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A bit of praise for Axel Sandin Pellikka and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard

FloHockey landed a deal to air 100 SHL games this upcoming season, and as such, FloHockey’s Chris Peters offers 8 reasons to watch the SHL in prospect form. Because flattery will get you everywhere, I’m going to allow him to describe Axel Sandin Pellikka and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard in positive terms for us…

Axel Sandin-Pellikka, D, Skellefteå AIK (DET)

Though just 19, Sandin-Pellikka has already appeared in 66 games in the SHL over the previous two seasons. In his third year in the league, even more is expected after the incredible bar he set last season with 10 goals and 18 points in 39 pro games. His 10 goals were the second most ever by a U19 defenseman in the SHL.

Through his first five games of the 2024-25 season, the Red Wings 2023 first-round pick has already produced four points, including a pair of goals. He’s also more regularly playing top-pairing minutes and thriving in that situation.

A talented puck-mover, Sandin-Pellikka has poise beyond his years and just keeps getting better.

…

Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, RW, Skellefteå (DET)

Though still with the Detroit Red Wings in training camp, expectations are that Brandsegg-Nygård will be coming back to Sweden. After spending the last two seasons with Mora IK in the Hockey Allsvenskan, the 18-year-old Norwegian forward is going to get his first run in Sweden’s top pro league this season.  

He has a great shot and can get it off from just about anywhere. On top of that, Brandsegg-Nygård is an abrasive, aggressive player who can play physically and take charge on the forecheck. He’s going to need to make some adjustments as he gets going in the SHL, but there’s a lot to like about his game.

Continued; as noted today by Michel Brandsegg-Nygard’s former GM, Anders Myrvold, it’s entirely possible that MBN may remain in North America, but we’ll let that sleeping dog lying down for now.

As for ASP, he’s practically auditioning for an NHL job this season.

Would the Wings benefit from trading for Swayman? Sure, but it’s not going to happen

Daily Faceoff’s Mike Gould posted an article discussing four teams which would benefit from trading from disgruntled Bruins restricted free agent Jeremy Swayman, and Gould includes the Red Wings on his list:

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings struggled enormously to dictate play in any meaningful way over large stretches of the 2023-24 season, relying instead on unsustainable shooting percentages to remain inexplicably in the hunt for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference until the final days of the race. Their major collapse in March felt like a foregone conclusion while also serving as a strong indication that major changes needed to happen in the summer.

Instead, the Red Wings embarked upon a frustratingly inert offseason, making minute changes in an apparent bid to disrupt the status quo as little as possible. Amidst their decisions to re-sign Patrick Kane and replace David Perron with Vladimir Tarasenko, the Red Wings went out and signed 37-year-old goaltender Cam Talbot to a two-year deal; he’ll most likely battle for playing time in Detroit with Ville Husso, Alex Lyon, and 2021 first-round pick Sebastian Cossa.

None of those options is particularly inspiring, with the possible exception of Cossa if he continues to build on his encouraging 2023-24 campaign. Adding a goaltender of Swayman’s caliber would work wonders toward bolstering the Red Wings’ aspirations as legitimate contenders-to-be. As it stands, it’s difficult to take them seriously.

Continued; there’s a whole lot of stuff that I would like to disagree with here, from the Wings’ playoff ouster being expected when it was on a frickin’ tiebreaker to the team’s offseason being shitty, and in all honesty, it’s difficult to take any sort of trade for Swayman all that seriously because the Wings would have to make it work cap-wise and compensation-wise while negotiating with an Atlantic Division rival.

I don’t know how the hell it would happen. It sounds good for a “team that would benefit” from adding a star goaltender, but Swayman wants to exceed the “Larkin cap” in terms of monetary compensation, and the Wings would have to sell the farm to acquire him.

I never rule anything completely out, because following this league for the vast majority of my life has taught me that anything really can happen, but the percentages in terms of the Wings somehow managing to both trade for and sign Swayman while working salary cap and player compensation magic at the same time are astronomically small.

You may go ahead and call me crazy, but I actually believe that Swayman’s going to re-sign with Boston, hurt feelings and all.

Videos: Ville Husso and Austin Watson speak with the media

The Detroit Red Wings’ “first group” of players who practiced today consisted almost entirely of NHL players, and, ahead of a three-games-in-three-nights exhibition slate vs. Toronto, Ottawa and then at Toronto on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the “first group” was skated particularly hard:

After the “first group’s” practice, the Red Wings made a couple of players available to the media in Ville Husso and Austin Watson:

18th ain’t bad for a Wings-in-the-power-rankings finish

The Hockey News’s Jason Chen ranks the Red Wings respectably (surprisingly?) high in his first set of power rankings for the 2024-2025 season:

18. Detroit Red Wings (41-32-9, +4)

Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider are both re-signed, so that’s a big sigh of relief. The Wings need to capitalize on last season’s momentum. I really don’t know if their goaltending will save them, as Alex Lyon did last season, or completely tank their season. It feels like there’s no in-between.

Continued; I’m guessing that there will be an in-between scenario, but that’s just me.

Tweet of note: Dylan Larkin’s a Tigers fan, too

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin tells Bally Sports Detroit’s Trevor Thompson that he was “speed walking” instead of pacing while the Tigers closed out the Astros yesterday afternoon:

A bit of praise for Lucas Raymond’s fantasy hockey breakout potential

I’m a little surprised that The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman suggests that Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond might produce a “breakout” fantasy hockey performance this upcoming season:

Lucas Raymond, DET

A 31-goal, 72-point campaign is just the start for Raymond. He raised his game when the Red Wings’ season was on the line with 11 points in six games to end the season — and that’s where I expect him to pick up this year. 

The one red flag is the fact that Raymond shot 19 percent last year, which doesn’t scream sustainability. But his play-driving ability grew as last season progressed, and that may be able to balance out any regression worries. Raymond looks ready to become a true offensive threat this season, making him a player to watch. 

Continued (paywall); I don’t know whether Raymond is a consistent 30-goal-scorer, but I do believe that he can sustain his point total at the very least.

Roughly translated: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard’s former GM expects MBN to stay in North America

Hockeysverige.se’s Mans Karlsson points us toward an article on Nitten.no, in which Anders Myrvold, the GM of Michael Brandsegg-Nygard’s former team, Valerenga HC, suggests that the Red Wings should keep MBN in North America:

“Why go to Sweden when you can be one phone call away from playing in the next NHL game?”

Anders Myrvold believes AHL play for the Grand Rapids Griffins is the best solution for Michael Brandsegg-Nygard if the 18-year-old does not go straight into the NHL.

“Why go to Sweden when you can be one phone call away from playing in the next NHL game?”

Valerenga sports director Anders Myrvold knows daily life in North American hockey very well, and he believes that the AHL and the Grand Rapids Griffins are the best alternative for the Norwegian star, should his career in the USA not begin with NHL play.

NHL, AHL, or SHL? That’s the question for Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, who has scored both a goal and delivered a crucial assist in the last two warm-up games for the Detroit Red Wings.

“The AHL is not like it was when I played there. Back then, it was a B League like no other with long trips, fights and chaos. Now it’s a developmental league with orderly conditions. There are two different worlds. They arrange everything so that you will be ready the day the chance comes and have full control over you,” says Myrvold.

“For me, this is a no-brainer. I would have stayed over there if given the chance.”

Continue reading Roughly translated: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard’s former GM expects MBN to stay in North America

Red Wings Tweets from Wednesday’s practice, ‘first group’ version: it’s an ‘NHL group’ today

Updated at 12:24 PM: The Red Wings practiced at Little Caesars Arena the morning after the “non game-day players” won a 2-1 decision over the Pittsburgh Penguins, and it appears that the Wings had some media appearances to take care of before practice began:

The Red Wings close the exhibition season by hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, the Ottawa Senators on Friday, and then the team will travel to Toronto for an exhibition rematch on Saturday night.

It’s highly likely that one of the next two home games will basically be a “dress rehearsal,” in which coach Derek Lalonde will dress a near-NHL-quality lineup as a warm-up game for the regular season.

Traditionally speaking, that last game is used to give the AHL’ers, try-outs and prospects one final chance to impress (so as to prevent injuries to the NHL group), and then on Sunday or Monday, the Wings will make cuts and send players down to Grand Rapids and Toledo.

Anyway, the Red Wings’ “first group” hit the ice at 11:30 AM…

And it looks like the Wings might be gearing up for that dress rehearsal tomorrow night:

About time for this one…

Meanwhile, in Grand Rapids…

Continue reading Red Wings Tweets from Wednesday’s practice, ‘first group’ version: it’s an ‘NHL group’ today

Regarding Danielson, Kasper and Mazur

The Athletic’s Max Bultman discusses his observations related to the impacts of the Red Wings’ young forwards who are vying for a job on the Wings’ roster, or at least an early and substantial call-up from Grand Rapids–Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper and Carter Mazur.

Bultman begins by discussing Danielson’s game-winning goal during last night’s 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh as something of a break-out moment:

A preseason goal only counts for so much. Danielson still, in all likelihood, looks headed for Grand Rapids to start the season — where he can play the kind of big-minute, offensive role that will help him down the line for the Red Wings.

But the goal still mattered because, for all of the impressive details in Danielson’s game, he will at some point be expected to produce offense. And while a breakaway goal in an exhibition won’t change any narratives about his potential to do so, it still was an example of the skill in his game that can at times be overlooked.

And while it was Danielson’s night on Tuesday, he’s really just one of a handful of young forwards who have made their marks on this preseason through five of Detroit’s eight exhibition games.

At the top of that list is Marco Kasper, who has arguably raised his stock (publicly, at least), as much as any Red Wing this preseason. He’s been consistently noticeable in all of his exhibition action, whether it’s been for his effectiveness on the penalty kill, making some skilled plays of his own or for his skating and puck-transporting ability.

Then there’s Carter Mazur, who coming off a successful playoff run in the AHL last Spring arrived at camp with some much-needed mass added onto his frame, and has spent the preseason showing his willingness to go to hard parts of the ice and challenge for pucks. Add in Danielson, and the Red Wings have a nice collection of near-term prospects on their hands.

“Very impressed with all three of them,” head coach Derek Lalonde said. “They’ve kind of played into my optimistic vision of them. I like all three, I think I’ve stated that quite a bit over the last year, year and a half, and they’ve done nothing to disappoint.”

Continued (paywall); as Bultman suggests, all three forwards play a similar game in terms of their defensive awareness and responsible natures, but they’re all a little different in that Danielson’s the most dynamic of the three, Kasper is the real ball-buster in terms of his ability to play as a feisty two-way center, and Mazur’s the net-front pest and gritty grinder who will serve as an inspirational force at some point soon.

The Athletic discusses the University of Michigan women’s hockey team’s uphill climb for recognition

This isn’t Red Wings-related, but it’s very good and quite important in my belief. The Athletic’s Hailey Salivan wrote an article which discusses the uphill climb which the University of Michigan women’s hockey team is making as it attempts to earn varsity sport status:

The women’s club team will be in its 30th year when the puck drops for the 2024-25 season on Wednesday. And the appetite for women’s hockey in the State was apparent when a Professional Women’s Hockey League game at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit drew a record crowd for a game back in March.

“Part of our mission statement at the University of Michigan says ‘to serve the people of Michigan.’ And right now, the people of Michigan are not being served. There is a demand for women’s hockey at (Michigan),” [University of Michigan regent Denise] Ilitch said during the meeting. “Women belong on the same ice as men. The University of Michigan must show that on our ice, we support varsity women’s hockey. That’s leadership. Hockey is for everyone, and we are ‘HockeyTown.‘”

Michigan president Santa Ono said he would look into launching a feasibility study with athletic director Warde Manuel.

The athletic department launched the study in May; it is expected to be completed sometime in the fall.

The study is a significant step toward a potential future for elite women’s hockey at one of the biggest schools in college athletics. It’s the first real look at adding the sport in decades. This time, though, the push for women’s hockey comes at a historic moment for the sport, with a new professional league and more eyes on the game than ever before.

“It almost feels like we’ve got this perfect storm,” said Jenna Trubiano, the club team’s head coach. “I personally would have wished it happened many years ago. We can’t change the past but you can focus on the future.”

Continued (paywall)