The Malik Report

Of Red Wings-related note over the past 48 hours:

A. Detroit Free Press:

1. Helene St. James’ mailbag includes a question about Jimmy Howard’s future:

HSJ: Howard, 34, is entering the last year of a five-year contract with a $5.3 million salary cap hit. If he has a good season, he’s likely to get an extension in the two-year range, for less money. The Wings committed three years at $3 million annual cap hit to Bernier, 30, but they don’t have anybody in the system on the near horizon to step into a role as his backup.

If a decent offer materializes for Howard near the deadline, the Wings could move him and then look at bringing him back. The Wings know what they have in Howard, they like him, and he’s played well for them the past two years.

B. MLive:

1. MLive’s Ansar Khan examined Gustav Nyquist’s outlook for the 2018-19 season…

2018-19 outlook: Perhaps no other Red Wing has suffered as much from the team’s poor power play the past three seasons. Nyquist tallied 14 power-play goals and 24 power-play points in 2014-15, when Detroit’s man-advantage ranked second in the NHL. In three seasons since, he has collected just 12 power-play goals and 29 power-play points.

He hasn’t become the 30-goal scorer many projected after he tallied 28 and 27 goals, respectively, in his first two seasons.

Nyquist has spent a lot of time on Henrik Zetterberg’s line. Whether or not Zetterberg returns, coach Jeff Blashill might opt to reunite Nyquist with Thomas Vanek and Darren Helm to start the season, a combination that clicked at the beginning of 2016-17.

The Red Wings are expected to use the first half of the season to determine Nyquist’s future with the organization. With several skilled forwards in the pipeline and the high cost of signing Nyquist, they might opt to move him before the trade deadline. He has a no-trade clause, but he would probably agree to waive it to join a playoff-contending team.

2. And Khan wrote a profile of Wings prospect Malte Setkov:

Continue reading Catch-up post: On Howard and Nyquist’s futures, Malte Setkov, Lane Zablocki, the numbers game, fantasy hockey and foreign-language news

Of Red Wings alumni-related note:

Anastas named Stingrays head coach
August 7, 2018

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The South Carolina Stingrays, ECHL ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals and American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears, announced that Spiros Anastas has been named to the position of Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations.

Continue reading Congrats to former Wings assistant Spiros Anatsas, named ECHL’s Charlotte Stingrays coach

Here’s a timely reminder regarding an opportunity to give the “gift of life”:

REMINDER: The @MIRedCross, The @DistrictDetroit and @Meijer will hold one of the largest blood drives in Michigan at Little Caesars Arena this Thursday!

Register NOW at https://t.co/NGelyKDgQU and use sponsor code LCA313. Learn more here –> https://t.co/PwNgrzgnXQ pic.twitter.com/L7wX0r9zP1

— Little Caesars Arena (@LCArena_Detroit) August 7, 2018

Darren McCarty is attempting to launch something of a stand-up comedy career, and  the Huron Daily Tribune’s Mike Gallagher took in McCarty’s show in Ubly, MI:

McCarty opened the show by telling old hockey stories, including a story about a fight between Bob Probert and Jeremy Roenick in 1993, a fight between Shawn Burr and Kelly Chase, and of course the story of the 1997 brawl between the Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche.

“They had our number,” McCarty explained. “Something needed to be done to (Claude) Lemeiux for crushing (Kris) Draper’s face in the last year the game before. I always tell everybody, if you give that script and you give all the ingredients of that fight to the best screenwriter, they couldn’t write a better script than the one God wrote. My God loves Ubly and he hates ugly. The joke of all of it is, yeah, I was one that exacted the revenge on Lemeiux, with the help of the teammates, but I also scored the overtime winner.”

McCarty added: “Honestly, I was trying to break his cheekbone.”

McCarty’s set also included stories from his life.

He talked about his three key ingredients to success, which were self-belief, talent, and believing carpe diem (seize the day).

“With everything I’ve been through, it’s just part of the ups and downs,” McCarty said. “I’m a living example that you too can get through it, this too shall pass. It’s something that, especially in Michigan, and especially places like this, you get the personal connection. So, for me it means a lot, especially with where I am in my life, to be able to show that appreciation back to the fans.”

Continued

Red Wings prospect Michael Rasmussen spoke with the Surrey Leader’s Tom Zillich while Rasmussen participated in the World Junior Summer Showcase for Canada. Rasmussen is from Surrey, British Columbia, so Zillich duly notes that the WJSS’s was played “close to home” in nearby Kamloops:

“I grew up with a lot of these guys, playing with them in the (Hockey Canada) program, and it’s fun to get going here,” said Rasmussen, the left-shooting resident of the Morgan Creek area.

“It was exciting to get that call (to participate in the Showcase),” he added. “It’s always cool to be part of these camps and see all the guys, and have a chance to wear the logo again, it’s good.”

In Kamloops, Rasmussen was among 24 forwards on the two Team Canada rosters, adding to a personal resumé that includes his participation in the 2015 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and, with Team B.C., the 2015 Canada Winter Games.

Rasmussen recently played a big role in Tri-City Americans’ playoff run in the WHL. For his efforts in early April, he was named the league’s On the Run Player of the Week.

The Semiamoo Minor Hockey alum, who went to school at Southridge and, briefly, Earl Marriott Secondary, was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the first round, ninth overall, of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

This fall, he’d love to play his first NHL game with the fabled Motor City team.

“I went to development camp last month there, so I’ll go to (training) camp again and do my best, and I’m going to try to make the team, that’s pretty much it,” Rasmussen said confidently. “There’s lots of opportunity there, and I have a good shot to make the team, I just have to do well and play my game. It’s all on me.”

Continued

Update: Rasmussen spoke with the Vancouver Province’s Steve Ewen about his outlook as well:

Continue reading Rasmussen talks about the WJSS, making the Wings’ roster

Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin is attending the Power Edge Pro camp in Toronto this week, and Larkin spoke with Sportsnet’s Luke Fox regarding his contract status:

“Something’s coming,” Larkin promised Tuesday afternoon, following an intense skills-training session alongside Connor McDavid and other NHLers at the Power Edge Pro camp in Toronto.

“I’ve told everyone I think it’ll be before training camp. It’s right there. I’m just waiting to iron out the details.”

The 22-year-old Larkin made a smooth shift from wing to centre last season, leading all teammates in scoring (63 points) while embracing a penalty-killing role and improving his defensive game. With captain Henrik Zetterberg turning 38 in early October and back issues putting the long-serving star’s availability in doubt, Larkin is the undisputed franchise centre of the present and future.

GM Ken Holland would prefer to lock Larkin up for the next five or six seasons, but he’s under a salary-cap crunch.

“That’s a pretty good honour — they’re showing a long-term commitment to you — but there are different offers out there, whether it’s a short-term bridge deal or a long-term deal,” Larkin said.

“Now we’re just trying to figure out what’s going to be best for both our futures.”

Continued

From the Detroit Red Wings:

RED WINGS ANNOUNCE 2018 NHL PROSPECT TOURNAMENT ROSTER
… First-Round Picks Zadina, Veleno, Rasmussen and Cholowski Slated to Compete in Annual Traverse City Tournament …

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today released their 2018 NHL Prospect Tournament roster, a team consisting of 26 recent draft picks, free agent signees and tryouts who will battle against seven other NHL prospect teams for the Matthew Wuest Memorial Cup from Friday, Sept. 7 to Tuesday, Sept. 11 at Centre Ice Arena in Traverse City, Mich.

Among the highlights on Detroit’s roster are the team’s four most recent first-round picks in right wing Filip Zadina (sixth overall, 2018), center Joe Veleno (30th overall, 2018), center Michael Rasmussen (ninth overall, 2017) and defenseman Dennis Cholowski (20th overall, 2016). In 2017-18, Zadina led all QMJHL rookies with 82 points (44-38-82) in 57 games with Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and also scored seven goals in seven games for the Czech Republic at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y. Veleno, selected by Detroit with a pick acquired from Vegas for Tomas Tatar on Feb. 26, also spent last season in the QMJHL, split between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Drummondville Voltigeurs. After starting the season with 31 points (6-25-31) in 31 games as captain of the Sea Dogs, Veleno racked up 48 points (16-32-48) in 33 games with the Voltigeurs to finish 10th in the league in scoring.

Rasmussen and Cholowski are each returning to the tournament after debuting in 2017 prior to spending the 2017-18 campaign in the Western Hockey League. Rasmussen produced 59 points (31-28-59) with the Tri-City Americans in an injury-shortened 47-game regular season before amassing 33 points (16-17-33) in 14 postseason games to lead Tri-City to an appearance in the WHL’s Conference Finals after back-to-back upsets in the first two rounds. Cholowski ranked among the league’s highest-scoring defensemen, combining for 66 points (14-52-66) between the Prince George Cougars and Portland Winterhawks. After Portland was eliminated from the playoffs, Cholowski made his professional postseason debut with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins.

This season’s roster includes two players who spent a majority of their first North American professional seasons with the Griffins in center Axel Holmstrom and defenseman Vili Saarijarvi. Holmstrom picked up 26 points (7-19-26) in 66 games with the Griffins in 2017-18 following a decorated career in Sweden, where he was named the Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year in 2015. Saarijarvi notched six points (2-4-6) in 10 games for the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye prior to earning a promotion to the AHL, where he contributed 11 assists in 42 games with Grand Rapids. Saarijarvi twice represented Finland at the IIHF World Junior Championship, combining for eight points (2-6-8) in 13 games over two tournaments and winning a gold medal in 2016.

Four players selected by the Red Wings at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft are slated to participate, including Zadina and Veleno. Defenseman Jared McIsaac was a teammate of Zadina with the Mooseheads and was drafted by Detroit in the second round (36th overall). McIsaac has recorded 79 points (13-66-79) in 124 QMJHL games over the last two seasons and won a gold medal with Canada at the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. He is one of three Red Wings currently competing for Canada, along with Rasmussen and Veleno, at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Kamloops, B.C. Fellow 2018 draftee and defenseman Alec Regula (third round, 67th overall) is one of two Detroit prospects in the United States’ camp, along with goaltender Keith Petruzzelli. Regula contributed 25 points (7-18-25) in 67 games with the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights in 2017-18.

Other roster highlights include right wing Givani Smith, a second-round pick (46th overall) in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft who capped off his major junior career by racking up 18 points (11-7-18) in 18 playoff games for the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers to place second on the team in goals during the postseason; center Christoffer Ehn, a former fourth-round pick (106th overall) in 2014 who is slated to move to North America after playing 147 games over the last five seasons in the top Swedish professional league with Frolunda, where he helped win a championship in 2017; and left wing David Pope, a fourth-round pick (109th overall) from the 2013 draft who signed with Detroit following a senior season at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, in which he led the team with 41 points (20-21-41) in 35 games.

In goal, the Red Wings have two recent free-agent signees in Patrik Rybar and Kaden Fulcher. The 24-year-old Rybar was signed by Detroit in May after spending four seasons playing professionally in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and representing the Slovakian national team at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Korea, and 2018 IIHF World Championship in Denmark. Fulcher was signed by Detroit after attending development camp and the NHL Prospect Tournament on a tryout prior to the 2017-18 campaign and backstopped the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs to a championship, leading all league netminders in goals-against average (2.70) and save percentage (0.905) during the postseason.

Twenty-one players who skated for the Red Wings during the 2017-18 season participated in the tournament during its 19-year history, while 597 total players have played in the tournament and moved on to skate in at least one NHL game. Prospects from the Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues will also be competing in this year’s tournament.

Tickets are available for $10 per day and can be purchased at Centre Ice Arena or at www.centreice.org. Each ticket is good for all four games per day. Teams are divided into two divisions and will play each team within their division once during the round robin before a crossover on the final day of the tournament, with the first-place finishers in each division meeting for the championship on Tuesday, Sept. 11. For more information and a complete tournament schedule, visit www.centreice.org.

2018 Detroit Red Wings NHL Prospect Tournament Roster

#      Name                               Pos.                            2017-18 Team                             Acquired                   
11    Filip Zadina                      RW                              Halifax (QMJHL)                          2018 1st round (6th overall)
21    Dennis Cholowski            D                                 Portland (WHL)                            2016 1st round (20th overall)
27    Michael Rasmussen        C                                 Tri-City (WHL)                              2017 1st round (9th overall)
29    Vili Saarijarvi                    D                                 Grand Rapids (AHL)                    2015 3rd round (73rd overall)
34    Patrik Rybar                     G                                 Hradec Kralove (Czech)              Signed by Red Wings, 5/21/18
36    Kaden Fulcher                 G                                 Hamilton (OHL)                            Signed by Red Wings, 10/3/17
46    Lane Zablocki                  RW                              Victoria (WHL)                              2017 3rd round (79th overall)
48    Givani Smith                    RW                              Kitchener (OHL)                           2016 2nd round (46th overall)
49    Axel Holmstrom               C                                 Grand Rapids (AHL)                     2014 7th round (196th overall)
50    Reilly Webb                     D                                 Saginaw (OHL)                             2017 6th round (164th overall)
53    Jordan Topping               LW                               Tri-City (WHL)                               Signed by Griffins, 7/20/18
58    David Pope                      LW                               Omaha (NCHC)                           2013 4th round (109th overall)
62    Trevor Hamilton               D                                 Penn State (B10)                          Signed by Griffins, 3/28/18
63    Jared McIsaac                 D                                 Halifax (QMJHL)                           2018 2nd round (36th overall)
64    Zach Gallant                    C                                 Peterborough (OHL)                     2017 3rd round (83rd overall)
67    Brady Gilmour                 C                                 Saginaw (OHL)                              2017 7th round (193rd overall)
68    Justin Fazio                     G                                 Sarnia (OHL)                                 Free Agent Invitee
70    Christoffer Ehn                C                                 Frolunda (SHL)                              2013 4th round (109th overall)
73    Marcus Crawford             D                                 Saginaw (OHL)                             Signed by Griffins, 4/3/18
74    Cole Fraser                      D                                 Peterborough (OHL)                     2017 5th round (131st overall)
76    Nicolas Guay                   C                                 Drummondville (QMJHL)              Free Agent Invitee
81    Trevor Yates                    C                                 Cornell (ECAC)                             Signed by Griffins, 3/28/18
89    Pavel Gogolev                 RW                              Peterborough (OHL)                     Free Agent Invitee
90    Joe Veleno                      C                                 Drummondville (QMJHL)               2018 1st round (30th overall)
92    Maxim Golod                   LW                               Erie (OHL)                                    Free Agent Invitee
94    Alec Regula                     D                                 London (OHL)                               2018 3rd round (67th overall)

According to WDIV’s Von Lozon, the Red Wings’ preseason tickets go on sale this morning, with individual-game regular-season tickets hitting the market on August 24th:

The Detroit Red Wings announced that tickets for all preseason home games at Little Caesars Arena are set to go on sale Monday morning at 10 a.m.

The first preseason game is at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 19 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Wings then play Chicago (Sept. 20), Boston (Sept. 22) and Toronto (Sept. 29).

You may purchase tickets at the LCA box office by calling 313-471-7575 or online at DetroitRedWings.com.

Regular season tickets go on sale Friday, Aug. 24.

Filip Zadina spoke with ISport.cz’s Kvetoslav Simek recently, and I asked any Czech-speaking Wings fans for assistance in translating the article. Martin Pohanic stepped up, and here’s his translation of Zadina’s conversation. Many thanks to Martin!

Detroit’s gonna help me, but It’s up to me, says Zadina. Now, He’s battling driving school.

He made his first strides on skates in Trinec. It’s also the same city Filip Zadina is doing his offseason drills this summer, under supervision of his father Marek. Filip was taken 6th overall in this year’s NHL draft. NHL is my boyhood dream and I will do whatever it takes to get there. Now He wants to get ready to make the jump to professional hockey.

Finish driver’s school, finish his third year in high school and get ready for the NHL. All of these are Filip’s current tasks. It’s been a busy summer so far. He’s checking every box on his list one after another. Step by step, He’s going for his dream. “That’s How my father taught me. Never stop skating and always move your feet,” says Filip smilingly.

Continue reading Expertly translated: Filip Zadina speaks with iSport.cz

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji wrote an article discussing Frans Nielsen’s 2017-18 season’s “numbers”:

700 — On Nov. 5 at Edmonton, Nielsen played in his 700th career NHL game. Nielsen got the first goal in the 4-0 victory that game, finishing with two shots and 14:33 of ice time. Nielsen finished the season with 764 games.

100 — Nielsen spent the first 10 seasons of his NHL career with the New York Islanders, but celebrated his 100th game with the Red Wings on Nov. 19 against the Colorado Avalanche. Nielsen had three shots on goal in the 4-3 overtime loss and finished with 20:13 of ice time.

400 — It was a milestone kind of season for Nielsen, who registered his 400th career point on Nov. 28 against the Los Angeles Kings. The Wings lost, 4-1, but Nielsen assisted on Detroit’s only goal. Nielsen had the primary assist on Mike Green’s goal at 14:12 of the first period, which gave the Wings a short-lived 1-0 lead. Nielsen had two shots and played 16:07.

Wakiji continues…