The Malik Report

The Detroit Red Wings play the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening (6 PM EDT on Red Wings YouTube and Fox Sports GO), and Sean Romeo is going to start for the Wings this evening. Everyone else is healthy (all 27 skaters took part in the morning skate, including some limited participation by Filip Larsson), so we’ll see what lineup decisions coach Simon makes.

The Wings held a morning skate, after which a) Moritz Seider told DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner that he’d prefer to play in North America this upcoming season, b) the room was a little crowded with The Hockey News coming in to do video interviews, and:

I spoke with Ryan Kuffner regarding his take on the tournament thus far, his role as a secondary scorer, and his belief that it’s easy to focus on the tournament and only the tournament once you’re in the moment of playing for your teammates:

Continue reading Audio from Monday’s morning skate at the Red Wings’ prospect tournament ’19: A Seider tidbit; Romeo starts; quips from Kuffner, Smith, Regula, Zadina and coach Simon

The Athletic’s Max Bultman reflects upon Joe Veleno’s four-goal performance at the prospect tournament thus far, and what Veleno’s start may mean in terms of bolstering his case to make the Red Wings’ roster:

His first goal came on an instinctive play on which he stole a puck in the slot and deked Chicago’s goalie. It was probably the purest “goal-scorer’s goal” of them all. But the next three were arguably more significant because they all involved Veleno just letting the puck rip — whether that meant a one-timer, or off one quick touch in the slot.

“It’s something I’ve worked on a lot throughout the summer — staying (in Detroit), working on my shot and getting it off quicker,” Veleno said. “I have to give a lot of credit to the coaches who have been working with me and showing me some good techniques with that. And obviously the players giving me the puck and seeing me in open areas at the right time.”

Two games in September isn’t enough to determine anything definitive about the growth of that part of his game, but an improved shot would be a boon to the 19-year-old’s chances at mounting a credible roster campaign when the Red Wings begin training camp this weekend.

Continued (paywall); as Bultman suggests, Veleno’s probably going to start the year in Grand Rapids.

The Traverse City Record-Eagle’s Jake Atnip spoke with Red Wings forward Filip Zadina regarding his off-season preparations, and Zadina suggests that he’ll be better-prepared for his sophomore pro season:

“I think I have proved to myself that I am quicker and stronger on the ice, that is what I have been working on all during the summer,” Zadina said. “I think I did a good job and I believe I am ready to go during this tournament and at camp.”

The eager young star feels just as strongly about his abilities as before and noted that he wished his first year with he organization went a little differently.

“I feel stronger right now and ready to go,” he said. “That’s what I said last year and I meant it, I was ready but it went a different way than I wanted. But it is a new season and new start for me with a new opportunity to show them that I am good enough player to be there.”

Continued

MLive’s Ansar Khan issues a 2019-2020 season outlook for Red Wings free agent signing Patrik Nemeth this morning:

Nemeth essentially replaces the retired Niklas Kronwall. He’s strictly a stay-at-home defensive defenseman who’ll block shots and be among the team leaders in penalty-killing minutes and won’t provide much offense.

A left-handed shooter, he is slotted to play on one of the top two pairings, with a more offensive-minded right-handed shooter, either Mike Green or Filip Hronek.

His role diminished a bit last season in Colorado, where he logged less ice time and was a healthy scratch for most of the second playoff round. But he figures to log around 20 minutes a game with the Red Wings.

Continued

Not hockey-related, per se, but you may enjoy it anyway:

The Detroit Red Wings are holding a community tour of various Michigan locations leading up to training camp, and the Red Wings’ prospects kicked off the tour by visiting the Cherryland Humane Society on Sunday afternoon.

The 9&10 News’s Caroline Klapp reports that the Wings came bearing a gift…

After the visit the Red Wings presented Cherryland with a check for $3,500.

One of the players told 9&10 News the guys are thrilled to be part of this.

“Maybe there’s families that want to adopt a dog but don’t know about some programs and for us to be here and do our best to promote the humane society, it’s just such a great cause,” said Red Wings prospect Ryan Kuffner.

DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner chronicled the prospects’ day at the Humane Society…

Continue reading The puppy-kitten report: Wings’ Community Tour kicks off with Traverse City Humane Society visit

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan examines 5 Red Wings who “could rebound” from difficult 2018-2019 seasons this afternoon. Since I’m in Traverse City at present, I’m picking Kulfan’s only candidate who is participating in the prospect tournament:

Filip Zadina: Last year’s first-round pick is on this list mainly because of the large upside that likely still exists for Zadina.

After not making the Wings out of camp, Zadina had 35 points (16 goals, 19 assists) in 59 games with Grand Rapids, with a minus-17 rating (he had one assist in five playoff games, with minus-3).

Zadina had three points (one goal, two assists) in nine games with the Wings, and a minus-5.

At age 19, Zadina went through a professional baptism to be sure, learning about the jump from junior hockey to the pro level.

Given his talent, and another year adjusting to the pro game, Zadina should improve his offensive numbers this season.

Kulfan continues, discussing Justin Abdelkader, Mike Green and Frans Nielsen’s situations.

As far as Zadina is concerned, he’s got all the talent necessary to evolve into a star player. It’s just a matter of becoming a dynamic player by inching away from his favorite scoring spot at the right faceoff dot, and starting to shoot the puck from all areas of the ice. Maturity takes time to mold and encourage, so the more Zadina plays, the better he should become (in theory, anyway).

The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a “training camp primer” this morning, discussing five pertinent topics to watch as the Wings prepare to open training camp on Friday, September 13th. Among her topics:

Prospects on deck: Where is forward Evgeny Svechnikov, 22, at? The team’s first round pick from 2015 was ticketed for Grand Rapids when he hurt a knee during a 2018 preseason game, leading him to miss all of last season (at least that translates to another year of being waiver exempt). Can he harness his energy into an NHL job? Forward Michael Rasmussen, 20, a first-round pick from 2017, was manhandled by opponents the second half of his rookie season and would have been in the minors had he been eligible. He’s likely to start the season in Grand Rapids.

Forward Filip Zadina, 19, the sixth overall pick in 2018, had an OK first year of pro hockey, spent mostly with Grand Rapids (16 goals, 19 assists in 59 AHL games, three points in nine NHL games), but he lacked a center who could get him the puck. It’ll be interesting to see if he gets some shifts with Dylan Larkin, or maybe there’s a fit on a line with Frans Nielsen and Andreas Athanasiou. If Zadina shows he can score, he should start the season in Detroit. If he starts in Grand Rapids, there’s a good chance he’ll play with Joe Veleno, the 30th pick in 2018, who has the skill set to set up Zadina.

Continued: the prospect tournament is a time for optimism and assessment of where the prospects are at in terms of playing in a competitive environment close to World Junior Championship standards, but how the players continue to progress during training camp and the exhibition season tells the tale…

And in the Red Wings’ case, I think that watching Zadina, Hirose and Veleno vying for spots on the roster will be matched in my interest with seeing what Svechnikov, whose career hit a “re-set” button due to his ACL injury, and Rasmussen, whose raw potential has been blunted by a rocky rookie season, fight their own fights to remain on the Wings’ team.

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects possess a 1-0-and-1 record after defeating the St. Louis Blues 7-3 on Saturday, assuaging Friday’s 5-4 OT loss to Chicago and setting up quite the tilt on Monday, when the Wings will face the 2-and-0 Toronto Maple Leafs (at 6 PM EDT; Toronto has beaten St. Louis 6-2 Friday and then Chicago 6-3 on Saturday).

If you want to watch the game yourself, the Wings posted it on YouTube:

To some extent, the Red Wings have been as lucky as they’ve been good: their power play went 3-for-5 on Friday and 3-for-8 on Saturday, with Joe Veleno scoring 2 goals during each game, and they’ve out-shot their opponents 63-43, so it’s been Detroit’s offense that’s carried the day over the course of a 12-7 scoring binge.

On Saturday, Ryan Kuffner also continued a strong tournament with another goal-and-an-assist performance, Filip Zadina had 3 assists (giving him 4 for the tournament), and Givani Smith had a Gordie Howe Hat Trick in the form of a goal, an assist, and a fight.

The Wings are flexing their muscles in front of a packed house of fans, a jam-packed “scouts’ lounge” of amateur and pro scouts from around North America and, of course, a full “owners’ suite” lined with executives both old and new to Red Wings’ front office.

MLive’s Ansar Khan did a fine job of writing a narrative recap…

Continue reading Impressions from the Red Wings prospects’ win over the St. Louis Blues at the prospect tournament ’19

Updated with an article by Dana Wakiji at 8:48 PM: This is just fantastic stuff, per the Red Wings on Twitter:

It was great to have Tyler from @MakeAWishMI, who’s wish was to meet Steve Yzerman, at today’s game! @stjoes_health pic.twitter.com/zSKgXxk6g4— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 7, 2019

Tyler brought the luck, so we’ll see him again at Little Caesars Arena on October 12th! @stjoes_health pic.twitter.com/l0PAUXAw2t— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 7, 2019

Continue reading Red Wings nail their ‘Make a Wish’ wish on Saturday

The Score’s Sean O’Leary picked 5 players for fantasy hockey poolies to target as “sleeper” picks, and his praise for Anthony Mantha is effusive:

Mantha is coming off a career-high 25-goal season with Detroit despite being limited to 67 games, showing the high-end promise the Red Wings hoped for when they drafted him 20th overall in 2013.

The soon-to-be 25-year-old primarily spent his time flanking Dylan Larkin in 2018-19, and they put up solid results – a trend that should continue for another year as the Wings’ two core pieces keep developing as pros.

Mantha shot the puck more than ever last season, too, but still maintained his career-average shooting percentage of 12.6%, indicating he’s a candidate to produce consistently rather than a flash in the pan. He also netted seven goals in nine contests for Canada at the World Championship if you needed any more convincing that this is a player quietly trending toward becoming a premier NHL goal-scorer.

Continued