WJSS: Finland wins 4-2 over USA White, including audio of USA coach David Carle and goaltender Trey Augustine

Team Finland won a 4-2 decision over Team USA White today at the World Junior Summer Showcase, so the Americans went 0-for-2 on the day.

Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine split time with Tyler Muszelik in goal, stopping 16 of 18 shots in 28:30 of play. Augustine gave one goal up via the 5-hole, and then, on a breakaway, an “under the blocker and over the pad,” to Finland’s Tommi Mannisto, but in all honesty, Augustine did the very best he could given that even Team USA White was playing too fine and making too many mistakes.

After the game, coach David Carle discussed both games, suggesting that the Americans had a fair set of “first steps” while shaking up the lineup a bit to see new combinations, and he felt that today’s losses needed to be taken in context of the three more games to come (for both USA Blue and USA White):

Continue reading WJSS: Finland wins 4-2 over USA White, including audio of USA coach David Carle and goaltender Trey Augustine

WJSS: Sweden wins 7-0 over USA Blue, including audio of Anton Johansson and coach Magnus Havelid

At the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Team Sweden opened their tournament on a high note, defeating Team USA Blue 7-0.

Red Wings prospect Anton Johansson scored the game’s first goal on a bit of a knuckler, and Johansson played very well overall, displaying spare, smart two-way form;

Axel Sandin Pellikka did not play, but Sweden’s coach, Magnus Havelid, told the assembled media that everybody would play in 3 games, and that ASP had to spend a day in the gym lest his club team GM in Skelleftea get pissed off if Axel doesn’t work out hard enough. He’s not hobbled in any way presently.

Here are interviews with Johansson, who was happy with his game but understandably less than exalted after his team’s dominating one-game effort:

Continue reading WJSS: Sweden wins 7-0 over USA Blue, including audio of Anton Johansson and coach Magnus Havelid

Just call them the Underdog Wings

The Hockey News’s Adam Proteau weighs in as to whether any of the three Atlantic Division upstarts–the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators and of course the Detroit Red Wings–might be able to sneak into an Eastern Conference playoff spot this upcoming season, and he’s not giving the Wings much of a chance:

The Ottawa Senators made a big splash on the free agent market on Thursday, signing star winger Vladimir Tarasenko to a one-year, $5-million contract. Adding the six-time 30-goal scorer gives the Sens one of the best top six forwards in the NHL, but does it make Ottawa the Atlantic Division’s best up-and-coming team? We don’t think so.

From this writer’s perspective, of the three Atlantic teams battling to make the playoffs this coming season – the Senators, Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings – the Sabers have the best shot at qualifying for the post-season. The Sens would be second on that list, followed by the Red Wings. Why? Well, because Buffalo’s top six forwards had four players who scored at least 31 goals last season (Ottawa had three), and because Buffalo has two of the best three defensemen (Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin) among the Sens, Wings and Sabres (Detroit’s Moritz Seider being the other).

The deciding factor in the race to win a playoff spot could be goaltending. In that regard, the Sabres could struggle if rookie Devon Levi doesn’t take the No. 1 job and make it his own. The Sens added veteran Joonas Korpisalo, and Detroit is depending on veteran Ville Husso, but all-in-all, Buffalo’s abundance of talent beyond goaltending is the deepest group of the three playoff-hungry teams.

Tarasenko’s arrival in Ottawa makes the Senators a frightening opponent for any other franchise, but the Sabres were frightening enough in 2022-23, and their top players are just coming into their own. If we were betting on it today, we’d bet Buffalo slides into one of the two wild-card berths this year, but it’s shaping up to be an extremely tight race.

Continued; I have all the respect in the world for Mr. Proteau, and I know that the odds are stacked against the Wings surpassing the Sabres or Senators this upcoming season, but we can always hope, folks.

Morning news: Today at the World Junior Summer Showcase; more about the ‘All in 4 ALS’ game; ‘offseason winners’ and Ted Lindsay’s birthday

Of brief Red Wings-related note this morning:

1. Taking place today:

At the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Michigan, two games are taking place: Team USA Blue will battle Axel Sandin Pellikka, Anton Johansson and Team Sweden today at 1 PM EDT.*

USA Hockey Arena is selling tickets to the game for $10 or a week-long pass for $30;

At 4 PM EDT, Trey Augustine’s Team USA White will battle Finland, with tickets for the game also on sale at USA Hockey Arena’s website.

The games are also being broadcast on USAHockeyTV.com for $30 for the week.

The games’ box scores will be available here. I’ve already got the USA Blue-Sweden and USA White-Finland box scores teed up.

*For what it’s worth, Sweden doesn’t traditionally have player names on the backs of their jerseys, so ASP is wearing #4, and Johansson #6 (both are right shots). Augustine wears #1 for Team USA.

2. Taking place soon:

As Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff notes, on Saturday, August 12th (two weeks from today), Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Michael Rasmussen, Robby Fabbri, Andrew Copp and Jake Walman will all be taking part in the “All In 4 ALS” game at Windsor’s WFCU Centre, home of the Windsor Spitfires.

Tickets range between $15 and $35 Canadian.

The game will raise funds for Ottawa Senators assistant coach Bob Jones, who’s recently been diagnosed with ALS. The game starts at 2 PM EDT.

Other NHL stars are taking part, as Duff notes:

Continue reading Morning news: Today at the World Junior Summer Showcase; more about the ‘All in 4 ALS’ game; ‘offseason winners’ and Ted Lindsay’s birthday

Impressions from Day 2 at the World Junior Summer Showcase

The World Junior Summer Showcase kicks into high gear on Saturday, July 29th, when Team USA Blue takes on Sweden at 1 PM EDT, and Team USA White takes on Finland at 4 PM, with both games taking place at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan (tickets are $10 per person per game, or $30 per person for a whole-week pass).

The four-team matrix will also play games on Monday, July 31st, Wednesday, August 2nd and Friday, August 4th. Wednesday is actually the “Big Day” at USA Hockey Arena, because that’s when Finland plays Sweden, and Team USA White plays Team USA Blue.

As such, the last two days’ worth of practices have served as the lead-up to the games which will help determine the course of the three participating countries as they begin to determine the shape of their 2024 World Junior Championship teams.

Yesterday and today’s practices were different in both form and function: on Thursday, the Swedes and Finns gave their players a slightly gentler introduction to the structures of play which their national teams will employ over the next week, while the Americans’ two teams, which mostly consist of players who’ve taken part in the Under-17 and Under-18 National Team Development Program, snapped to a familiar and intensely disciplined form under University of Denver coach David Carle.

Today, to put things succinctly, the Swedes and Finns caught up over the course of their hour-long practices, and Team USA used home-ice advantage to an educational purpose, skating for an hour and fifteen minutes (which tended to become 90 minutes in total) instead of the usual hour.

Continue reading Impressions from Day 2 at the World Junior Summer Showcase

THN’s Stockton speaks with Axel Sandin Pellikka regarding fishing injuries and the World Juniors

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton spoke with Red Wings prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka regarding his summertime spent at home in Gallivere, Sweden, as well as his belief that the Swedes will bring home Gold at the World Junior Championship in Gothenburg this winter:

While gold in Gothenburg represents the latest target for him to pursue, Sandin Pellikka is no stranger to representing his country on an international stage.  “I played with the national team now—this is my third season from U-17 to U-18 to U-20,” he explains.  “We always have the same playing system, so I’m pretty used to it, and all of the guys are used to it too.  Of course, the first practices are a little off, but you’ll get there eventually.”

He says that his experience at the 2023 World Junior in the Maritimes (at which Sweden finished fourth, falling to Czechia in overtime in the medal round and to the U.S. in the bronze medal game) “is not that much on my mind.”  

“I mean I’m just gonna go out there and play my game and help the team as much as I can, so just play my game and just be relaxed,” he continues.  

Continued

How the Red Wings *might* disappoint you in 2023-2024

The Hockey News’s Cole Hayes posted a slightly light-hearted column as to “How Your Favorite Team Will Disappoint You in 2023-2024,” and here’s his take on the Red Wings’ gloom-o-meter:

: The Red Wings will be fun to watch this year after adding to a good young core. Unfortunately, won’t be able to carry the defensive load on his back, and Wings fans will have to wait just a bit longer for their playoff return.

Continued; I could’ve sworn that Mo can’t do it alone, and that’s why the Red Wings went out and signed both defensemen and forwards who are two-way performers, hopefully alleviating the strain on Seider’s back.

Lucas Raymond speaks with NHLPA.com about the Wings’ 23-24 trip to Sweden (and much more)

Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond spoke with NHLPA.com’s Chris Lomon regarding the Detroit Red Wings’ November visit to Stockholm, Sweden to play the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs:

From November 16 to 19, a set of regular-season games featuring four teams, including Raymond’s Red Wings, will take place in Stockholm. The Original Six club will be joined by the Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs for the games.

Raymond, who is originally from Gothenburg, approximately a five-hour drive southwest of Stockholm, is expecting a large contingent of family and friends to make their way to Sweden’s capital city to catch the games.

“I can’t wait. I was so excited when we heard the news that we would be playing here,” the left-winger told NHLPA.com from Gothenburg. “To be able to play for Detroit in Sweden will be an awesome experience. Circling back to friends and family, that’s what I am most excited for, to play in front of them. It’s going to be emotional for all of us.”

Raymond also spoke with Lomon regarding his junior campaign in the NHL:

“I want to take another step in my development. I had a good feeling coming into the offseason in knowing what I wanted to work on and how I wanted to be prepared to come into the new season. Now, summer is almost over, and every day, you are more and more excited about the thought of getting back on the ice with the guys and get that season started.”

Conversations he has had with teammates throughout the summer have given Raymond ample reason to be optimistic about the team’s fortunes in 2023-24.

“I think we’ve improved a lot in the offseason and you can see that everyone is excited about the season. When you get back on the ice, start talking to the guys, seeing that physical development in yourself, it makes you want to get things going again. You get some distance from the game and there comes that point where you want to get back at it. I’m sure all the guys feel that way too.”

Continued

DHN’s Robinson breaks down the Grand Rapids Griffins’ ‘Yzer-roster’

Detroit Hockey Now’s Tim Robinson posted an article in which the Grand Rapids Griffins’ projected roster is analyzed to determine how many of its players will be draft picks from the Steve Yzerman-led regime:

Any Detroit Red Wings fan who wants to see what the team will look like when the rebuild is completed only needs to make the 157-mile drive to watch the Grand Rapids Griffins play this season.

Depending on who makes the Red Wings roster this season, it’s possible, on some nights, 55 percent (11 players) of the Griffins’ lineup could be Steve Yzerman draft picks.  That doesn’t include Yzerman undrafted prospect free agent signings, such as Wyatt Newpower, Alexandre Doucet and John Lethemon. It also doesn’t include prospect Jared McIsaac, 23, who was a Ken Holland draftee.

Since taking over as GM in 2019, Yzerman has participated in five drafts and selected seven first round picks. Two of the first round picks (Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond) are in Detroit, and three (Sebastian Cossa, Simon Edvinsson and Marco Kasper) could start in Grand Rapids. The 2023 first rounders (Nate Danielson and Axel Sandin Pellikka) will return to their teams from last season.

Continued