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.

Krupa: Zadina’s NHL rights to be determined via legal analysis

According to the Detroit News’s Gregg Krupa, the Red Wings and the NHL are attempting to determine whether Filip Zadina’s non-NHL rights belong to the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads or the Red Wings (assuming that the Wings sign Zadina to an NHL contract):

The key, GM Ken Holland told The Detroit News on Friday, is the agreement that got Zadina from playing in the Czech Republic in 2016-17, to the roster of the Halifax Mooseheads, in Nova Scotia, in 2017-18.

Different NHL eligibility applies to European players and players in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a major junior association for 16- to 20-year-olds.

And, whether Zadina is a European player on loan to the CHL (the umbrella organization to which the QMJHL, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League belong), or officially a CHL player will determine his destination, should the Wings not retain him on the NHL roster after training camp.

If he is a European player, on loan, Zadina could then go to Grand Rapids.

If he is a CHL player, he must return to Halifax, if the Wings do not retain him.

The key is in the details of whatever the Halifax Mooseheads hammered out with HC Dynamo Pardubice, when Zadina decided to play in the QMJHL last season.

If Zadina is not playing in Detroit, in October, the Red Wings clearly would prefer him in Grand Rapids, rather than Halifax.

Krupa continues, and Zadina has a playing say in this, of course, but the Red Wings want to control their player regardless of whether he’s in the NHL or otherwise, so it’s, “Send in the lawyers!”

Update: MLive’s Ansar Khan confirms:

If the NHL determines Zadina to be a European player on loan to the CHL club, then he will be able to play in Grand Rapids in 2018-19, if the Red Wings opt to send him there.

If it is ruled that Zadina is a CHL player, then he must return to Halifax if the Red Wings don’t keep him on their roster.

The Red Wings prefer the option of sending Zadina to Grand Rapids. That way, they can recall him at any time. He’ll also be playing against better competition that will better prepare him for the NHL.

Khan talks cap space

MLive’s Ansar Khan attempts to discern the Red Wings’ salary cap situation this morning, and Khan believes that the Wings have enough money remaining to re-sign Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha without significant difficulty:

The Red Wings have 20 players signed to one-way contracts, totaling a cap hit of approximately $70.8 million (12 forwards, six defensemen, two goaltenders).

That includes Johan Franzen, who’ll be placed on long-term injured reserve before the season, giving the club cap relief (possibly close to $3.9 million).

Add to that about $2.6 million of dead cap space from the bought-out contracts of Stephen Weiss and Xavier Ouellet and some bonus payouts from last season.

That adds up to about $73.4 million (including Franzen). The cap ceiling is $79.5 million.

As Khan notes, things get complicated if the Wings are to play Filip Zadina and Michael Rasmussen on the roster, but the Wings could get some cap relief by demoting a player to Grand Rapids (see: Luke Witkowski or Martin Frk).

Wakiji profiles Jonatan Berggren

DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji wrote an article about Wings prospect Jonatan Berggren, who impressed at the Wings’ summer development camp:

“He’s a young kid, he led the Swedish Junior league in scoring this year,” Detroit’s director of European scouting Hakan Andersson said at the draft in Dallas. “He’s on the team that’s going to play in Kamloops (World Junior Summer Showcase), World Junior teams, the first tournament before the big one. We’re happy.

“A couple of teams came up and said they were planning to take him right after us. Montreal was one of them.”

Playing for Skelleftea AIK J20 in Sweden’s SuperElit League, Berggren had 18 goals and 39 assists in 38 games.

“I’m a skilled forward who has much speed and likes to make plays, play in the offensive zone,” Berggren said, describing his assets.

Continued

Griffins president Tim Gortsema earns AHL’s ‘Outstanding Executive’ award

From the Grand Rapids Griffins:

GRIFFINS PRESIDENT TIM GORTSEMA NAMED AHL’S OUTSTANDING EXECUTIVE

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Griffins President Tim Gortsema has been named the 2017-18 recipient of the American Hockey League’s James C. Hendy Memorial Award, which is given annually to the league’s outstanding executive.

AHL President and CEO David Andrews presented the award to Gortsema Thursday evening at a gala reception during the Board of Governors’ Annual Meeting at Hilton Head Island, S.C.

A member of the Griffins’ original 1995 staff, Gortsema began directing the team’s business operations in February 2007, was promoted from senior vice president to president in June 2015, and has overseen tremendous growth during his tenure. The Griffins drew more than 300,000 fans to Van Andel Arena for the fifth consecutive season in 2017-18 (302,471; 7,960 avg.) and finished second in average attendance during the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs (7,273) despite playing only three weekday, first-round home games.

Grand Rapids led the AHL in partial-plan ticket sales last season while ranking among the league’s leaders in all other major ticket revenue categories, including full-season plans, group sales, individual ticket sales and total ticket sales. Under Gortsema’s leadership, the organization also set a franchise record for corporate sales, and it continues to be at the forefront of community relations efforts and digital and social media practices, including pacing the AHL in both Facebook and Snapchat followers.

Gortsema was also involved in the renewal of the Griffins’ affiliation agreement with the Detroit Red Wings last summer, and he oversaw the operation and rebranding of the organization’s second community ice rink, Griff’s IceHouse West in Holland, Mich. As he prepares for his 23rd season with the club, Gortsema continues to be involved in all other facets of the team’s business operations, including finance and administration, marketing, public relations, arena advertising, and Griff’s IceHouse at Belknap Park.

Gortsema, who in 2011 received the Griffins’ inaugural Founders “Overtime” Award for his career contributions to the organization, earned his bachelor’s degree from Hope College and his MBA from Western Michigan University.

The James C. Hendy Memorial Award is named for the late Jim Hendy, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and AHL Hall of Fame and long-time statistician and historian for the AHL who won four Calder Cups as general manager of the Cleveland Barons.

Khan, Custance: Red Wings re-sign Athanasiou to 2-year, $6 million contract

Per MLive’s Ansar Khan:

The Athletic’s Craig Custance confirms:

Here’s Khan in text form:

Athanasiou’s salary for 2017-18 was $1.3875 million, when he produced 16 goals and 33 points in 71 games after signing in late October.

Athanasiou, who turns 24 on Aug. 6, has 43 goals and 33 assists in 172 career games.

He will still be a restricted free agent when this deal expires in 2020.

The Red Wings are negotiating contracts with restricted free agents Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha, neither of whom was arbitration eligible. Mantha is expected to sign a two-year bridge deal. Larkin might sign a long-term extension, likely no more than five years, after which he would still be a restricted free agent.

Update #2: FYI:

Update #3: The Detroit News confirms:

Continue reading Khan, Custance: Red Wings re-sign Athanasiou to 2-year, $6 million contract

Three things: Profiles of Cholowski and Kivenmaki, and congrats, Manny

Of Red Wings-related note this afternoon:

1. In the prospect department, part 1: MLive’s Ansar Khan penned a profile of Dennis Cholowski:

The Red Wings’ message to Cholowski after the 2017 preseason was to be more assertive. He tallied 14 goals and 52 assists in 69 games in a season divided between Prince George and Portland of the WHL. He appeared in one playoff game with the Griffins after Portland was eliminated in the playoffs.

Cholowski said being more assertive means “quicker decisions, more aggressive, always wanting the puck on my stick and being able to be the guy that’s going to make a play to create a chance or break the puck out.

“Confidence is up, I’m skating with the puck more, moving my feet and making plays,” Cholowski said. “I’m not afraid to make mistakes anymore. Things are looking up for sure.”

He took significant strides last summer in the gym and looks to do the same this year while staying in metro Detroit, training with other Red Wings and prospects.

“You feel your body is a little bigger, you’re a little stronger and you can win puck battles easier,” Cholowski said. “I think my season was really good for that. I’m going to carry that over into camp and into the season.”

Khan continues, quoting Wings director of player development Shawn Horcoff and Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon…

2. In the prospect department, part 2: Craig Custance wrote an article about the Wings’ drafting of 5’8,” 154-pound Finnish forward Otto Kivenmaki:

Continue reading Three things: Profiles of Cholowski and Kivenmaki, and congrats, Manny