The Malik Report

DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner speaks with Red Wings assistant GM Ryan Martin on the latest “Red and White Authority” podcast, discussing the World Junior Summer Showcase (where Martin is working for Team USA) and the Red Wings prospects taking part in Joe Veleno (Canada), Jesper Eliasson, Jonatan Berggren (Sweden) and Otto Kivenmaki (Finland):

Detroit’s assistant general manager Ryan Martin joins us to preview the 2019 Summer Showcase, his role with USA Hockey as well as offering an assessment of several of Detroit’s prospects.

Listen/download: https://t.co/HESqMu37Oh pic.twitter.com/eW5EEisEG4— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 27, 2019

Today I’m making the 400-mile trek to Grand Marais, Michigan to take part in my family’s annual summer vacation. TMR will go into “relaxed mode” as I try to recharge and rest after an extremely difficult year. I’ll be gone from today until August 3rd, and I’ll get back to normal on Monday, August 5th.

As four Red Wings prospects are taking part in the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth this week, I will be missing some Red Wings news, but otherwise it should be quiet barring any international news of note.

If you are interested in donating to the server fund (about $50 of $700 raised) or training camp fund (about $200 raised), https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport is the place to go.

In the interim, I wish you a pleasantly quiet week, and I promise to check in from time to time as blogging is something of a compulsive habit for me.

See you later, alligators!

Hockeybuzz’s Bob Duff notes that the Red Wings have bolstered their blueline in Finnish triplicate over the last three seasons, investing in a peninsula from which the Wings haven’t drawn many draft picks or free agent signings:

Lately, the Wings have invested heavily in Finnish futures. They drafted Assat Pori defenseman Antti Tuomisto with the 35th pick of the 2019 NHL entry draft. Undersized center Otto Kivenmaki, also from Assat Pori, was selected 191st overall in 2018. Defenseman Kasper Kotkansalo, chosen 71st overall in 2017, will enter his junior year of NCAA hockey with the Boston Terriers this fall.

As well, defenseman Oliwer Kaski, who led all SM-liiga rearguards with 19 goals and 51 points for Pelicans Lahti last season, signed with Detroit in the summer as a free agent.

“I knew he had an unbelievable season,” Kotkansalo said of Kaski. “All I’ve heard, only good things, even comparisons to (Erik) Karlsson (of the San Jose Sharks). I guess the Wings got a pretty good defenseman there.”

While Kaski is known for his offense, Kotkansalo is more of a stay-at-home type of defender. Tuomisto’s strength is gaining control of the puck in his own zone and making outlet passes to the forwards.

“Maybe an offensive guy, offensive defenseman and great playing with puck and passing the puck up to the forwards,” was how Tuomisto described his game, comparing himself to Esa Lindell of the Dallas Stars.

Duff continues…

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan wrote something of a primer for Red Wings fans who will be attending the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth this weekend and upcoming week:

First-round draft choice Joe Veleno is one of four Detroit Red Wings’ draft picks who will compete in the World Junior Summer Showcase, which gets underway Friday and continues next week at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth.

The nine-day tournament features 11 international games with many of the best under-20 players representing four nations: the U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden.

Veleno, a 6-1, 194-pound center who had 42 goals and 104 points for the Drummondville Voltigeurs last year, will play for Canada and will open the tourney against Team USA on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Two of the other Detroit picks, goalie Jesper Eliasson and forward Jonatan Berggren, are with Team Sweden and will face the USA Blue team on Saturday at 4 p.m., and the USA White team on Sunday at 4 p.m.

Eliasson was a third-round selection who had a 2.43 goals-against average and .919 save percentage with the Vaxjo Lakers, and forward Jonatan Berggren was a second-round pick who missed most of the year with Skelleftea AIK because of a back injury.

Seventh-round pick Otto Kivenmaki will play for Finland, which plays against the USA White team on Saturday at 1 p.m., and the USA Blue team on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Kulfan continues…

Red Wings prospect Vili Saarijarvi took part in the Grand Rapids Griffins’ youth hockey camp this past week, and the Griffins posted a “mic’d up” clip of Vili interacting with the kids attending camp:

From the Toledo Walleye:

Toledo, OH – Defenseman Blake Hillman has agreed to terms with the Toledo Walleye for the 2019-2020 season.

Hillman was drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 draft (#173 overall) by the Chicago Blackhawks out of the University of Denver. The Elk River, Minnesota native made his pro debut by skating in four games for the Blackhawks at the end of the 2017-18 season that saw him collect his first pro goal on April 4, 2018 at St. Louis. Hillman spent all of last season with Rockford in the AHL appearing in 54 games with four points (1G, 3A) and 20 penalty minutes for the IceHogs.

Continue reading Toledo Walleye sign defenseman Blake Hillman

From the Detroit Red Wings:

Red Wings re-sign Dominic Turgeon

Former third-round pick has appeared in nine NHL games in last two seasons

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today re-signed center Dominic Turgeon to a one-year contract.

Turgeon, 23, completed his third professional season in 2018-19, appearing in 72 games with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins and compiling 20 points (6-14-20), a plus-one rating and 41 penalty minutes, adding three points (1-2-3) in three postseason games. Turgeon also appeared in four games with the Red Wings and has skated in five NHL games for Detroit since debuting in 2017-18. In nine total NHL games, Turgeon has registered two penalty minutes, five shots on goal, six hits, 11 blocked shots and four takeaways in 10:43 average time on ice. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound forward has totaled 212 AHL games with the Griffins over the last three seasons (2016-19), logging 70 points (26-44-70), a plus-21 rating and 70 penalty minutes. He won a 2017 Calder Cup championship with Grand Rapids and has registered five points (2-3-5) and two penalty minutes in 22 total Calder Cup Playoff games.

Continue reading Red Wings re-sign Dominic Turgeon for one year

Here’s an interesting “quiet day” report from Radio Prague regarding a Red Wings alumnus who’s considering getting into politics:

The legendary Czech ice hockey goaltender Dominik Hašek, dubbed The Dominator, has not ruled out running for president, when Miloš Zeman’s second term in office expires in 2023.

Hašek said in an interview for Radio Impuls that he could well imagine himself in the top post, although he was not actively preparing for such a move now. “Who knows what may happen in three years’ time – anything is possible,” he told the radio host.

Also, from Yahoo Sports Canada’s Arun Srinivasan, via my friend Mel on Facebook:

Dominik Hasek is a national icon in the Czech Republic for good reason, and now the Hall of Fame goaltender might have his eyes set on representing his country at the highest level, in an arena that outweighs sports.

“The Dominator” was asked if he would consider running for president of the Czech Republic and responded in a way true to character.

“One can imagine. Why not?” Hasek said, via Czech Republic website iDNES.

“Now I have my job, which I really love and want to do it to the (fullest). But what will be in two (or) three years? And then I’ll decide. Everything is possible.”

“At the same time, I like to do things that are responsible. I have no doubt that the office of the President is very responsible, so if I were to take it from this side, I would (have to) be excellent. But the president must have a number of other qualities, so we’ll see.”

The Athletic’s Max Bultman engages in a thought experiment today, questioning the direction of the Red Wings’ franchise had Ken Holland not continued to trade away picks and prospects to extend the Wings’ playoff streak to 25 years.

I’ve thought about this often myself, and I really believe that the trading of Patrick Eaves and Calle Jarnkrok to Nashville and Mattias Janmark to Dallas were the final nails in the coffin as far as the GM’s ability to navigate a rebuild are concerned…

Instead of limiting this admittedly revisionist history to the draft, we’re going to open it up to all the types of transactions relevant to team building. When we run into picks Detroit traded away, I’ll discuss the player selected in that spot, as well as an alternate name the Red Wings could have had a reasonable chance to pick there had they kept it (within the next 30 picks or so).

It might be a little less exciting that way, but going back and getting every decision correct is a quick way to be found out as being a time traveler. Or Doug Wilson.

Plus, we’re already testing the Butterfly Effect enough as it is.

Simple enough? Honestly, it might not be. But, it’s late July, and we’re gonna do it anyway. Let’s ride.

Bultman continues (paywall)

Red Wings play-by-play announcer Ken Kal spoke with 97.1 the Ticket’s Jeff Riger and Evan Jankens, appearing in a 48-minute-long “That Time When…” podcast. Kal discusses how he managed to land his job, his Stanley Cup party and more:

Update: From 97.1 the Ticket:

“I got hired at Michigan because I don’t think they had anybody to call their games when Red Berenson started there back in 1984. I never did a hockey game in my life. It was a challenge. I couldn’t keep up with the play, didn’t know the players, couldn’t describe them. So after five games I went up to our station manager and said, ‘You better get somebody else to do this because I can’t do it. I’m behind the play, don’t know who they are. I’m trying to learn their names.’ He goes, ‘Ken, I’ll be honest with you. You suck.’ But I knew it. He goes, ‘But listen, the team’s not going to be very good this year. Just keep working at it, and as you get better the team will get better and we’ll have a polished broadcast.’ I just think to this day that he didn’t have anybody else to do it.

“But that’s how I started, and I just kept working it. It’s something that didn’t come naturally to me. Some announcers it comes natural. For me, I had to really work at it. So what I did was, I took a tape recorder, taped the games and would just listen to them all week and try to break them down in segments. Just put a lot of hard work into it, and before you know it things started getting better.” 

Continued