Khan speaks with Shawn Horcoff regarding the Wings’ WJC participants

MLive’s Ansar Khan posted an article this morning in which he discusses the Red Wings’ 8 World Junior Championship participants with Red Wings director of player development Shawn Horcoff. Here’s a player who I feel gets lost in the shuffle at times:

Eemil Viro, Finland

Position: Defense

Height/Weight: 6-0/165

Drafted: No. 70 in 2020

Team: TPS Turku (Finland)

2021-22 stats: 26 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 3 PT

He is a smart, undersized defender who has fared well in Finland’s top men’s league and is expected to play in Grand Rapids next season.

“He’s not he biggest guy, but he has good compete, he moves the puck well and when he’s playing simple, he’s at his best,” Horcoff said. “He’s not a guy who’s going to be flashy or blow you away offensively. But he can still make plays. I don’t think you’ll see him in an offensive role for Finland, but you will see him in a defensive role, playing against other teams’ top lines, killing penalties and just a real good defender that brings real good energy. He’s a guy who’ll come over here next year and take another step forward in our development program.”

Continued

Tweet of note: Simon Edvinsson named alternate captain for Team Sweden’s WJC team

FYI: Red Wings prospect Simon Edvinsson has been named an alternate captain for Team Sweden’s World Junior Championship team:

Möt Juniorkronornas lagkapten Emil Andrae! ©️

Förbundskapten Tomas Montén har utsett sin ledartrio för årets JVM:
C – Emil Andrae
A – Simon Edvinsson
A – Alexander Holtz
Hör vad Emil har att säga om det hedersfyllda uppdraget i videoklippet.#worldjuniors @IIHFHockey pic.twitter.com/KgpffbOrRx— Tre Kronor (@Trekronorse) December 23, 2021

Tweet of note: Donovan Sebrango discusses service dogs, winning the WJC for mom

Check out the attached video from TSN’s Mark Masters, in which Red Wings prospect Donovan Sebrango discusses his relationship with his mother, who has a service dog, and service dogs:

Sportsnet’s Shayna Goldman delivers holiday wishes for 8 teams, including the Red Wings

A holiday wish for the Red Wings, per Sportsnet’s Shayna Goldman, presented without comment:

Detroit Red Wings: A couple more shots: Tyler Bertuzzi’s vaccination status has been a topic of conversation throughout the season, especially after the forward was sidelined with COVID-19. The biggest issue, on the ice, is that Detroit has to play without him whenever they travel to Canada — and they look a lot different without one of their best offensive generators. Bertuzzi’s one of the best Red Wings at 5-on-5 at shooting (and scoring) from the slot. He also has one of the best passing rates in the offensive zone on the team, and can move the puck to the dangerous areas to set up his linemates, Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond.

Without Bertuzzi, they’ve lost their first three games over the border. They’ll miss him again, unless something changes, in six upcoming games in Canada. That’s the potential for 12 points that this team is going to need if they want to maintain their wild card standing.

Continued; at this point, the Wings can only make due without him. They’re not going to change his mind.

Kulfan discusses the Red Wings’ World Junior Championship-participating players

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a subscriber-only article on Wednesday which profiles the Red Wings’ 8 World Junior Championship-participating players:

Carter Mazur, forward, USA: A 2021 third-round pick (70th overall), the Jackson native has been a pleasant surprise playing for the University of Denver. Mazur, 20, is averaging more than a point a game (nine goals, eight assists, 17 points) in 16 games with a plus-12 rating.

Mazur (6-foot, 170 pounds) still needs to get bigger physically. But the way he has produced offensively in the USHL last season, and kept developing in Division 1 hockey this winter, is a good sign.

Red Savage, forward, USA: The 2021 fourth-round pick (114th overall) had an impressive summer and training camp for Team USA and stands to be one of the interesting players to watch in this tournament.

Savage is only 18, and has seven points (one goal, six assists) with a minus-4 rating as a freshman this season at Miami (Ohio). He isn’t big physically, but Savage is effective down low, he’s a clever passer, and has a good wrist shot.

Continued (paywall)

Allen on Jan Bednar, World Junior Championship participant

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen posted something of a profile of Red Wings prospect Jan Bednar, who will take part in the World Junior Championship for the Czechs:

Sebastian Cossa is the Detroit Red Wings’ top goaltending prospect. He will play for Canada at the upcoming World Junior Championships. But the Red Wings will have a second goalie at the tournament: Jan Bednar will play for the Czech team.

IDNES.cz’s Jakub Hromada reports that the current plan is for Bednar to be part of a goalie rotation for the Czechs.

“I want to show the coaches that I can be the number one goalkeeper, the decision is up to them,” Jan Bednář said in an online interview.

Bednar, 19, said he’s not worried about COVID-19’s impact on the WJC.

“We want to go from match to match and not deal with the more distant future,” Bednar said. “It will be important to play every match 100 percent and if it works out, it will work out and if not, bread will not be cheaper. But we will do everything we can to get as far as possible in the tournament.”

Continued

Allen on Donovan Sebrango, World Junior Championship participant

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen filed a notebook article discussing the World Junior Championship as it applies to the Red Wings’ participating prospects, including one Donovan Sebrango:

Detroit Red Wings prospect Donovan Sebrango is not going to dazzle you with his offensive flair or impress you with his point totals. But he could end up being the dependable defense-first defenseman that every successful team needs.

Sebrango has three assists in 20 games for the American League’s Grand Rapids Griffins. He’s also +6 on a Griffins teams with a few too many minus players.

What the Red Wings like is that he’s 19 and already has played 51 games in the American League. Plus, Canada selected him to play in the World Junior Championships. Red Wings prospect goalie Sebastian Cossa is also on the team. The Canadians cut the 2020 53rd pick Sebrango before last season’s tournament.

He is currently projected to play on Canada’s third pairing, maybe with Minnesota Wild first rounder Carson Lambos. Donovan Sebrango is a more well-rounded player than he was when he showed up in Grand Rapids..

“All-around consistency is what I’ve improved the most on,” Sebrango said in a recent interview.

Continued; here’s the Tweet that Allen references:

‘Red and White Authority’ podcast features Wings nutritionist Lisa McDowell

Enjoy: