Red Wings announce dates for prospect tournament and training camp

From the Detroit Red Wings:

RED WINGS TO HOST 2018 NHL PROSPECT TOURNAMENT AND TRAINING CAMP IN TRAVERSE CITY
… 20th Annual Prospect Tournament Set for Sept. 7-11; Training Camp Will Run Sept. 14-18 …

DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings Executive Vice President and General Manager Ken Holland today announced that the Red Wings will return to Centre Ice Arena in Traverse City, Mich., to host their annual NHL Prospect Tournament and Training Camp, as well as the 20th Annual Training Camp Golf Classic at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Acme, Mich.

Continue reading Red Wings announce dates for prospect tournament and training camp

Khan’s mailbag: Athanasiou the ‘trading chip’

MLive’s Ansar Khan filed a mailbag feature this morning, and Khan discusses Andreas Athanasiou’s status as the Red Wings’ best “trading chip”:

Continued

Examining Andreas Athanasiou’s 2017-18 ‘numbers’

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji examines Andreas Athanasiou’s 2017-18 “numbers” this morning:

33 — The 33 points Athanasiou had in 71 games this past season represented a new career best, topping the 29 points he had during the 2016-17 season.

16 — Athanasiou had 16 goals, which tied him with Dylan Larkin and Frans Nielsen for third most on the team. Anthony Mantha was first with 24 and Gustav Nyquist was second with 21. He had 18 goals last season.

17 — Athanasiou registered 17 assists this season, a new career best, surpassing the 11 assists he had in 64 games last year.

Continued

 

WOOD TV’s Figurski speaks with Filip Zadina and Givani Smith

WOOD TV’s Larry Figurski spoke with Red Wings prospects Filip Zadina and Givani Smith during the Wings’ summer development camp, and his interview appeared on Sunday night’s Sports OT:

 

Krupa weighs in on the Red Wings’ roadblocks

The Detroit News’s Gregg Krupa penned a column that ostensibly focuses on the long odds that Filip Zadina faces in making an overcrowded Red Wings roster, but the column becomes something of a lament regarding the state of the Wings in general:

Judged by actions, Ken Holland, Jeff Blashill and their staffs continue to make plain they believe too many prospects cannot play at the NHL level to consider a wholesale shift to the apprentices.

So, last week, the Red Wings gave Mike Green another two seasons and brought back Thomas Vanek.

They provided no-trade clauses that Holland said were required to extend Green, who turns 33 the first week of the season, and return Vanek, who is 34, now.

And, they replaced their one-time goalie of the future, Petr Mrazek, with a journeyman, Jonathan Bernier.

At an average of about 30.8 years, several years into a self-described rebuild-on-the-fly, and two years after Holland said he really began to emphasize the transition, the Red Wings will be one of the top two or three oldest teams among the 31 NHL franchises.

And that is only one reason Filip Zadina intrigues.

Krupa continues, and at this point, I don’t know a Wings fan who isn’t frustrated by the fact that the Wings’ free agent signings make Michael Rasmussen, Zadina, Dominic Turgeon, Evgeny Svechnikov, Dennis Cholowski, Filip Hronek, Joe Hicketts and all the Wings prospects’ road to the NHL so much tougher.

Free Press’s Windsor campaigns for the youth movement

The Free Press’s Shawn Windsor offers a column in which he discusses the Red Wings’ free agent signings in the context of “speeding up or slowing down the rebuild,” and I believe that Windsor speaks for more than a few of us here:

Then the free agency period rolled around and all that hope fell like a mercury-filled balloon. You could hear the groaning from Ann Arbor to New Baltimore, from Clarkston down to the Michigan-Ohio state line.

Really? The fanbase bemoaned. More veterans? More inexplicable use of cap space? More of the Wings getting in their own way?

It may not be much in the scheme of things, in both dollars and length of contract, but when the Wings announced the signings of Thomas Vanek and Mike Green — goalie Jonathan Bernier made more sense — it was hard to find a corner of the Wings’ faithful that wasn’t confused.

Or suffering from a kind of Red Wings PTSD.

That’s post-traumatic stress disorder, if you prefer your acronyms spelled out. Which is a fancy way of saying:

Why?

Or, better yet, what the hell?

Windsor continues, and I can only say that the Red Wings’ GM has signed so many veterans over the past 10 years that he’s browbeaten me into shrugging and sighing when he inevitably places roadblocks in the way of the Wings’ next generation.

Thankfully, the Wings’ young players are persistent, and they eventually break through, but it’s sure damn frustrating to watch the team place obstacles in their way every July 1st.

KH on the Zadina signing

The Free Press’s Helene St. James updated her story about the Red Wings’ signing of Filip Zadina with some quotes from Wings GM Ken Holland regarding the star prospect’s readiness for the NHL:

“We do have plans that one or two or three young players will make our team,” general manager Ken Holland told the Free Press Saturday. “Zadina is going to be given an opportunity to make our team. But in terms of player development, he has to be ready.”

Zadina has the skill set the Wings need: He’s a force with the puck, able to score in tight areas and make plays. He’s the type of player who wins games. He’s a marketable gem, too, possessing swagger and charm.

If Zadina does not make the Wings’ opening night roster, they believe he can be sent to the AHL because they are under the impression he was loaned by his Czech team to his junior team, which puts him under European-player rules. Zadina also told the Free Press he was on loan. The Wings have been told Halifax Mooseheads general manager Cam Russell wants Zadina back if he does not make the Detroit roster, but the Wings do not consider it an obligation.

“We’ve sent all the information to the NHL and the league believes what we believe,” Holland said. “The understanding is that if Zadina does not make Detroit, Grand Rapids is an option.”

It *appears* that Filip Zadina’s contract will allow him to play in the AHL, per Khan, HSJ and Custance

With the signing of Filip Zadina comes a little more clarification (sort of) regarding Zadina’s non-NHL rights, per MLive’s Ansar Khan…

It remains to be seen where Zadina will play in 2018-19 if he doesn’t make the Red Wings roster.

The NHL has ruled that Zadina was on loan to Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from his European club, Pardubice HC of the Czech Republic, according to agent Darren Ferris. That makes him eligible to play for the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins in 2018-19 if the Red Wings opt to send him there.

But Halifax might dispute that ruling in hopes of getting Zadina back next season, if he doesn’t earn a spot with the Red Wings. Halifax claims Zadina is a CHL player. CHL players with junior eligibility must return to their junior clubs if they’re not in the NHL.

And the Free Press’s Helene St. James:

Whether he can make the Wings as an 18-year-old will play out during exhibition season, but general manager Ken Holland told the Free Press that Zadina “is going to get a chance to make our team this season.”

In the meantime, there’s contention as to Zadina’s status: Zadina and the Wings believe he was loaned by his Czech club to his junior club, Halifax, which would make him an European-status player able to be sent to the AHL next season, while the Mooseheads have told the Wings Zadina was not a loan and therefore must go back to Halifax if he does not make the Detroit roster. The NHL is looking into that matter.

If it is determined to be a loan, it gives the Wings better flexibility. If Zadina does not look like he belongs in the top nine mix during exhibition season, they could send him to Grand Rapids to start his pro career with the Griffins, then call him back up as warranted. If not a loan, the Wings could look at him for nine games and then send him to Halifax. A longer audition is also possible, though then it burns the first year of his contract even if Zadina is sent to back to juniors after at any point.

The Athletic’s Craig Custance also provided some clarification:

First, here’s what we know about his contract. It’s a three-year, entry-level deal with full Class A bonuses, but no Class B bonuses, typical of a player drafted No. 6 overall. It also contains an out that allows him to play in Europe if he doesn’t make the NHL.

According to multiple sources, in doing this contract, the Red Wings got clarity from the NHL as to whether or not Zadina would have to go back to Halifax in the QMJHL if he doesn’t make the NHL this season. The Red Wings’ and Zadina camp’s stance is that he was on loan from his Czech team to Halifax, which would allow Detroit to send him to the AHL next season rather than back to the QMJHL.

The NHL, according to a source, received a document that was signed before the import draft which set out the terms of his agreement with Halifax — and states that it was only for the 2017-18 season. Prior to the import draft, Zadina had agreed with his Czech team that it would loan him for one year only to a North American junior league. The NHL also was provided a copy of the contract he signed in 2016 with the Czech team.

While this is a bit of a gray area, the NHL indicated that it was enough evidence to confirm the Red Wings’ belief that the AHL was an option for the 2018-19 season.

With that bit of clarity, the contract was finalized.

But even with the league’s backing, both sides aren’t ruling out a pushback from Halifax. Especially with the Mooseheads hosting the Memorial Cup in 2019.

“I think it’s a moot point anyway,” Zadina’s agent, Darren Ferris, told The Athletic. “I think he’ll remain with the big club.”

Red Wings officially sign Filip Zadina to an entry-level contract

Per the Detroit Red Wings:

DETROIT SIGNS ZADINA TO ENTRY-LEVEL CONTRACT
… Winger Was Drafted Sixth Overall by Red Wings at 2018 NHL Entry Draft …

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today signed right wing Filip Zadina to a three-year entry-level contract.

Zadina, 18, was selected by the Red Wings in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, held at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on June 22-23, and went on to participate at Detroit’s Development Camp from June 26-30 at the BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena. The 6-foot, 196-pound winger spent the 2017-18 campaign with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Halifax Mooseheads, where he led the team with 44 goals among his 82 points (44-38-82) in 57 games, which placed seventh overall in league scoring. He also led QMJHL rookies in scoring and earned a spot on the QMJHL First All-Star Team and All-Rookie Team, while winning the Mike Bossy Trophy as the league’s best professional prospect. Zadina also tied for the team lead in playoff scoring by collecting 12 points (5-7-12) in nine games.

The Pardubice, Czech Republic, native also represented the Czechs at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y., leading the team with seven goals among his eight points in seven games to earn a spot on the WJC All-Star Team. He has played for the Czech Republic on several occasions, including back-to-back World Under-18 Championships in 2016 and 2017, combining for 11 points (7-4-11) in 10 games and earning honors as a top-three player on his team each year. He also helped the Czechs win gold at the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament with a team-leading seven points (5-2-7) in four games. Prior to 2017-18, Zadina developed with his hometown HC Pardubice in the top professional league in the Czech Republic and throughout the Czech junior ranks. He made his professional debut with HC Pardubice by playing in two games in the top Czech professional league in 2015-16, before registering his first two professional points (1-1-2) for the club the following season.

Filip Zadina, Right Wing
Born Nov 27 1999 — Pardubice, Czech Rep.
Height 6.00 — Weight 196 — Shoots L

Selected by Detroit Red Wings round 1 #6 overall 2018 NHL Entry Draft

— Regular Season —  —- Playoffs —-
Season   Team                        Lge    GP    G    A  Pts  PIM  GP   G   A Pts PIM
————————————————————————————–
2015-16  Pardubice HC                Czech   2    0    0    0    0  —  —  —  —  —
2016-17  Pardubice HC                Czech  25    1    1    2    4  —  —  —  —  —
2017-18  Halifax Mooseheads          QMJHL  57   44   38   82   36   9   5   7  12   0
————————————————————————————–

Update: FYI:

 

Morning news: on David Pope, Superior Fish, arbitration for all and FYI’s of note

Of Red Wings-related note this morning:

1. “On video,” the Grand Rapids Griffins posted a profile of David Pope:

2. Fox Sports Detroit’s “The 313” also posted a video commemorating the closure of Superior Fish Company:

3. In text form, The Hockey News’s Ken Campbell offered the following while using the Red Wings’ contract impasse with Andreas Athanasiou last summer as a recommendation that every NHL player be given salary arbitration rights:

Let’s take the Red Wings as an example. They still have to sign Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha to deals, but neither side has the option of going to arbitration because the players are too young. The Red Wings essentially view Larkin as about a $6 million-per-year player and Mantha somewhere in the $3-million range. If the two sides were faced with the possibility of going through arbitration, those deals probably would have been done by now. As it is, the Red Wings face the uncertainty of locking horns this summer with two of their top three scorers. And with neither player having any form of leverage beyond withholding his services during training camp and beyond, it sets things up to get ugly if the two sides can’t come to a deal.

4. FYI, part 1, via the Red Wings’ Twitter account:

5. FYI, part 2, via the Red Wings’ Twitter account:

6. FYI, part 3, via Hockeybuzz’s Bob Duff:

Wings assistant coach Pat Ferschweiler will serve in a similar position with USA Hockey’s under-18 select team at the upcoming Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

That tournament is slated for Aug. 6-11 in Red Deer and Edmonton, Alta.