The Magic Man turns 47 tomorrow:
Happy Birthday to my friend Pavel Datsyuk — a true legend of the game. Your brilliance on the ice, unmatched vision, and pure class made you one of the greatest to ever play the sport. Two time Stanley Cup Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist, and now a Hall of Famer — but beyond the… pic.twitter.com/gyCNhLXE1G
— Dan Milstein (@HockeyAgent1) July 19, 2025
The Hockey News’s Adam Kierszenblat examines the WHL-drafted prospect pool of the Red Wings this afternoon. The Wings’ prospects from the WHL constitute a small pool of two players, forwards Emmitt Finnie and Carter Bear:
The Red Wings have a long history of selecting WHL players in the NHL Entry Draft. In fact, Detroit has drafted at least one WHLer in five of the last six drafts. This includes Everett Silvertips’ Carter Bear and Kamloops Blazers’ Emmitt Finnie, both of whom had significant impacts on their WHL teams last season.
Starting with Bear, he was selected 13th overall in June after posting 82 points in 56 games. The 18-year-old forward finished tied for seventh in the WHL with 40 goals, while his 1.46 points per game ranked 13th in the league. Listed at 6’0″, 179, Bear has already signed his Entry-Level Contract and is projected to return to the WHL next season.
As for Finnie, he spent the year as captain of the Blazers. The 20-year-old forward set a new career high with 84 points in 55 games, and had the opportunity to play in his first three AHL games after his WHL season came to a close. Listed at 6’1″, 190 lbs, Finnie’s WHL career has now come to a close as he will make the jump full-time to the AHL next season.
Bear and Finnie are cut from the same cloth. Bear may be the better deke-and-dangle player, but both players make up for their lack of size (by today’s NHL standards) via work ethic and a bit of prove-everybody-wrong grit. They both skate well and are determined players who wear their hearts on their sleeves, and they’re both big assets for the Red Wings’ organization.
NHL.com’s William Douglas reports that the City of Detroit honored a man whose charitable passion involved helping the Red Wings establish their, “Learn, Play, Score” program:
Marlowe Stoudamire wasn’t a hockey player, but he was a player in the sport.
The Michigan native was a driving force in the Detroit Red Wings, NHL and NHL Players’ Association launch in February 2020 of “Learn, Play, Score,” an ambitious $1 million pilot program to bring hockey to more than 30,000 children in the city.
Stoudamire didn’t live to see the program’s progress. The always-smiling, entrepreneurial community advocate died at the age of 43 on March 24, 2020, after he contracted COVID-19 and became one of Detroit’s early pandemic casualties.
Detroit celebrated Stoudamire’s life and legacy on Saturday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, renaming a park near his childhood home on the city’s east side in his honor. Family, friends, city officials and members of the hockey community gathered at Marlowe D.F. Stoudamire Park to dedicate the newly renovated 1.1-acre space.
“One of the things that we realized was the importance of community to get us through (the pandemic), even in isolation,” Valencia Stoudamire, his wife, told the gathering. “That connection and sense of community was near and dear to Marlowe’s heart and who he was, whether he was advocating for access to sports like hockey in diverse communities or telling Detroit’s story through projects like the (Detroit Historical) Museum’s ‘Detroit 67’ exhibit…
“So, it is truly an honor to be able to renovate a space that once again honors Marlowe’s vision to create organic social collisions within our communities, especially one from which he came, and one where people knew him and remember him,” she said.
Continued; it’s important to recognize the figures who are working in the community to spread the message of hockey, and I’m sorry that Mr. Stoudamire was unable to witness the widespread success of the Red Wings, “Learn, Play, Score” initiative.
From NHL.com:
Lucas Raymond has led the @DetroitRedWings in points throughout each of the past two seasons, which included a career-high 80 points in 2024-25. #NHLYoungStarsWeek highlights the 23-year-old who sits within striking distance of 100 career goals this season. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/eqPGysN7vL
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) July 19, 2025
The Athletic asked its NHL writers to name every NHL team’s best and worst jerseys, and I can’t complain with Max Bultman’s choice for the Red Wings’ best one (though I think that the Wings’ “regular jerseys” are the best)…
Best: 2014 Winter Classic
The Red Wings’ main uniforms are iconic, likely why they don’t have many alternates (and rather bland ones when they do). But the 2014 Winter Classic jerseys were sublime, incorporating history and legacy with a distinct look that jumps off the sweater. We’ll see what Detroit has planned for its centennial season, but these will be hard to top.
And Bultman’s “worst” Red Wings jersey is actually, well, this:
Continue reading A little fast fashion, Red Wings jersey versionSometimes it’s best for someone in my line of work to have no opinion about something, and that’s the case for me regarding this news from Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff:
Former Detroit Red Wings Zamboni driver and arena manager Al Sobotka will be getting his day in court. The Michigan Supreme Court has denied a bid by Olympia Entertainment Inc. to have Sobotka’s wrongful dismissal suit thrown out of court.
“On order of the Court, the application for leave to appeal the February 14, 2025 judgment of the Court of Appeals is considered, and it is DENIED, because we are not persuaded that the question presented should be reviewed by this Court,” read the Michigan Supreme Court’s ruling that was announced on Friday.
The court’s ruling means that the case will be returned to the Wayne County, Michigan Circuit Court for a jury trial.
In April 2022, Sobotka filed a lawsuit in Wayne County Circuit Court after being fired by the Red Wings. He alleges that his termination violated the Michigan Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, specifically claiming discrimination based on age and disability.
Continued; we all know by now that in 2021, Sobotka was fired by the team after being seen relieving himself in a Zamboni drainage ditch, and we all know that Sobotka claims that he suffers from a condition which makes him forcibly have to pee, for lack of a better term, facilitating the incident that was witnessed.
Etc., etc.
Some folks have rallied around Sobotka over the past three years, holding fundraisers with the Red Wings’ beloved Zamboni driver and facilities manager cooking his famous barbecue; for others, Sobotka has become “persona non grata,” or someone who should not be associated with.
I don’t know where you stand on this issue, because some fans have memed Sobotka into the ground, and others have cheered for the underdog.
I’m just glad that this is going to court, and that there will be a legal decision as to whether Sobotka was fired with cause or fired due to discriminatory issues. He deserves that much, and so does the team.
This is not hard-hitting stuff by any stretch of the imagination, but Bauer posted a short clip of Patrick Kane explaining why he tapes his stick with those black “X” marks over his white tape job. Interesting summertime filler, I suppose:
DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills checks in with Red Wings prospect and 2025 1sst round draft pick Carter Bear this afternoon:
Forward prospect Carter Bear is even more energized for the road ahead but knows the hard work has only just begun now that he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings, which the club officially announced on Wednesday.
“It’s obviously a big moment for me and the start of my career with the Red Wings, but it’s also just a start,” Bear told DetroitRedWings.com on Wednesday. “Just like how the NHL Draft was a start, this is another step to get to. This is a big moment for me and my family and I’m excited, for sure.”
The past few weeks have quite the ride for the 18-year-old, who was selected by the Red Wings with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater on June 27 before he participated in his first Development Camp with Detroit at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center from June 30 – July 3.
“Throughout this whole process, I’ve just been learning from everyone: the staff, management, the ex-pro guys who played for this team,” Bear said. “I’m asking questions, so I think it’s really all about learning new things at this time.”
Learning, even through adversity, has been a big part of Bear’s development as of late. He sustained an Achilles injury in March, halting his 2024-25 season with the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips that saw the 6-foot, 179-pound forward notch 82 points (40 goals, 42 assists) in 56 games and earn a place on the WHL’s Second All-Star Team.
Continued; Bear’s 18-and-a-half years old, but he speaks like he’s 25.
NHL.com/de’s Axel Jeroma posted a very lengthy article which reviews Moritz Seider’s 2024-2025 campaign, and while there’s a lot of text here, there are some new comments from Seider as well. What follows is roughly translated from German:
Continue reading Roughly translated: NHL.com/de discusses Moritz Seider’s 2024-2025 seasonSeider takes on his duty
Season review 2024-2025: The Red Wings’ defenseman still sees potential for improvement for both himself and his team
The 2024-2025 NHL season was full of highlights, action and exciting games. NHL.com/de looks back on the seasons of the best players from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
In this edition: Moritz Seider of the Detroit Red Wings
Moritz Seider and the Detroit Red Wings experienced a nerve-wracking season. At times, it looked as if the team could return to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2016. But in the hot phase of the fight for a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference through March and April, the historic club ran out of air. Therefore it was not enough in the end. Three more wins and the Red Wings could have punched their ticket for the postseason.
In his fourth year in the NHL, the German defenseman experienced his first change of coaches. On the 26th of December, Detroit separated itself from coach Derek Lalonde. At that time, the team was in 27th place in the league with 30 points (13-17-4) in 34 games. The team’s management made Todd McLellan the new man in charge of the team.
With him, the Red Wings managed to turn around. In the first 20 games under his leadership, the Red Wings earned 15 wins and collected 31 points. No other of the 32 teams had as good a record in the time between December 26th and February 4th. After a brilliant race to catch up, Detroit was on track toward a playoff berth.
Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis discusses the Detroit Red Wings’ prospect pool today, addressing the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, and offering a top 10 list of drafted players over the course of a lengthy article:
While the Yzerplan hasn’t panned out into any tangible NHL success, you can’t argue with the talent waiting in the wings.
The Red Wings might look like a mess on paper, with many not expecting the team to make the playoffs again in 2025-26. Last year saw the promotion of Simon Edvinsson, Marco Kasper and Elmer Soderblom to the big club, with the first two playing significant roles throughout the season. That alone is good, and while there’s a real chance not a single new prospect will earn a full-time gig this coming year, there’s plenty of talent on the way up.
The most exciting element is the arrival of Axel Sandin-Pellikka, the team’s top prospect, in North America. He looked good in his two-game AHL stint after putting up excellent numbers in the SHL and with Sweden at the World Juniors. The Red Wings have always shown a willingness to play the patient game with their star blueliners, and it has worked out quite well for Edvinsson and Moritz Seider so far. I’m excited to see what’s next with ASP.
But that’s just scratching the surface. The team has legit skill at every position, giving them one of the strongest pipelines in hockey.
Biggest Strength
There might not be a harder position to snag depth for than in net. Yet, the Wings have a handful of legit goaltending prospects (which isn’t shocking given they had like 400 contracted crease protectors last year). Both Trey Augustine and Sebastian Cossa look like future NHL starters – don’t be surprised if one is moved out to get immediate help. Rudy Guimond had one of the best seasons of any junior goalie this past year, going 16-0-0 in the regular season and 8-1 with Moncton in the playoffs en route to a QMJHL title. I also thought Michal Pradel was one of the top goaltenders in the 2025 draft, so that’s another high-end pickup.
Biggest Weakness
Left-handed defenders are typically a dime a dozen – but not a single one appears in Detroit’s top 10. I like Shai Buium, and I wouldn’t write off Anton Johansson, either. But I’m not convinced a single LHD is a surefire NHLer. With all the other depth they have, it feels a bit nitpicky. But it seems like the Red Wings focused on finding value in some of the tougher areas to develop and forgot about the left side of the point.
Continued; I would argue that the Red Wings are a “work in progress” on paper, and I’m just not particularly concerned about the Wings’ lack of prospects who are left defensemen at this point, mostly because they have stay-at-home guys like Brady Cleveland and Will Murphy marinating to serve as complementary partners to the Wings’ offensively-gifted right defensemen, ut that’s just me.
