Red Wings prospect Sebastian Cossa spent part of his 2022-2023 season with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, and the Griffins posted a video clip of Cossa’s highlights…
As well as a “By the Numbers” review of Cossa’s season, and a set of links to Cossa-related articles:
Continue reading Video: Griffins recap Sebastian Cossa’s 2022-2023 seasonOkay, here’s an update on what’s going on at TMR:
Now this complicates the heck out of the prospect tournament and training camp for me, but I still believe that I will be able to deliver a strong product for you.
Continue reading Getting the fundraising marathon started earlyDetroit Hockey Now’s Tim Robinson spoke with Michigan State University coach Adam Nightingale regarding Red Wings prospect Red Savage, who’s transferring to State after two years at Miami of Ohio.
Savage is a plucky, gritty and competitive bottom-six forward, but he told the media at the Wings’ summer development camp that he wants to establish himself as a more multi-dimensional player under Nightingale:
Spartans coach Adam Nightingale coached Savage when both were part of the National Team Development Program in Plymouth during the 2020-21 season. Savage was drafted by the Red Wings in the fourth round of the 2021 draft.
“There were a lot of schools around him, and we were happy he decided to come to Michigan State,” Nightingale said. “We had a relationship. I didn’t coach him, but he knows me, he knows our strength coach, and he’s a guy who does a really good job. He’s a guy the guys (in the room) really respect. I think the trajectory of our program is one on the rise. We’re not there yet, but we’re headed in the right direction.”
Savage, whose given name is Redmond, is a 5-foot-11, 180-pound center who is a native of Scottsdale, Arizona. His hockey pedigree is extensive.
An older brother, Ryan, finished his eligibility at Miami last winter. His father, Brian, is a Miami alum who played for 12 seasons in the NHL, primarily with Montreal. Three of Red’s great-uncles, Larry, Wayne, and Floyd Hillman, also played in the NHL. Larry played three of his 22 pro seasons with the Red Wings.
Red Savage is among 15 newcomers to the Michigan State roster this season, and Nightingale is counting on him for leadership.
“That’s one of the biggest reasons we wanted him,” Nightingale said. “He definitely has those leadership qualities, and that will be important with a young group this year.”
Continued; Savage will play alongside Red Wings 2023 draft pick Trey Augustine at State.
From the Ontario Hockey League comes this 3:28 clip of Amadeus Lombardi doing scoring things:
The first 100-point season in @FlintFirebirds history 🤩@DetroitRedWings prospect Amadeus Lombardi was all over the highlight reel in 2022-23 🎥 pic.twitter.com/OSxpCtz2LE
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) July 25, 2023
The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton posted a column in which he discusses whether members of the Red Wings’ current roster might make the cuts of international teams, should the NHL ever allow its players to engage in World Cup or Olympic competitions again. His “locks” are, well, “locks”:
Dylan Larkin, C, Team USA: Historically, men’s American hockey has struggled to produce great centermen. Team USA has had its fair share of great goaltenders, defenders, and wingers, but elite American pivots have been fewer and farther between.
The present generation of men’s American hockey doesn’t suffer from that problem. Between Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Jack Hughes, and Tage Thompson, there is no shortage of quality options down the middle for Team USA.
Still, despite that competition, Larkin should be a lock for the Americans, and his two-way play is his differentiating factor. He may not be able to run and gun with a Jack Hughes or even a Tage Thompson, but his 200-foot reliability will be irresistible to whoever winds up the American coach at this hypothetical competition.
Moritz Seider, D, Germany: Seider is the surest bet of any Red Wing to make his country’s hypothetical international best-on-best tournament. There is no German Olympic team that doesn’t feature Mo Seider in a starring role.
Since there’s not much to discuss with regards to his candidacy, I’d rather focus on the fact that Germany offers a great case as to the value of international hockey. As a hockey country on the rise, Germany can’t match the depth of a Sweden, Canada, or USA team, but, between Seider, Leon Draisaitl, and Tim Stutzle, the Germans don’t want for star power.
Getting the chance to see a group with those three at the tip of the spear compete with the traditional powers would be a wonderful feature of any potential men’s best-on-best in the coming years, and those players deserve the chance to re-establish Germany’s place in the men’s international heap.
Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen offers a particularly optimistic look toward the 2024 offseason as it relates to the Red Wings’ projected salary cap space, extensions for Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond excluded:
The Red Wings, according to CapFriendly’s latest estimate, project to have about $33 million in cap space to spend for the 2024-25 season with about 12 players to sign. The restricted free agents who need to be signed include Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Michael Rasmussen and Jonatan Berggren. Those players could eat up two-thirds of that $33 million depending upon the length of Seider’s deal.
It’s challenging to project what they will get before we see how they produce this season. But if the Red Wings want to sign Seider long-term, it will likely cost them $9 million plus per season.
The majority of possible free agents will re-sign with their teams, but here are some players who would be of interest to most teams, including the Red Wings, next summer if they are unsigned:
Center Auston Matthews: The expectation is he will re-sign with Toronto. He is on record as saying he wants to stay in Toronto. But for a couple of years, there has been speculation that Detroit is one of the places he would like to play if he ever leaves Toronto. He did play in Michigan when he was with the U.S. National Team Development Program.
Left Wing Tom Wilson: The Capitals don’t want to trade Wilson. They want to re-sign him. It’s that simple. You would guess the Capitals will get it done, but there are no guarantees.
Wilson is exactly the kind of player the Red Wings would like to get — a top six forward with a beastly playing style. He offers the possibility of goals and prickliness.
Allen continues, listing Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele, Brandon Montour, Jake DeBrusk and even Steven Stamkos as targets. I’m here to tell you that, should those players reach the unrestricted free agent marketplace, the Wings will have at least 30 competitors for those teams, if not 31, their present rights-holders included.
Per the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye:
(Toledo, OH) – Forward Brandon Kruse, who spent most of his first pro season in Newfoundland, has agreed to terms with the Toledo Walleye for the 2023-2024 season.
The native of nearby Saline, Michigan spent his first full professional season in the ECHL with Newfoundland where he posted 44 points (7G, 37A) in 69 games for the Growlers. Drafted by Las Vegas in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL draft, Kruse made his pro debut at the end of the 2021-2022 season with Henderson in the AHL. He appeared in three games with one assist.
Kruse spent four years with the Bowling Green Falcons before completing his college career with a season at Boston College. While with the Falcons, the 24-year-old skated in 151 games with 38 goals and 104 assists. His best season was 41 points (10G, 31A) in 41 contests during the 2018-2019 campaign, Kruse’s second at BGSU. During his final season (2020-2021), he led the Falcons in points (34) and had a team-best +29 rating. He was on the WCHA All-Rookie team in 2017-2018 and was First Team WCHA in 2020-2021.
The Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe also filed a report about Kruse’s signing:
Drafted by Las Vegas in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL draft, Kruse made his pro debut at the end of the 2021-22 season with Henderson in the American Hockey League. He appeared in three games with one assist.
At BGSU, Kruse finished with 38 goals and 104 assists. His most productive season came during the 2018-19 season, when Kruse had 41 points (10 G, 31 A) in 41 contests. During his final season, he led the Falcons with 34 points (11 G, 23 A) and had a team-best plus-29 rating.
The 5-foot-9 and 170-pound left winger was on the All-Western Conference Hockey Association first team in 2020-21.
The Walleye have now signed seven players: defensemen Thomas Farrell and Jake Willets and forwards Kruse, Brandon Hawkins, Conlan Keenan, Sam Craggs, and Mitchell Lewandowski.
The Hockey News’s Carol Schram posted an article in which she discusses 5 NHL teams which have the potential of making the 2023-2024 season’s playoff cut, and she named both the Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators to her list:
Detroit Red Wings: The Red Wings made the playoffs for 25 consecutive seasons between 1991 and 2016 and won four Stanley Cups during that stretch. But when the streak ended, the playoff door slammed shut. Detroit now has the second-longest active playoff drought in the NHL, at seven years.
For all the praise that Steve Yzerman gets as a forward-thinking GM, the Red Wings failed to match the improving pace of the Sabres and the Ottawa Senators last season. They finished 12 points out of a playoff spot in the tough Atlantic Division.
But Yzerman made a splash this summer, acquiring scoring star and Michigan native Alex DeBrincat from the Senators.
Yzerman was also one of the busiest GMs in the league on July 1. He added James Reimer and Alex Lyon to his goaltending group, signed defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Justin Holl, and added free-agent forwards J.T. Compher, Klim Kostin, Daniel Sprong and Christian Fischer.
Nearly half of the roster will be new faces when the Red Wings open their regular season in New Jersey on Oct. 12. They’ll be hoping that some of the Devils’ playoff mojo from last year rubs off on them.
It’s time for Little Caesars Arena to host playoff games.
Continued; we can hope that the Red Wings’ depth affords them the ability to out-last the Sabres and Senators this upcoming season…
The Detroit Red Wings will have three representatives at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, MI starting on Thursday in Trey Augustine, Axel Sandin Pellikka and Anton Johansson.
The Hockey News’s Tony Ferrari recommends that fans keep their eye on two of the Red Wings’ three prospects participating in the event:
Trey Augustine, G, USA Team White: The Americans turned to their youngest goalie last year at the world juniors, and he was a steadying force in the crease. He wasn’t able to dominate and push them to the gold medal game, but with a year of development, he could put them over the top this year. The Detroit second-round pick will look to keep his name atop the depth chart for the Americans with a solid performance at the showcase.
Axel Sandin Pellikka, D, Sweden: After growing into a bigger role by the end of last year’s tournament, Sandin Pellikka could be one of the Swedes’ best players. His ability to play at both ends of the ice at the U-20 level and bring a dynamic presence to the offensive side of the ice should give Sweden the high-end skill that any competitive team requires at the World Junior Championship. He will have his work cut out for him with some older veterans on the team, but the skill of A.S.P. should win out.
Continued with 10 more players to watch…
Red Wings prospect Marco Kasper spoke with Krone.at’s Marcel Santer regarding his on and off-ice training at home in Klagenfurt, Austria. Here’s a translation of the article:
Continue reading Roughly translated: Marco Kasper speaks with Krone.at about his summer training, fall expectations