The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects cancelled their 9:30 AM-scheduled morning skate ahead of today’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets’ prospects (3:30 PM EDT, streamed on the Red Wings’ YouTube channel, Facebook page and official site).
So there’s no update on Carter Mazur’s status this morning. We’ll have to wait to find out whether he can play through his lower-body injury.
The Athletic asked its beat writers to name one player on each of the NHL’s 32 teams that might be traded over the course of the 2023-2024 season, and Max Bultman threw a bit of a curve ball here:
Shayne Gostisbehere: The trade bait board is less plentiful in Detroit this season, owing both to a relative dearth of pending UFAs and the fact that the Red Wings have continued to increasingly invest in the present. Really, this one comes down to Gostisbehere and veteran winger David Perron, the team’s two top pending unrestricted free agents. And while Perron would likely be in higher demand, considering the playoff brand of hockey he plays, Gostisbehere plays the much more crowded position for Detroit, giving the Red Wings more incentive to move him. — Max Bultman
Continued (paywall); my hope is that the Red Wings won’t be in “sell mode” at the trade deadline this upcoming season. I don’t necessarily expect the Wings to make the playoffs this season, but remaining relevant to that discussion from start to finish would mark significant progress.
Detroit Hockey Now’s Tim Robinson posted a behind-the-paywall article about Red Wings 2023 first-round draft pick Nate Danielson. The 9th overall pick might only be 18 going on 19 this September 27th, but the young man is composed, on and off the ice–and confident in his abilities:
“I’m here to try to make the team,” he said. “Obviously, I’m gonna take it one day at a time and just focus on each practice and each game, but overall, I’m here to make the team.”
[Coach Dan] Watson, on the the other hand, indicated Danielson will likely have his chance to bid for a spot with the Red Wings after another junior season with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League.
“He’s very mature, very smart player,” Watson said. “It’s going to be making sure he manages the puck the right times, and he’s going to have to grow into the offensive game, too, He’s going to be a really good junior player this year when he goes back, and I think it’s going to be an opportunity to grow his game offensively.”
Continued; most likely (like 99%), Danielson is headed back to Brandon of the WHL, but if you can rate a prospect on will and self-belief–and healthy confidence–Danielson is a 10.
The defensive pairing of William Wallinder and Antti Tuomisto had a couple of hiccups on Thursday night, but the Red Wings’ top prospect tournament team’s d-pairing looks damn good in terms of its overall potential. Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen wonders aloud whether it might be a full-time partnership:
I thought last night they were the best D team on the ice,” Watson said Friday.
Tuomisto scored one of Detroit’s goals in a 4-2 loss to the Stars and Wallinder generated five shots on goal. Watson used both of the players on the power play, penalty kill and matched them up against the best players. This feels more like a coach wanting to see how they play together than a coach just mixing and matching for a short tournament. Wallinder and Tuomisto even room together. They have been training together for two weeks.
What pro coach wouldn’t want two extra-large men, whose abilities complement each other, playing on a paring.
“I think so,” Watson said about their potential to be a long-term pairing. “They play different styles No. 1. William is real mobile. He can move pucks. He can provide some of that offense. With Antti, he’s got a great first pass. He’s big. He’s long. He has no problem playing a physical style of defensive game. So that’s a good pair, a pair that could go against the other team’s top lines. They have that experience of playing against pros in Europe. So that’s the basis for why they are paired together. ”
Continued; it’s worth noting that most of the Red Wings’ prospects who’ve spoken with the media have said that they’ve been in Detroit for at least two or three weeks. It sounds like a very busy time with “Captain’s skates” at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center.
I posted audio from the Red Wings’ media availabilities earlier this afternoon, and this evening, the Wings have made video of the pressers available, though only as links as opposed to embedded videos.
You can watch, William Wallinder, Elmer Soderblom, Marco Kasper and coach Dan Watson’s videos on DetroitRedWings.com.
The Hockey News’s Jacob Stoller asks a “lingering lineup question” for the Eastern Conference’s 16 teams today. Here’s his question regarding the Red Wings:
Detroit Red Wings: Who Does Alex DeBrincat Play With?
For Alex DeBrincat to be a 35- to 40-goal scorer, he needs linemates who can tee him up for one-timers. That’s his bread and butter. While it seems like a foregone conclusion that DeBrincat starts the season on Dylan Larkin’s wing, the real question is who will accompany those two. The knee-jerk reaction would be to assume it’d be Lucas Raymond or David Perron, although Wings coach Derek Lalonde may opt to have them on the second line to spread things out. Keep an eye out on sophomore forward Jonatan Berggren – he could complement DeBrincat quite well if he takes a step forward this upcoming year. The 23-year-old Swede is an elite passer who possesses the type of top-notch vision required to feed a talent like DeBrincat in prime scoring areas.
Continued; “Johnny Burgers” makes some sense as a top-line catalyst.
DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills posted an article regarding the comments made by one Elmer Soderblom on Friday afternoon. “Big Elmer” is attempting to round his game into full-health form after an injury-marred first season as a North American professional:
After posting eight points in 21 NHL games [with Detroit], he was assigned to the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins on Jan. 8. With Grand Rapids, Soderblom recorded eight points in 20 games, but did not play after March 10 due to injury.
Speaking to the media Friday at Centre Ice Arena, Soderblom said all he can do is “learn from it (last season) and get better.” And as the 22-year-old looks ahead to the rest of his time in Traverse City, his focus is clear.
“I want to be as good as I can be,” Soderblom said. “And show everybody that I can play at the highest level. I am just trying to focus on my game and improve all the small details every single game.”
Soderblom, who was selected 159th overall by the Red Wings in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, is amidst his third NHL Prospect Tournament. On Thursday night against the Dallas Stars in the tournament opener, Soderblom scored a goal and recorded a game-high six shots.
After spending his offseason working back to full health, Soderblom said he enjoyed being part of a competitive game environment again.
“It felt pretty good,” Soderblom said. “I haven’t played a game in like six months. It was fun to get out there again.”
As I reported earlier this afternoon, Red Wings prospects coach Dan Watson was uncertain of Carter Mazur’s (lower-body injury) status for Saturday’s 2023 Prospect Tournament game vs. Columbus (3:30 EDT start), but the news was better regarding another player who missed Friday’s practice in Amadeus Lombardi, who missed time with a personal matter. Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen confirms:
As of Friday afternoon, Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson didn’t yet have an injury update on Carter Mazur at the NHL Prospect Tournament.
“I wish I had one,” said Watson, coaching the Detroit squad. “He went last night, around the third period, to get it checked out. Haven’t heard anything this morning. He wasn’t here in the arena. He didn’t practice. Still awaiting on official word.”
The Red Wings prospects will play the Columbus Blue Jackets’ youngsters Saturday at 3:30.
Mazur (drafted 70th overall in 2021) left Friday’s loss to the Dallas Stars with an undisclosed injury suffered in the first period. The Jackson, Mich. native is a feisty competitor with offensive skill. Early in the game, he was playing with prize Detroit center prospect Marco Kasper.
A silly one here from the Red Wings:
If you give a prospect a yo-yo… 😂🪀#DRWPT pic.twitter.com/E7C5IKK99y
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 15, 2023
The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects hoped to rebound from Friday’s 4-2 loss against the Dallas Stars by putting in some hard work during today’s practice at Centre ICE Arena.
Things get busy after today, so the Red Wings’ prospects needed to “cram” for their final exams: Toronto plays Dallas in the only game at the prospect tournament tonight (at 6:30 PM EDT), but then the Red Wings will battle Adam Fantilli and the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday (3:30 PM EDT start), and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday (2 PM EDT; both games will be streamed by the Red Wings).
And training camp begins on Thursday, September 21st, running for five days.
The Wings’ prospects were put through their paces on Friday by Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson, assistant coaches Stephane Julien and Brian Lashoff, goaltending coach Roope Koistinen video coach Erich Junge…
And the Wings’ prospects were really put to the test, as what appeared to be an “optional skate” for the first fifteen minutes before practice began really ramped up in terms of intensity and pace of play.
Continue reading Impressions from Friday’s practice at the Red Wings’ 2023 Prospect Tournament