The Malik Report

Via the Grand Rapids Griffins’ Twitter account, Michigan State University held its annual “pro camp” last week, inviting their professional hockey-playing alumni to take part in drills under coach Adam Nightingale at the revamped Munn Arena in East Lansing. Red Wings players/prospects Jeff Petry, Taro Hirose and John Lethemon are featured in a 1:30 video highlighting the best of the pro camp:

Spartan hockey Pro Camp one of our favorite weeks of the summer – thanks for stopping back home, boys! pic.twitter.com/DqEcd0zcSJ

— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) August 26, 2023

The Grand Rapids Griffins posted their 2023-2024 season’s promotional schedule yesterday afternoon:

The Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday announced their promotional schedule for the 2023-24 season, featuring a number of giveaways and the return of many popular season-long promotions. Single-game tickets for each of the team’s 36 regular-season home games at Van Andel Arena will go on sale to the general public on Friday, Sept. 15 at 10 a.m. at griffinshockey.com/tickets.

The Griffins will launch the home portion of their 72-game slate on Friday, Oct. 13 against the Colorado Eagles with Opening Night presented by Huntington Bank. Promotions for the home opener include a magnet schedule giveaway, $2 beers/hot dogs, and a post-game open skate.

Grand Rapids’ other giveaways this season include a team calendar (Oct. 14), bucket hat (Nov. 11), sugar skull bobblehead (Nov. 26), Cousin Griffy bobblehead (Dec. 15), adult Flying Toasters jersey (Jan. 27), Friends hat (Feb. 16), belt bag (March 2), and a mystery bag (April 21). Key promotional dates include: Military Appreciation Night (Nov. 11 – 8 p.m. start); 22nd annual School Day Game (Nov. 15 – 11 a.m. start); Teddy Bear Toss (Nov. 24); Hispanic Heritage Night (Nov. 26); Eighth annual Red Kettle Game for The Salvation Army (Dec. 1); A Griffins Christmas Vacation (Dec. 15); 26th annual New Year’s Eve Celebration (Dec. 31 – 6 p.m. start); Heroes vs. Villains (Jan. 13); What Could’ve Been Night (Jan. 27); Princess Night (Feb. 10); Friends Night (Feb. 16); Hockey Without Barries/Sensory Friendly Game (Feb. 24); the Jake Engel Memorial Dog Game (Feb. 25); Salute to Badges (March 2); 12th annual Purple Community Game for Van Andel Institute (March 15); Star Wars Night (March 16 – 8 p.m. start); HOPE Network Night (April 12); and Fan Appreciation Night (April 21).

The popular Friday night beer and hot dog promotion returns for all Friday home games this season, featuring $2 hot dogs and $2 domestic drafts from 6-8 p.m., while supplies last. Free Ride Fridays allows fans to enjoy a complimentary fare on The Rapid by showing their ticket to that night’s game. Visit ridetherapids.org for schedule information, routes and maps.

Continued

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen offered an early look at the developmental curves of the Red Wings’ 2020 NHL Draft picks yesterday.

The “Lucas Raymond draft” afforded Detroit 12 player selections, and some of the players are already out of the organization, so Allen deemed it time to examine the situations of the Wings’ NHL prospects from the ’20 draft, including William Wallinder, Cross Hanas and Eemil Viro:

The Red Wings’ two second round picks — defenseman William Wallinder (drafted 32nd overall) and left wing Cross Hanas (drafted 55th overall) — are both pointed toward Detroit. Hanas (nine goals, 17 points in 30 games) made a favorable impression in Grand Rapids last season before being lost to injury. Wallinder (seven goals, 26 points in 50 games for BK Rogle) is coming off a strong season in Sweden and will play his first North American season for Grand Rapids in 2023-24. He’s a 6-foot-4 two-way defenseman.

A third second rounder, Theo Niederbach (drafted 51st overall), is developing slower than anticipated. Because he’s only 21, he’s in the maybe category.

GM Steve Yzerman dealt third-round pick Donovan Sebrango (drafted 63rd overall) in the Alex DeBrincat swap. The Senators liked Sebrango, and he’s from the Ottawa area. Considering how important DeBrincat is, the Red Wings earn some credit for using the asset.

The Red Wings drafted goalie Jan Bednar (107th overall) and he has already signed with the Grand Rapids Griffins, although he may play with the Toledo Walleye this season. He’s in the mix.

The jury remains out on Eemil Viro (drafted 70th overall). Last season, the Griffins had an overcrowded defense and Viro was sent to the Toledo Walleye. This will be an important season for Viro to show he is on the path to the NHL. Like Niederbach, Viro is a “maybe.”

Continued; I’m guessing that Bednar and John Lethemon will be the goaltenders for the Walleye, and I’m a bit iffy on his long-term potential;

To me, the player to watch is obviously Wallinder, as he’s a massive left-shooter who could be used in a two-way role; Hanas is speedy and has a good shot, and had success at the AHL level before his shoulder gave out; Viro…

Viro is in a bit of a pickle as he’s kind of squeezed out in Grand Rapids. If he’s patient, he could find his way back to the AHL, but he could probably make more money in Europe, should this year not work out for him.

We’ve discussed the fact that Red Wings defensive prospect Antti Tuomisto bet on himself in a big way last season, leaving the University of Denver for TPS Turku of the Finnish Liiga.

The move looked puzzling at the time, because he was leaving North America to play pro hockey in Europe, but Tuomisto posted 20 points in 60 games, he established himself as an efficient and “heavy” defenseman at 6’5″ and 205 pounds, and the Red Wings saw enough in the right-shooting defenseman to sign him to an entry-level contract late last spring.

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills looked back toward Tuomisto and Red Wings director of player development Dan Cleary’s comments about “Big Antti” from the Wings’ summer development camp:

“I thought he had a good season in Finland,” Red Wings assistant director of player development Dan Cleary said on July 5. “He certainly progressed well. He’s a smart, cerebral player.”

Tuomisto said this past season with TPS was a learning experience.

“There’s a lot of skating in Finland, too, with the bigger sheet,” Tuomisto said. “Also, puck battles and stuff like that with bigger guys. It’s harder, so I think that helped me a lot.”

While playing overseas, Tuomisto gathered plenty of hockey tidbits from former NHL defensemen Niklas Kronwall and Sami Salo. Kronwall, who spent his entire 15-year career with Detroit, including a 2008 Stanley Cup championship, currently serves as the Red Wings Director of European Player Development.

“I want to use my shot,” Tuomisto said. “That’s one thing I worked on a lot with Sami Salo, who was our D-coach in Finland. And of course, with Niklas Kronwall a lot on that. I think I got a lot better in that last season.”

Continued; Tuomisto will probably play this upcoming season in Grand Rapids, but he’s got “all the tools” necessary to succeed as a physical defender going forward…

And it’s important to note that prospect development isn’t always linear. Sometimes players have to take a perceived step backwards to really step forward, and that’s what Tuomisto did playing for a TPS team that’s known for developing young players.

Yesterday afternoon, the Detroit News’s Ted Kulffan filed an article which discusses the Red Wings’ revamped roster as it applies to the Wings’ hopes of improving on their power play:

Last season, the Wings ranked 17th (of 32 teams), with a 21.1% success rate. It was actually their best season since 2014-15 (23.8%). As the Wings gradually rose in the standings, a better power play helped.

With the opening of training camp in three weeks, the Wings have the potential for a much more dangerous power-play unit. Which in turn, possibly, could help a push toward the playoffs.

General manager Steve Yzerman’s off-season acquisitions have provided the coaching staff with much more depth, different options to look at, and the potential for two equally effective units.

“Potential being the key word,” Yzerman said after he completed his summer acquisitions. “We have more options. We have more left and right shots, a bit better balance. I would hope that both units are a little deeper and we can put both units out there and be a little more effective, and in turn, bump that power-play percentage up a little bit.”

Continued; the Red Wings will theoretically have two capable power play units this upcoming season, and Kulfan spotlights the Wings’ power play point men in Shayne Gostisbehere and Jeff Petry as important parts of a power play which includes defensemen firing bombs at the net from the point.

Kulfan’s right, and I’m a big believer in the concept that pushing the puck back to the point to generate shots and rebound opportunities. The Wings haven’t had many shots on the point other than Moritz Seider, and that’s changing this upcoming season.

The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a morning profile of Red Wings free agent signing Christian Fischer, a middle-six, penalty-killing forward who hopes to bring physicality to his new team:

Christian Fischer is 6 feet 2, 212 pounds and shoots right; he adds size to the lineup, but he’s not the type whose physicality leads to penalties that hurt his own team.

“His role as a right winger was something of need, a little bit bigger guy,” Yzerman said after signing Fischer for one year, $1.25 million in July. “I won’t speak for Derek (Lalonde), but at times he likes a big matchup line, a defensive line, and Christian helps on the right side. Christian is a real good checker, straight up and down right winger.”

Yzerman signed Fischer, 26, on the second day of free agency. Fischer is coming off a solid season with the Arizona Coyotes, posting 13 goals and 14 assists in 80 games. He’s a veteran of 398 career NHL games, all with the Coyotes, who drafted him in the second round, No. 32 overall, in 2015. He has 56 goals, 55 assists and 99 penalty minutes in six-plus seasons, along with a minus-60 rating that’s more reflective of how much the franchise has struggled than Fischer’s commitment to a two-way game.

“It’s very cliché to say, but I value playing the D side of the puck,” Fischer said. “Over my years in Arizona, I’ve really solidified a role of playing a lot, and for the last three to four years, I was taking every D-zone draw with our team’s top line. I was PK-ing as one of the first guys out the front door. I’d like to say I do a lot of those dirty things. They’re not goals and assists, but everyone knows that’s how you win hockey games.”

Continued; if Fischer is on the third line with J.T. Compher, one wonders who earns that coveted third spot on that particular line…Presuming that everyone is healthy coming out of training camp.

Former Red Wings prospect goaltender Filip Larsson will play for Lesksands IF of the SHL this upcoming season, and he spoke with SHL.se recently. Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff translated pertinent portions of the article:

Filip Larsson is still harboring disappointment over the way his time in the Detroit Red Wings organization wound down. At the same time, he is utilizing the life lesson he was learning from the failed experience to bolster him as he seeks to further his hockey career in Europe.

“The first two years were very good,” Larsson told SHL.se of his time playing in North America. The 167th overall selection by Detroit in the 2016 NHL entry draft, the decision was made to bring Larsson across the Atlantic Ocean to play junior hockey in 2017.

Playing for the Tri-City Storm in 2017-18, Larsson would earn the honor as USHL Goaltender of the Year. He was also named to the USHL 1st All-Star Team. Moving to NCAA hockey with the Denver Pioneers, Larsson was an NCHC All-Rookie Team choice in 2018-19. That summer, he would be making the decision to turn pro with the Red Wings.

Duff continues; Larsson is going to be a back-up in Leksand with Mantas Armalis, and he is of course backstopping Wings prospect Anton Johansson, whose father is Leksands’ GM.

NHLPA.com’s Chris Lomon filed a feature article regarding new Red Wings defenseman Jeff Petry yesterday:

Two weeks after receiving the news of being traded to his hometown team from the Montreal Canadiens, the 35-year-old defenceman was reached in Michigan, just minutes removed from an on-ice session as he prepares for his 14th NHL season.

“It’s a special moment for sure,” said the native of Farmington Hills, a 30-minute drive northwest of Detroit. “Not only to play closer to home, but to play for the team that I watched growing up.”

The Red Wings acquired Petry, a veteran of 864 regular-season NHL games and 48 playoff contests, on August 15.

As the son of 13-year MLB veteran and current TV analyst, Dan Petry, Jeff grew up surrounded by the Detroit professional sports scene. Dan, who was an MLB pitcher for the Detroit Tigers from 1979 to 1987 and 1990-91, helped the Tigers to a World Series title in 1984. Despite his dad’s chosen sport, Jeff was always drawn to the hometown Red Wings.

“We went to a handful of [Red Wings] games,” said the blueliner, who will wear No. 46 with the Red Wings, the same number his father sported with the Tigers. “My room in my house was painted red with the big Red Wings logo on it, along with the old-school plaques and pictures, along with lots of other memorabilia that we collected over the years. My brother and I would play mini sticks in the basement, and we would always fight over who was going to be the Red Wings.”

Continued

The Free Press’s Kirkland Crawford discusses the Red Wings’ appearances on ESPN and TNT during the upcoming 2023-2024 season:

The 2023-24 NHL season is closer than you may think. Soon enough, the best hockey players in the world will grace your television screens.

And though the Detroit Red Wings haven’t made the playoffs in seven seasons, they still possess some national appeal. And the two national broadcasters aren’t hesitating to take advantage of it.

Both TNT and ESPN released their schedules for the season on Wednesday. In total, some 13 Red Wings games will be on center stage, starting with the season opener in New Jersey against the Devils, exclusively on ESPN+/Hulu. That game time has been moved from 7 p.m. to 7:30.

The following week, when the Wings are in Pittsburgh, that game will be on TNT at 7:30. The Wings will be a part of a TNT doubleheader on as they host the Rangers on Nov. 7. The same two teams will be back at Little Caesars Arena on Nov. 29 at 7:30, also on TNT.

Continued; the Wings rescheduled 5 games yesterday:

More schedule updates! ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/WWTacgBTxT

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 30, 2023

I’m already incredibly humbled to say that a couple of you donated enough that TMR is sound and bound for another year of ups and downs, ins and outs, and battling along as I navigate the dual jobs of trying to be a semi-professional blogger and trying to be a semi-professional caregiver for an 81-year-old aunt.

We made it, a day early. It’s a huge relief. I can pay my internet bill, too.

And while I was still gloomily bumming myself out about Traverse City, an incredibly kind, anonymous donor decided to give me a chance to make the TC prospect tournament/training camp GoFundMe a realistic proposition, donating a remarkable $2,000 to the cause of a $2,925 hotel bill and a good $500+ in expenses.

That’s…I’d gone through all the symptoms of grief, coming to accept that I just wasn’t going to be able to make it up this season, and someone decided to take a chance on me and take a chance in a gigantic way.

So this middle-aged blogger and his elderly aunt aren’t quite done trying to get their tails up to the Cherry Capital just yet.

It’s…It’s been an emotional day, and it’s apparently not quite over just yet. Instead, the blog continues, as does the goal of giving you coverage on-site this September.

I’ve gone from the depths of gloom to disbelief and joy, to realizing that I’ve been given a generous gift on top of generous gifts today that I really need to make sure are followed through with good coverage in mid-September.

So that’s where we are. In the middle of the scrap again.

Let’s go.

If you can lend a hand with the hotel expenses, we have an old-fashioned GoFundMe here https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-george-annie-attend-prospect-tournament, you can use PayPal at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport, Venmo at https://venmo.com/george-malik-2, Giftly by using my email, rtxg@yahoo.com, at https://www.giftly.com. And you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check. I’m also on Cash App under “georgeums.”

As always, thank you for your time and your readership.