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

Free Press’s 12-player ‘next Detroit sports star’ list includes Larkin, Zadina, Rasmussen and Bertuzzi

The Detroit Free Press has produced a list of 12 potential Detroit athletes who may become the city’s “next sports star,” and 4 of the players on Marlowe Alter’s list are Red Wings players or prospects, including #1 on the list:

1. Dylan Larkin, Red Wings forward

Age: 21.

Acquired: Drafted 15th overall in 2014.

Stats: 82 games, 16 goals, 47 assists.

Why he will become a star: He has established himself as a top-two line center in the NHL, and has been a go-to guy for the U.S. at two World Championships. He plays in all situations, makes good decisions with the puck and shows creativity. He’s a great skater, and has a high internal drive to be an elite player.

Why he won’t become a star: Can he continue to find ways to produce more?

The list continues, and Filip Zadina, Michael Rasmussen and Tyler Bertuzzi also make appearances for the Wings…

Three Things: On ‘The Russian Five’s’ distribution, McCarty the comedian and Cholowski’s favorites

Of Red Wings-related note this morning:

  1. The Russian Five film director Joshua Riehl gave an interview to the Northern Express’s Ross Boissoneau as part of the film’s debut at the Traverse City Film Festival, and Riehl addressed the sticky issue of distribution:

Riehl hopes to continue to showcase his film through as many channels as possible. With streaming, premium channels, and the ability to host films on websites, including Youtube, Riehl said there are more opportunities to release movies than just in megaplexes across the country. “There are lots of tools now to distribute. The sky’s the limit.”

The interview continues, and it’s quite good…

2. According to the Huron Daily Tribune’s Mike Gallagher, Darren McCarty will be performing stand-up comedy in Ubly, Michigan on August 4th:

Golfers at Ubly Heights Golf & Country Club, along with the public, will get the chance to find out about his comedy, as Darren McCarty’s Slapstick Comedy Tour will be coming to the Ubly Heights Golf & Country Club Men’s Invitational on Aug. 4.

“This came together with a little bit of help from the Men’s Invitational committee,” [Ubly Heights PGA Professional Dave] Hanson said. “It’s actually going to be the entertainment part of the Ubly Heights Men’s Invitational this year. We always do some sort of card game, or comedians or magicians. We did a Vegas night one year, so we try to mix it up and we decided to go with the comedians again this year.”

Hanson added: “When we called, they said that we could have some comedians or we could have Darren McCarty, who had an open weekend. So we jumped on it.”

The show will feature not only McCarty, but also a variety of other Michigan comedians, including Jason Douglas, who has opened for the likes of Dennis Miller, Ron White, Jim Gaffigan, Carrot Top and Weird Al.

“Darren has become quite the good comedian on this tour,” said Douglas. “Darren and I had a mutual friend and I said to a buddy of mine, that I thought Darren could host a comedy show and we could bring in a lot of hockey fans. He could tell some stories and we could have some pro comedians on it. Next thing you know Darren went on stage, we booked the first show and he was super funny. Since then we’ve sat down with some other comics and we do writing sessions.”

3. And finally, Dennis Cholowski engaged in a game of “This or That” during the Wings’ summer development camp:

 

 

Danny DeKeyser to join Western Michigan University hockey’s ‘Ring of Honor’ on July 28th

From Western Michigan University, via MLive:

Western Michigan Hockey alums Steve Abbott and Danny DeKeyser are set to be inducted into the WMU Hockey Ring of Honor on Saturday, July 28 as part of the annual Friends and Alumni Golf Outing at The Moors.

The ceremony begins at 12:30 p.m., following registration and lunch for the golf outing. Spots are still available and fans and alumni can register by going to www.wmugolfoutings.com.