DHN’s Duff profiles Marco Kasper

Tonight, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff profiles the Red Wings’ first-round draft pick at last month’s draft in Montreal, one Marco Kasper.

The 6’3,” 183-pound center from Innsbruck, Austria, has already been signed to an entry-level contract, though he’s likely to remain with Rogle BK of the SHL for the upcoming season.

As Duff notes this evening, Kasper spoke with the Wings’ media corps while at last month’s development camp, and he was blunt and honest regarding both the benefits and difficulties of leaving Austria to play in Swedish developmental leagues as a 16-year-old. He’s learned the language, and goes to Swedish high school:

“Yeah, for sure it was a difficult decision to leave home, leave my family, but it’s been I think a good decision to go play in a better league against better competitors,” Kasper said. “That’s why I left home.”

Playing in Sweden has led to significant evolution in his overall game. Much like the NHL, the Swedish League puts a major emphasis on playing the game well on the defensive side of the puck.

“It’s a really structured league,” Kasper said. “Bigger ice, Olympic-sized ice, really good players in that league. It’s definitely hard to play there because of the structure and I’m really focusing on my defensive game.”

Kasper’s maturity as a player led to more responsibility coming his way as Rogle was advancing toward what would ultimately be a victory in the European Champions League.

“We play a fast-paced game, try to get out of our own zone fast, go and get the puck and work in the offensive zone as much as possible and create scoring chances from there,” Kasper said. “It’s been great playing there.”

Continued; Duff attempts to put a timeline on when we might see Kasper at the NHL level. Given that he’s only 18, I think that’s a little bit difficult. I would expect him to play at one or maybe two more seasons in Sweden, and possibly at least a good chunk of a season in Grand Rapids before he earns a spot in the Wings’ lineup…

And that’s all dependent upon how well he plays during his first full SHL season this year with the developmental powerhouse that is Rogle.

As for his ceiling, that’s hard to say, but he’s still growing into his body and will grow as a more offensively-inclined contributor in what Kasper himself stated is a very, very structured game in Sweden. He may not fully blossom until he comes over to North America, frankly, so don’t be stunned if he doesn’t post dominant numbers this upcoming season.

Roughly translated: Dominik Kubalik takes to the ice in Pilsen

New Red Wings forward Dominik Kubalik spoke with Cesky Rozhlas (Czech Radio) Plzen’s Vladislav Janouskovec after skating in Pilsen today (home of HK Skoda Plzen).

There’s a 4:56 interview which accompanies the article, which you probably won’t get much of unless you understand Czech, but here’s a rough translation of the article which accompanies the interview:

Hockey player Dominik Kubalik trains as usual in Pilsen before flying overseas

Hockey player Dominik Kubalik is preparing for the new overseas NHL season in Pilsen. After three years in Chicago, he will wear the jersey of Detroit.

Like every summer, ice hockey forward Dominik Kubalik is preparing for the new NHL season at the Pilsen Ice Arena. After three years with Chicago, he will play for Detroit, with whom he signed a two-year contract.

The first training session on the Pilsen ice was preceded by a lot of time spent in the gym. “I hope it gets better and better. Of course it’s going to hurt [at first], but that’s how it is. Before, I always tried to be at 100% from the first practice, but now I know that the body needs some time [to get into shape],” said the 26-year-old Dominik Kubalik.

He goes to a Red Wings team without high expectations. He just wants to win the best possible position. “I know what the league is like, what my qualities are and what I need to improve,” Kubalik confided. After three seasons with Chicago, the new team is a great motivation and great challenge for him, which he takes positively.

Kubalik chose to wear the Red Wings’ jersey. Other players who signed contracts together with him helped the team change quite a bit. Czech players Filip Hronek, Jakub Vrana and Filip Zadina already play for the team. “I know those boys from the national team. I don’t see a problem with it, hopefully it won’t be over-examined,” said Dominik Kubalik, smiling.

There’s still plenty of time for practice. He has a month-and-a-half of training both on the ice and in the gym before he flies back overseas. He will also skate with Pilsen.

Dominik Kubalik, born in Pilsen, will celebrate his 27th birthday on August 21st.

On Monday, the ESE Hockey All-Star Challenge will take place at Mount Clemens Ice Arena

I was poking around for this morning’s ramble regarding Wings players’ summertime training when I was reminded that Steven Oleksy’s Eastside Elite Hockey League (or ESE Hockey), an informal competitive hockey league for Michigan-based players’ summertime skates, is already under way in Mount Clemens, MI.

This Monday, August 8th, the ESE League’s All-Star Challenge will take place at Mount Clemens Ice Arena, and here’s what it promises:

The 2022 ESE All-Star Challenge will kick start the event with two High School Division games and an Elite Division game – all part of the ESE Summer League. Following the two High School Division games and Elite Division game, an ESE All-Star Challenge – College Division will take place featuring elite NCAA players. The main event is the highly anticipated and fan-favorite ESE All-Star Challenge – Pro Division! The ESE All-Star Challenge – Pro Division will feature NHL, AHL, and ECHL players including NHL All-Stars Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Zach Werenski, and local favorites Vlad Namestnikov, Jordan Oesterle, Michael Rasmussen, Taro Hirose, Riley Barber, Josh Norris, Will Lockwood, and Ben Gleason!

Tickets are either $20 for the 10-plus-hour long event or $100 for VIP packages, and the tickets are on sale on EventBrite until Monday, when you can only purchase them in person at Mount Clemens Ice Arena. Enjoy!

DHN’s Duff on Rogle BK as the ‘Red Wings East’ and a bit of a ramble on summertime training

Frolunda HC of the SHL, a.k.a. the former Frolunda Indians, were the “Red Wings East” for a couple of seasons, but a series of hockey moves have yielded a new team with that title in Rogle BK, Moritz Seider’s alma mater.

Swedish prospects Theodor Niederbach and William Wallinder migrated to Rogle from other teams this past season, and Austrian-born top prospect Marco Kasper chose to play for the Angleholm-based team, which is run by the brothers Cam (coach) and Chris (the GM) Abbott, because it’s considered one of the best teams in all of Europe.

This morning, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff writes about the team from Skane (Southern Sweden), noting that Niederbach left Frolunda as a free agent to sign with Rogle for more playing time’s sake, and that Wallinder comes to Frolunda from MODO Hockey of the Swedish Allsvenskan (the Swedish version of the AHL):

Continue reading DHN’s Duff on Rogle BK as the ‘Red Wings East’ and a bit of a ramble on summertime training

NHL.com’s Hogg profiles Wings draft pick Dylan James

NHL.com’s Dave Hogg posted an article this evening which profiles Red Wings 2022 draft pick Dylan James. The Red Wings picked the 6,’ 181-pound left wing higher than most had him ranked at 40th overall this past July. James told Hogg that he’s more of a two-way player than an offensive star, despite having won a USHL championship on the heels of a 61-point season with Sioux City:

“I take a lot of pride in being a two-way player,” James said. “Most of my offense is going to come from my defense. I think speed is my best skill. I can use it on the forecheck to limit the other team’s time and space. I love doing that.”

James was named rookie of the year in the United States Hockey League last season after he had 61 points (28 goals, 33 assists) in 62 regular-season games with Sioux City and eight points (five goals, three assists) in 10 playoff games to help win the Clark Cup.

“That was an unreal experience,” James said. “Winning a [championship] is obviously good for your confidence and the team’s confidence.”

The Red Wings selected James in the second round (No. 40) of the 2022 NHL Draft.

“We’re really excited about him, because he plays a 200-foot game and we can use him in all situations,” Red Wings director of amateur scouting Kris Draper said. “He doesn’t score a ton of goals, but he scores big goals. He comes through when his team needs him.”

Hogg continues; James looked pretty darn raw when he took part in the Wings’ summer development camp, but the University of North Dakota-bound forward was snagged very early by the Wings because they believe he’s got more to give.

DHN’s Allen profiles Amadeus Lombardi

Detroit Hockey Now’s audit of the Red Wings’ prospect system continues this evening with Kevin Allen discussing 2022 draft pick Amadeus Lombardi of the OHL’s Flint Firebirds. Lombardi stands only 5’10” and 165 pounds, but the 19-year-old impressed the Red Wings’ scouts with a 59-points-in-65-games regular season, followed by a 15-points-in-19-games playoff run.

Put bluntly, the Red Wings saw enough of Lombardi this past season to draft him 113th overall, and, as Allen notes, the Wings hope that his competitiveness helps “Ammo” overcome his small stature:

He is like a tightly-wound spool of energy that seems to grow in intensity with each stride he takes on the ice. Lombardi netted a hat trick in a game in the 3 v 3 tournament at the Red Wings’ Development Camp last month.

Lombardi also scored a Michigan lacrosse-style goal in that tournament. He made everyone pay attention to him because of his energetic style.

“He’s a very competitive centerman, a guy we were able to see a lot being up in Flint and then had a real good playoff,” Red Wings director of amateur scouting Kris Draper said.

He lost a year of development because of COVID-19. He didn’t play anywhere in 2020-21. The Red Wings took note that he improved as the season wore on. He worked hard at his craft. In the playoffs, Lombardi registered seven goals and 15 points in 19 games.

“He’s a skater, he’s a worker and he’s very competitive and he plays center,” Draper said. “We like all those things about him.”

Continued; I was very impressed with Lombardi’s skill set at the Wings’ summer development camp, but a 19-year-old who’s as small as Lombardi is will have an uphill battle that’s going to need to be fought with relentless energy and enthusiasm, as well as some hard work in the weight room.

We’ll see what he can do in the fall prospect tournament, when he’s battling against AHL-level competition, and then he’ll go back to Flint for at least one more season of OHL development.

Your Friday afternoon ‘news dump’ post: It’s time to fundraise again

Okay, it’s Friday afternoon, when most news sites post the news they don’t want to post while heading out the door.

I am probably headed out the door at some point to pick the big bag of prescriptions that awaits me at Rite-Aid, but then I’m coming right back to monitor what will probably be a quiet weekend ahead of the World Junior Championship’s start on August 9th…

And, as much as I hate to do this, it’s time to start fundraising for several reasons:

  1. I have to renew my website by the end of the month, and everything comes out to be about $400 for the various Bluehost subscriptions and the Jetpack plug-in;
  2. It’s also time to start getting ready for training camp and the prospect tournament. I’ve scheduled my hotel reservations for September 14th to 28th, and they are…expensive…as is everything in this financial landscape, as I’m certain you already know. It’s going to be a long slough to try and raise everything necessary to make the cut financially…
  3. And, in the interim, there are bills that need to be paid.

So, while I’m not a fan of requesting financial help, this is still a blog without ads and a blog without commercials, so I will need your assistance to get through the month, frankly, never mind head up to Traverse City.

This is just the way things are right now, and while it’s a warm, muggy weekend in August here in Southeastern Michigan and Southwestern Oakland County, the news cycle is about to take a jump forward with the WJC going on, and it’s going to continue from there.

So let’s do this:

If you’re willing to lend a hand, you can use PayPal at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport, Venmo at https://venmo.com/george-malik-2, Giftly by using my email, rtxg@yahoo.com, at https://www.giftly.com. And you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check.

Tweet of note: An excerpt from the NHL Network’s interview with David Perron

Per the Detroit Red Wings on Twitter:

“I joined a team in Vegas that no one expected us to do anything the first year so I kind of have a chip in my shoulder, trying to recreate that [in Detroit].”

New @DetroitRedWings left winger @DP_57 knows how it feels to be the underdog… and how to exceed all expectations. pic.twitter.com/o3SZm9yzwP— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 5, 2022

I happened to post this one yesterday:

Tweet of note: quick and to the point

Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman got down to business with DetroitRedWings.com’s Daniella Bruce during their recent conversation:

Update: FYI:

Kulfan audits the Red Wings’ goaltending

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan has examined the Red Wings’ forwards and defense, and today, he examines the team’s goaltending pipeline:

► Ville Husso: He formed a good goaltending combination in St. Louis with Jordan Binnington and is optimistic he’ll be part of one with Nedeljkovic.

“It’s always nice to have a good guy or goalie partner with you,” Husso said. “Me and Binnington were pushing each other every day. That’s one thing I learned from him. With Alex, I want to do the same thing, push each other every day in practices and games to get better every day.”

► Alex Nedeljkovic: Yzerman felt Nedeljkovic could take away positives from this past season.

“He at times had great games; he had some not-so-great games,” Yzerman said. “Some of that was due to our overall team play. What I’m really encouraged by is this could have been a tough situation for any goalie, particularly a young guy who doesn’t have a ton of experience. He survived it and he’s not a basket case today.

“It showed his mental toughness, and it’s good for him that he battled the ups and downs. He didn’t get too carried away when things went well for him, and there were some tough nights and he had to go back in the next night and stop pucks.

“At the end of the year, it was a positive year for him.”

Continued (paywall)