More about Brandon Naurato’s hiring from Wakiji

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji spoke with Brandon Naurato regarding his addition to the Red Wings’ player development staff:

One player who is already good but wants to be even better is Dylan Larkin, who worked with Naurato earlier this summer.

“Working on goal scoring, getting stronger,” Larkin said during the lunch break at the Larkin Hockey School on July 12. “I think my biggest thing is conditioning. I always try and run a lot and make sure I’m in great shape coming into camp. But I’ve been working with Brandon Naurato with a couple other pro guys about goal scoring and on my one-timer as well.”

Naurato said he’s also been working with Larkin on some different power-play options, depending on Larkin’s power-play role this coming season.

“With Dylan, he’s obviously an elite player and has great, I always call it tools in the toolbox,” Naurato said. “So with guys like that, it’s almost just giving them the visual of here’s some things that you do well. NHL players really don’t have glaring weaknesses or things that they’re doing poorly. But there’s some minor adjustments that they can make and you show those trends through the video to where it may make their lives easier or just make them more efficient.

“A random example that has nothing to do with Dylan would be if I show all the guy’s shot attempts in a 10-game segment, he’s going to see exactly where he’s getting his shots from, which shots are getting blocked, which shots are hitting the net and how he’s scoring his goals. If you find a trend that he’s getting shots blocked in a specific area, well then you just dive deeper and say why and is there some type of skill that I can help him acquire to start being more efficient and getting those shots through.”

Wakiji continues…

District Detroit, American Red Cross to hold blood drive at LCA on August 9th

From the Detroit Red Wings:

THE DISTRICT DETROIT AND AMERICAN RED CROSS TO HOST BLOOD DRIVE AT
LITTLE CAESARS ARENA AUGUST 9

Little Caesars Arena Via Concourse to be the setting for one of southeastern Michigan’s largest blood drives

Community encouraged to register at Redcrossblood.org to prevent blood supply shortage

DETROIT –  An emergency blood shortage is prompting the American Red Cross, The District Detroit and Meijer Inc.  to hold one of the largest blood drives in Michigan at the state-of-the-art Little Caesars Arena on Thursday, August 9. The Red Cross has issued an urgent call for eligible donors of all blood types – especially type O – to give now and help save lives. Blood donations are now being distributed to hospitals faster than they are coming in.

The event will take place in the arena’s 60,000 square foot street-level Via concourse amid the heritage of the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons.  All presenting donors will receive tickets to sporting events, concerts and other giveaways. They will also receive discounts to the arena’s Team Store as well as Mike’s Pizza Bar; Sports & Social Detroit; Kid Rock’s Made in Detroit and the District Market and be entered to win additional prizes such as team autographed items.

“Donating blood is always important. Participating in this setting will also have a fun feel for our volunteers and our donors,” said Beth Frahm, Donor Resource Development Representative, American Red Cross of Southeastern Michigan. “We’d like to thank the entire Ilitch organization and Meijer for supporting our work to help save lives right here in southeastern Michigan.”

The blood drive is one of many community initiatives supported by Ilitch Charities and the Detroit Red Wings Foundation.

“The unique design of Little Caesars Arena makes it a valuable community asset for a wide variety of events in addition to the larger sporting events and concerts,” said Chris Granger, Group President, Sports & Entertainment, Ilitch Holdings, Inc. “We’d like to thank the American Red Cross of Southeastern Michigan for this opportunity to support those in need in our community.”

The District Detroit Blood Drive at Little Caesars Arena Presented by Meijer

What: One of southeastern Michigan’s largest blood drives

Who: American Red Cross, The District Detroit and Meijer, Inc.

Where: Little Caesars Arena

When: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., August 9, 2018

Parking: Parking is available for donors free of charge at the Henry West Garage located at 128 W. Fisher Service Drive

Additional Information: Registration is required at Redcrossblood.org with the sponsor code LCA313.

How to donate blood
Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767), sponsor code: LCA313 to make an appointment or for more information. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, from a computer or mobile device. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.

About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit http://RedCross.org or http://CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

Centre Ice selling prospect tournament, training camp tickets presently

Traverse City’s Centre ICE Arena is selling tickets for the Red Wings’ prospect tournament and main training camp today at http://www.centreice.org/drwtickets

 

Michigan Hockey: Red Wings hire Brandon Naurato as player development consultant

According to Michigan Hockey’s Michael Caples, the Red Wings have hired Total Package Hockey founder Brandon Naurato as a member of their player development department:

Brandon Naurato has been building his hockey training resume in impressive fashion the last few years.

Turns out, his hometown team took notice.

The Detroit Red Wings have hired Naurato, a Livonia native, as a player development consultant.

Naurato, a Detroit Catholic Central and University of Michigan alum, will be working for director of player development Shawn Horcoff and player development assistant Dan Cleary in his new capacity with the Winged Wheel franchise.

“Like most kids in Michigan, I grew up a Red Wings fan, and my main goal now is, I’ve been given an opportunity within the organization in a player development role, and I want to help in any way I can,” Naurato told MiHockey. “I’m excited to learn from guys like Jeff Blashill and Dan Byslma and then Shawn Horcoff and Dan Cleary.”

The road to Hockeytown began with a meeting between Naurato and Kris Draper. Naurato, the director of player development for Total Package Hockey, showed Draper how he was constructing the training curriculum for TPH based around his own analysis from hockey’s highest level.

Continued

Afternoon news: On the Wings alums’ golf tournament, training camp tix on sale Tuesday, Dylan Larkin, the Eastside Elite Hockey League and a bad day in history

Of disparate Red Wings-related note this afternoon:

1. The Red Wings Alumni Association announced the date and time of their annual golf outing via a Tweet today…

2. And along the “see-you-in-September” line, Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City reminded us that training camp/prospect tournament tickets go on sale tomorrow, July 24th:

New This Year – Alumni/Celebrity Game Features DRW Alumni vs Guns N Hoses, Red & White Game at Noon on Sunday

Get tickets for NHL Prospect Tournament and DRW Training Camp starting TOMORROW (July 24) at 10 am. Online sales only; no in-person sales. Click link for tickets and event details.

New This Year – Public May Purchase Tickets to DRW Golf Classic VIP Reception

Golf and Dine with the Red Wings during the DRW Golf Classic. Don’t golf? Attend the VIP Reception that evening. Click link for complete details, golf registration and VIP Reception Tickets.

3. In foreign-language news, Hockeysverige.se’s Uffe Bodin reports that Wings prospect Mattias Elfstrom has been signed by IK Oskarshamn of the Swedish Allsvenskan;

4. Closer to home, the Hockey News’s Jared Clinton weighed in on the Dylan Larkin contract talks:

DYLAN LARKIN, DETROIT RED WINGS

If we were to rate these on a scale of least-to-most likely to go the duration of the summer, with one being the least, Larkin would be about a two at worst. It’s been made clear by Larkin that he could see his time without a deal for the 2018-19 campaign coming to an end shortly, although that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to happen this week. It could still take several before the entire thing is ironed out.

There’s no reason for these negotiations to become all that contentious, however. It’s clear Larkin and the Red Wings are a fit — some consider him a shoo-in as Detroit’s next captain — and the 21-year-old has proven he’s ready to carry the offensive load. His sophomore season notwithstanding, Larkin has been excellent for the Red Wings and led the team with 63 points last season, though his 16 goals were the fewest of his young career. If his shooting percentage normalizes a bit, however, Larkin looks like a promising 20-goal, 60-point player for the foreseeable future. As for terms on a new deal, you can probably safely bet on Larkin landing something in the $6 million-range annually, and Detroit might be best served to buy up a free agent year with a six-year term.

5. The Athletic’s Jordin Horrobin spoke with Steven Oleksy regarding the Eastside Elite Hockey League, whose All-Star Game is taking place this Thursday in Mt. Clemens:

Oleksy, 32, is still working to get back to the NHL. He’s entering the second half of a two-year deal with Anaheim, though he spent all of last season with the AHL affiliate in San Diego. Being the player-commissioner of the EEHL feels like a full-time job, but he says it doesn’t hinder his training regimen. Instead, it means using less of his offseason to enjoy Michigan summers and sharpen his short game.

“I don’t get to go out on boats all the time like some guys do,” he says. “Or go golfing whenever I want.”

For Oleksy, it’s a worthwhile trade to give local players the opportunity to play through the summer in relaxed versions of game-like situations. From the middle of June to the first week of August, players skate twice-weekly in 5-on-5 games with no checking.

“For a summer league, it’s very organized,” Larkin told The Athletic’s Craig Custance. “It’s not goon hockey.”

Thursday’s all-star game is a 3-on-3 format, with four teams captained by Larionov, Sergei Samsonov, Todd Bertuzzi and Chris Chelios (or David Legwand if Chelios cannot be present). Proceeds from the $10 tickets are going to a quartet of charitable causes: ALS awareness, autism awareness, StopConcussions and the Special Olympics. Fire capacity at the arena is about 500 people and both previous all-star games sold out.

6. And Paul Kukla retweeted this note about a rough day in Detroit sports history:

The Wings tore apart the heart of their team because Jack Adams wanted to banish Ted Lindsay to the Siberia of the NHL for starting a players’ association.

Update:

 

Kulfan profiles Wings prospect Jack Adams

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan profiles Red Wings prospect Jack Adams this afternoon. Adams stands at a lanky 6’5,” and he possesses superb goal-scoring skills, but he had a rough freshman season at Union College:

At 6 feet, 5 inches, Jack Adams, the Red Wings’ 2017 sixth-round draft pick, has it. But along with being a benefit in hockey, Adams has seen how having size can be a problem, too.

“It’s definitely an advantage, but it’s also harder than people think,” Adams said last month at the Wings’ development camp. “(People think) you’re big, you can go crush people. (When you’re playing opposing big players), you have to play more of an all-around game when you’re bigger, you have to finish your checks, be hard on the forecheck, be hard in front of the net. You can’t lose your one-on-one battles. There’s definitely more responsibility.”

Rick Bennett, the Union (N.Y.) College head coach, has been on Adams to utilize his size and strength in a positive way.

“Coach Bennett always stresses if you’re a big guy and you do something wrong, it looks worse because  you’re all over the place and you’re so much bigger,” Adams said. “But if you’re a smaller guy, you just go down. There’s definitely more responsibility. But there’s also more upside if you really capitalize on your strength.”

Kulfan’s profile continues…

Chris Chelios named Blackhawks ambassador

No surprise here, per the Chicago Blackhawks:

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that Hall of Famer Chris Chelios will serve as team ambassador, joining legends Tony Esposito, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Denis Savard in representing the organization at events at the United Center and throughout the Chicagoland area. Chelios will be officially introduced at the Blackhawks Convention this weekend at the Hilton Chicago.

“Through multiple generations of players and fans, Chris Chelios will forever be etched into the history of the Chicago Blackhawks,” said Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz. “His contributions to our organization and the overall sport of hockey stand tall. We are proud to welcome Chris and his family back home to the United Center and we are honored to call him an ambassador.”

“We are excited to welcome Chris back to the Blackhawks family,” Blackhawks President and CEO John McDonough said. “His outstanding Blackhawks career and his passion for the game will complement the work that our current ambassadors carry out to represent the organization.”

“To be able to join the Blackhawks organization in this role means everything to me,” said Chelios. “I’m very thankful to Rocky Wirtz and John McDonough for this opportunity to return to the Blackhawks. Chicago is my hometown and returning to this organization is very special to me and my family.”

Luke Witkowski speaks with WOOD TV’s Figurski regarding several topics

Red Wings swingman Luke Witkowski worked at the Great Lakes Hockey camp in Holland, Michigan last week, and Witkowski spoke with WOOD TV’s Larry Figurski about his participation in said camp.

Figurski speaks with Witkowski about playing for the Red Wings, playing for coach Jeff Blashill, the direction of the team going into the 2018-19 season and his role on the team:

 

St. James engages in a Q and A with Jeff Blashill

The Free Press’s Helene St. James engaged in a Q and A with Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill this morning:

HSJ: Is there a minimum number of prospects that you need to integrate on the team for the sake of rebuilding? 

JB: I don’t know that there is a number. I think one of the big keys is that when you are a playoff team on an annual basis, the right move is that when a young player and a veteran player are tied, the tie goes to the veteran. When you are a team that hasn’t made the playoffs for two years and a young player and a veteran player are tied, I think now the tie should go to the young player. And I say that because we need different results, and part of having different results is improving internally, and that can come with new guys being in spots. So I don’t know that there is a number per se — I think it has way more to do with when guys are ready and show that type of promise, that they get the opportunities to deliver on that promise. I don’t think it’s blind hope, though. One of the things that can happen in the sports world is just because there are unknowns, people think everybody should be given opportunity. Our jobs as evaluators are to decide which guys are going to make us better and which aren’t. It’s not just blind hope. 

Continued