Three things: On Joe Veleno’s pedigree, Dan Renouf’s landing spot and a ‘laugher’

Of Red Wings and Grand Rapids Griffins-related note this afternoon:

1. The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan wrote an article about Red Wings first round draft pick Joel Veleno:

“We had him extremely high on the board,” [Wings director of amateur scouting Tyler] Wright said. “We wanted to target centers, as well. He’s captain of Team Canada at Ivan Hlinka, he’s captain of the under-18 world championship team. Special exemption in the Quebec Major Junior League as a 15-year-old. If you’d have told me we were walking out with Veleno at 30, I would have been shocked. I don’t want to do a lot of comparisons by he skated a lot like Dylan Larkin.”

That’s what Shawn Horcoff, the Wings’ director of player development, also saw during last week’s development camp.

“Incredible,” was Horcoff’s word to describe Veleno’s skating. “He has a good skill set, too. He’s just a guy you can see out there. Can he become that kind of penalty killer with skill, a guy hard to play against and chip in with offense? There’s a lot of areas in the game he could influence.”

Veleno admits there were difficult times as a 15-year-old trying to break into the Quebec League.

“It was (tough),” Veleno said. “There were ups and down. It wasn’t easy, at first, getting used to the pace and strength of the guys. I fell into a great organization in Saint John, and the veterans really helped me, the staff helped me. It became easier the following year. (But as a 15-year-old) I don’t think I really matured. I didn’t start shaving yet. In the playoffs, I couldn’t grow any (facial hair).”

Kulfan continues…

2. Grand Rapids Griffins defenseman Dan Renouf found a landing spot…

3. And the Red Wings posted a video in which Michael Rasmussen and Givani Smith try not to laugh:

 

Michigan will introduce Red Wings license plates within the next year

Per WXYZ’s Max White and MLive’s Andy Biolchini, Michigan sports fans will now be able to support their team with license places benefiting professional teams’ charities.

Here’s WXYZ’s White’s report:

You can now get your favorite Detroit sports team logo on a license plate in Michigan. Gov. Rick Snyder signed Senate Bill 178 on Monday.

Senate Bill 178 was introduced by State Sen. Jim Stamas in February 2017 and would allow the Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Pistons, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions and Michigan International Speedway to put their official logos on license plates.

“Michigan has incredible sports teams and I’m proud our residents can now display their support while donating to a worthy cause,” Snyder said.

And MLive’s Biolchini weighs in:

The Detroit team plates will join a list of fundraising license plates that the state offers — including Michigan’s public universities and various causes like breast cancer awareness and lighthouse preservation.

Proceeds from the sale of the fundraising plates will go to a charity designated for each of the sports teams.

For the Pistons, that’s the Come Together Foundation. The remaining Detroit teams have charities designated with their names: the Detroit Lions Charities, the Detroit Tigers Foundation and the Detroit Red Wings Foundation.

The new law requires the plates be available by August 2019.

Grand Rapids Griffins name Matt Macdonald and Brad Tapper assistant coaches

The Grand Rapids Griffins have named their assistant coaches today:

MACDONALD AND TAPPER JOIN GRIFFINS ‘ COACHING STAFF

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Detroit Red Wings on Monday announced the hiring of Matt Macdonald  and Brad Tapper as assistant coaches for the Grand Rapids Griffins. Both served as head coaches in the ECHL last season and previously either played or coached with new Griffins head coach Ben Simon.

The duo’s addition completes the Griffins’ 2018-19 coaching staff, as assistant coach Mike Knuble, goaltending coach Brian Mahoney-Wilson and video coach Bill LeRoy will continue in their roles.

Continue reading Grand Rapids Griffins name Matt Macdonald and Brad Tapper assistant coaches

Khan on the Bernier signing

MLive’s Ansar Khan penned an article discussing the Red Wings’ signing of Jonathan Bernier to back up Jimmy Howard:

“I know Jimmy a little bit, playing against him, and we’re going to push each other to bring this team back in the playoffs,” Bernier said. “I didn’t want to be in a position where I played 15-20 games, I want to come in and have a chance to play as much as possible. Obviously, depending on my play, but I just thought it was a great opportunity that me and Jimmy can battle for games.”

The Red Wings signed Bernier to a three-year, $9 million contract on Sunday. Howard, 34, is entering the final year of his contract. If he plays well, the Red Wings are expected to offer him a short-term extension.

Regardless, Bernier, who’ll be playing for his fourth team in four season, has bigger aspirations that being a little-used backup.

“I could have stayed in Colorado with (Semyon Varlamov having) one year left, but I just decided to move on,” Bernier said. “I’ll be going on 30 (on Aug. 7), but my body still feels like I’m 25 years old. I know how to take care of my body better than when I was younger. I’m more mature now. I’ve been through ups and downs in my career, but I think I know how to handle a lot more situations now.

“I just think it was very appealing to me to come down to Detroit and be part of something special. There’s a lot of history in this organization and this town and I’m excited to be part of it.”

Continued

Wallner updates the Grand Rapids Griffins’ ‘comings and goings’

The Grand Rapids Press’s Peter J. Wallner has penned a lengthy article explaining the player personnel changes made by the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins:

The look of the Grand Rapids Griffins changed dramatically over the weekend following a number of moves and signings by the Detroit Red Wings.

The team signed four players who most likely will wind up with the Griffins this season, including two past AHL scoring champs.

The look in goal also promises to be different after veteran goalie Jared Coreau left for Anaheim.

Plus, veteran goalie Tom McCollum told MLive on Monday that he will not return to the Griffins.

Here’s a look at the newcomers to get you up to speed, along with others from last year’s team still out there and some other recent moves.

Continued

Toledo Walleye qualify six players

Per the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye:

WALLEYE EXTEND QUALIFYING OFFERS TO SIX PLAYERS

(Toledo, OH) – The Toledo Walleye announced today its list of players that have received qualifying offers for the 2018-19 season. Information regarding qualified players is listed below.

Defensemen Simon Denis, Kevin Lohan and Ryan Obuchowski received qualifying offers along with forwards Connor Crisp, Colin Jacobs and Christian Hilbrich.

Each team was entitled to reserve the rights to a maximum of eight qualified players. Of the eight qualified players, no more than four could be veterans (260 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the upcoming 2018-19 season). Players on open qualifying offers cannot be traded.

The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until July 16 at which time the qualifying offer becomes null and void and the team may sign the qualified player to any salary or may elect to take no further action. Teams that extend a valid qualifying offer to a non-veteran player shall retain the rights to that qualified player for one playing season.

A team that extends a valid qualifying offer to a veteran player will retain the rights to that veteran until July 16. After July 16, if the veteran player is not signed to a contract by the team, the veteran shall be deemed a restricted free agent and shall be entitled to seek and secure offers of employment from other ECHL teams. Restricted free agents may not be traded. When a restricted free agent receives a contract offer from a team other than the team with the player’s rights and the restricted free agent wishes to accept the contract offer, the restricted free agent and the offering member must, within 24 hours, notify the ECHL, the team with the player’s rights and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association. The member with the player’s rights shall have seven days after the date it is notified to exercise its right to match the contract offer.

If a restricted free agent is not signed to either an offer sheet or a contract by an ECHL team by Aug. 1, the player shall be deemed an unrestricted free agent.

Griffins note: Lorito to Long Island

FYI from Newsday’s Andrew Gross and CapFriendly:

Ken Holland, Kevin Allen appear on 97.1 the Ticket’s Stoney and Riger Show

Red Wings GM Ken Holland appeared on 97.1 the Ticket this morning, speaking on the Stoney and Riger show regarding the Red Wings’ free agent signings:

USA Today’s Kevin Allen also weighed in on the first day of free agency:

Update: CBS Detroit’s Will Burtchfield took note of some of Holland’s remarks:

“I’m gonna do what I believe is right in the rebuild of a franchise. I’m not gonna cut corners,” Holland said. “I think it’s important to have blockers, these veteran guys. I think it’s important to try to have your young players get opportunity and play with veteran players, but at the same time they gotta be challenged and they gotta compete on an everyday basis. I don’t believe in entitlement, and I think if we entitle our young players they’re not gonna fully develop.”

It all goes back to maintaining the competitive culture the Wings have come to be known for.

“You can’t go to the rink and know that before the game even starts that you have no chance of being involved in any kind of a hockey game. It’s a negative environment, the kids lose their confidence and go backwards,” he said.

Threading the needle

I can only scratch my head at this Ken Holland quote from today’s post-free agent signing conference call, per the Free Press’s Helene St. James:

“We are trying to transition from older people to younger people,” general manager Ken Holland said Sunday afternoon. “We signed some veteran players because it’s important we have some veterans around our kids, but at the same time, it’s important that those kids get an opportunity. We believe we can make both things happen.”

Recent forward draftees Michael Rasmussen and Filip Zadina and defensemen Filip Hronek and Dennis Cholowski are among leading candidates to grab jobs either out of training camp or early in the season.

“We’re going to give a lot of young players a long look in preseason and the plan is, the hope is, to have two or three kids crack our lineup,” Holland said. “But they have to be ready. And if they don’t make the roster on opening day, that doesn’t mean they’re not up two weeks later. It’s a six-month season, and lots happens. Zadina and Rasmussen were just here at development camp and the message to those players is you have to come in and win a job. We are going to give them every opportunity.”

The Wings want to create a competitive situation balanced with rebuilding.

“The hope is we can hang in and the longer we can hang in, I think the better the environment is for the fans, for our players, especially for our young players,” Holland said. “Ultimately my focus as the manager is probably on this team a little bit down the road. I don’t want it to be way down the road, but a little bit down the road, we can be in the playoff race.”

St. James continues, and if there ever was a single-article summary of Ken Holland’s system of beliefs as they apply to his managerial moves, the above-quoted paragraphs are that philosophy distilled. The man truly believes that he’s threading the needle between a veteran-laden team and a youth movement.

Krupa on Ken Holland’s ‘dutiful rebuild’

The Detroit News’s Gregg Krupa suggests that Red Wings general manager Ken Holland lacks the patience necessary for a “full rebuild,” for better or worse:

The weekend brought the solace of a clear increase in talent among the Wings’ prospects, at the development scrimmage. It also brought reconfirmation, if ever any was needed, that Holland’s approach to the rebuild remains more dutiful than eager.

It is evermore clear he is entirely unwilling to risk a 50-loss season to vastly increase the odds of drafting an assured star, like Dahlin or Hughes.

But Holland can boast that this season his strategy brought Zadina, Joe Veleno, Jonatan Berggren and Jared McIsaac, and he has five picks in the first three rounds in 12 months.

For those who expected a more vigorous approach to rebuilding the Red Wings a few seasons ago, disappointment escalates.

Holland is moving at his pace. It will hasten, somewhat, in 12 months when, making another 10 selections in the draft, Jimmy Howard, Nick Jensen, Kronwall, Gustav Nyquist and Vanek become free agents, and Cholowski, Zadina, Veleno and Givani Smith might be ready for the NHL, in Holland’s eyes.

But for now, it is a matter of getting Athanasiou, Larkin and Mantha signed, consulting with Zetterberg, opening training camp … and patience.

Krupa continues…