The Malik Report

Red Wings prospect and Rogle BK center Theodor Niederbach had a rough start to the World Junior Championship yesterday, taking 2 minor penalties and a major penalty in Sweden’s 3-2 win over Switzerland. It was a particularly difficult performance given the steps forward that Niederbach has taken over the course of the summer.

Niederbach will try to re-set and refocus when Sweden takes on Austria on Friday, August 12th (2 PM EDT start on TSN and the NHL Network), presuming that he doesn’t get suspended for the 5-and-a-match penalty situation.

Niederbach spoke with SHL.se’s Johannes Haggelund on Monday regarding the World Junior Championship, moving to Rogle BK from Frolunda HC, and Simon Edvinsson. What follows is roughly translated from Swedish:

Niederbach: ‘Wants to be a player who contributes to us going far’

After four consecutive seasons with Frolunda, Theodor Niederbach now belongs to Rogle. Before the SHL starts, Niederbach, together with the Junior Crowns, will try to win a WJC gold. “We know that we have the material to go far,” says Niederbach, who also discusses his decision to sign with Rogle, and what it’s like to share a room with Simon Edvinsson.

At the end of December of last year, it was announced that the World Junior Championship was cancelled due to COVID-19, but now it’s time for the tournament to start again. On Wednesday, the WJC started for the Swedes. One of the players included for the second year in a row is Theodor Niederbach, 20.

“It’s obviously fun [to take part]. Nice to get the chance again. It’s a bit special because the tournament is played before the season starts,” says Niederbach.

Continue reading Roughly translated: Theodor Niederbach speaks with SHL.se

On Thursday, August 11th, the following Red Wings prospects will be taking part in World Junior Championship action:

Team Finland vs. Team Czechia @ 2 PM EDT on TSN and the NHL Network

Eemil Viro plays for Finland; Jan Bednar plays for Czechia;

Team Slovakia vs. Team Canada @ 6 PM EDT on TSN and the NHL Network

Donovan Sebrango and Sebastian Cossa play for Canada, though Dylan Garand will start for the Canadians in goal.

Team Switzerland vs. Team USA @ 10 PM EDT on TSN and the NHL Network

Carter Mazur and Red Savage play for Team USA.

Update: Here’s the Canadian schedule:

#WorldJuniors GAME DAY:

Finland 🇫🇮 🆚 Czechia 🇨🇿: 2pm et on TSN 3/4

Slovakia 🇸🇰 🆚 Canada 🇨🇦: 6pm et on TSN 3/4

Switzerland 🇨🇭 🆚 USA 🇺🇸: 10pm et on TSN4

Also LIVE on https://t.co/BQGeAnElqf and the TSN App: https://t.co/3PTSwVFR94#TSNHockey pic.twitter.com/aYLxuG5z65— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) August 11, 2022

Red Wings prospect Simon Edvinsson had a particularly good outing as Sweden out-dueled Switzerland 3-2 on Wednesday. Edvinsson had an assist, he was even, had 3 shots, and played 26:09.

After the game, he spoke with HockeyNews.se’s Henrik Sjoberg regarding his and his team’s respective performances. What follows is roughly translated from Swedish:

Edvinsson on the Swedes’ premiere: “We were very weak at the beginning”

Edmonton. The Junior Krona won against Switzerland–but not impressively.

“I think that it was quite clear that we were very weak at the beginning. It was good to win, but we need to improve,” says defensive star Simon Edvinsson to HockeyNews.se.

It took until the final minutes of the 2nd period before Daniel Torgersson broke the deadlock and gave Sweden a lead against Switzerland–thanks to a play from the promising defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who has a big role on the Swedish WJC team.

Sweden had a 3-0 lead, but surrendered 2 goals, and it was a dramatic game all the way until the final seconds of the premiere.

“I think it’s quite clear that we were weak at the beginning. We came out and didn’t have any pressure or the pace we wanted. It got a little better in the 2nd period and in the 3rd, we got off to a good start, but I think we’re went down again,” says Edvinsson to HockeyNews.se.

“It was nice to win, that’s what counts, but we need to pick it up a bit. Both from my side and from the team’s side,” he says.

Sweden had to play defense in the final minute, and things got sweaty when Theodor Niederbach took a match penalty after a check in the back of a Swiss player in Niederbach’s own zone.

“I didn’t see it, I had a few players in front of me and I haven’t seen a replay either, but that’s the kind of thing that happens, and we fought it off,” Edvinsson says.

There were no more than around 150 people in the arena when the puck dropped for yesterday’s opener against Switzerland–an extraordinary experience for the players, who usually perform in front of thousands of spectators.

“We hope for bigger audiences in the upcoming games, but it was nice to get started, anyway,” says Edvinsson.

For what it’s worth, between the controversy surrounding Hockey Canada, the news that tickets start at $50 a seat and go up from there at Rogers Place in Edmonton, and the fact that the games are being held on weekdays in August…It’s understandable that the crowds are small.

Fans vote with their butts, either by placing them in seats or skipping games, and right now, fans in Edmonton are letting the World Junior Championship’s organizers know that the controversy is real and the prices are too high.

I mentioned on Sunday that Red Wings prospect Marco Kasper engaged in a wide-ranging conversation with HD.se, but said conversation was stuck behind a Swedish paywall.

This morning, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff takes us behind the paywall–to some extent–and offers confirmation of the news that’s been confirmed by Kasper himself, both while speaking to the Wings’ media members and elsewhere:

Continue reading Confirming the confirmation

Updated 2x at 10:03 PM: Team Canada defeated Latvia 5-2 in the teams’ first of four “round robin” games at the World Junior Championship on Wednesday, but, as you’ll see and read below, the game was a little closer than the score indicate. Red Wings prospect and Edmonton Oil Kings goaltender Sebastian Cossa had to work very hard in the 3rd period in order to ensure that Latvia didn’t stage a late-game rally.

Ultimately, Cossa stopped 22 of 24 shots–with 14 of those saves coming in the 3rd period.

Donovan Sebrango had both a primary assist on the game’s opening goal and he finished at +2 with 2 shots in 19:53 played (on the Canadians’ first defensive pair). The more I see Sebrango play, the more he reminds me of another throwback defenseman in former Leaf nemesis turned 2-time Wings Cup winner Bob Rouse. Sebrango is spare and “sneaky dirty” at times, but he’s workmanlike, using his long stick to break up plays and his skating to steer opponents away from the puck. He’s got an edge to him, but mostly, he’s quietly efficient.

As for Cossa, he’s starting to really develop into a strong goaltender, as Team Canada coach Dave Cameron noted yesterday, and while I don’t expect him to unseat Jussi Olkinuora and Victor Brattstrom in the Griffins’ crease, I think that he’s going to be just fine in Edmonton.

In terms of the game’s narrative, here are some highlight clips from TSN:

Here’s Sebrango’s primary assist on the Connor Bedard goal, as noted by the Detroit News’s Gregg Krupa on Twitter…

Continue reading Red Wings at the WJC: Cossa stops 22 of 24, Sebrango 1A, 19:53 played in Canada’s 5-2 win over Latvia

Red Wings prospect Simon Edvinsson had an assist and played 26:09 in Sweden’s 3-2 win over Switzerland at the World Junior Championship on Wednesday, and he offered a few comments after the game to SVT.se:

First, Edvinsson addressed the Swedes’ sloppy win with the following, which is roughly translated from Swedish…

“It was extremely nice to win. I think we needed the win. It was a slow start and [we] got better after that. But we can do much better. Both from my side and from the team’s side,” says defensive talent Simon Edvinsson.

And Edvinsson spoke with SVT.se about the news that Borje Salming has been diagnosed with ALS:

Before the Junior Krona’s opening game in the WJC against Switzerland, the news reached the team that Swedish legend Borje Salming has suffered from the disease ALS.

Then the team chose to pay tribute to Salming by putting the #21 on each stick.

“He’s a legend, he has all of Sweden behind him,” says Simon Edvinsson to SVT Sport.

Borje Salming was the first Swedish player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. And even though he stopped playing in 1993, i.e. long before today’s Junior Krona were born, the respect is great.

“He’s a great player in Swedish hockey. He wasn’t really active in my time. But you’ve seen highlights and heard him speak. He’s meant a lot to Swedish hockey,” says Simon Edvinsson.

TSN’s Mark Masters spoke with Red Wings prospect and Team Canada alternate captain Donovan Sebrango regarding his role on the Canadian World Junior team ahead of tonight’s game vs. Latvia (6 PM EDT on TSN/NHL Network):

“I’ve put on size,” the Detroit Red Wings prospect noted. “I’ve put on 10 pounds since Christmas, and I feel good. I feel strong. I feel ready to go here.”

“He’s a pro,” said [Canadian coach Dave] Cameron of Sebrango. “He’s played pro hockey. When you go pro, your experience is that it’s every day. That’s the biggest difference between pros and kids coming out of junior is that ability to do it every day whether anyone’s watching or not.”

Sebrango, who stands 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, has been skating on Canada’s top pair alongside [Olen] Zellweger, who led all Western Hockey League defencemen in scoring last season with 78 points in 55 games.

“He’s a special player,” said Sebrango. “He’s got some of the best hands I’ve seen for a d-man. I’ll shut down the guys, give him the puck and let him work his magic.”

Despite the strange circumstances, Sebrango still senses magic in the air in Edmonton. 

“It’s been a crazy year and it’s crazy we’re doing this in the summer,” Sebrango said. “It’s different. I mean, a week and a half ago I was doing a summer skate and working out with my buddies, but I don’t think the timing really matters. It’s still the same feeling and same honour to be here.” 

Continued

Updated with highlights at 5:44 PM: Team Sweden defeated Switzerland 3-2 in their first round robin game at the World Junior Championship, but it was a sloppy win…

In no small part because Red Wings prospect and Rogle BK center Theodor Niederbach had a rough go, negating an assist with 3 penalties, including a 5-minute major for boarding in the 3rd period.

Simon Edvinsson played major minutes and registered an assist, playing savvy, heads-up hockey, using his skating skills and confidence to register an assist on Sweden’s first goal and generally play a dominant, intelligent and physical game. Edvinsson finished with 1 assist and an even plus-minus rating, with 3 shots taken, in 26:09 played;

William Wallinder made a bad boo boo by charging up to center ice on the Swiss 3-2 goal, causing himself and Edvinsson to lose position as the Swiss players stormed the Swedish net and fired a slot shot through the pair of Wings defensemen screening Jesper Wallstedt, but in all honesty, Wallinder was very good for the vast majority of the game, shutting down the Swiss offense and playing low-event hockey to a shut-down defenseman’s tee. Wallinder finished at +1 with 1 shot in 19:43 played;

And Niederbach took two bad stick penalties 200 feet from his net, redeemed himself with a behind-the-back assist, and then took a 5-minute major penalty for boarding, ultimately finishing with an assist, a +2 and 1 shot, but 29 minutes in penalties in 15:23 played.

I’ll post the IIHF’s highlights when able, but in the interim, you’ll get Twitter clips to watch:

Continue reading Red Wings at the WJC: Sweden hangs on to beat Switzerland 3-2. Edvinsson 1A, Niederbach 1A, 3 penalties (including a major)

Red Wings prospect and Team Canada alternate captain Donovan Sebrango spoke with TSN’s Mark Masters on Canada’s game day, addressing the state of his team ahead of today’s game vs. Latvia (6 PM EDT start on TSN/NHL Network):

#WorldJuniors GAME DAY: Donovan Sebrango ‘very confident’ in Canada: We’re a bit bigger than we were at Christmas time… https://t.co/ruq4Qf2CBh#TSNHockey pic.twitter.com/ag6rY0M7Vr— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) August 10, 2022

Update: Also:

#WorldJuniors GAME DAY: Team Canada head coach Dave Cameron looks ahead to the opening game against Latvia and the challenge they present, shares his thoughts on Logan Stankoven’s game and why he wanted Donovan Sebrango as part of his leadership group – https://t.co/XtE2y4VcCD pic.twitter.com/vWRBCFHvfB— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) August 10, 2022

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a notebook article which focuses on new Red Wings forward David Perron’s remarks made during his introductory press conference:

Perron, at age 34, will be the oldest player on the Wings’ roster. A 2007 first-round pick of the Blues, Perron is only 27 games shy of reaching 1,000 games played in his career.

That experience, plus the championship pedigree, could prove invaluable on a younger roster. Perron joins Robby Fabbri, Oskar Sundqvist, Ville Husso and Jake Walman as former St. Louis teammates now with the Wings. Perron was integral in the Blues’ leadership structure in recent years and feels he can help build a winning culture in Detroit.

“Those are guys I exchanged text messages (with),” Perron said. “Some of us won together there in St. Louis and would like to kind of bring some of that success to Detroit. That’s very important for the organization, the value of the older guys, the type of culture they want to build. I’m going to show up to be one of the guys at the start, but then you are going to try to instill some of the things you’ve learned over the years to help the team out. You see some of the strides that (young St. Louis forwards) Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou have taken over the last couple of years. In my mind, hopefully in a little way I’ve helped them become those guys.”

Perron’s impact on the power play was also a factor in Yzerman acquiring the veteran. Eleven of Perron’s 27 goals last season in St. Louis were on the power play. Conversely, the Wings’ power play has been consistently near the bottom of the NHL the last several seasons.

“With the Blues last year we had the best power play in the history of the team. I was part of that solution, it’s something that I want to help,” Perron said. “A team that goes on a good run on the power play usually starts the year pretty well. If you start behind the eight ball and you have to dig yourself out, it’s tough to come back and have a good season.”

Continued (paywall)