Prospect round-up: LDN’s ice time low in Allsvenskan; Kilpinen scores again in J20; Guimond wins first USHL game

Of Red Wings prospect-related note today:

In the Swedish Allsvenskan, Liam Dower Nilsson played 5:36 in IF Bjorkloven’s 5-3 loss to Djurgarden Stockholm, finishing even with 1 shot;

In the Swedish J20 league, Maximilian Kilpinen scored 2 goals on 4 shots, finishing at +2 in Modo Ornskoldsvik’s 5-2 win over AIK;

And Noah Dower Nilsson’s Frolunda HC J20 team won 3-1 over Vasteras as the 2023 draft pick recovers from shoulder surgery.

Yesterday night, in the USHL, Jack Phelan finished at -1 in the Sioux Falls Stampede’s 2-1 OT loss to Tri-City;

And fellow 2023 draft pick Rudy Guimond stopped 19 of 20 shots to back-stop the Cedar Rapids Roughriders to a 5-1 win over Youngstown, earning his first USHL win in his first USHL game.

Update: On Friday Night, in the WHL, Nate Danielson’s Brandon Wheat Kings lost 7-6 to Regina;

And Emmitt Finnie’s Kamloops Blazers lost 7-6 in overtime to Spokane.

Khan on Alex DeBrincat’s desire to form a partnership with Dylan Larkin

MLive’s Ansar Khan profiled Red Wings trade acquisition Alex DeBrincat this afternoon, after DeBrincat spoke with the Wings’ media corps today. As Khan notes, DeBrincat believes that he’s going to form a fine partnership with Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin:

“He’s so fast, so fast up the middle,” DeBrincat said. “He creates a lot of room on the wings and really pushes the D back on different rushes, three-on-twos, three-on-threes, and really creates that space. Should be a lot of fun to play with him. He skates so effortlessly. It’s been fun to watch for a while and I’m looking forward to playing with him.”

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman traded for DeBrincat on July 9, giving the team the sniper it hasn’t had in more than a decade. It’s been 15 years since Detroit had a 40-goal scorer (Marian Hossa in 2008-09).

It cost them a first-round pick in 2024 (the lower of theirs and Boston’s) and 20-goal scorer Dominik Kubalik. They’re counting on seeing DeBrincat play like he did with the Blackhawks, not the Senators.

“I’ve got to focus a little more on bearing down when I get my chances,” DeBrincat said. “Last year I gave up a lot of chances, maybe got lazy on it or whatever, hit a post or stuff like that. I’m pretty confident getting back to that form and we have a lot of great players here to play with. I’m just trying to find the space out here and they’ll give me the puck.”

Continued

Link post: 40 more training camp photos from the Detroit News’s Guralnick

The Detroit News’s David Guralnick posted a fine 40-image gallery from the second day of Red Wings training camp, and it’s worth clicking on the link to check out Mr. Guralnick’s excellent work. He posted over 40 images yesterday, too.

The two “Daves” who cover Detroit sports, Guralnick and Red Wings photographer Dave Reginek, are the best in the business in my opinion.

Tweet of note: ‘Johnny Burgers’ Mic’ed Up

Red Wings forward Jonatan Berggren got the “Mic’ed Up” treatment by the Red Wings today, and it’s quite funny:

There’s a video if you prefer:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=xbZLB_0ryQQ%3Fsi%3DDI95QlE8wbF1z8sY

Stockton on Daniel Sprong, secret weapon

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton discussed the divisive nature of the Alex DeBrincat trade in the eyes of Hockey News writers this morning, and this afternoon, and Sam does discuss DeBrincat’s comments to the media in his afternoon training camp notebook, but I’m going to highlight Stockton’s spotlighting of one Daniel Sprong here:

Whether it was the purple hue of his visor, the thunderous power behind his shot, or the volume of scoring chances he seemed to generate, there was no shortage of reasons to notice Daniel Sprong on his second official day as a Red Wing.

Playing on a line with Jonatan Berggren and Joe Veleno, Sprong earned plaudits from his coach for his performance.

Berggren’s aptitude as a playmaker makes him a natural fit alongside Sprong, while for Veleno, playing with Berggren and Sprong constitutes an opportunity to play a more offensive game than he might be able to on the Red Wings’ fourth line.  If that trio does find a groove once the regular season begins, it could also free up Detroit to move one of Andrew Copp or J.T. Compher to the wing.  Once again, there is a sense of added depth over the offseason affording the Red Wings more options for deploying their top talent.

A year ago in Seattle, Sprong played a limited third line role but that didn’t stop him from being a volume goalscorer.  Despite playing under 12 minutes a night, Sprong managed to chip in 21 goals for the Kraken, and he ranked 15th in the league in goals per 60 minutes of ice time at 1.67.

When asked whether Sprong will likely occupy a similar role in Detroit or move up the line-up, Lalonde said “I think he can complement anyone throughout our lineup. He seems comfortable in that type of role [as a 3rd line scorer]. He doesn’t need a ton to score; he’s a shooter. We want him shooting from everywhere, we want him trying to score from every situation. That’s his strength. He’s had a really good camp also…We’re gonna have a ton of different looks, but I really feel he could complement anybody in our top 12.”

Continued; great stuff from Sam as usual.

Tweet of note: Prepare for an appearance by ‘Jake’ and ‘Mo’ on Bally Sports Detroit

This looks like it’s going to be good, per Bally Sports Detroit’s John Keating:

Tweet of note: That’s a spicy captain

I was watching Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin get into a physical tussle of some significance with Jonatan Berggren during a drill at training camp today, and an intrepid videographer from Bally Sports Detroit happened to capture the exchange:

Larkin’s got a real edge to him this year.

If you’re in Traverse City, and want to go to a bar and win Wings stuff…

Well, here’s something to do on Friday night…

Kulfan: DeBrincat’s happy to join his hometown’s Red Wings

Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat spoke with the media at training camp today, and the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan took note of DeBrincat’s enthusiasm regarding joining his hometown team:

“It’s a dream come true,” DeBrincat said. “Growing up, they were making the playoffs every year. It was so fun to root for them and winning Stanley Cups. Definitely, it was a dream of mine to play here, and I’m just grateful it happened and I’m hoping to get back to that stage of winning and really contributing here.”

DeBrincat, 25, twice scored 41 goals in his career, while with Chicago. Last season, DeBrincat slumped to 27 goals, in what proved to be a frustrating season.

“A lot of it was different luck in different situations,” DeBrincat said. “Focus a little more on bearing down when I get my chances. Last year, I gave up a lot of chances, maybe got lazy or hit a post; a lot of it was like that. I’m pretty confident of getting back to that (40-goal) form. We have a lot of great players here and I just have to find the spaces out there.”

By any metric, it wasn’t a great defensive season for DeBrincat in Ottawa, which was abnormal from his years in Chicago. That is something DeBrincat wants to change.

“It ended up not the best two-way game, but in past years, I’ve been a pretty good two-way forward and getting back in the defensive zone and creating offense that way,” DeBrincat said. “That’s what I have to get back to and create more chances for me and my linemates. That’s something I’ll be working for.”

Continued