Of disparate Red Wings-related note as the Red Wings and their prospects take in a Tigers game this evening:

1. The Red Wings posted a video of development camp produced by Dan Mannes, and Dan really “knocked this one out of the park”:

2. Also in the video department, WXYZ’s Brad Galli took note of the fact that Filip Zadina and Michael Rasmussen are skating on the same line at development camp:

3. The Detroit News’s David Guralnick also delivered visual treats in the form of a 35-image photo gallery (the Free Press’s Kirthmon P. Dozier posted a 43-image gallery, too):

Continue reading The media’s (and multimedia) takes from the second day of the Red Wings’ summer development camp ’18

NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika spoke with new Red Wings assistant coach Dan Bylsma today, and Bylsma told Cotsonika that he’s joining his “childhood team” with tremendous enthusiasm for the tasks at hand (including reviving the Red Wings’ power play):

“As a player, I always thought or hoped at one point I would, whether it was Detroit or Grand Rapids [of the American Hockey League], finish my career playing in the red and white,” he said.

That didn’t happen. But here he is now, and the reason isn’t nostalgia or that he now lives in Ludington, an hour north of Grand Haven. It isn’t restlessness, either. He didn’t have the itch while sitting out in 2017-18 after the Sabres fired him on April 20, 2017, the way he did while sitting out in 2014-15 after the Penguins fired him on June 6, 2014.

He’s here because of the opportunity. Bylsma served as an assistant to Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill for the United States during the IIHF World Championship in Denmark. To that point they had been no more than acquaintances. But they had a lot in common — Blashill grew up in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and played in college at Ferris State — and clicked. At the end of the five weeks, they won a bronze medal together.

“It’s important to me to have good people, the right people, to work with, and Jeff is one of those guys,” Bylsma said. “I know that from being over in the worlds with him, and I think vice versa for him. We’ve talked. We’ve coached against each other. But being in the trenches, being together on a staff, I think he’s confident I can work with him as well.”

Continued

Update: WOOD TV’s Larry Figurski spoke with Bylsma as well:

 

The Red Wings’ prospects had a relatively uneventful afternoon’s worth of practicing and working on their Performance Edge Pro drills…until Daniel Cleary got beaned in the head by a slap shot with about 15 minutes left in practice. Cleary was helped off and probably got a stitch or two on the right side of his head.

The Wings’ media appearances were brief during the afternoon:

Kasper Kotkansalo, the affable Finnish defenseman from Boston University, accurately suggested that his footwork and edge work are going to be the arbiter of his professional career. The Kyle Quincey-style defenseman (the good Kyle Quincey, not the “ugh” parts) skates forward and backward well, but his edges need improving if he is to graduate to NHL-level mobility as his collegiate career continues:

Continue reading Afternoon audio from the 2nd day of the Wings’ summer development camp ’18: Kotkansalo, Berggren, Kivenmaki

As I noted this morning, it was hard to listen to Givani Smith retell the tale of the racism he endured during the Kitchener Rangers’ playoff run, in part because it was plain old wrong, and also because Smith is somewhat resigned to the fact that a black hockey player is going to endure what he’s had to endure.

The Free Press’s Helene St. James spoke with Smith about the incidents…

Detroit Red Wings prospect Givani Smith was raised to be aware he’d encounter racism, but the abuse became too much after the April 29 Ontario Hockey League playoff game between his Kitchener Rangers and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. After his Rangers pulled out a 4-3 overtime victory, Smith, who is black, skated by the Greyhounds’ bench and extended a middle finger. Smith was suspended two games, and wound up finishing his junior career watching his Rangers lose Game 7.

“Definitely it was a tough way to go out my last year of junior,” Smith said Wednesday after Day 2 of development camp. “We had a really good playoff run — to work so hard, and the way I got suspended, it wasn’t ideal.  Throughout the whole year and at the end of the season, it all built up in me. What happened at the end of the game, I wasn’t thinking and my emotions got the best of me.”

Continue reading HSJ, Krupa: Givani Smith addresses racist incidents heads-on

Toledo Walleye GM Neil Neukam was named the co-winner of the ECHL’s Executive of the Year Award yesterday, and today, the Walleye were named the ECHL’s winner of the Award for “Overall Excellence”:

Toledo recognized by ECHL for Overall Excellence

TOLEDO, OH — The Toledo Walleye receive the ECHL Overall Award of Excellence for the fourth consecutive year and the sixth time overall in the past nine seasons.

The award recognizes the ECHL organization that executes a well-rounded business plan including, but not limited to sales, marketing, media relations, and merchandising while also distinguishing themselves in their community, on and off the ice.

GM Neil Neukam: “It’s very humbling for our organization to be recognized for the fourth consecutive season with the ECHL Award of Excellence.  It truly reflects the efforts and dedication given by everyone associated with the team from our front office staff, coaching and support staff and our partners at the Huntington Center.  We have a great team in Toledo and I’m very proud to be associated with their accomplishment!”

The 2017-18 was a special one with the Walleye setting more than 28 records on and off the ice, including most sellouts (28), single-season attendance record (273,613), School Education Day attendance record (12,286), and most home wins (28).

Head Coach Dan Watson reached a milestone in his coaching career with 101 wins in two years as a head coach, and Broadcast Analyst Matt Melzak called his one-thousandth game during the 2017-18 season.

According to Hockeysverige.se’s Uffe Bodin, Niklas Kronwall will be holding his annual charity hockey game for his childhood team, Jarfalla HC, on August 10th. What follows is roughly translated:

Continue reading Niklas Kronwall to hold annual charity game for Jarfalla HC on August 10th

Updated at 1:57 PM: Of Red Wings prospect-related note this afternoon:

1. The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted clips of Givani Smith and Filip Zadina speaking to the media after this morning’s summer development camp session:

[edit/update: The Wings posted a clip of Patrick Holway speaking with the media as well:

Patrick Holway, 6th round pick in 2015, with the media. ? #DRWDC pic.twitter.com/gHkpKsqTZG

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 27, 2018

/end edit]

2. The Free Press’s Jamie Samuelssen weighed in regarding the Wings’ draft class and the fact that luck played into the Wings’ selections…

Continue reading Mid-day news: videos from St. James, Samuelssen on the Wings’ luck and Khan on Zadina

Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon spoke with the media at the Red Wings’ summer development camp this afternoon, addressing the play of Givani Smith, Dennis Cholowski, Michael Rasmussen and a few more players before discussing his own coaching style and the timeline for his assistants to be named (soon):

Update: The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a clip of Simon’s remarks:

 

From the second day of the Red Wings’ summer development camp ’18:

Givani Smith deserves major credit for having to rehash the racist taunts he had to deal with during the Kitchener Rangers’ playoff run during today’s media availability. Smith was forthright and honest regarding the fact that he faces racism on a regular basis, and he spoke bluntly about the challenges he faces at times and the fact that the hockey community reached out to him when he needed them most. Smith is ready to put those issues behind him and head to Grand Rapids to start his professional career, but he was very brave in revisiting a tough chapter of his hockey history today:

Me and MLive’s Ansar Khan spoke with defenseman Gustav Lindstrom, a defenseman who has NHL skills in a still-growing body. Lindstrom spoke about his past season, earning a contract with the SHL’s Frolunda Indians, his already-participating status in terms of dryland training and on-ice fitness with Frolunda, and his goals for his upcoming campaign:

My interview with Jared McIsaac went…okay. I asked McIsaac about his skill set, why he felt he was drafted in the early 2nd round, his attributes as a player and the whirlwind that has been going from the draft to the Wings’ development camp:

Aside from my stupid phone ringing in the middle of the interview, my discussion with Ryan O’Reilly went better. O’Reilly is a Texas-born player who still spent a season playing for Little Caesars hockey, so he discussed his eclectic background, his preparations for attending UMass-Lowell a year from now (he’ll play for the USHL’s Tri-City Storm first) and his take on the Wings’ fantastic facility:

Red Wings prospect Dennis Cholowski appeared on WDFN’s Matt Sheppard’s, “Shep, Shower and Shave Show” this morning, speaking for 10 minutes:

Listen to “Red Wings Prospect Dennis Cholowski 6-27-18” on Spreaker.