Red Wings at the World Championship: Team USA loses to Sweden, will play for Bronze

Team USA laid an egg today at the World Championship in Denmark, and said egg cost the Americans a chance to compete for gold.

Team USA lost 6-0 to Sweden on Saturday, and the Americans will now await the loser of the Canada-Switzerland game as they prepare to play for bronze tomorrow (9 AM EDT on the NHL Network/TSN).

The Americans just got out-skated, out-hustled and out-worked–and New Jersey Devils goaltender Keith Kincaid was significantly out-goaltended by Vancouver’s Anders Nilsson, who built a wall in the Swedish crease.

The Red Wings’ representatives had quiet games: Dylan Larkin (3 shots in 20:11, finished even) looked frustrated with his and his teammates’ play as he tried to do too much and over-complicated his game. He sure worked his ass off, but, like his teammates, he worked inefficiently (ending his game with a roughing penalty on Adrian Kempe):

The team’s collective tendency to look for the perfect shot, the perfect pass, the perfect zone entry…Team USA’s inability to keep things simple and play north-south hockey, combined with bad defensive coverage and sub-standard goaltending damned them (that’s a lot of factors, I know).

Nick Jensen (-2 in 9:15 played) also had a quiet game, though he almost snapped Nilsson’s shutout streak with about 6 minutes remaining in the 3rd period.

Gustav Nyquist’s main contribution (2 shots in 12:42, finished even) was a goaltender interference penalty in the 3rd period, but he was quite sound defensively on a line with Patric Hornqvist.

It was also somewhat frustrating to watch former Wings prospect and Dallas Stars forward Mattias Janmark score two goals for the Swedes; the Janmark-for-Cole and Jarnkrok-and-Eaves-for-Legwand trades still stick in my craw.

Anyway, I’ll post highlights and game recaps as they are available. Team USA’s inability to win a gold at the Worlds since 1933 is…quite the streak.

Update: IIHF.com’s highlights are available:

Update: Here’s Team USA’s website’s recap…

Continue reading Red Wings at the World Championship: Team USA loses to Sweden, will play for Bronze

Prospect playoff round-up: Fulcher’s Bulldogs drop late decision to Regina at Memorial Cup

At the Memorial Cup, Kaden Fulcher stopped 27 of 30 shots as the Hamilton Bulldogs lost 3-2 to the Regina Pats.

You can read a game recap (the Bulldogs gave up the game-winner with 33 seconds remaining in the 3rd period) and watch game highlights, coach John Gruden’s post-game presser and/or watch Sportsnet’s R.J. Broadhead and Sam Cosiento’s breakdowns as you wish.

Update:

 

 

Duff discusses Coreau’s future

Jared Coreau is among my favorite people to have interacted with as a reporter. He’s a class act on and off the ice, expressive and forthright in his interviews.

It was hard as a hockey fan and a Coreau fan to watch Jared struggle so mightily with the Red Wings over the past two seasons; while Coreau was able to earn a measure of redemption with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Hockeybuzz’s Bob Duff notes that Coreau’s tenure with the Red Wings is probably over:

When Petr Mrazek was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in February, the door was open for Jared Coreau to lay claim to the Detroit Red Wings backup goaltending role behind Jimmy Howard.

As May creeps toward June, which of course is followed by the July free agency season, it looks as though Coreau, 26, who is headed toward unrestricted free agency, will be in the market for a new employer. The door in Detroit is likely closed, Coreau’s window of opportunity to be a Red Wing forever shut.

You can blame it on his poor performance during his late-season recall to Detroit – Coreau was 0-4-1 in seven appearances with a 4.26 goals-against average and .867 save percentage – but he’ll tell you the problems began for him right at the start of the season.

“Slow start,” said Coreau, who began the season 7-8-1 with AHL Grand Rapids. “I think I was a little, I guess bitter with how (Red Wings) camp went. I thought I’d get more of a chance to show what I could do in exhibition games and it definitely affected me earlier on. I’m not afraid to admit it. Everyone could see it. It’s nothing I’ll deny.

“Then we started playing well and had two months there where I was playing really well and was happy to be goaltender of the month for the league and get some wins for the guys. But yeah, the hangover is real. It’s a real thing to overcome and I think you look at the Michael Jordan interview talking about you’re competing with yourself. It’s very true.”

Duff continues at length, quoting a superb interview that Coreau gave after the Griffins were eliminated from the playoffs…

And at this point, I’m assuming that the Wings will pursue experienced back-up goaltenders to fill in at both the NHL and AHL levels as Coreau and Tom McCollum will probably look for greener pastures elsewhere.

Russian Five director speaks with Fox Sports Detroit

Fox Sports Detroit’s Mickey York spoke with filmmaker Joshua Riehl in Seattle, where The Russian Five is airing at the Seattle International Film Festival on Saturday and Sunday:

 

On Filip Hronek’s learning curve at the World Championship

International hockey writer Julie Robenhymer penned an article for DetroitRedWings.com in which she discusses Filip Hronek’s continued 2017-18 season progress as evidenced by Hronek’s strong play for the Czech Republic’s World Championship team.

Robenhymer speaks with Hronek, Team Czech Republic GM/Wings director of player evaluation Jiri Fischer and Czech World Championship coach Josef Jandac regaridng Hronek’s ups and downs at the Worlds:

“This year, he became the highest-scoring rookie defenseman in Grand Rapids history, which is pretty impressive because it’s a franchise that’s been around for a couple of decades,” Fischer explained. “He really wants to play and make things happen, but now he also understands that he has to be sound defensively and he has to be easy to play with, meaning he has to use the players on the ice in order to make him better and not just try to do everything by himself, which is often the big difference between the junior game and the pro game and he’s done a good job of that.

“The most important thing for every player to be successful is to continue to work on their strong suits. So if somebody wants to be special, they really have to work at what they’re good at and what they have a natural predisposition for. So, I really hope that Fil’s going to take his game to another level by running the power play and being the best puck-moving defenseman that he can potentially be.

“At the same time, he’s going to have to work on his strength and stamina to endure a long season with a hopeful playoff run, which some seasons could be over 100 games. That’s a grind. So he understands that this is a big summer for him and he needs to continue to try to improve his game.”

Robenhymer continues…

Team USA looks to earn its first World Championship gold since 1933, battles Sweden tomorrow in WC Semifinal

Team USA’s website posted its Friday notebook ahead of Saturday’s World Championship Semifinal against Sweden (9:15 AM EDT on the NHL Network), and the Americans face long odds in attempting to capture a gold medal:

AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR
By reaching the tournament’s semifinal stage as one of the last four teams remaining, the U.S. has guaranteed a top-four finish in the 12-team tournament for the fourth time in six years. It marks Team USA’s best-ever stretch since it medaled in six of the eight tournaments it competed in from 1931-1950. During that stretch, the U.S. claimed one gold medal (1933), four silver medal (1931, 1934, 1939, 1950) and one bronze (1949). The U.S. did not compete in 1948, 1937 or 1935 tournaments and finished fifth place in 1947 and seventh place in 1938.

2017: 5th Place, 6-0-0-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L)
2016: 4th Place, 4-1-1-4 (W-OTW-OTL-L)
2015: Bronze, 7-1-0-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L)
2014: 6th Place, 4-1-0-3 (W-OTW-OTL-L)
2013: Bronze, 6-1-0-3 (W-OTW-OTL-L)

Team USA’s website posted an off-day clip in which coach Jeff Blashill and forward Johnny Gaudreau spoke with the media:

 

HSJ reviews the Wings’ 2014 draft

The Free Press’s Helene St. James continues her examination of the Red Wings’ recent draft selections this morning, discussing the team’s 2014 draft, which included Dylan Larkin, Dominic Turgeon and Axel Holmstrom:

F Dylan Larkin

Drafted: 15th.

Draft year doings: 17 goals, 9 assists for 26 points in 26 games with the U.S. National U18 team.

Draft day scouting report: Terrific two-way player and excellent skater.

Post-draft doings: 15 goals, 32 assists for 47 points in 35 games with Michigan in 2014-15. Selected Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year. Turned pro and debuted with the Grand Rapids Griffins on May 24, during the AHL Western Conference final, recording three goals among five points in six playoff games.

Continued

Two things: Talkin’ “Hockeytown” and an examination of Axel Holmstrom’s rookie pro season

Of Red Wings-related note this morning:

1. Fox Sports Detroit’s “The Roar Detroit” offered an open letter to Bristol, Connecticut, the home of ESPN, regarding their assertion that Las Vegas is “the new Hockeytown”:

2. And DetroitRedWings.com’s Arthur J. Regner posted an examination of Axel Holmstrom’s rookie season:

66 – Number of games Holmstrom played for the Griffins during his rookie campaign.

7 – Holmstrom scored seven goals, which was third best among Griffins rookies. Filip Hronek led Grand Rapids rookies with 11 goals and Dominik Shine was second with eight tallies.

26 – Total number of points Holmstrom accumulated for the season, ranking him second in rookie scoring behind Hronek’s 39 points. His point total was also 10th best on the Griffins.

Regner continues, and Griffins coach Todd Nelson notes that Holmstrom’s knee injuries and surgeries prior to his AHL debut probably set the two-way center back…

Tyler Wright speaks with Arthur J. Regner regarding the draft and the Wings’ prospects

The Red Wings have posted Arthur J. Regner’s latest Red and White Authority podcast to iTunes, and Art speaks with Red Wings director of amateur scouting Tyler Wright about the draft:

Here are the Soundcloud files:



Frans and Fritz Nielsen reflect on Denmark’s hockey progress

International hockey correspondent Julie Robenhymer spoke with Red Wings center Frans Nielsen regarding his country’s hosting of the World Championship. It turns out that Nielsen’s family is a substantial force in Danish hockey:

When Denmark was announced as the host of the 2018 IIHF World Championship back in May of 2014, Frans Nielsen couldn’t believe it.

“There is no way I ever thought this was possible growing up,” said Nielsen, the first Dane to be drafted into and subsequently play in the NHL. “They were in the C Group when I was growing up. We’ve come a long way and it’s incredible to be a part of. I think we’re all very proud of where we are today.”

Nielsen was eight years old when Denmark advanced to the B Pool, 16 when they advanced to Division I and 18 when they made it to the top division.

He was on that historic team and has been on six more world championship teams since then, but none more special than this one in his hometown of Herning.

“Growing up about five minutes from the rink we’re playing the world championship in…it’s pretty surreal,” the 34-year-old explained. “I did not expect that would ever happen when I was a kid. First, that I’d be playing in the world championship, but also that we’d be hosting it. Never did I ever think that was possible.

“We didn’t have any NHL players when I was growing up. Our heroes were in Sweden. You knew about the NHL so I guess you always dreamed about playing there, but really it was Sweden because you just didn’t think you’d be good enough for the NHL. So Sweden was the realistic goal back then. It wasn’t until I got drafted that I thought I might have a shot at the NHL.”

Robenhymer continues, speaking with Frans’ father, Fritz…