A set of quick biographies of the Red Wings’ two WHL prospect alumni

The WHL’s website posted a quick summary of its two representatives who will be attending the Red Wings‘ prospect tournament and training camp, hoping to earn spots on the NHL team:

Sebastian Cossa: Goaltender Sebastian Cossa back-stopped the Edmonton Oil Kings to the WHL Championship in 2022, posting a combined 11 shutouts in regular season and playoff play last season. Hailing from Fort McMurray, Alta., Cossa has registered a 71-16-4-3 career regular season record in the WHL, and held a 1.93 goals-against average and .919 save percentage over 19 post-season appearanaces this past spring. Selected by Detroit in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft, Cossa recently helped Canada to a gold medal at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton.

Cross Hanas: A second-round selection by the Red Wings in the 2020 NHL Draft, forward Cross Hanas enters the 2022-23 season having led the Portland Winterhawks with 60 assists and 86 points a season ago. In four seasons in the Rose City, the product of Highland Village, Texas registered 103 assists as part of his 161 career regular season points. For his efforts, he was named to the U.S. Division First All-Star Team this past spring. Hanas signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Detroit in March of 2022.

Continued

Via A2Y: The NHL Network discusses the Red Wings’ potential to surprise

Via Paul Kukla of Abel to Yzerman comes this Tweet in which the NHL Network’s Jameson Coyle and Mike Johnson discuss the Red Wings’ status as a “sneaky” team to watch this upcoming season:

DHN’s Brown offers prospect tournament questions, and I offer a few thoughts as well

The Red Wings are hosting their annual prospect tournament this upcoming week and weekend in Traverse City, Michigan, and the Red Wings revealed their roster for said tournament approximately two weeks ago.

I shared my thoughts regarding the roster shortly thereafter, and, on Sunday, Detroit Hockey Now’s Nate Brown asked five pertinent questions regarding the Wings’ prospects. Among them:

What about Elmer Soderblom? Rookie camp is just the first step in what could be a giant leap for the towering forward. His 21-goal, 33 point performance in 52 games with Frolunda seems the appetizer for what could be a very telling season. Be it with Grand Rapids or Detroit, Soderblom’s appearance on North American ice has been eagerly anticipated. A dominant rookie tournament will only amplify the attention on Soderblom.

Brown continues, and my biggest question is simple:

How do the forwards stack up?

The Red Wings’ prospect tournament blueline is absolutely stacked with prospects who’ve accumulated professional experience in Simon Edvinsson, Eemil Viro, Albert Johansson, Seth Barton and Donovan Sebrango, but up front, Soderblom is the only player who’s played at this level.

If Sebastian Cossa can find his form in the net, and the defense can stand up in front of him, the Wings will be able to keep pucks out of their own net, but with Soderblom, Cross Hanas, Pasquale Zito, the college guy, Drew Worrad, AHL-contracted Kirill Tyutyayev and 18-year-old Amadeus Lombardi standing out among a host of try-outs…

The Red Wings’ prospect tournament team is going to have to develop chemistry, scoring depth and defensive aplomb in a hurry.

It’s going to take Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon’s hard work to build a roster out of a bunch of players who don’t know each other very well, and on top of that, a bunch of forward try-outs who will have to find their way into roster spots quickly.

Roughly translated: on Liam Dower Nilsson’s SHL preseason work

Rakapuckar’s Henrik Lehman has watched Frolunda HC through the six-week preseason that is preseason “friendly” games and Champions Hockey League action.

Ahead of the SHL regular-season start on September 17th, he’s offered observations regarding each and every one of Frolunda’s players, including the Red Wings’ lone representative on the team, one Liam Dower Nilsson:

Liam Dower Nilsson: Hot as an iron stove in the preseason when he played alongside [Max] Friberg and [Joel] Lundqvist, not the same on the line with Jacob Nilsson and Anthony Greco, but maybe that’s not so strange. The 19-year-old has made a fine start to his men’s team career, securing the center’s spot against Eisbären Berlin. The fact that he was given that chance by Frölunda says a lot about the young Borås-born center’s wisdom. More exactly, what stands out, rather than his “flashiness.” But Liam can shoot. It would be good if he went there a little more often.

Continued; Henrik’s going the pay site route in the future, so we’d better enjoy his analysis while we can get it.

The NHL Network names Moritz Seider the 49th-best player in the NHL right now

The NHL Network is revealing its top 50 players ahead of the 2022-2023 season, and among players 50-41 may be the Red Wings’ only representative on the list. Moritz Seider comes in at #49, per NHL.com’s David Satriano:

49. Moritz Seider, Detroit Red Wings, D

Seider won the Calder Trophy voted as NHL rookie of the year last season, leading first-year players in assists (43) and power-play points (21). He led rookie defensemen in points (50), game-winning goals (four) and shots on goal (187) and was second in goals (seven) while playing all 82 games. The 21-year-old led the Red Wings in time on ice per game (23:02), total ice time (1,889:22) and blocked shots (161) and was second in hits (151).

“We knew he was going to be very talented, we knew he was going to be a pillar of a D-core in Detroit, but I didn’t know he was going to be this physical.” Rupp said. “It’s one thing to be able to move the puck the way he can, distribute the puck, but his physicality. You’ve got to know when No. 53 is on the ice. They got a good one here in Detroit and that’s going to be a centerpiece of their team moving forward.”

NHL.com hasn’t made Mike Rupp’s video breakdown of Seider embeddable or even searchable on their website, so you have to head to the story on NHL.com to get his breakdown.

Update: Here’s the video in Twitter form:

Tweets of note: A long-deserved honor for Mickey Redmond

This is really cool:

Special shoutout to Mickey Redmond, who was inducted into the @MSHOF tonight!

Well-deserved. Congrats, Mick! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/B4avobhEsq— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 11, 2022

Welcome to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2022! pic.twitter.com/mtu8exTeNo— Michigan Sports HOF (@MSHOF) September 11, 2022

Roughly translated: Robert Hagg speaks with Expressen’s Gunnar Nordstrom about joining the Wings

Expressen’s Gunnar Nordstrom spoke with Red Wings free agent signing Robert Hagg about his decision to join the Red Wings a little later in the free agency signing period. What follows is roughly translated from Swedish:

Hagg excited about the challenge in Detroit

Los Angeles. Our Swedish NHL professionals are starting to arrive in Canada and the USA ahead of the 2022-2023 NHL season.

The holiday season at home in Sweden is over or coming to an end.

The NHL teams will start their training camps on September 20th or 21st.

One of the Swedes who traveled across the Atlantic last week was Robert Hagg, 27, who chose to sign with the Detroit Red Wings this summer.

“I’m very excited and have always liked playing here as an opponent. The Red Wings are a long-standing team in the league,”says Robert to SportExpressen.

He arrived in Detroit on Monday and has spent the week getting an apartment in the suburb of Royal Oak and familiarizing himself with Little Caesars Arena.

“I go in every morning and train in the gym and then go on the ice. I feel healthy and fresh and have had a good summer at home in Uppsala. There’s nothing to complain about.

Continue reading Roughly translated: Robert Hagg speaks with Expressen’s Gunnar Nordstrom about joining the Wings

Prospect round-up, CHL Edition (part 2): LDN 1A in Frolunda HC loss; Tuomisto 1A, 22:33 played in TPS Turku loss

After Marco Kasper, Theodor Niederbach and William Wallinder all played well in Rogle BK’s 5-1 win over GKS Katowice, two more Champions Hockey League games took place involving Red Wings prospects.

In the first game, Liam Dower Nilsson had an assist but finished at -2 in 11:40 played as Frolunda HC lost 5-3 to Mountfield HK. LDN’s assist came on what was, at the time, a 4-3 goal as Frolunda tried to rally from a 4-1 deficit late in the 3rd period.

Here are the game’s highlights…

And if you want to watch the entire game all over again, you may do so here:

Continue reading Prospect round-up, CHL Edition (part 2): LDN 1A in Frolunda HC loss; Tuomisto 1A, 22:33 played in TPS Turku loss

Tweet of note: Sam Gagner says goodbye to Detroit, hello to Winnipeg

Per Sam Gagner on Twitter:

Thank you so much @detroitredwings for an incredible couple years. My family and I loved #hockeytown and made some lifelong friends. Very excited for our new adventure in Winnipeg. Let’s go @nhljets !!!— Sam Gagner (@89SGagner) September 10, 2022

Gagner did the Instagram thing, too:

A wonderful (if aspirational) prediction from DobberHockey’s Brad Hayward

DobberHockey’s Brad Hayward posted a set of predictions for the Eastern Conference’s teams today, and his prediction for the Red Wings is certainly aspirational!

7.   Detroit Red Wings. Remember that part about sticking my neck out? Steve Yzerman makes brilliant moves, and Dylan Larkin flirts with 100 points and a Hart nomination (but not quite). Sleeper:  Andrew Copp. Second line center is the perfect position for him, he’s back home to Michigan, and he will flourish.

Continued; I hope and I wish and I just want Larkin to stay healthy this season. 100 points would be remarkable, but getting Larkin through a season without it ending in some sort of surgery would be even better.