The Malik Report

The Red Wings broadcast an hour’s worth of training camp activities today, and they posted the broadcast on YouTube:

The Detroit Red Wings engaged in a spirited set of drills during the second day of training camp, and after their on-ice workouts, the Red Wings made the following players available to the media:

Taro Hirose spoke with the press regarding his attempts to earn a spot on the Wings’ roster, his desire to impress during his first training camp and more:

Moritz Seider spoke with the press and was his confident, direct self, discussing what it would take to stick in North America, his desire to become both a “better player and a better person” under the guidance of the Wings’ leaders, and what he brings to the table as a player:

Luke Glendening addressed the addition of an alternate captain’s “A” to his jersey, he talked about how he can help lead the team on and off the ice, his busy summer (he got married) and what Mike Barwis can bring to the team as their director of sports science:

Patrik Nemeth was a refreshingly positive fellow who believes that the Red Wings are closer to turning their team around than most anyone else suggests, with Nemeth suggesting that the Wings can in fact build from the defensive foundation that he will help establish on out:

Coach Blashill spoke for 10 minutes, addressing the aforementioned players, whether Hirose, Seider or Filip Zadina might make the team out of training camp, his take on the Red vs. White game to come and his status as playing in tonight’s “Celebrity and Alumni Game”:

Of Red Wings-related note this morning:

1. The Traverse City Record-Eagle’s Jake Atnip posted a notebook article summarizing Friday’s training camp storylines, including the prospect angle:

The Red Wings have had back-to-back sixth overall picks in the NHL Entry Draft and have rounded out their roster with a ton of young prospects looking to get their shot at the National Hockey league.

They selected forward Filip Zadina in 2018 and bolstered their defensive prospects with Moritz Seider on June 21. Zadina, 19, and Seider, 18, join a stable of prospects that the Red Wings have been developing over the past three years.

Forward Givani Smith and defenseman Filip Hronek, who were both second-round picks in 2016, have developed into NHL-caliber players in their time with the organization. Hronek played 46 games for the Red Wings in 2018-19 and Smith spent the season with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Joe Veleno, a first round pick in 2018 and the top scoring forward in this year’s NHL Prospect Tournament, spent the summer working on his defense and becoming a 200-foot player. Dennis Cholowski, the top pick for the Red Wings in 2016, spent a little time with the parent club last season and is one of many young guys who have a shot at making the 2019-20 roster.

“They definitely have a chance, there are spots on the roster and ice time available,” Yzerman said of his prospects’ shot at making the NHL roster. “The younger players are pushing to make the team and there are several of them who can make it.”

Continued;

2. And Fox Sports Detroit’s John Keating spoke with coach Jeff Blashill yesterday, engaging in a morning interview which aired on last night’s Tigers game:

Fox Sports Detroit posted its latest installment of its “The 313,” in which Brooke Fletcher speaks with Moritz Seider:

Update: The Red Wings also posted a slick little one-minute “nightcap”:

Back at it in the A.M. ?#DRWTC pic.twitter.com/bHoynEsdgK— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 14, 2019

Among the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan’s notebook’s notes, a few quips stand out, including this one from Tyler Bertuzzi:

Many analysts are predicting another long season, and another spring without the playoffs for the Red Wings. Tyler Bertuzzi is using that as fuel to prove those people wrong.

The Wings have missed the playoffs three consecutive seasons, but Bertuzzi said this team expects more.

“Everyone has us not making the playoffs again, and just the same path we’ve been on the last few years,” Bertuzzi said. “We want to change that. Just kind of our ending last year, we were playing real well at the end of the season. We got a couple of new guys, and just more experience from guys, and we have our older guys leading the way.”

Update: Also from Dylan Larkin and Steve Yzerman, via DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji:

“This is year two of three where we’re pegged to be a bottom five team in the NHL,” Larkin said. “To me that stings a little bit. We believe in our group. For me, I want our team to come out of this camp healthy. Last year was a tough start. We can’t start like that this year. For us to come out of this camp healthy as a full team and hit the ground running, hopefully we can turn a lot of heads and shock people.”

As for Yzerman, he is thinking big picture when it comes to assessing the team.

“If you’re not competitive you’re not going to play in the NHL. That’s the reality,” Yzerman said. “You have to be competitive on the ice, off the ice. That’s the inner drive that they have. You have to do that to play in the league. For the team, our ultimate goal is to win a Stanley Cup at some point. We want to show improvement in our record. Every year you’re trying to improve.

“But as we sit here in September, we’ll watch the team in October and throughout the entire season, I’m looking at that as we got players that are going to be 20 years old, 19 years old, we got guys that are 35. 36, all at different stages. Are they helping us? Are they making us a better team? Ultimately, part of being a good player is being real competitive.”

The Detroit Red Wings opened training camp at Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City today, splitting their 67-man roster into three “teams” which practiced for the better part of six hours today.

For most of the media, the biggest moment of the day was the 18 minutes we spent with Steve Yzerman, but even the subsequent interviews with Tyler Bertuzzi, Dylan Larkin, Valtteri Filppula and coach Jeff Blashill weren’t as exciting as the simple fact that hockey fans and hockey scribes alike could finally watch the Red Wings’ players skate and the Red Wings’ coaches coach.

Today’s practices were particularly up-tempo by training camp standards, and when coach Blashill didn’t like the pace thereof, he made each of the first two teams do some laps from one side of the rink to the other to ensure that his message was sent.

That message? Haul ass and execute while hauling said asses.

Continue reading Impressions from the first day of the Red Wings’ training camp ’19

Of multimedia note from the first day of the Red Wings’ 2019 training camp:

1. WXYZ’s Brad Galli posted a video of Steve Yzerman’s press conference, in full:

2. He also posted a clip of Dylan Larkin’s lengthy presser…

3. As well as Tyler Bertuzzi’s media availability:

Continue reading Multimedia round-up from Friday’s training camp sessions

As the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan notes, Steve Yzerman spent a significant portion of his press conference reflecting upon the performances of the Wings’ prospects during their prospect-tournament-winning campaign:

“We need more (prospects), but I’m encouraged – there’s a good group of young players that have potential,” Yzerman said Friday as he met with the media at camp, after the day’s workouts had been completed. “We’re going to try to add to that group. But with that group, we’re trying to create an environment that allows them to go from prospects to good NHL players, and that’s a big step.”

It was only four games, but the Wings fielded one of the younger teams in the Prospects Tournament and Yzerman was encouraged by the competitiveness of his team.

Defenseman Moritz Seider, and forwards Joe Veleno, Filip Zadina, Givani Smith, Chase Pearson, Ryan Kuffner and Taro Hirose were among some of the recent draft picks or undrafted college free agents who were impressive, according to Yzerman.

“You like to win – it’s better to win than to lose,” Yzerman said. “Most importantly, the kids competed real hard. They learned from it. Some of those kids are only 18 years old and playing against some 23- and 24-year-olds. They had good week’s and it’s preparing them for next week and a good buildup for them moving forward. It looks like we have a good group of prospects here and we’re hoping they continue to improve and eventually become NHLers.”

Continued

Update: Also, from MLive’s Ansar Khan:

Continue reading Kulfan: prospects impressed Yzerman

Dylan Larkin spoke to the media prior to Steve Yzerman’s remarks on Friday afternoon, and MLive’s Ansar Khan noted that Larkin is not discouraged because the Wings did not name him their captain:

“In our locker room I can assure you that leadership is not a problem,” Larkin said. “I’m extremely happy for Luke [Glendening]. It’s well deserved. But you could look at 10 guys that could wear ‘A’s’ on our team and could wear ‘C’s.’

“They (coaches and management) know what they’re doing. I’m not disappointed at all. A new manager where we’re all looking to impress him and take a step in the right direction for our organization.”

Larkin and Yzerman spoke a couple of weeks ago.

“It wasn’t negative at all. It was encouraging,” Larkin said. “We talked a lot about how to be a pro even more, to look at the guys who have led on our team before, what I can do to be an all-around leader. For me it’s exciting to have conversations like that where it’s someone who’s been through it and someone that’s done it very well. Having conversations like that is invaluable to my career and something that I’m excited and grateful for.”

He doesn’t view it as a slight and doesn’t need any more incentive.

“I want to win. I want to play well. I want to represent the city, my teammates and the fans and my family as well as I can,” Larkin said. “I’m a driven person. I want to be great. I want this team to be great. I want to have a great season. I’m motivated to take this team to where we need to be.”

Continued

As noted earlier this afternoon, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman gave an 18-minute press conference today, and he was pressed most consistently regarding the comments made by Dylan Larkin a little earlier in the day, and why the team chose to go without a captain, at least for the present moment.

The Free Press’s Helene St. James took note of both gentlemen’s comments:

“Look at the guys that have led on our team before and what I can do to be an all-around leader,” Larkin said. “For me it’s exciting to have conversations like that where someone who has been through it and someone who has done it very well. It’s invaluable to my career. It’s something I’m excited and grateful for.”

Larkin said he isn’t disappointed the decision has been delayed, and that he’s focused on impressing Yzerman.

Yzerman wants to get to know Larkin and all of the players better before a captain is named. There is no better choice than Larkin, who is only 22 and who in four seasons has emerged as the face of the rebuild. Larkin occasionally wore the ‘A’ last season, his first wearing a letter on his sweater, splitting time as alternate captain with Frans Nielsen. This year, Larkin will wear a permanent letter. Nielsen will rotate with newly minted alternate Luke Glendening, and Justin Abdelkader is the other alternate. 

Yzerman wants to see every player assert himself.

“I’m looking for them all to step forward as leaders on the ice and off the ice and set the tone the way we’re going to play and the way we’re going to conduct ourselves,” Yzerman said. “I want to get to know all these guys — a few of the veteran guys I know somewhat from when I left the organization, but it’s an opportunity to take the time to get to know everyone and when we eventually do name a captain, I intend that person to be the captain for a long time.”

Continued; if and when the Red Wings do name a captain, Yzerman’s not concerned about the timing thereof.