The Malik Report

I’m very cautious regarding posting preseason or pre-tournament prospect results. Red Wings prospect Red Savage scored 3 goals in 2 exhibition games for Team USA prior to the Tuesday start of the 2022 World Junior Championship, Carter Mazur scored a goal, and I just didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.

I’m even more hesitant to post the following because it’s the Sochi Open, where HK Sochi and a couple other KHL teams are basically set up to showcase the Russian national “Under-25 team,” which is a not-so-subtle reminder that the Russians consider every KHL player under 25 property of their rights-holders, regardless of whether they’re signed to contracts for their upcoming seasons.

Anyway, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff duly noted that Red Wings 2022 draft pick Dmitri Buchelnikov is starring at the tournament, and I’m hesitant to post the 5’10,” 163-pound forward’s exploits because it’s taking place at a tournament designed to showcase the Russian National Team, but hey, it’s out there:

More than a few eyebrows were raising suspiciously when the Detroit Red Wings were claiming Russian forward Dmitri Buchelnikov with the 52nd overall selection of the 2022 NHL entry draft.

Many of those same eyebrows were probably arching upward again on Sunday. Watching highlights from Sunday’s action at the Sochi Open KHL preseason tournamment, Buchelnikov was on fire.

Playing for the Russian Under-25 national team, Buchelnikov delivered a pair of goals and was dishing out an equal number of assists in a 6-1 rout of the host team from Sochi.

At midseason, Buchelnikov was sitting with a rating of No. 47 among European draft-eligible players according to NHL Central Scouting. However, by the end of the season, there was uncertainty regarding Russian players due to the country’s war with Ukraine. Subsequently, the outcome saw Buchelnikov dropping right out of the rankings.

That didn’t stop the Red Wings from calling Buchelnikov’s name early on draft day.

“These are 17, 18, 19 year old kids that love to play hockey,” Red Wings director of amateur scouting Kris Draper explained. “That’s something we have to keep in mind. In the end, they just want to play hockey like any kid in North America or Sweden or Finland or wherever it might be. That’s how we evaluated the Russian players this year.”

I’ll let you head over to Detroit Hockey Now for the rest, but I will say that the fact that Buchelnikov’s posted 5 points in 4 games is impressive, even if it’s a pre-preseason set of exhibition games.

Also in the FYI Department, the aforementioned Carter Mazur and Red Savage made Team USA’s final World Junior roster.

Per the Red Wings:

Kris Draper breaks down the 2022 Red Wings Draft and Craig Button analyses Detroit’s free agent acquisitions in a special edition of The Red and White Authority, co-hosted by Daniella Bruce and Art Regner.

This is a week old, but I think that you might be interested in it, so: new Red Wings goaltender Ville Husso spoke with Ilta-Sanomat’s Tommi Koivunen on August 1st, and here’s a rough translation of the article from Finnish:

Ville Husso signed a huge NHL contract–and he has difficult goals with a legendary team

Ville Husso signed a contract with the Detroit Red Wings, who finally want to return to the top.

The Detroit Red Wings. Their name is one of the most legendary in the NHL. The classic team was a perennial success of the NHL during the childhood and youth of many children of the 90’s, like Ville Husso.

Detroit played in the playoffs for a whopping 25 straight seasons between 1991 and 2016, went to the finals 6 times and won 4 Stanley Cups.

Since then, the Red Wings have not made the playoffs, but this summer, the GM, former captain Steve Yzerman, has made some big moves. The team should now credibly fight for a playoff spot. One of the new acquisitions is Ville Husso, 27.

He also knows his history.

“It’s a really historic team, and 11 Stanley Cups says a lot about the team’s success. Now when I go there, I just have to strive for more of them. That’s the biggest thing. I want to win,” says Husso.

Continue reading Roughly translated: Ville Husso speaks with Ilta-Sanomat

The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted an early-morning article which discusses the Red Wings’ 9 World Junior Championship-participating prospects.

As St. James notes, the Wings’ prospects are taking part in a high-stakes tournament in Edmonton over the next two weeks, and Carter Mazur, Red Savage, Sebastian Cossa, Donovan Sebrango, Eemil Viro, Simon Edvinsson, Theodor Niederbach, William Wallinder and Jan Bednar will all benefit from high-level competition…

The Wings have players on the rosters of half of the participating nations. For some of them, it will be an opportunity to make an impression ahead of challenging for an NHL job next month in Traverse City.

“It’s fantastic for players to go into these world junior tournaments,” general manager Steve Yzerman said July 14. “They’re great experiences individually for them, but also in their development as hockey players playing in big games, do-or-die games and under the pressure, I think is great.”

And St. James breaks down the Wings’ prospects on a roster-by-roster basis, saying this about Team Sweden:

As can be expected with a Swedish national team, there are Wings in the mix: defensemen Simon Edvinsson and William Wallinder, and forward Theodor Niederbach. Edvinsson — the No. 6 overall pick in 2021 — is 6 feet 6, 205 pounds and stayed in Detroit to prepare for the event after turning heads in early July at the Wings’ [summer development camp].

He projects to play a major role for the Swedes, and that should help his cause when he auditions for a role with the Wings. Yzerman signed left-side defensemen Ben Chiarot and Olli Määttä in free agency, but Edvinsson is expected to challenge for the third spot. He has one full season in the Swedish Hockey League, so he’s not coming to camp with the same experience Moritz Seider had last year, but Edvinsson is as confident as he is big, and starring for his country at such a big event will further boost his cause. 

Wallinder, drafted at No. 32 in 2020, had 19 points in 47 games in the SHL last season; he’s in a good spot with Rögle, the same team where Seider thrived in 2021 and also home to the Wings’ 2022 first-round pick, forward Marco Kasper. (Kasper, from Austria, opted out of the tournament to prepare for the SHL season). Niederbach (No. 51, 2020) is a right-shot center/wing coming off his first full SHL season (16 points, 51 games with Frölunda) and is also slated to play next season at Rögle.

St. James continues (paywall)

Red Wings prospect Marco Kasper engaged in a wide-ranging conversation with HD.se’s Daniel Roth this morning, but the article is regrettably stuck behind a paywall, so I can only give you the very start of the Helsingborgs Dagblad interview:

The NHL will have to wait: Kasper has Rogle and his student status in focus

Marco Kasper chose to not participate in the World Junior championship, but he’s agreed to finish both high school and play one more season for Rogle. “I try to enjoy everything,” says the super talent.

Have you had a good summer? Well, perhaps, better than most, Marco Kasper would be able to say. But he’s a soft-spoken 18-year-old and wouldn’t speak like that.

The article continues, but what lies beyond the paywall is a mystery for North American readers.

For what it’s worth, Expressen’s Svanta Storlinge and Adam Johansson let readers know that there’s a possibility that Rogle’s starting goaltender, Calle Clang, might be brought to Anaheim this upcoming season. It sounds like the Ducks aren’t quite as patient as the Red Wings, though Rogle GM Chris Abbott is pretty confident that his team will have their starting goalie this year.

It’s sort of a given that those of us who are in the Red Wings news business find ourselves followed on social media by players’ families.

I’ll readily admit that one really feels the weight of, “If you eff up, player X’s family are going to hold you accountable,” especially when it comes to player criticism…In the long run, however, I believe that it’s a good thing to be followed by players’ families.

Given that you have to gain your readers’ trust, especially when it comes to player-related observations, I think that it’s better to know that you’re going up against the “ultimate judges” of your work when you’re being critical or critiquing someone. That’s healthy in my opinion, because it reminds you that you answer to a very important set of people in your wider audience.

Put bluntly, you can’t bullshit when it comes to player evaluation or team criticism, but you can’t be afraid to stick your neck out and say, “I think player X should have done better in scenario Y.”

It it’s a reminder that it’s always a privilege to have your voice heard by the VIP’s of the world, and you have to remain firm and honest in your comments and criticism, but not unnecessarily heavy-handed.

Anyway, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff wrote an article regarding swashbuckling stay-at-home defenseman and Team Canada World Junior team assistant captain Donovan Sebrango, noting that Donovan’s mom, Kim, is something of a force of nature:

Continue reading A bit of a late-night ramble on blogger accountability

Tonight, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff profiles the Red Wings’ first-round draft pick at last month’s draft in Montreal, one Marco Kasper.

The 6’3,” 183-pound center from Innsbruck, Austria, has already been signed to an entry-level contract, though he’s likely to remain with Rogle BK of the SHL for the upcoming season.

As Duff notes this evening, Kasper spoke with the Wings’ media corps while at last month’s development camp, and he was blunt and honest regarding both the benefits and difficulties of leaving Austria to play in Swedish developmental leagues as a 16-year-old. He’s learned the language, and goes to Swedish high school:

“Yeah, for sure it was a difficult decision to leave home, leave my family, but it’s been I think a good decision to go play in a better league against better competitors,” Kasper said. “That’s why I left home.”

Playing in Sweden has led to significant evolution in his overall game. Much like the NHL, the Swedish League puts a major emphasis on playing the game well on the defensive side of the puck.

“It’s a really structured league,” Kasper said. “Bigger ice, Olympic-sized ice, really good players in that league. It’s definitely hard to play there because of the structure and I’m really focusing on my defensive game.”

Kasper’s maturity as a player led to more responsibility coming his way as Rogle was advancing toward what would ultimately be a victory in the European Champions League.

“We play a fast-paced game, try to get out of our own zone fast, go and get the puck and work in the offensive zone as much as possible and create scoring chances from there,” Kasper said. “It’s been great playing there.”

Continued; Duff attempts to put a timeline on when we might see Kasper at the NHL level. Given that he’s only 18, I think that’s a little bit difficult. I would expect him to play at one or maybe two more seasons in Sweden, and possibly at least a good chunk of a season in Grand Rapids before he earns a spot in the Wings’ lineup…

And that’s all dependent upon how well he plays during his first full SHL season this year with the developmental powerhouse that is Rogle.

As for his ceiling, that’s hard to say, but he’s still growing into his body and will grow as a more offensively-inclined contributor in what Kasper himself stated is a very, very structured game in Sweden. He may not fully blossom until he comes over to North America, frankly, so don’t be stunned if he doesn’t post dominant numbers this upcoming season.

New Red Wings forward Dominik Kubalik spoke with Cesky Rozhlas (Czech Radio) Plzen’s Vladislav Janouskovec after skating in Pilsen today (home of HK Skoda Plzen).

There’s a 4:56 interview which accompanies the article, which you probably won’t get much of unless you understand Czech, but here’s a rough translation of the article which accompanies the interview:

Hockey player Dominik Kubalik trains as usual in Pilsen before flying overseas

Hockey player Dominik Kubalik is preparing for the new overseas NHL season in Pilsen. After three years in Chicago, he will wear the jersey of Detroit.

Like every summer, ice hockey forward Dominik Kubalik is preparing for the new NHL season at the Pilsen Ice Arena. After three years with Chicago, he will play for Detroit, with whom he signed a two-year contract.

The first training session on the Pilsen ice was preceded by a lot of time spent in the gym. “I hope it gets better and better. Of course it’s going to hurt [at first], but that’s how it is. Before, I always tried to be at 100% from the first practice, but now I know that the body needs some time [to get into shape],” said the 26-year-old Dominik Kubalik.

He goes to a Red Wings team without high expectations. He just wants to win the best possible position. “I know what the league is like, what my qualities are and what I need to improve,” Kubalik confided. After three seasons with Chicago, the new team is a great motivation and great challenge for him, which he takes positively.

Kubalik chose to wear the Red Wings’ jersey. Other players who signed contracts together with him helped the team change quite a bit. Czech players Filip Hronek, Jakub Vrana and Filip Zadina already play for the team. “I know those boys from the national team. I don’t see a problem with it, hopefully it won’t be over-examined,” said Dominik Kubalik, smiling.

There’s still plenty of time for practice. He has a month-and-a-half of training both on the ice and in the gym before he flies back overseas. He will also skate with Pilsen.

Dominik Kubalik, born in Pilsen, will celebrate his 27th birthday on August 21st.

I was poking around for this morning’s ramble regarding Wings players’ summertime training when I was reminded that Steven Oleksy’s Eastside Elite Hockey League (or ESE Hockey), an informal competitive hockey league for Michigan-based players’ summertime skates, is already under way in Mount Clemens, MI.

This Monday, August 8th, the ESE League’s All-Star Challenge will take place at Mount Clemens Ice Arena, and here’s what it promises:

The 2022 ESE All-Star Challenge will kick start the event with two High School Division games and an Elite Division game – all part of the ESE Summer League. Following the two High School Division games and Elite Division game, an ESE All-Star Challenge – College Division will take place featuring elite NCAA players. The main event is the highly anticipated and fan-favorite ESE All-Star Challenge – Pro Division! The ESE All-Star Challenge – Pro Division will feature NHL, AHL, and ECHL players including NHL All-Stars Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Zach Werenski, and local favorites Vlad Namestnikov, Jordan Oesterle, Michael Rasmussen, Taro Hirose, Riley Barber, Josh Norris, Will Lockwood, and Ben Gleason!

Tickets are either $20 for the 10-plus-hour long event or $100 for VIP packages, and the tickets are on sale on EventBrite until Monday, when you can only purchase them in person at Mount Clemens Ice Arena. Enjoy!

Frolunda HC of the SHL, a.k.a. the former Frolunda Indians, were the “Red Wings East” for a couple of seasons, but a series of hockey moves have yielded a new team with that title in Rogle BK, Moritz Seider’s alma mater.

Swedish prospects Theodor Niederbach and William Wallinder migrated to Rogle from other teams this past season, and Austrian-born top prospect Marco Kasper chose to play for the Angleholm-based team, which is run by the brothers Cam (coach) and Chris (the GM) Abbott, because it’s considered one of the best teams in all of Europe.

This morning, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff writes about the team from Skane (Southern Sweden), noting that Niederbach left Frolunda as a free agent to sign with Rogle for more playing time’s sake, and that Wallinder comes to Frolunda from MODO Hockey of the Swedish Allsvenskan (the Swedish version of the AHL):

Continue reading DHN’s Duff on Rogle BK as the ‘Red Wings East’ and a bit of a ramble on summertime training