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Of brief Red Wings-related note from my short anxiety-attack-induced hiatus:

DetroitRedWings.com: Jonathan Mills recapped Saturday and Sunday’s Prospect Games results, and he profiled both Shai Buium and Amadeus Lombardi;

Detroit Free Press: The Free Press’s Helene St. James listed 5 topics which she believes the Red Wings need to “figure out” over the course of training camp and the exhibition season:

Where do the new forwards slot?

The Wings added 36-year-old James van Riemsdyk for one year, $1 million in free agency. He’s intriguing – he has size (6 feet 3, 209 pounds); experience (327 goals, 338 assists in 1,082 games) and a knack for going to the net to score. That could be a really good fit on a line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond.

The other new guy up front is Mason Appleton (two years, $5.8 million). His résumé shows 400 NHL games played (entirely with the Winnipeg Jets barring 47 with the Seattle Kraken), with 57 goals and 81 points. Appleton (6-2, 194) is a right shooter who played for Michigan State from 2015-17. A defensive-minded grinder type, he projects to get looks in the bottom six.

Game management

McLellan has talked at length about how players need to learn to manage games better – in mid-March, to give one example, the Wings let in three goals in a seven-minute span, allowing a manageable one-goal deficit with more than half a period to go to blow up into a 4-1 defeat to the Washington Capitals. “You can’t pout and get lazy,” McLellan said afterwards. He elaborated after the season ended: “The mental fortitude, the resiliency has to come from us.” That’s going to be a focal point as the Wings move forward with a nine-season playoff drought tarnishing the franchise.

Detroit Hockey Now: Bob Duff praised Emmitt Finnie and explained why Carter Bear and Jakub Rychlovsky did not participate in the Prospect Games;

Kevin Allen offered 4 takes from Saturday’s 6-2 Prospect Games win;

Prior to the Prospect Games, Allen filed a subscriber-only article which discussed the stakes for Axel Sandin Pellikka, Carter Bear, Emmitt Finnie, Jakub Rychlovsky and Shai Buium in terms of translating strong Prospect Games and training camp/exhibition season performances into spots on the Red Wings’ roster:

Continue reading Catch-up post from Saturday and Sunday’s Prospect Games activities

The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler posted a set of “Prospect Tiers” based upon 12+ hockey industry insiders‘ impressions of over 120 players’ present and future potential. Here’s where the Red Wings’ prospects ranked:

First, Simon Edvinsson landed in the “All-Star” category…

3C Simon Edvinsson

Why he’s here: Scouts think Edvinsson is going to be a legit No. 2 D in the NHL for a long time (or maybe a No. 3 on a true contender). The bubble between star and all-star felt appropriate, and he has been given the benefit of the doubt for Tier 3C because he has proven more than the D who clustered into Tier 4.

Axel Sandin Pellikka was listed as a “star” player…

4B Axel Sandin Pellikka

Why he’s here: I started Sandin Pellikka in Tier 4A, but one scout argued he should be moved down a letter grade. He had another strong season last year in the SHL and should be one of the top young players in the AHL this season. Though the game is moving away from sub-6-foot D, scouts credit ASP for his competitiveness on top of the offensive talent he has.

Marco Kasper is ranked as a “supporting star player”…

Continue reading 8 Red Wings prospects mentioned in The Athletic’s ‘NHL Prospect Tiers’

Updated at 8:08 AM: ESPN’s Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski asked players who participated in the NHL/NHLPA North American Media Tour in Las Vegas an assortment of questions, including their favorite “cheat meals” to their takes on the new collective bargaining agreement, the NHL’s new dress code, and more:

How would you change or expand the playoff format? Or do you prefer it as is?

“I think it’s nice the way it is. I think you get those [great] match-ups every year. The only tough thing is that two contenders might play each other in the first round, but it’s part of it. You’ve got to beat the best to be the best. I got no problems with it.” — Alex DeBrincat, Detroit Red Wings

Patrick Kane on Olympic Development Camp invite: “I think there was just talking with my agent about how there’s the potential of maybe making the team and that I was under consideration. So when you hear that, it’s not really that big of a surprise that you’re there. Probably a little bit more surprised that Alex [DeBrincat] was left off, but I think both of us have some motivation to get off to good starts this year.”

Patrick Kane, after Sidney Crosby interrupted an interview to say hello: “That’d be a good centerman to play with.”

Continued;

Update: The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun also asked Debrincat about the concept of a playoff play-in…

“I think the tradition of hockey goes so deep, and it’s been 16 teams for a long time,” the Detroit Red Wings goal-scorer said. “I would love to be in the playoffs every year, but I think that’s what makes it that much better, is that not everyone makes it every year. There’s half the teams that go home after that. It makes it so hard to win the Stanley Cup. I’m not a huge person for change, so I think I would keep it the same. We don’t really want to give out handouts. We’ve got to work for what we get.’’

And LeBrun asked Kane about going back to 1-vs-8 playoff seeding:

The 1-8 seeding, which I’m also in favor of going back to, is more attractive to most players.

“The thing I do like is the 1 to 8 seeding,” said likely future Hockey Hall of Famer Patrick Kane. “I think that goes better as far as rivalries. … I think it creates more memorable playoff series if you go 1 versus 8.’’

Kane also added he could contemplate a play-in if the NHL expanded. So perhaps that’s when the playoff expansion debate gathers more fuel. Not to mention whenever it is Bettman decides to retire as commissioner. There’s no question in my mind there are owners and team executives waiting until that moment before giving the play-in another go in league discussions.

Continued (paywall)

DobberHockey’s Eli Feldman includes Red Wings goaltender John Gibson on his list of the “Top 10 Players on New Teams for 2025-2026“:

John Gibson, G, Detroit Red Wings

Following three-straight underwhelming campaigns, John Gibson ranked T-13^th in goals saved above expected in 2024-2025, albeit, in just 29 games played. Gibson’s stellar performance last season was enough to entice the Red Wings, who acquired the veteran netminder in exchange for Petr Mrazek and two picks this offseason. Behind a Red Wings defence led by one of the league’s best rearguards in Moritz Seider, Gibson has a chance to replicate last season’s stellar play and, in turn, ingrain himself as the Wings’ No. 1 goalie.

Continued; if Gibson’s healthy, the Wings will theoretically see an upgrade in goal this season.

The Athletic’s Max Bultman offers half-a-dozen impressions of the Red Wings prospects’ play over the course of this past weekend’s Prospect Games in Frisco, Texas:

I like what I see from Nate Danielson just about every time I watch him. He’s always in the right place defensively, a testament to his hockey sense. He’s a strong skater, he’s skilled and he shows a real feel for distributing the puck. All of that, at 6-foot-2, is a strong collection of traits for a young center.

The question with him, historically, has tended to be whether his statistical production matches his tools and the visual impact. This weekend it did, as Danielson was on the scoresheet in both games, tallying a goal and an assist while playing in every possible situation for the Red Wings.

“I was hoping that he was going to be one of the best players on the ice tonight, (and) he was,” head coach Dan Watson said after the Saturday game, and Sunday was much of the same.

He transported the puck, showed off an advanced defensive stick and looked noticeably thicker, too, later saying he put on “probably seven or eight pounds.” He measured in at 197 lbs. going into camp. That should be valuable as he tries to translate his strong two-way game against NHL size and strength.

Based on how Detroit has handled top prospects under Steve Yzerman, Danielson will need to be virtually undeniable to break camp with the Red Wings. But in my eyes, their best-case scenario this season involves him being part of the roster for a large portion of the year.

Continued (paywall)

After the Detroit Red Wings’ prospects split their two-game series against the Dallas Stars’ prospects this past weekend, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff asked Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson about Michael Brandsegg-Nygard’s adjustment period to North American hockey:

“I don’t think there’s going to be a long transition period for him to get used to how to play here in North America,” Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson said.

Could it happen fast enough for Brandsegg-Nygard to open the NHL season in Detroit? Maybe. It’s not like such an outcome would be unprecedented.

In 2022, another big forward, Elmer Soderblom, grabbed a spot off a strong preseason showing. The year before, Lucas Raymond did likewise and never looked back.

Even if he doesn’t break camp with the big club, Brandsegg-Nygard could show the Red Wings he’s ready by dominating in the AHL. That’s what got Marco Kasper quickly promoted last season.

A clear asset in Brandsegg-Nygard’s toolkit is that what he brings to the ice is a quality that the Red Wings don’t possess in quantity. He plays a hard, heavy game. He’ll go into traffic and barge into the corners with a determined ferocity.

“I think one thing is we can see he’s a competitor,” Watson said. “He’s winning a lot of 50-50 battles with a stick, with his body. He’s a physical player. He gets right in there.”

Continued; Duff notes that Brandsegg-Nygard himself believes that he’s well-adapted to playing bump-and-grind, north-south hockey:

“I feel like it’s more physical over here, and I like to be the physical player of the game, so I’m trying to do that,” Brandsegg-Nygard said. “And, I mean, I like that it’s always going north every time, so we get like skating toward the O zone. And I do not like to play in the D zone. So it’s fun to, like, just get it up right away. And yeah, I mean, hockey is hockey.”

My UP Now‘s Rebecca Bartelme posted a quick video story about the Red Wings Alumni’s trip to Marquette to raise funds for the United Way of Marquette County on Saturday night. The Wings’ Alums won an 8-4 decision over the “Yoopers United” team:

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects split their “Prospect Games” against the Dallas Stars, winning a 6-2 decision over Dallas on Saturday, and dropping a 6-5 decision on Sunday.

I shared my impressions regarding the second game a couple of hours ago, and while I was getting Aunt Annie dinner, Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson spoke with the Wings’ media corps regarding his take on the game.

Watson told the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan that fatigue was an issue as the young team tried to grind out a pair of wins over the course of a pair of evenings:

“I knew they (Stars) were going to come out on fire, which they did,” said Dan Watson, the Grand Rapids Griffins coach, who coached the Wings’ prospects in these two games. “But I was proud of the way our guys settled in. Once we got some offensive zone time, we were able to wear them down and they took some penalties and then our power play took over, and that was a big momentum boost. (The Wings) probably got a little tired, especially our top six forwards there, we shuffled the lines around later in the game to try and generate some offense. But overall, we’re pleased with what we saw.”

Watson felt the Wings may have been looking for offense too much late in the game.

“When you do that, we didn’t have the numbers back and they capitalized on some wide rush chances and came away with the win,” Watson said.

[Center Nate] Danielson felt the Wings were more structured the night before in a convincing victory.

“We definitely played a lot better as a team (Saturday),” Danielson said. “The games were maybe kind of run around a little bit, and a little sloppy. I know there were a couple of play I’d like back, but that’s kind of the way these games go.”

As DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills noted, there are very few negatives when you’re playing a two-game slate of what are essentially “get a jump on the NHL competition” events against 25-and-under opponents, but coach Watson did see some progression of the positive variety, too:

“I think it’s a great opportunity for the young guys to gel,” Grand Rapids Griffins head coach Dan Watson said. “They’re draft picks, again I mentioned that we hope to see them play together whether it’s in Grand Rapids or Detroit. It’s an opportunity to know each other, learn about each other. The guys I obviously had in Grand Rapids, it was an opportunity for us to see what kind of summer they had. I thought our guys competed really hard all the way through. They probably got a little bit tired, especially our top six forwards there. Shuffled some lines around later in the game to try to generate a little more offense, but overall pretty pleased with what I saw.”

Watson praised the players who ate into the Stars’ early 2-0 lead…

Continue reading Recapping the Red Wings’ 6-5 loss during Sunday’s Prospect Games affair, and offering some implications thereof

Is it the Red Wings’ Centennial season jersey? Or a ham sandwich? We’ll find out soon:

👀 pic.twitter.com/d9dQbYEOkJ

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 15, 2025

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects cruised to a 6-2 victory over the Dallas Stars’ prospects on Saturday night, but Sunday night’s affair was a very different matter.

Detroit battled their way back from a 2-0 1st period deficit to push their way into a 5-3 3rd period lead, but Dallas would respond with 3 3rd period goals to swipe a 6-5 victory from the Red Wings’ prospects.

That's a wrap from Texas

🚨: Buium, Bantle, Kilfoil, Danielson, Becher pic.twitter.com/bed0R4ilA8

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 15, 2025

MLive’s Ansar Khan posted a fine recap:

Shai Buium, Carson Bantle, Liam Kilfoil, Nate Danielson and Ondrej Becher scored for the Red Wings, who converted three times on the power play.

The Red Wings scored a pair of power-play goals in the first period, which ended tied 2-2.

First, Buium capped a nice passing play with Amadeus Lombardi and Bantle to score his second goal in as many games. Then Bantle, from the edge of the crease, banged in a rebound. Buium is preparing for his second season with the Griffins after tallying two goals and 29 points in 67 games in 2024-25. Bantle appeared in 23 games with Grand Rapids (one goal) and 39 games with the ECHL Toledo Walleye (21 goals, eight assists).

Kilfoil snapped a 2-2 tie by roofing a backhand shot off the rush at 6:28 of the second period. Kilfoil, 18, invited to camp on a tryout, plays for Halifax of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

Danielson added to the lead with his team’s third power-play goal, cutting to the middle of the ice and firing in a wrist shot from the slot at 11:46.

Becher fired in a one-timer on a pass from Lombardi to put the Red Wings ahead 5-3 at 5:03 of the third period.

Minus PointStreak, which provides detailed stats when the teams are in Traverse City, we’ll rely on Red Wings Prospects on Twitter for the goals and assists…

Continue reading Red Wings drop Sunday’s Prospect Games finale 6-5; here are some thoughts and impressions from the game