star goaltender John Gibson but more adds on the blueline are needed. They took a lottery ticket on former first round pick Jacob Benard-Docker but besides the former Senator, the Red Wings didn’t make any meaningful adds with their unit and could lead to opportunities for AHL defenseman like Buium. 

Last season, the San Diego native posted a 25 points in 67 games with Griffins assistant coach Brian Lashoff telling the Hockey News that he regularly relied on Buium and routinely gave him bigger minutes than most.  If he can show that his game translates to the NHL after spending the offseason training with his brother Zeev, who made a significant leap to the NHL with the Minnesota Wild last season and even earned power play time, Buium might be able to establish himself as a regular in Detroit sooner than expected. 

Continued; I’m not quite as optimistic about Lombardi or Buium becoming regulars on a crowded roster, but one never knows.

Kulfan’s notebook: Nate Danielson’s potential evident during Prospect Games

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a notebook article which focuses on Nate Danielson, Shai Buium, the “runway” provided to the Red Wings’ prospects by their two-game series against the Dallas Stars, and a bit bout Ondrej Becher.

Both Kulfan and Griffins coach Dan Watson, who ran the bench this past weekend, are particularly bullish on Danielson’s potential:

“He did a really good job competing both games,” said Dan Watson, the Grand Rapids Griffins head coach who guided the Wings in Dallas. “He was one of the best players on the ice both nights. He did fatigue a little bit down the stretch for us in the third (period), but we played him a ton. He was on the power play, penalty kill, five-on-five minutes with 11 forwards. He ate up a ton of ice time but did everything we asked him to do.”

Watson coached Danielson last season in Grand Rapids (12 goals and 39 points in 71 games), and barring any major injuries or surprises, Danielson will likely start with the season with the Griffins.

But it wouldn’t be shocking to see Danielson, who’ll turn 21 on Sept. 27, in a Wings jersey at some point this season given his development.

Danielson, by his own estimate, gained seven or eight pounds over the summer in training and looked physically bigger in the two games against Dallas. Getting physically stronger, said Danielson, was a summer focus.

“Summer was good. I just spent a lot of time in the gym and on the ice,” Danielson said. “For me, the focus was to try to get bigger, stronger and put some weight on. I did that, and the games (last weekend) weren’t bad. I got better as they went.”

This will be Danielson’s third training camp with the Wings and he is viewing it as a case of “whatever happens, happens.” If he gets sent back to the Griffins, he’ll return with a good attitude and continue developing and progressing. But as any young player should be thinking, there is one big Danielson objective. “The goal is to make Detroit,” he said.

Continued (paywall)

Red Wings, Rangers alumnus Eddie Giacomin passes away at 86

From TSN:

The National Hockey Alumni Association announced the death of Eddie Giacomin on Monday.

The Hockey Hall of Famer was 86.

A native of Sudbury, Ont., Giacomin spent 13 seasons in the NHL from 1965 to 1978 with the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings.

A four-time All-Star, Giacomin shared the 1971 Vezina Trophy with Blueshirts teammate Gilles Villemure.

In 610 career games, Giacomin was 290-208-97 with a goal against average of 2.82 and a .902 save percentage.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987.

In 1989, he became just the second Rangers player to have his jersey (No. 1) retired.