Red Wings prospect and Grand Rapids Griffins prospect Cross Hanas spoke with the Griffins’ video team late last week. I posted this as a Tweet, and now, here’s the video version of the interview:
Tweet of note: Bally Sports Detroit’s John Keating prepares us for training camp
Bally Sports Detroit’s John Keating is up in Traverse City to take part in Red Wings training camp coverage:
Training Camp Eve. @DetroitRedWings @BallySportsDET pic.twitter.com/vVLpnvks48
— John Keating (@JohnKeatingBSD) September 20, 2023
Detroit News: 50 years on the job for Red Wings statistician Greg Innis
The Detroit News’s Mark Falkner profiled Red Wings statistician Greg Innis, who’s been on the job for 50 years now…
“Greg has more passion for the Detroit Red Wings than anybody I’ve ever met in the game of hockey,” Holland said. “You’re talking to someone who is loaded with information and he’s incredibly respectful to the people in the game. There’s nothing in it for Greg Innis. He’s there to serve, whether you’re with our team or the other team. His unassuming nature has been a key to his longevity.”
Born in 1950 in Detroit, Innis went to his first Red Wings game during the Christmas holidays in 1956 against the Chicago Blackhawks at Olympia Stadium. From 1969 until 2003, he attended every Detroit home game, first as a season-ticket holder, then as a writer for the team’s game program and now in his current role as team statistician, which includes managing a game-night staff in the press box.
He said he’s missed only eight games in five decades at Olympia, Joe Louis Arena and Little Caesars Arena while keeping track of the stats of Red Wings stars like Yzerman, Henrik Zetterberg and Dylan Larkin.
“Greg’s knowledge of hockey is second to none,” said Bill Jamieson, who was named the NHL’s public relations director of the year seven times in 14 years with the Red Wings, from 1982-96. “He has one of the biggest hockey libraries with media guides, publications and books, anything you need to know. He takes care of the media all the time, doing stats for the visiting broadcasters and helping out the scouts.
“In fact, I dubbed him a long time ago, Mr. Hockey. Gordie Howe would come up to the press box and give us a sharp elbow in the back. I would joke with Greg. I would say, ‘You’re Mr. Hockey too.'”
Continued (paywall); it’s really sweet story.
Innis also appeared on the latest “OctoPulse” podcast with Ted Kulfan:
NHL.com profiles Sebastian Cossa
NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman profiles Red Wings goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa this afternoon. Cossa doesn’t regret “turning pro” last season, despite the fact that he ended up in the ECHL instead of the AHL with Grand Rapids:
“I wanted to play at the highest level I could last year,” Cossa said. “I was happy that I made the transition to pro. The ‘Coast’ [ECHL] isn’t an easy league for goalies. Some games I was facing seven, eight breakaways a game. I think that’s definitely a mental part of the game. The Coast, it’s a tricky situation. The top two lines will have skill and there are some guys that can finish opportunities up there. So it was good for me.”
The No. 15 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft went 26-16-4 with a 2.56 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and four shutouts in 46 games. He was tied for second in the ECHL in shutouts, tied for third in wins and GAA, and tied for 10th in save percentage.
Red Wings head of goaltending scouting and development Phil Osaer spent time working with Cossa in Toledo, as did Detroit assistant director of player development Dan Cleary.
What stood out beyond the on-ice results was the mindset Cossa took with him to Toledo.
“Everything is about attitude,” Cleary said. “You choose your attitude and he chose a good one. We tell all our young kids, you choose your attitude and work ethic. We can only tell you and guide you so often, but when you look in the mirror or you lay your head on the pillow at night, it’s your thoughts and you know what work you put in, what you’ve done, what you’ve left on the table.
“Going down there, having a good attitude and playing well, he played really well. Got to see him play a lot and I know, just from even talking to him this year, he’s starting to become much more mature. I don’t want to say he’s reserved, because he’s a pretty outgoing type of personality as a kid. Guys really like him. And it’s great to see his progression, to be honest.”
A bit of praise for Savage and Augustine’s Spartans as ‘one of the most improved’ NCAA division I hockey teams
More than a few Red Wings fans will be cheering for the green and white of Michigan State this upcoming season as two Wings prospects, center Red Savage and goaltender Trey Augustine, will be playing for the Spartans in East Lansing. According to the College Hockey News’s Mike McMahon, Michigan State merits top-10 status in the nation thanks in no small part due to their offseason additions:
8) Michigan State: Look for the Spartans to be one of the most improved teams in the nation, which is an incredible feat for Adam Nightingale and his staff as they enter their second season. Michigan State had a six-win improvement last season and finished .500 (18-18-3). Two of MSU’s top scorers were freshmen (Daniel Russell and Karsen Dorwart), and freshman Matt Basgall was second on the team in points among defensemen.
In the transfer portal, the Spartans added Reed Lebster (UMass), who had 22 points last season, as well as stud Northern Michigan freshman Joey Larson (13 goals, 14 assists). Tampa first-rounder Isaac Howard will bolster the team on defense, and Red Wings draft pick Red Savage arrives from Miami. MSU’s recruiting class is one of the top classes in the nation and is headlined by goaltender Trey Augustine, who was drafted by Detroit in the second round this past summer.
Michigan State also added defensemen Artyom Levshunov, who many project as a top-five pick this summer, and Maxim Strbak, who was just taken in the second round by Buffalo.
Dylan Larkin cracks EP Rinkside’s top 20 centers list
EP Rinkside’s JFresh posted a list of his top 20 NHL centers for the 2023-2024 season, and Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin cracked his list at #17:
17. Dylan Larkin – Detroit Red Wings
2022 Ranking: Tier 5
While the leap that turns him into a high-end No. 1 centre might never happen, Larkin has developed into a reliable and well-rounded pivot who can pass and shoot the puck well, play the game with speed, play in all situations, and handle difficult match-ups gracefully as a defender. He finished just short of a point-per-game in 2022-23 in a career year while signing a long-term deal that should keep him in Detroit through his prime. Is he good enough to be the star who leads them to a Cup? There’s an outside chance.
Continued; at this point, I know we’re all thinking “make the playoffs,” but we can dare to dream…
Who are these (two, little) guys?
The Red Wings released their training camp roster and schedule this morning, and there were two names on the list that I was unfamiliar with in pro try-outs Cameron Hillis and Orrin Centazzo.
Put bluntly, they’re small guys who are competing for ECHL spots.
Cam Hillis is a 5’9,” 174-pound center who was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2018, and the 23-year-old unrestricted free agent has mostly played in the ECHL, most recently posting 53 points in 46 games for the Indy Fuel;
Orrin Centazzo was signed by the Toledo Walleye in late August, and the 5’8,” 163-pound left wing has also mostly played in the ECHL, most recently posting 51 and 46-point seasons with the Newfoundland Growlers. He’s also 23.
The Red Wings are trying to get bigger and stronger, but there’s room for a “small guy” who can score at the ECHL level, and Hillis will be looking to impress new Walleye coach Pat Mikesch, who attended the prospect tournament, and will be attending training camp.
Moritz Seider, fantasy hockey ‘banger league’ must-have
The Hockey News’s Stefan Rubino discusses six fantasy hockey defensemen who he believes “must be rostered in banger leagues” for their multiple statistical category dominance:
Moritz Seider, Red Wings
2022-2023 Stats: 82 GP, 5 G-37 A-42 Pts, +14, 42 PIM, 140 Shots, 207 Hits, 190 Blocks
Entering his third season, Seider has cemented himself as part of the Red Wings offense and become a menace on the physical side of the game. He’s recorded over 150 hits, 150 blocks and 140 shots on goal in each of his first two seasons, and his game continues to grow.
Despite finishing with a lower point production in his sophomore year, the additions of Alex DeBrincat and J.T. Compher could see Seider set new highs. Combined with his physical play thanks to his big frame, we could potentially see him return to top-ten status.
Allen on the prospects’ push to earn roster spots
Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen took note of some of the comments made by Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman during yesterday morning’s press conference. Yzerman did address the concept that several of the team’s top prospects might “make a push” for a roster spot…
Even though Yzerman has plenty of veterans, he said Tuesday that he hopes some youngsters give him a reason to think long and hard about his opening day roster.
“Not necessarily gonna be specific,” he said, “but I’m expecting some of them to push. We’ll see.”
The likely candidates to push are winger Soderblom, defensemen Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson, plus center Marco Kasper. The longer shots are forward Cross Hanas, defensemen William Wallinder and Antti Tuomisto.
And Allen noted that Yzerman was particularly effusive in his praise for Simon Edvinsson’s prospect tournament performance:
“The reason we brought him up there was because he was hurt and he missed a lot at the end of the season,” Yzerman said. “We just wanted to get him in some competition, get him banged around in games to prepare him for training camp. It turned out to be a great thing… he could of, if he’d wanted to, kind of floated through it a little bit. But he played really hard, he played really well. ”
Given the number of veterans Yzerman acquired this summer, it will be difficult for prospects to earn a spot on the Red Wings’ varsity. But Soderblom is, at the very least, off to a good start.
“We were really pleased with his performance and how hard he competed up there,” Yzerman said. “I think that bodes well for him here in the preseason, because he is one of those players that is competing to play for the Red Wings this year and he’s gonna have to really earn it. But it was a really positive weekend for him. We were really happy with his attitude and his performance.”
97.1 the Ticket’s Burchfield on the ‘here and now’ for the Red Wings’ playoff hopes
97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burchfield weighs in on Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman’s press conference from yesterday morning:
“That desire to make that move or do something that puts you over the top as far as being a playoff team, I think there’s some judgement in when that time is,” Yzerman said. “There is something to that: being patient, honest and accurate in your assessment of your organization, and then doing what’s necessary at the appropriate time.”
The Wings’ newcomers this season will make them better. And continued growth from returners like Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider and Ville Husso will push their ceiling higher. That much is clear. As Yzerman said, the Red Wings “know what to expect” from most of the players on the roster “based on their careers.” It’s the players not (yet) on the roster who could change the course of the season. Ideally, Simon Edvinsson, Marco Kasper and Carter Mazur won’t just make the team. They’ll make their mark.
It might be too much to expect any of them to crack the Opening Night roster, especially with Edvinsson and Mazur recovering from injuries. And Kasper, 19, has played exactly one game in the NHL. But all of them will have a say, one way or another, in how this season plays out in Detroit. If they’re ready, they’ll play — and the Wings will benefit. If not, Yzerman is content to keep waiting. He has no interest in “just throwing them into the NHL and hoping we’re going to win games.”
“We’re still being patient,” he said. “I intend to hold into our draft picks for the foreseeable future and let them develop and again, try to add to that small core that we have that makes us a competitive team for a long stretch of time.”
Whenever the Red Wings return to the playoffs, the goal is to stay there. If simply getting there were the aim, Yzerman would have picked today over tomorrow a long time ago. This might be the year they put an end to the drought, but “not at the expense of the future,” Yzerman said.