The Malik Report

Detroit Hockey Now’s Tim Robinson posted a profile of Grand Rapids Griffins right wing Joel L’Esperance, who hails from Brighton, Michigan:

“It was a good move for Joel,” says his mom, Julie. “Getting closer was great so that I could get out to his games and he could come to my house on Sunday afternoons when he didn’t have a game or whatever. Being with the Red Wings was great, too.”

L’Esperance, one of 10 children, has tickets for family at most Griffins games and others within driving distance in the Midwest.

He’s had a taste of the NHL, scoring five goals over 33 total games in three seasons with the Dallas Stars. He is hoping to earn more.

“I think every player at the American League level still has aspirations of making it again or getting a chance again at the NHL,” L’Esperance said. “Having an American League contract, it isn’t in your mind as much. I focus on helping the young guys, teaching them what you know and try to be helpful that way. And then, hopefully, your chance comes.”

As far as playing in Grand Rapids is concerned, “I would have to say that of all the arenas in the (AHL) it’s one of the best as far as fans go,” he said.  “I feel the fans understand the game more than some of the places that have (AHL) teams.”

Continued

The Grand Rapids Griffins’ website reports that Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman will speak at the West Michigan Sports Commission’s luncheon at the J.W. Marriott Grand Rapids on September 6th, 2023, but tickets aren’t cheap–$125 per person, $850 for a table, or, $1,000, $2,500 and $5,000 for “Bronze,” “Silver” and “Gold” sponsors’ levels.

If you can afford to attend, of course, the GM doesn’t speak in public that often, so it’s worth your time to dress up and listen in.

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton posted a list of his top 5 Red Wings enforcers, and I’m going to suggest that #2 on his list was actually the greatest enforcer in Red Wings history–with or without his gloves on:

(2) Gordie Howe: 1687 GP, 1643 PIMs

Despite lending his name to the Gordie Howe hat trick (a goal, an assist, and a fight), Howe only fought 22 times over his long and illustrious NHL career. However, despite a lack of fighting majors, there can be no doubt of his status as an enforcer; the only difference was that Howe administered justice with his stick and his elbows more than his fists. At the time of his retirement, Howe had the most goals in NHL history (802), and, despite retiring at the ripe age of 52, he remained among the most feared players in the league throughout his career. There will never be an offensive superstar of Howe’s acumen who plays with “Mr. Hockey’s” brutality.

Continued; Howe was one of the first real “power forwards” in the NHL because he didn’t require an enforcer to play his game. Players like Howe and Maurice Richard were trouble in their own right!

The Red Wings have a fan survey open to folks on their email list, and DetroitHockey.net’s Clark Rasmussen noted that two of the more interesting questions in the survey involved whether the team might adopt a mascot, and/or whether the team might adopt an official alternate jersey.

As Clark suggests, your answers may influence what the survey has to say to you about the importance of an official mascot and/or an alternate jersey, so give it a spin and see whether you qualify to answer questions:

Do any of these mean that the Red Wings are definitely looking to add a mascot or an alternate jersey?  Of course not.  Any good business should be asking these questions semi-regularly, looking for opportunities to change how people perceive their brand.

That said, it’s a quiet August and the wording of the mascot and the alternate jersey questions seem more pointed than in previous surveys, at least as far as my admittedly-fallible memory goes.  This could be a sign of things to come or it could be nothing.  That mascot question sure reads to me like someone on the business side has determined that the team needs a mascot, for example, which makes it noteworthy no matter what the outcome.

Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis attended the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth last week, and as we move on to the next stage of the summer news cycle, Ellis offers a bit more praise for Red Wings prospect and Leksands IF defenseman Anton Johansson (as one of Ellis’ top 10 NHL-drafted prospects at the WJSS):

Anton Johansson, D, Sweden (Detroit Red Wings)

Johansson played three of the four Swedish games and was noticeable with all of them. I think he’s a full lock, for sure. I remember watching him in the past and be worried about his footspeed. That wasn’t the case in Plymouth, and he’s just an overall better skater beyond just quickness. Johansson was much more engaged offensively than I remember and was as good defensively as I’ve seen. I didn’t expect to like Johansson more than Axel Sandin Pellikka, but here we are.

Continued; I wouldn’t write off Sandin Pellikka just yet…

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills spoke with Red Wings prospect defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka and Red Wings director of player development Dan Cleary, discussing ASP’s strengths and weaknesses:

“Smart kid,” Red Wings director of player development Dan Cleary said about Sandin Pellikka. “Really composed. That translates to his on-ice game as well. When he’s under pressure or siege, he’s got the ability to calm it down and make the play instead of rushing it. He’s already in real good shape and tested well.”

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound blueliner was pleased with the overall strides he made last season but wants to close existing gaps in his defensive game.

“That’s something I’m working on with my defensive coach in the SHL too,” Sandin Pellikka said. “Pierre Jonsson, he always helps me with that and wants me to get stronger. He takes me aside pretty much after every practice and makes me do one-on-one drills.”

Sandin Pellikka, who represented Team Sweden at the 2023 World Junior Summer Showcase from July 29 – Aug. 4 at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich., will continue his development with Skellefteå AIK next season.

Expected of Sandin Pellikka, according to Cleary, will be improving “certain areas of his game.”

“Going into his second year in the SHL, which is a great development league to play in, he’s already in good shape,” Cleary said. “He’s gotta get stronger and a little more quicker, but he’s certainly got the brains. He’s got the tools, a nice set of hands and good patience.”

Continued

The Red Wings posted an 11:30 video following Marco Kasper through a “day in the life” as Kasper attends the Red Wings’ 2023 Summer Development Camp:

NHL.com has ranked its “Top 20 Centers,” and Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin made the list, albeit at #19 out of 20:

19. Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings: Larkin led the Red Wings in goals (32), assists (47), points (79), power-play goals (16), power-play points (31), game-winning goals (five), shots on goal (244) and takeaways (56) last season and was tops among Detroit forwards in ice time per game (19:33). The 26-year-old has led the Red Wings in points in five of the past six seasons. He led them in power-play ice time per game (3:28) and was second among forwards in short-handed ice time per game (1:50). His 54.4 face-off winning percentage was also first on Detroit.

Continued; I’m iffy on some of the players ahead of Larkin being listed where they are, but I’m not unrealistic as to my expectations of Larkin ranking higher.

Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond and defenseman Moritz Seider visited the Detroit Lions’ training camp in Allen Park recently, and the Red Wings caught a conversation Seider had with…Amon-Ra St. Brown, who speaks German:

Takin’ in a little #LionsCamp! 🏈 pic.twitter.com/AGp1dBAaMe

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 6, 2023

The Hockey News’s Adam Proteau has been examining who might be on “the hot seat” for various NHL teams, and today, he discusses the Red Wings player and GM facing the most pressure to perform well this upcoming season:

Red Wings’ Hot Seat: Alex DeBrincat, LW/RW: DeBrincat got his wish and worked his way out of Ottawa this summer, but don’t fool yourself – as a hometown hero in Detroit and a player with a salary cap hit of $7.875 million, DeBrincat will get a ton of the spotlight and the attendant pressure.

The 25-year-old winger is entering his prime, and for his salary, he’s got to do more on offense than he did last season with the Senators, when he posted 27 goals – a drop-off of 14 goals from his 2021-22 campaign – in 82 games. DeBrincat will be a fixture on Detroit’s top forward line, but he has to justify that move, and his salary, with drastically-increased production. The Red Wings are under pressure to get back into the playoffs in 2023-24, and if they fail to do so, and DeBrincat doesn’t generate enough offense, he’ll hear the heckles of frustrated Wings fans.

DeBrincat is signed for the next eight seasons, so we don’t see a trade happening anytime soon, but fans can quickly sour on a player if the doesn’t deliver what they want out of them. DeBrincat should tread lightly now that he’s got the employer he wanted, because now that they’ve paid him like an elite player, they expect him to perform like one.

Continued; there’s no doubt in my mind that DeBrincat faces a ton of pressure to perform, but I’d suggest that Proteau’s “Warm Seat” member, one GM Steve Yzerman, is the person in the Red Wings’ organization facing the most pivotal season during 2023-2024.