DHN profiles the curious case of Joren Van Pottelberghe

Detroit Hockey Now’s writers continue to dig into the Red Wings’ prospect system, and tonight, Bob Duff discusses 25-year-old goaltender Joren Van Pottelberghe, who played for EHC Biel-Bienne of the Swiss National Liga last season:

Technically, goaltender Joren Van Pottelberghe is still classified as part of the prospect pool in the Detroit Red Wings organization. However, it’s been seven years since the Red Wings selected the Swiss netminder in the 2015 NHL entry draft. To date, his only appearances on North American ice as part of the Red Wings system have come during summer development camps.

“I have not really thought about it that much,” Van Pottelberghe said of playing in North America. “I’m more focused on playing as much as possible in Switzerland, to get as many games as possible.”

Van Pottelberghe was playing for Linkoping of the Swedish League when the Red Wings claimed him in the draft. He’s spent the past six seasons performing in his homeland – three with Davos, one with Kloten and the past two campaigns with Biel. Among his teammates with Biel is former Red Wings forward Damian Brunner.

JVP battled with Gilles Senn for HC Davos’ starting job for a couple of years, and JVP was loaned out to two separate teams before earning his first professional starting job with EHC last season (while Senn burned out as a New Jersey Devils prospect, and returned to Davos).

Duff reports that all did not go well there, and, as a result of an injury, a current Red Wings project and former prospect have come into JVP’s world:

Continue reading DHN profiles the curious case of Joren Van Pottelberghe

Toledo Blade’s Monroe catches up with Walleye defenseman Simon Denis

The Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe caught up with Toledo Walleye fan favorite and offensively-inclined defenseman Simon Denis, 30, who’s returning to the Walleye after several seasons spent abroad:

Denis, who appeared in 119 regular-season games for Toledo in 2016-17 and 2017-18, had played the last four seasons in Asia. He kept a close eye on the Walleye when he was in South Korea and Japan, knowing in his heart that he would return someday.

“As soon as I knew was coming back to North America, I knew I wanted to come back to Toledo,” Denis said. “It’s playing in front of that crowd and the first time you get to hear that horn, there is nothing like it in the ECHL and minor league sports in general. I get chills thinking about that atmosphere.”

Denis’ first season in Toledo also was his first as a pro and the first season Watson took over as head coach. The team reached the Western Conference finals, falling in five games to the Colorado Eagles.

Alden Hirschfeld, who is now an assistant coach, was the captain of that team.

“He’s a great person and hard worker on and off the ice,” Hirschfeld said. “He cares about the team and his family more than himself. He will bring great leadership to the team. It’s great to have him back in Toledo.”

Denis was the team’s top-scoring defenseman as a rookie, finishing with 55 points in 70 games. The following season Denis again led all defensemen in scoring with 35 points in 49 games. That Walleye team lost in the Central Division finals.

Continued

Some summertime speculation yields an unlikely trade proposal for Rasmussen

At this point in the offseason, a fair number of, “Team X should trade for Team Y’s Player Z” articles, and I usually pay them little heed.

Today is an exception, I suppose. Sports Illustrated’s “Inside the Penguins'” Jacob Punturi posted a list of “Five Depth Forwards the Penguins Should Target,” and I’m not saying that this guy is off-limits, but he strikes me as already having been penciled-in as Detroit’s fourth-line center:

Michael Rasmussen: The biggest option available (literally) for the Penguins is 6’6″ forward Michael Rasmussen of the Detroit Red Wings. The 23-year-old has seen continual improvement at the NHL level and most recently set career highs in goals, assists, and points this past season (15 goals, 12 assists, 27 points). With both center and wing capabilities, Rasmussen would bring a little of everything to the Penguin’s bottom six. 

He can score and would add a net front presence to the power play units. He’s also adept defensively and would give head coach Mike Sullivan another penalty killing option. Rasmussen is under contract for this upcoming season and the following one at a modest cap hit of $1.4 million. 

The Red Wings are looking to take the next step and might be unwilling to deal with their depth players, but if things take a turn, expect Hextall to make a call or two on this player.

Continued; now anything is possible in this NHL, and this summer, especially, but I don’t see the Red Wings dealing a 23-year-old who is 6’6″ and does have potential to become a stalwart 3rd-line center to “make room” for someone, and I don’t see anyone on the Penguins’ depth chart that intrigues me.

That’s a hard “No, why?” from me.

Some late July Power Rankings from Sportsnet (and Detroit’s 25th)

Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon examines the offseason moves made by each and every one of the NHL’s 32 member teams, and, while it’s early, he offers a set of power rankings going into the 2022-2023 season. Let’s just say that the Wings’ half-dozen-plus moves didn’t move Dixon’s needle:

25. Detroit Red Wings: Basically the Red Wings added a lot of steady hands in the form of Andrew Copp, Ben Chiarot and David Perron. This team’s ability to move forward, though, will largely rest with newcomer Ville Husso in the crease.

Continued; I guess the Wings will have to earn their respect on the ice.

Chris Chelios to appear at West Michigan Whitecaps game Wednesday, Traverse City Pit Spitters game Thursday

Per Grand Rapids Business Magazine’s Abby Poirier, former Red Wings defenseman and current Chicago Blackhawks ambassador/El Bandito Yankee Tequila creator Chris Chelios will be making something of a tour of West Michigan this week:

Chris Chelios will be signing autographs at LMCU Ballpark as part of the West Michigan Whitecaps’ Made in Michigan Wednesdays series.

Chelios, a member of the NHL Hall of Fame, will meet fans and sign autographs from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 27, at LMCU Ballpark, 4500 W. River Drive NE in Comstock Park. 

Chelios played 26 seasons in the NHL, including 10 with the Detroit Red Wings. He also played with the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks and Atlanta Thrashers. Chelios played 1,651 NHL games before retiring, the most for any NHL defenseman, and was a three-time Norris Trophy winner for best defenseman. He also is a three-time Stanley Cup winner, including two wins with the Red Wings in 2002 and 2008. 

He played in the Olympics in 2002 and led the U.S. to a silver medal that year. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013. 

Chelios is coming to the ballpark courtesy of his personal tequila brand, El Bandido Yankee, part of the Made in Michigan Wednesdays series, which brings Michigan players or Michigan-born athletes to LMCU Ballpark to meet West Michigan fans.  

The first 500 fans (21 and older) at the event will receive a mini-hockey stick courtesy of Sip Shine and El Bandido Yankee Tequila. 

The next night, the Traverse City Record-Eagle reported earlier this month that Chelios will make an appearance and sign autographs at the Traverse City Pit Spitters’ game (per one Brendan Quealy):

The Traverse City Pit Spitters announced Thursday that NHL Hall of Famer Chris Chelios will appear at the Pit Spitters Hockey Night on Thursday, July 28.

Chelios played 26 seasons in the NHL, including 10 with the Detroit Red Wings. He also played with the Montreal Canadians, Chicago Blackhawks and Atlanta Thrashers in his storied career.

Chelios played in 1,651 NHL games, which is the fifth on that all-time list and the most for any NHL defenseman. During that time, he was a three-time Norris Trophy winner for best defenseman and an 11-time all-star and three-time Stanley Cup winner, including two with the Red Wings (2002, 2008). In the 2002 season, Chelios played in the Olympics and led the United States to a silver medal.

His amazing career culminated at his Hall of Fame induction in 2013.

On July 28, Chelios will be throwing a ceremonial first pitch and signing autographs for fans from 6-8 p.m.

The game starts at 7:05 p.m. and the gates will open at 6 p.m. The first 1,000 fans in the gate will receive a Pit Spitters hockey puck courtesy of Sip Shine.

The Hockey News’s Stephens suggests that the Wings remain a ‘dark horse’ candidate to sign Nazem Kadri.

This comes to us via a Tweet from radio host extraordinaire Sean Baligian, and the Hockey News’s Mike Stephens, who suggests that the Red Wings remain a “dark horse” candidate to land none other than unrestricted free agent winger Nazem Kadri (and ignore the part where Ville Husso is listed as a free agent signing instead of a traded player):

Detroit Red Wings
Cap Space: $10,296,111

Detroit’s rebuild is over. You don’t sign Ville Husso, Andrew Copp, David Perron, Ben Chiarot, Olli Maata, and Mark Pysyk all in the same offseason if you’re looking to lose. 

These Red Wings mean business once again, boasting a decent young core that is now supported by useful veterans while currently sitting with over $10 million in cap space even after their summer signing spree. 

A top-nine headlined down the middle by Kadri, Larkin, and Copp looks pretty good to me. All that’s left is to reel their big fish in. 

Detroit seems to offer everything Kadri could be looking for in a landing spot with whom he’d be spending the remaining years of his prime. 

With Steve Yzerman leading the way up top, the Red Wings have solid and entrenched leadership in the front office, a robust player development department on the ice, and the financial resources to remain a serious player in free agency for years to come. 

Sure, the icy chill of Michigan winters might scare off other prospective free agents. But Kadri has spent his entire career to date in Toronto and Denver; the two locales aren’t exactly known for their balmy temperatures. 

Has the Red Wings’ offseason been perfect? Heck, no. Handing Chiarot nearly $5 million over four years is the type of deal I thought Yzerman was smart enough to avoid. But when it comes to organizational prestige, odds of contention, and financial flexibility, no other logical destination seems to come close. 

Continued, with the Avs, Islanders and Kraken as the favorites to sign Kadri…

Via A2Y @ KK: Tweet of note: Darren McCarty on the Wings’ summer of signings

Via Abel to Yzerman at Kukla’s Korner comes this clip of Darren McCarty discussing the Red Wings’ summer of free agent signings as it applies to the team’s rebuild:

Allen offers a short scouting report on hard-hitting Robert Hagg

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen got a bit of a scouting report on one Robert Hagg, a 27-year-old defenseman signed by the Red Wings today to assuage for the loss of Mark Pysyk to an Achilles tendon injury:

Over the past couple of weeks media speculation and social media chatter had the Detroit Red Wings being interested in free agent defenseman John Klingberg.

It turned out the Red Wings were interested in a Swedish free agent D man. But it was 6-foot-2, 210-pound Robert Haag, not puck mover Klingberg. Hagg played last season for the Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers and is known as a heavy hitter.

“(He’s a) solid defender that should factor in a 3rd pairing for Detroit,” NHL Network analyst Stu Grimson told Detroit Hockey Now. “He’s not shy to get up into the attack; a strong skater with size who “gets” the north American brand of hockey. He will play the body and stick up for a teammate where needed.”

The signing was announced in conjunction with the Red Wings revealing recently-signed defenseman Mark Pysyk will be out four to six months with a torn Achilles tendon.

Continued