The Malik Report

The Athletic’s Corey Pronman posted an article discussing his “all-stars, surprises and disappointments” at this year’s World Junior Championship in Edmonton, and one Red Wings prospect made his “surprises” list:

Elmer Soderblom, LW, Sweden (Detroit)

Soderblom has been rising since he was a sixth-round pick by Detroit in 2019. He’s a very large human who has tremendous puck skills. His ability to go one-on-one against opponents and make tough plays in small areas was consistently on display as one of Sweden’s most dangerous offensive players. He hasn’t gotten it done versus men primarily due to his poor skating, which will be his main issue in the NHL, but he’s certainly a player trending up and looks like a guy who could play NHL games one day.

Continued (paywall); you can always work on your skating. I’m not sure if you can work on possessing the hockey sense or innate talent necessary to score two of these kinds of goals, and make it look natural:

Get a workin’ on moving those big feet, Elmer.

The Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe spoke with a significant portion of the Toledo Walleye’s roster and coaching staffs after the Walleye announced that they’ve opted to not play for the 2020-2021 ECHL season:

“I’m also so sad for the people of the city,” said [Shane] Berschbach, who has become the face of the franchise. “I know how rough this has all been, and we were all looking forward to hockey bringing some happiness to the new year.”

Another veteran forward, Kyle Bonis, said he was bewildered by the announcement.

“I can’t really believe it,” said Bonis, who was slated to begin his sixth season with the team. “The news just does not seem real.”

Walleye coach Dan Watson called it a very tough moment for the entire organization and its fan base.

“Today stings for all of us,” Watson said. “I want to personally thank our players who have patiently awaited the start of the season.”

Continued; Bonis has retired.

The Associated Press’s Larry Lage posted a capsule preview of the Detroit Red Wings ahead of the 2020-2021 season, and his preview is quite blunt regarding the state of the rebuilding Wings:

The Detroit Red Wings have spent half a decade rebuilding.

And, this still might not be the year a once-proud franchise with 11 Stanley Cups breaks through and makes the playoffs.

Detroit had the NHL’s worst record last season with 23 fewer points than any other team in a pandemic-altered season that mercifully lasted just 71 games.

When this shortened, 56-game season ends in May, the Red Wings will most likely extend their postseason drought to five years to match the longest since they were known as the Dead Wings from 1979-83.

Entering his second season as general manager with the franchise he led as a Hall of Fame center, Steve Yzerman is making no promises about progress.

“I can’t really predict what we’re going to be,” Yzerman said. “I believe we’ll be improved from last year. How much? I don’t know.”

Continued; none of us really know how much the Wings have improved yet, but the Wings started putting their systems into practice at today’s scrimmage, as noted by DetroitRedWings.com’s Brett McWethy:

“If you’re a goalie, just having that focus for 60 minutes is different than practice, and that’s just one position,” said Blashill. “If you’re a defenseman, you’re put in a lot of different situations. Same with the forwards. I think (scrimmages) can be useful.”

“The other thing it does for our staff is it gives us a chance to know what we need to work on more,” Blashill said. “When you implement systems in practice, everything can look great and then you drop the puck and it doesn’t. It’s hard to have corrective actions without see those things live. We’ll go back and go through the film and get a chance work on some things at practice.”

Red Wings prospect Eemil Viro played a fairly significant role in Finland’s 4-1 win over Russia at the World Junior Championship’s bronze medal game.

Viro nearly wiped himself out of the game in the 2nd period, making an attempt to kick the puck to his stick at the side of Yaroslav Askarov’s net, eating end boards:

GEESH
Eemil Viro goes face first into the boards
? @TSN_Sports pic.twitter.com/Eqyf7rsf6l

— Here's Your Replay ⬇️ (@HeresYourReplay) January 6, 2021

But Viro’s decision to send a wrist shot toward the net instead of winding up for a slap shot early in the 3rd period was wise: the puck chipped off a Russian forward, bounced on the ice and was tipped by Mikko Petman into the net, giving Finland a lead that they would not surrender:

Continue reading Wings at the WJC: Viro’s Finns win bronze

It’s good to see FSD at LCA again:

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a training camp notebook article this evening, discussing Michael Rasmussen’s confidence level after a fairly strong stint with the ICE HL’s Graz99ers:

Rasmussen had 18 points (five goals) in 18 games playing for Graz, and heads into this Red Wings camp confident he can make an impact.

“Compared to different camps, I feel more in game shape and more in game mode,” Rasmussen said. “I definitely didn’t know what to expect going over there but it was a high level of hockey. It was a big ice, a bit more open, but it’s a great league.”

Rasmussen, the Wings’ 2017 first-round draft pick, spent the 2018-19 season in the NHL when the only options were either the NHL or junior hockey. In a perfect world, Rasmussen probably would have benefited from playing in the AHL, which he did last season in Grand Rapids.

Rasmussen had 22 points (seven goals) in 35 games with the Griffins, before an upper-body injury effectively shelved his season.

“Frustrating,” Rasmussen said. “I got off to real good start.”

Continued

WDIV’s Steve Garagiola posted a report discussing the late Alex Trebek’s love for his favorite hockey player, Gordie Howe, and (at least until Howe retired) the Red Wings:

The Athletic’s Max Bultman filed a set of observations from today’s scrimmage at Little Caesars Arena, and Bultman notes that Mathias Brome did a good job of making a strong first impression:

Yes, first-liners Tyler Bertuzzi and Anthony Mantha still headlined the score sheet, with two goals and two assists, respectively. But it was Mathias Bromé who scored the game’s first goal on a tap-in at the crease, Vladislav Namestnikov with a tying goal in regulation’s final seconds and Bobby Ryan with perhaps the highlight of the day on a between-the-legs pass in overtime.

That’s meaningful for Bromé, in particular, who appears to have a real shot at making the roster in his first NHL training camp, even if it ends up being in a depth role. He played on a line with Luke Glendening and Adam Erne Tuesday, filling in for Darren Helm (who for the third straight day was “unfit to practice”), and showed his skill in a shootout goal at the end of the scrimmage.

“I think he continues to do a good job,” coach Jeff Blashill said afterward. “I think impact on the game is a big part of when you watch. You can have a good skill set, but if your impact on the game is negligible then it doesn’t really help, and I think his impact in practice and then impact in (the) game has been pretty positive.”

Bromé, who is 26, had 20 points in 23 games in the SHL this season before coming over for Detroit’s training camp. Playing with Glendening and Erne has given him the chance to show what he can add to an energy and checking line, which could help him show lineup versatility as he competes for what figures to be one of the final roster spots.

Continued (paywall)

MLive’s Ansar Khan filed a notebook full of quips and quotes regarding today’s scrimmage at Little Caesars Arena. Among Khan’s notes:

Blashill wants to see more from the team in its final two scrimmages, Friday and Sunday.

“I thought the first four practices were really intense and we played at a high level. I wasn’t as pleased today with that part of it,” Blashill said.

“There’s a fine line between the level of intensity in practice. I don’t want to start G1 with half a lineup because we lost guys in practices and scrimmages. But I also know that come Game 1, things are going to happen fast and they’re going to hit us hard and we’re going to have to be ready for that. So, you have to try to have that balance.”

Tyler Bertuzzi scored a pair of goals.

“Whether it’s a game or scrimmage, just to get back in game shape and game format was fun,” Bertuzzi said. “Conditioning will come quicker. We’re athletes, we’ve been working out all summer. Timing will be the thing we have to figure out as quick as we can.”

Continued

The Word on Woodward starts a little late today, at 4 PM EST, and it will include the following guests:

Today’s episode features a discussion on Red Wings Training Camp, the Tigers signing free-agent pitcher Jose Urena and the World Junior Championship game.

Plus, Red Wings legend Darren McCarty, The Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James and FOX Sports Detroit’s Ken Daniels join us for interviews!

Also, Dan Dickerson answers your mailbag questions!