Four Tweets of note: It’s Cleary-Horcoff Invitational time

Of Twitter-related note this morning:

1. The old Cleary-Horcoff Invitational has grown into quite the shindig, and a reunion of former Red Wings to boot. Daniel Cleary, Todd Bertuzzi, Jimmy Howard, Valtteri Filppula, Todd Bertuzzi, Niklas Kronwall, Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist joined Horcoff, Ryan Whitney, Mike Commodore, Nicklas Backstrom, Erik Karlsson and assorted NHL friends for a golf tournament in Scotland:

2. Here’s an FYI regarding a Red Wings player appearance in greater Grand Rapids, per the Holland Sentinel’s Chris Zadorozny:

3. The Larkin Hockey School’s first “class” for 2018 completed its course of instruction in Waterford, MI today:

4. This bit of editorial content comes from the NHL Network, via the Red Wings:

Update: WXYZ’s Brad Galli filed a feature from Dylan Larkin’s hockey camp:

 

Via the Wings: Ken Holland appears on ‘The Power Play’ on NHL Radio

Via the Red Wings, GM Ken Holland appeared on the NHL on Sirius XM Radio’s “The Power Play” program earlier this afternoon:

Slightly belated: Red Wings sign Anthony Mantha to 2-year, $6.6 contract

While I was at the grocery store, per the Red Wings:

RED WINGS AND ANTHONY MANTHA AGREE TO TWO-YEAR CONTRACT
… Former First-Round Pick Led Red Wings with 24 Goals in 2017-18 …

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today agreed to terms with right wing Anthony Mantha on a two-year contract.

Mantha, 23, skated in 80 games with the Red Wings in 2017-18 and produced a team-leading 24 goals, while ranking among Detroit’s leaders with 24 assists (4th), 48 points (3rd), 52 penalty minutes (4th), nine power-play goals (1st), 190 shots (3rd) and a 12.6 shooting percentage (1st). He registered multiple points in a single game on 10 occasions last season, including four three-point games and a career-high four points (2-2-4) on March 6 at Boston. Mantha became part of Red Wings history during the 2017-18 campaign by scoring the first-ever goal at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit’s season-opening 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 5, 2017. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound winger has appeared in 150 games with the Red Wings since 2015-16, notching 87 points (43-44-87) and 107 penalty minutes.

The Longueuil, Quebec, native was drafted by the Red Wings in the first round (20th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He also appeared in 132 games with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins from 2014-17, totaling 88 points (44-44-88), a plus-20 rating and 102 penalty minutes in 132 regular-season games and 15 points (6-9-15), a plus-six rating and 24 penalty minutes in 25 postseason games. Prior to turning professional, Mantha enjoyed a historic 2013-14 campaign in which he was named the Canadian Hockey League’s Player of the Year and the most-valuable player of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League after racking up 120 points (57-63-120) in 57 regular-season games and 38 points (24-14-38) in 24 playoff games to help the Val-d’Or Foreurs capture the QMJHL championship. In 189 QMJHL games between 2010-14, Mantha totaled 260 points (129-131-260), a plus-42 rating and 185 penalty minutes. He also led Canada at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship with 11 points (5-6-11) in seven games.

Anthony Mantha, Right Wing
Born Sep 16 1994 — Longueuil, PQ
Height 6.05 — Weight 225 — Shoots L
Selected by Detroit Red Wings round 1 #20 overall 2013 NHL Entry Draft

— Regular Season —  —- Playoffs —-
Season   Team                        Lge    GP    G    A  Pts  PIM  GP   G   A Pts PIM
————————————————————————————–
2010-11  Val d’Or Foreurs            QMJHL   2    0    0    0    0  —  —  —  —  —
2011-12  Val d’Or Foreurs            QMJHL  63   22   29   51   39   4   2   2   4   6
2012-13  Val d’Or Foreurs            QMJHL  67   50   39   89   71   9   5   7  12  13
2013-14  Val d’Or Foreurs            QMJHL  57   57   63  120   75  24  24  14  38  52
2014-15  Grand Rapids Griffins       AHL    62   15   18   33   64  16   2   2   4  16
2015-16  Grand Rapids Griffins       AHL    60   21   24   45   32   9   4   7  11   8
2015-16  Detroit Red Wings           NHL    10    2    1    3    2  —  —  —  —  —
2016-17  Grand Rapids Griffins       AHL    10    8    2   10    6  —  —  —  —  —
2016-17  Detroit Red Wings           NHL    60   17   19   36   53  —  —  —  —  —
2017-18  Detroit Red Wings           NHL    80   24   24   48   52  —  —  —  —  —
————————————————————————————–
NHL Totals                        150   43   44   87  107

Update: The Free Press’s Helene St. James confirms…

Continue reading Slightly belated: Red Wings sign Anthony Mantha to 2-year, $6.6 contract

Meet Wings draft pick Seth Barton

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji penned a profile of Red Wings 2018 draft pick Seth Barton, a defenseman who played for the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters this past season:

When you look at defenseman Seth Barton, one thing stands out – he could definitely stand to put on a few pounds. At the Red Wings’ recent development camp, Barton was one of the taller defensemen at 6-foot-3 but he was by far the lightest at just 174 pounds.

The second lightest defenseman was Gustav Lindstrom at 187 pounds. Lindstrom was the Wings’ second-round pick, 38th overall, in the 2017 draft.

But Barton will have time to add weight when he attends the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

“I went down on a visit there,” Barton said. “Just very professional in the way they handled things there. Norm Bazin, the head coach, well-respected, and the facilities they have there are outstanding for development. So pretty easy choice.”

Barton was the Wings’ second third-round pick, 81st overall, in last month’s NHL Entry Draft in Dallas.

“It was pretty incredible,” Barton said. “I wasn’t sure if they were at the top of the list going into draft day so it was pretty incredible getting a call from Ken (Holland, Detroit’s general manager). Obviously seeing it on TV, seeing it with my family, that was pretty cool.”

Wakiji continues…

The Grand Rapids Griffins release their 2018-19 season schedule

From the Grand Rapids Griffins:

GRIFFINS ANNOUNCE 2018-19 SCHEDULE

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday released their schedule for the 2018-19 American Hockey League season. It will mark the franchise’s 23rd campaign overall, 18th as members of the AHL and 17th as the primary affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.

Led by first-year head coach Ben Simon, the Griffins will start their 76-game schedule on the road for the 11th time in franchise history, as they take on the defending Western Conference champion Texas Stars on Fri., Oct. 5. Grand Rapids wraps up a season-opening two-game road swing with a visit to the San Antonio Rampage on Sat., Oct. 6 before beginning its home slate on Fri., Oct. 12 against the Hershey Bears with Opening Night presented by Huntington Bank.

Highlights of the 2018-19 schedule include:

Continue reading The Grand Rapids Griffins release their 2018-19 season schedule

Kulfan ranks the Red Wings’ top 25 prospects

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a 25-image photo gallery in which he ranks the Red Wings‘ top 25 prospects, and Kulfan prefaces the gallery with the following:

The talent pool was satisfactory before the NHL Entry Draft. The Red Wings had a growing number of prospects who looked as if they could someday make an impact at the NHL level.

But, after what many analysts felt was one of the better hauls of any team in June’s draft, the Red Wings are that much stronger and deeper.

That was apparent at the recent Wings’ development camp. The organization gathered many of their top prospects, including the 11 picks from June’s draft, and excited fans with their skill and potential.

“It’s fun watching skill,” Shawn Horcoff, director of player development, said after a high-flying intra-squad scrimmage to end the camp. “You can tell these guys have a bright future. That was hopefully the start of many more viewings like that.”

Michael Rasmussen (2017, first round), Filip Zadina (2018, first round) and Dennis Cholowski (2016, first round) lead the parade of top prospects.

The photo gallery speaks for itself…

1. Michael Rasmussen, 6-foot-6, 221 pounds, center 2017-18 stats: Tri-City (WHL) — 47 games, 31 goals, 28 assists Acquired: 2017, first round, No. 9 overall Skinny: It would be shocking, at this point, if Rasmussen doesn’t begin the season in the NHL. He impressed, again, at the recent development camp, not only with his skills but with his maturity and desire to live up to other people’s expectations. He isn’t likely to be awed by the NHL.

And continues…

Meet Jonatan Berggren

MLive’s Ansar Khan profiles Red Wings prospect Jonatan Berggren this afternoon:

“I’m a skilled forward who has much speed and likes to make plays, play in the offensive zone,” Berggren, a 5-10, 181-pount left-shooting winger, said during the recent Red Wings development camp at Little Caesars Arena. “I cannot be the biggest or strongest guy on the ice. I must use my speed to advance.”

Berggren, in addition to his speed, “plays with great intensity and has a good feel for the net,” Andersson said.

Red Line Report described Berggren as having “ultra-quick feet,” which he always keeps moving, and said he has slick moves, is dangerous off the rush and has an inside-out move that “makes defenders look silly.”

Despite his size, the stocky Berggren plays in traffic and finishes his checks.

Berggren said he was shocked to hear Detroit call his name with the 33rd pick, the second selection in the second round at American Airlines Center in Dallas. But it was a pleasant surprise.

“It was so amazing,” Berggren said. “Detroit, when I was younger, was one of my favorite clubs.”

Khan continues…

The Athletic’s Bultman profiles Griffins coach Ben Simon

The Athletic’s Max Bultman conducted a lengthy interview with Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon, yielding a feature story profiling the Griffins’ new bench boss:

As a player, Simon said, he always had to know what was going on because he was a third- or fourth-line guy, and if he didn’t know what was going on, he’d be out of the game — or even the league. Being a “student of the game” was a necessity.

“The one thing that I watched him do for three years, which I just marveled at, was coming back on bus trips — whether it be from Cleveland or Milwaukee or Chicago or Rockford, and even Des Moines, it didn’t matter,” said Bob Kaser, the Griffins’ VP of community relations and broadcaster. “If we were coming back to Grand Rapids or going onto the next city on a three-, four-, five-hour trip … you roll into that city, almost every light on the bus is out, with the exception of the lights over his seat. He’s still working.

“He’s working on video, he’s working on prep for the next game, he’s working on scouting for the next game.”

That’s an important trait for the coach of the Griffins at this particular time, when player development is essential to the future of the Red Wings.

As it stands, Grand Rapids could inherit a significant number of the team’s top prospects, with a logjam of contracts at the NHL level.

“We think he understands the importance of player development, what we’re trying to accomplish as an organization,” Red Wings GM Ken Holland told The Athletic. “But I also believe he understands we want to win. So you’re trying to balance the winning with playing the young players.”

Continued (paywall)…

Walleye coach Dan Watson discusses the 18-19 season with ToledoWalleye.com

Toledo Walleye coach Dan Watson spoke with the Walleye’s website to give a mid-summer “state of the team” address:

101 wins in two seasons.

Dan Watson has set the bar high when it comes to winning as a head coach in the ECHL. That’s exactly how he wants it.

“We have established a culture of winning here in Toledo, and it all starts with recruiting,” says Watson. “We want players who have been successful at the college or junior level with excellent leadership skills and great character, who want to get better on and off the ice.”

According to Watson, former players are often his best recruiters. “People we talk to will call former Toledo players and ask them about their time here. We really try to make sure every Walleye player is having the best experience possible. We also take care of visiting teams as best we can to show everyone we have a professional operation here in Toledo.”

Watson says his best recruiting tool is the tremendous fan support. “Guys like to play in front of a sold-out crowd, and we have plenty of those here in Toledo. A player thrives in that type of atmosphere and we have a true home ice advantage thanks to our fans.”

The interview continues…