Articles (and video) from practice: the 34-game push

Updated substantially with text at 6:07 PM:

The Red Wings practiced at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday, returning from the All-Star Break to prepare for the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday.

After practice, coach Jeff Blashill suggested that all of Trevor Daley, Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm may return against the Sharks, and that Petr Mrazek would start for the Wings. If Daley, Abdelkader and Helm return, Dominic Turgeon and/or David Booth may be heading to Grand Rapids.

We begin our survey of the post-practice articles with a Twitter video, posted by the Red Wings, of Jimmy Howard speaking with the media:

Continue reading Articles (and video) from practice: the 34-game push

Sportsnet analyzes Mike Green’s trade value

Sportsnet’s Andrew Berkshire took a look at Mike Green’s trade value from an analytical standpoint:

At even strength, Green is still better than average in generating scoring chances for his teammates, though he’s not as slick of a passer under pressure as he used to be. His main contributions to offence at 5-on-5 are his ability to enter the zone cleanly with the puck, and improve shot quality by completing offensive zone dekes that open up lanes for better passes and shots.

Where Green truly separates himself, though, is on the power play. He is about 80th among defencemen in creating scoring chances at even strength, but on the power play he’s first in the NHL at his position, and sixth overall including forwards. He’s an absolute force on the man advantage.

Continue reading Sportsnet analyzes Mike Green’s trade value

‘After practice’: Daley to return, Mrazek to start vs. San Jose

The Detroit Red Wings practiced on Tuesday ahead of their Wednesday game against the San Jose Sharks.

After practice concluded, the beat writers headed into the locker room, and the Free Press’s Helene St. James reported the following:

Trevor Daley says he’s good to play Wednesday

Continue reading ‘After practice’: Daley to return, Mrazek to start vs. San Jose

Red Wings practice on Tuesday ahead of SJ game: Mrazek in ‘starter’s’ net, ‘everyone’ skating

Updated 4x at 2:38 PM:

The Detroit Red Wings hit the ice at Little Caesars Arena just before 1 PM on Tuesday, preparing for Wednesday’s home game against the San Jose Sharks (8:00 PM EST on FSD/NBCSNSA/97.1 FM).

Our friends from San Jose will be busy playing against the Pittsburgh Penguins this evening, so they probably won’t hold a morning skate tomorrow; the Red Wings are opening a stretch of 3 games to be played over the course of 4 nights (Detroit plays on Carolina on Friday and Florida on Saturday).

Here are the Tweets of note from today’s practice, starting with MLive’s Ansar Khan’s, “Hello”:

Continue reading Red Wings practice on Tuesday ahead of SJ game: Mrazek in ‘starter’s’ net, ‘everyone’ skating

ESPN’s Wyshynski profiles Mike Green

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski penned a lengthy article about Mike Green, a player who Wyshynski suggests is “at a career crossroads“:

Green’s points this season are split evenly between even strength and the power play (13 each).

“The key is finding that balance. The offense and defense. Playing in Detroit, they really focus on the defensive side of the puck, and it’s really helped my game. I’m grateful for that,” he said.

He’s also grateful for having spent these last three seasons with a storied Original Six franchise.

Continue reading ESPN’s Wyshynski profiles Mike Green

USA Hockey Arena to host Under-18 Five Nations Cup in February

USA Hockey Arena will be hosting the Under-18 Five Nations Cup from February 13th to 17th , and the event tends to be loaded with players who are eligible for the year’s upcoming draft.

The U.S., Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland and Russia will be taking part in the tournament, and the U.S. team will be largely made up of USA Hockey’s anchor tenant, the National Team Development Program.

Here’s an FYI from USA Hockey Arena:

A different take on video replay

As the NHL discusses the role of video replay in determining offside and goaltender interference calls, the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe asked the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye to weigh in on playing in a league where there is no video review:

In two games over a span of five days, the Walleye were involved in controversial situations that could have easily been rectified if video replay had been available. Both occurred when the goal judge turned the red light on when he believed a goal had been scored, but play continued anyway. In one case, Toledo was awarded the goal. In the other, they were not. Again both decisions were based on real-time situations.

Walleye coach Dan Watson did not mince words when he took to Twitter to express his disappointment.

“Video Replay is a must in 2018,” Watson wrote in a post a day after his team was affected by a questionable non-goal call that may have cost Toledo a point. “Plays are happening too fast with one ref on the ice. Help these guys make the right calls. Some will go against you, some will go for you. At the end of the day, the right call should be made.”

Continued

The Athletic’s Scott weighs in on the Wings’ ‘future’

The Athletic’s Topher Scott–their resident coach—discusses the play of the Wings’ top young players this morning.

He suggests that Andreas Athanasiou, Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi, Dominic Turgeon and Joe Hicketts all have room for growth:

Defensively, Athanasiou needs to clean up his game. He often runs around the defensive zone instead of sticking with the process. He also frequently takes the long way to get 50/50 pucks. In a 50/50 race, taking the short route to get possession of the puck first often means you are going to take some contact. Athanasiou often lets the other guy get there first, and then tries to get the puck. Eddie Olczyk called him out for this on national TV earlier this year, but it still shows up in his game (clips 4 and 5).

Continued (Paywall)…

Wallner: Griffins’ Lorito, Puempel star at AHL ASG

The Grand Rapids Press’s Peter J. Wallner reports that the Grand Rapids Griffins’ All-Star representatives did quite well during the AHL’s All-Star game:

Matt Puempel and Matt Lorito combined to score four of the [Central] division’s seven goals in three 10-minute pool play games, each playing three aside.

Puempel scored single goals against the Central and Pacific teams, while Lorito scored twice on three shots against the North and also chipped in an assist against Pacific.

Continued