The Malik Report

Team Canada battled Finland for the Gold Medal at the World Junior Championship, concluding the belated 2022 tournament in Edmonton.

Prior to the game, Donovan Sebrango told TSN’s Mark Masters that he was “ready to win gold,” and the Canadians brought that level of confidence into the game against the pesky, trapping Finns.

Team Canada won 3-2 in overtime on a goal from Kent Johnson at 3:03, from Logan Stankoven.

THE GOLDEN GOAL! 🇨🇦🚨🥇#WorldJuniors | @19kjohnson pic.twitter.com/VfhZrvVBpS— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) August 21, 2022

In terms of Red Wings players playing the game…

Donovan Sebrango: Sebrango played on Canada’s top defensive pairing, alongside Olen Zellweger. Sebrango finished at +1 in 17:55 played, earning a lot less ice time than usual due to Canada’s half-dozen power plays. The Canadians were human at times against the Finns, Sebrango included, but he played marvelously well all tournament long as a shut-down defenseman who afforded Zellweger room to roam. Great tournament for Sebrango.

Sebastian Cossa: Cossa was the back-up to Dylan Garand, the more senior goaltender on the team. He finished with 1 win and, a 2.00 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. At 19 going on 20 this November, Cossa is still an elite goaltending prospect–he just didn’t out-duel the incumbent starter in Garand, who had earned his coach’s confidence, and that happens during short tournaments. He’ll take part in the prospect tournament and main training camp, and may get an exhibition season start or two before heading back to the Edmonton Oil Kings, one of the best teams in the WHL.

Eemil Viro: Viro played on the second defensive pairing, alongside Aleksi Heimosalmi. Viro finished even with an assist, a penalty taken and 23:19 played. This was his best game of a good tournament, in which the 6,’ 165-pound defenseman pushed the Canadians around like a professional hockey player, he earned a lovely assist on Aleksi Heimosalmi’s 2-1 goal, and he was just superbly solid and sometimes explosive offensively. This was great for his growth as he’ll be more ready for North American hockey this fall.

In terms of the game’s narrative…

Continue reading Red Wings at the WJC: Canada wins Gold in overtime, 3-2; Viro 1A in 23:19; Sebrango +1 in 17:55.

Team Sweden and Czechia battled for Bronze at the World Junior Championship on Saturday.

Team Sweden won bronze by a 3-1 score, with Niederbach and Wallinder getting assists on the 2-1 and 3-1 goals.

In terms of Red Wings prospects playing in the game…

Simon Edvinsson: Edvinsson played on the Swedes’ top defensive pair, alongside Helge Grans. Edvinsson looked his most comfortable in terms of the entire tournament in today’s game, finishing with 1 shot, a +1 and a penalty taken in 25:54 played, and, wearing a pair of Warrior gloves, he finally displayed a combination of tremendous skill and some surprising grit as the smooth-skating defenseman was a wild stallion out there, occasionally sliding out of position to chase hits (he made a couple of boomers) and tie up opponents, but overall, he finally looked strong on the blueline.

Theodor Niederbach: Niederbach centered the Swedes’ second line, between Oskar Olausson and Isak Rosen. He finished with that 2-1 goal assist and a +1 in 18:01 played, and Niederbach, throughout the tournament, was smart and solid, working hard to forecheck with his surprisingly strong skating and grind out pucks in all three zones as a skilled center with an edge. He didn’t win as many faceoffs later in the tournament as he did early on, but he was a real snarl machine out there, and he was productive.

William Wallinder: Wallinder worked on the Swedes’ third defensive pair, alongside Emil Andrae. He finished with an assist and a +2 in 16:10 played, and Wallinder is just no-frills strong and solid as a 2nd pair defenseman. He doesn’t wander, he doesn’t lurk, he doesn’t possess top-notch offensive skills, either, but he’s just supremely smooth and easy to play alongside. Smart, smart, smart.

Jan Bednar: Bednar didn’t dress for the Czechs. He finished the tournament with a 4.00 goals-against average and a .865 save percentage, but I wouldn’t fault him completely for the Czechs’ struggles early on in the tournament, and I felt that he was okay during the tournament. Yes, his maddening inconsistency flared its ugly head, but he’s heading back to Acadie-Bathurst of the QMJHL to work on reigning in his game as a 20-year-old. This is his “contract year,” so it will be important for him to find consistent form.

In terms of the game’s narrative..

Continue reading Red Wings at the WJC: Sweden wins Bronze over Czechia; Niederbach 1A, Wallinder 1A, Edvinsson 25:54 played

This is a fantastic interview which TSN’s Mark Masters conducted with Team Canada defenseman and Red Wings prospect Donovan Sebrango:

‘It’s one of the biggest moments of my life’

Donovan Sebrango on his excitement for the gold medal game. #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/H1nW05yPrS— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 20, 2022

Here’s the schedule for the final day of World Junior Championship competition in Edmonton, Alberta:

Czechia vs. Sweden @ 4 PM on TSN and the NHL Network

Jan Bednar is the Czechs’ back-up goaltender; Simon Edvinsson, Theodor Niederbach and William Wallinder play for Sweden;

Canada vs. Finland @ 8 PM on TSN and the NHL Network

Donovan Sebrango plays for Canada, and Sebastian Cossa is Canada’s back-up goaltender; Eemil Viro plays for Finland.

The Semifinal round at the World Junior Championship concluded with a historic rivalry as Sweden and Finland battled for a spot in the Gold Medal Game.

Finland won 1-0, fairly easily shutting the Swedes down after scoring their 1-0 goal. The Swedes played as well as they could, but their inability to score and the Finnish Trap yielded a well-earned win by the Finns.

Finland will play Canada for Gold on Saturday at 8 PM (on TSN and the NHL Network).

Sweden will play for Bronze vs. Czechia at 4 PM (TSN/NHL Network).

In terms of Red Wings prospects playing in the game:

Simon Edvinsson: Edvinsson played on the Swedes’ top defensive pair with Helge Grans. He finished even with no shots in 22:43, and that pretty much summed up his game, because Edvinsson looked really uncomfortable on the ice at times. I don’t know whether it was lingering effects from food poisoning, lingering effects from whatever injury he suffered in the exhibition round, or what, but the elegant-skating, super-talented Edvinsson did not look quite like himself throughout the tournament, and he’s going to have to have a “gut check” tomorrow vs. Czechia.

Theodor Niederbach: Niederbach centered the Swedes’ second line, between Oskar Olausson and Daniel Torgersson. Niederbach finished even with 1 shot in 17:33, but he was plucky, he went to the net for rebounds, he eventually won more faceoffs than he lost early on, and he displayed an edge that I didn’t know he had. He was a pleasant surprise on a rough night for the Swedes.

William Wallinder: Wallinder played on the Swedes’ third defensive pair, alongside Emil Andrae. Wallinder finished even with no shots in 17:23 played, and there were moments when he made mistakes, but he’s still learning, and the massive 6’4″ defenseman was efficient and smart for the most part, strong-skating and solid.

Eemil Viro: Viro played on the Finns’ third defensive pairing, with Aleksi Heimosalmi. Viro finished even with no shots in 20:15, and he looked very solid, spare, and simply efficient–and he got away with a couple of nasty checks and hacks and whacks that I’ve rarely seen from him. At 6′ and 165 pounds, he’s going to have to overcome his size, but he does a good job with that short stick and his smart skating to play bigger than he is.

In terms of the game’s narrative…

Continue reading Red Wings at the WJC: Finland wins 1-0, advances to play Canada for Gold; Sweden will settle for a Bronze Game vs Czechia

The “home team” took to the ice on Friday as Team Canada battled the plucky Czechs in one of two World Junior Championship Semifinal games, with both teams attempting to earn a spot in the Gold Medal Game.

Canada won 5-2, advancing to the Gold Medal Game; the valiant Czechs would play for Bronze.

In terms of Red Wings prospects playing in the game:

Donovan Sebrango: Sebrango played on the Canadians’ first defensive pair with Olen Zellweger. He finished at +1 with 1 shot in 20:53 played, and he was the stay-at-home stalwart who allowed his defensive partner to rack up points. Sebrango’s safe, steady, communicative manner works well on a team full of superstars.

Jan Bednar: Bednar didn’t dress for the Czechs, having lost his starter’s job to Tomas Suchanek. I can’t say that Bednar’s performance at the WJC was encouraging, but short tournaments aren’t kind to players who are still learning to play consistently. Bednar will go back to the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan and have a good season there.

In terms of the game’s narrative…

Continue reading Red Wings at the WJC: Canada defeats Czechia, advances to Gold Medal game

When Ryan Martin left the Red Wings to become the New York Rangers’ assistant GM, he took European scout Ari Vuori with him, and today, the Rangers announced that Vuori, a long-time Finnish scout for Detroit, has been named their director of European scouting:

#NYR have named Ari Vuori Director of European Scouting. pic.twitter.com/jSkjgeMj8R

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) August 19, 2022

CBS Sports’ Austin Nivision posted a list of his “top signings” of the unrestricted free agency period, and two Red Wings players made his list:

David Perron | LW | Detroit Red Wings: While it may not be the biggest move, this is up there with my favorite signings of the offseason. David Perron is 34, but he still has plenty of game left, and Detroit signed him for just $4.75 million per year over the next two seasons. Perron is coming off a 2021-22 campaign with the Blues in which he scored 27 goals and tallied 30 assists in 67 games played.

The Red Wings needed some forward depth, and they got a quality top-six winger in Perron. He will also add some experience and veteran leadership to a locker room that has some incredibly skilled young players. Defenseman Moritz Seider just won the Calder Trophy and winger Lucas Raymond was right there in the race with him. Perron’s presence will supplement those players as Detroit tries to turn a corner in its rebuild under general manager Steve Yzerman. Even if that doesn’t happen, Perron could bring back a strong haul in a trade.

…

Andrew Copp | C | Detroit Red Wings:

Steve Yzerman can’t be accused of resting on his laurels this offseason. Sensing his team is ready to make a playoff push, he went on a bit of spending spree and Copp is one of the notable additions. Signed for five seasons at a total of $28.125 million, Copp will be a significant part of the future in Detroit.

After spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Winnipeg Jets, Copp had a bit of a coming out party last year. Always a reliable presence in the defensive zone, Copp found an offensive groove in 2021-22, and he scored eight goals in 16 games after being traded to the Rangers. What might be even more impressive about Copp’s brief tenure in New York is the fact that the Rangers posted a 56.44% expected goals share at five-on-five when he was in the game, according to Natural Stat Trick. Considering that was not New York’s strong suit, that shows the impact Copp can have at both ends of the ice.

Continued; I can’t see Perron moving in a trade given that he’ll have 1 year remaining on his $4.75 million cap-hit contract this spring.

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills continues his “Roster Reset” series of articles by examining the Red Wings’ depth at the center position heading into the 2022-2023 season this morning:

Entering his third campaign donning the “C” for the Red Wings is 26-year-old Dylan Larkin, who finished last season with a team-leading 31 goals and 69 points in 71 games. The Waterford, Mich., native also represented Detroit at 2022 NHL All-Star Weekend, marking his first All-Star Game since his rookie campaign in 2015-16.

After undergoing core muscle surgery in April which sidelined him for the Red Wings’ final six games last season, Larkin expects to be a full participant at camp and is “optimistic about the future.”

“I love being a Red Wing,” Larkin said in his end-of-season media session on May 3. “I love being the captain of the team and I think this team is gonna do special things in the future.”

Also returning to Detroit this season are natural centers Robby Fabbri, Michael Rasmussen, Pius Suter, Oskar Sundqvist and Joe Veleno.

Fabbri, who signed a three-year contract extension last December, had 17 goals and 13 assists in 56 games last season before suffering a season-ending torn ACL against the Minnesota Wild on March 10.

When speaking in his end-of-season media session on May 4, Fabbri emphasized patience in his recovery, adding that he may not be ready for the start of the upcoming campaign.

“We’re going to play it by ear,” the 26-year-old said about his third career ACL injury. “We’re going to work with the medical staff and the goal is to get better as soon as possible, but doing it the right way, doing it safely and making sure this is the last time.”

Continued

I’m unable to access Aftonbladet’s paywall articles, but IceHockeyGifs has the ability to do so, and he notes the following from Tomas Ros’ preview of the SHL team Leksands IF:

Aftonbladet’s Tomas Ros comments on Anton Johansson:

“One of the game’s biggest standouts, with good reach and exciting offense.
Played a fine game and showed off his mobility. Will get more games in Leksand [SHL] this winter.” #LGRWhttps://t.co/a3Rz0m4HbL https://t.co/ONmoO1jYPk— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) August 19, 2022

The Red Wings drafted right-shooting defenseman Anton Johansson 105th overall in this summer’s NHL Draft. He’s 6’4″ but weighs only 172 pounds.

He’s played exclusively for Leksands’ Under-18 and Under-20 teams, so he’s looking to break into the SHL as a player who didn’t turn 18 until this past June.

According to EliteProspects.com, his dad, Thomas Johansson, was a long-time SHL defenseman, so he has “good bloodlines,” as they say.